CIRCLE 'D' RANCH

As I approached the mail box that was situated at the end of my driveway, I noticed that the flap was not closed all the way and a large envelope was sticking out. Ever curious I quickly made my way over through the mud and the slush and pulled it out. It was from Circle D Dude Ranch. Interesting. Gathering up the rest of the mail I made my way back up to the house and only managed to get one soaked as the ice broke as I stepped on it and went through to the puddle below.

DAMN! I hated March. Everything was either frozen or thawing and it was dirty looking. I couldn't wait for April to come when the crocuses and daffodils would start peaking through as the first flowers announced the arrival of spring.

When I got inside I yanked my boots off and hung up my coat and made my way back to the kitchen where I had left my coffee. Keeping my curiosity at bay I opened the bills and junk mail before opening up the large envelope. Dumping the contents on the table I picked up the accompanying letter and started to read.

Wow, I had forgotten all about filling in the form for this before Christmas. Just what the doctor ordered! Now, whom on earth was I going to get to come with me. I'd have to think on this one a bit.

************

Signing on to the computer later that afternoon, I was hoping that Cheryln aka Aries would be online and as luck would have it, she was.

I quickly IM'd her and told her of my wonderful news. ".... I was kinda hoping that you would be able to come with me."

"Oh, North," she responded, " I wish I could but that is the week that Steven and I are going to Florida for 2 weeks. We've had it booked and everything is paid for."

"Gee, that's too bad. It would have been nice to have you come along." I said disappointed.

"Hey, why don't you ask the 'Three Musketeers'?" she suggested.

"LOL. Can you just see those 3 at a Dude Ranch!!" I laughed. "I can just picture it now. Trace on a horse, only she gets on backwards and then she slips off. Right into the mud. LOLOL"

"ROTFLMAO!!!! Ahhh, she'll have Aly and Shadoe there for support. LOL" Aries IM'd back.

"What to catch her as she falls??? Good one A!"

"LOL, hey, I thought so. Anyway, gotta go and get Steven fed and his jammies on. I'll be back later. Let me know what they think then. BYE."

"Okay, later. Bye." and she was signed off.

************

About an hour later Aly came online followed by Trace. The only one missing was Shadoe. I invited both of them into my chat room so that it would be easier for us to talk about my wonderful surprise. We had just gotten into the room when Shadoe appeared online. I invited her to come and chat and she didn't take any time at all to make her way over to the lounge on my site.

Northstar: Hey guys. You'll never believe what happened to me today.
Aly: What?
Trace: Yeah what?
Shadoe: okay, I'll bite. What happened to you today?
Northstar: Well, I won a trip!!!!!!
Aly: wow that's great North. Where to?
Trace: probably the grocery store!! LOL
Northstar: NO! now behave Trace. I actually won a trip to a Dude Ranch in July, the week of the 10th AND I can take along 3 friends!! Are any of you interested in coming along??????? Pretty Please!!!!
Shadoe: You WANT to take us with you???? What are you nuts?
Northstar: Nope, not nuts. Just want three of my best buds to come with me.
Trace: Hey this sounds like it could be fun. I'll have to check my schedule and let you know. Kay?
Northstar: Okay. How 'bout you other two? gonna think about it too?
Aly: You betcha. I'll be due for a holiday by then. I'll check my schedule too and get back to you. Anyway, I gotta go and feed the kiddies. Be back later.
Trace: See ya later Aly.
Shadoe: See ya later Aly.
Northstar: Okay, I'll talk to you later Aly.
User Aly has left the chat
Northstar: I'll send you guys the text of the brochure, but I know you'll just love it. I can't wait until July!! You should see all the activities and stuff they have listed.
Trace: Well I gotta go too. I'll be back later too and maybe I'll even have an answer for you too. See ya.
Shadoe: Okay, cuz. see y'all later. Bye
Northstar: Bye all. Let me know.
User Trace has left the chat
User Shadoe has left the chat

Well, I sure hope that they can come along, I thought to myself as I left the chat room. I signed off after that and got caught up on my laundry and got the dinner dishes done.

When I signed back on after, Aries was on and I filled her in on what was happening. She was happy that the girls were thinking about it. We chatted for a bit before she signed off to put Steven to bed.

It wasn't long after she left that I went to check my mail to find out that all three of the girls had emailed me to say that they would love to come along and would be online later to work out the details of the trip.

~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~

After chatting and planning for months, the day of departure had finally arrived. The four of us were planning to meet up at the Denver Airport. Our flights were all arriving within a few hours of each other. I just hoped that Trace and Aly remembered to take their Dramamine before they boarded otherwise they'll be greener than a granny smith apple when they arrived.

They all met at the gate where my flight was coming in as I was the last to arrive. It was nice to see the girls and we chatted like long lost friends as we waited for our ride that was to take us to the ranch. It wasn't long before our driver arrived. He came over and introduced himself and got our luggage onto a cart and told us to follow him. His name was Sean Nordquist and he was the head wrangler of the Circle 'D'. It was then that I realized that he had been the one to send me the letter telling me that I had won.

Once we were all aboard the Suburban and on our way, we were awed by the wondrous site that met us out the car window. The mountains in the background with their snow-capped peaks were a sight to behold.

"I sure hope y'all brought your cameras along." Sean said as he maneuvered the car along the road. "From the looks of you girls, it looks as though you don't get away from home too often."

"You got that right Mr. Nordquist." Aly agreed. "This is only my second time out of my home state and I am loving it so far. Not even the plane ride was as bad as I thought it would be."

"Girls. Please call me Sean. We don't stand on too much formality out at the ranch." he explained.

"Sounds good to me Sean. Just the way we like it." Trace commented. She still looked a little green around the gills. Shadoe was awfully quiet too.

"What's up Shadoe?" I asked.

"Just tired." she answered back. "I was up late last night working on some edits on my book and got carried away. Guess I should have looked at the clock a little closer."

"Ahh, okay, that will explain the toothpicks in the eyes look then." laughed Aly.

"Well, girls, the Circle 'D' is located high up in the Colorado Rockies and is a few miles west of the "Continental Divide". The Ranch is surrounded is surrounded by National Forest land and summer pasture, so there will be lots of room to roam around." Sean continued as he gave us a commentary on the surroundings. "It will take us about an hour and a bit to get there so y'all can make yourselves comfortable and maybe catch forty winks before we get there."

************

We finally arrived at the ranch and while Sean unloaded our bags, the four of us looked around. It seemed to be a thriving ranch and there were lots of people milling about and looking busy.

"I'll get you girls settled in your room and let you unpack and freshen up and then everyone will be meeting in the meeting hall at 11:00am for a little 'history' lesson. Most of our guests have arrived but we are expecting a few more later on tonight or tomorrow." Sean explained as he called over two young ranch hands to help with the luggage. "You sure you girls are only here for 10 days?" they laughed as they came and loaded up with our bags.

"Ooops, you mean we brought to much?" Trace asked with an innocent look on her face.

"I'll say." both boys said in unison as they made out that they were so heavily laden that they could barely walk. We were all laughing as we made our way to the bunkhouse where we would be staying for the next week and a bit.

We got unpacked and changed and then made our way to the meeting hall, which was a separate building located beside the original homestead. There were quite a few people standing around and talking quietly when we walked in. There were chairs set up in front of a stage and there was a podium set up on it. It wasn't long before Sean ambled up onto the stage and motioned for us to take our seats.

Once we were all seated he began. "Welcome everyone to the Circle 'D' Dude Ranch. My name is Sean and I am head wrangler on this here spread. I will also be your guide for some of the activities we have on tap this week."

A chorus of "hi Sean's" went out from the guests as they listened with rapt attention to what he was saying.

"First off, I'm going to give you a little bit of a history lesson on the Circle 'D' ranch. It isn't boring, I promise." he laughed as he noticed the looks passing among his audience.

"Before the pioneers settled this area, the Ranch and surrounding area was a neutral meeting ground for various Indian tribes. There is a hot spring nearby where they would bathe peacably amongst each other."

"Indians at first held the original rights to the land until around 1883, when James Patterson homesteaded 200 acres which included the hot spring. In the years following and just before the turn of the century, it was bought by a doctor by the name of Malcolm Davies."

"Hey," I whispered as I turned towards the girls. "That is the same name as my father-in-law."

"I wonder if it's any relation." Aly whispered back. "Maybe we'll find out more about him." We turned our attention back to Sean.

"Malcolm, then built a hotel on the land and then in subsequent years he added a swimming pool, a stable and a bunkhouse. Activities for the guests included swimming, horse back riding, hiking, horseshoes, picnics, dances and various others."

"In 1954, after a few declining years, the ranch was sold to a young couple who again tried to get it into a profitable concern, but they too failed. It was sold again in 1960 to the present owners, whom you will meet shortly. Mark and Julie Hanover. It is through hard work and a labor of love that you are all able to be here today. You will be given a tour after lunch of all the facilities available to you during your stay here."

"Now, I just want to remind you that while you are our guests, and this is your holiday, you are under no obligation to join in on all the activities, BUT, just think of all the fun you will be missing out on if you don't" he concluded.

Just then the bell rang announcing that it was time for the noon meal. "Well, folks, looks like you were saved by the dinner bell." he laughed. "We'll meet here again after you've eaten and we'll get started on that tour."

All the guests assembled in the dining room for their first meal together. And what a meal it was too. Roast beef, carrots, parsnip, mounds of mashed potatoes, and for dessert the most luscious and flaky Strawberry pie that we had ever eaten.

~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~

After our sumptuous lunch we were given a tour of the premises, introduced to our hosts and after that we were left up to our own devices until supper. Once supper was done, we were each handed a list of activities that we could sign up for during our stay.

"Well, I would love to sign up for everything." Aly said as she looked over the list. "I love horseback riding, and swimming, and hiking and....."

"Yup, everything for me too except the horseback riding." Trace grimaced.

"Oh, come on Trace, you're have to go riding. That's what this is all about and a lot of the points of interest are gotten to on horseback." pointed out Shadoe as she too perused the list of activities.

"Maybe, maybe not." Trace said as she looked down the list to see that those not able to go on horses, would be driven to the interest areas. "It says here that some people get to ride in a jeep."

"Chicken!!!" I said laughing at her. "You are not going to go in a jeep. You 'will' be going on horseback if I have to drag you myself. Besides, I've only ever been on a horse once and got thrown off, so if I am going to go, then so are you."

"We'll see."

After signing up for the various activities the next day we stayed and talked for a bit with some of the other guests before hitting the sack.

************

Getting up the next morning was a chore in itself. None of us were use to getting up at the crack of dawn, except for Shadoe of course, but even she seemed to be having a hard time. And to think, this was a holiday too. I could hear moans and groans coming from Trace, Aly and Shadoe as the persistent ringing of the morning bell, summoning us to breakfast, kept up it's noisy toll.

"Come on guys. Get a move on or we'll miss breakfast." I chided them as I headed towards the bathroom. No way was I going to be the last one in and getting only cold water for my shower.

"Are you always this cheerful in the morning North?" Shadoe asked using my screen name and yawning widely.

"Nope, but I heard they put up a mean breakfast here."

"Food!! Did someone mention food?" Trace yawned as she sat up in bed and stretched her arms over her head.

"Sounds like you said the magic words there North." Aly laughed as she too stretched languidly.

"Yeah, looks that way doesn't it." I agreed as I entered the bathroom and got the shower going.

A short while later we were all ready and headed to the mess hall. The rumors I had heard were true and Trace and I were in food heaven when we walked in and saw the spread. The sideboard was decked out with every breakfast food imaginable. There were pancakes, sausages, bacon, back bacon, ham, omelets, eggs in all shapes and forms, home fries, toast, french toast, fruit, cereal, coffee, tea, juice and hot chocolate.

Sean came in just as everyone was finished. He told everyone what time their activities started and where to meet for them and then left again. Our first activity was going to be a hike along one of the abandoned railroad tracks, which would take us to one of the old silver mines.

We went to the designated meeting area where Sean was waiting for us. "Okay, glad to see you all made through your first night. Now I want to introduce you to your own personal wrangler for all of your activities. He will be in charge of all of you and if you have any concerns or questions, he will be the one you go to." he explained. Just then a young man wearing a cowboy hat tilted low on his forehead, came out of the bunkhouse. As he came closer, he tilted his head back and we were able to see his features.

We all looked at each other with our mouths gaping open when we realized who it was. We couldn't believe our eyes. Our personal wrangler just smiled when he saw our reaction.

"OH MY GAWD!!" Aly screeched. "It's ....... it's.........

~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~

"Hi everyone. My name is Matthew. And from the looks on your faces, I am assuming you know who I am. Yes, I play Birkoff on La Femme Nikita." he answered before anyone had a chance to speak. "I have been working as a hand on this ranch, during the month of July, for about 4 years now. I myself came here on a holiday and enjoyed it so much I asked if I could help out and here I am."

"Nice to meet you Matthew." we said as we finally found our voices. What an unexpected surprise this turned out to be. How lucky we were to have him as our personal guide for the week.

"Okay, our first stop is going to be the a picnic area a few miles down the old railroad bed, it has a fantastic view of the valley and then from there we will actually go to a mine that was in operation around the turn of the century. I'm glad to see that you have all dressed in layers and have good hiking boots on. As cool as it gets here at night, it does get quite warm during the day and at least you will be able to take off jackets and such, but you will need them again when we go into the mine." After he explained all this he turned and led us down a path among the trees, which in turn opened up again once we hit the old tracks.

The morning passed quickly as we were having a good time. We found out that the original settlement of the mine was founded in 1891 but an avalanche destroyed it in 1910. The rescuers only recovered 18 bodies and 7 survivors out of 48 settlers. It was shortly after that, that the mine was abandoned. The Hanovers had gotten permission to include the mine in the tours and spent time and money to shore up the walls and make it safe for their visitors.

We didn't make it back in time for lunch but there were fixin's for sandwiches and cool lemonade, which we were more than happy to get. We all sat together and talked with Matthew and found out a little bit more about him than we were able to glean from any information on the Internet. He did ask us though if we could keep this to ourselves when we returned home. He liked the idea of being 'mysterious' and he chuckled as he told us this.

"Well, this afternoon, we have a game of horseshoes and swimming planned." Shadoe announced with a smile. "I think I can handle that after the strenuous walk we had this morning."

"Yes, that's right and tonight we have square dancing in the main hall." I countered back. "I have a feeling that we are going to drop from exhaustion when it comes time for bed."

Aly's head snapped up, "Bed! Did someone say bed?"

"Of course not, why would someone say that in the middle of the day." Trace joked back. "You can't be tired yet. It's only after 2 and we still have a lot of stuff to do today."

"Drat. I could use a nap about now."

Matthew looked at us, shook his head and smiled. "It's all the fresh air and being in the mountains that is making you feel that way Aly. In 2 or 3 days you won't even notice it anymore. That's why we do the easier activities the first few days. It helps to get you acclimated to the elevation."

"Easy." Shadoe sputtered. "You call walking for miles and miles easy?"

"Well, it's easier than the white water rafting we will be attempting in 3 days." he laughed.

"OH NO!! You are not getting me into one of those contraptions!!" Aly said shaking her head. "I absolutely refuse. I do. I am NOT going."

"Gee, that's too bad." Matthew smiled. "You'll miss out on a wonderful trip as well as the overnight camp. We haven't had any mishaps in the years that I have been here and the guests have all loved it. Even the ones who acted like you did just now."

"I think it sounds like fun. I've always wanted to try it." I said. "I even looked up a bunch of stuff on the Internet on it. It was fascinating. What class rapids are there in this particular trip?"

"Well, we have class two rapids for the most part. There are some waves, rocks, eddies and tricky passages to spice up the ride down the river. We use a local rafting company and they provide the rafts and guides, so we do have professionals along for the ride." he explained. Even Aly was listening with rapt attention as he told us more about it.

"Well, I'm still going to think about it." she murmured.

************

The afternoon passed as quickly as the morning and before we knew it supper was over and the tables were being pushed to the sides so that the floor would be opened up for the square dancing. It wasn't long and the band was set up and sawdust strewn across the floor and then Mark and Julie came in and started with the festivities. We were lucky that Matthew danced almost exclusively with us the whole evening and by the time we got back to our room, we were more than ready for sleep. We were quickly under the covers and sleep overtook us almost immediately.

~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~

The next few days just flew by as we went rafting, and yes Aly did go and enjoyed herself. We all did. Matthew was a very gracious host and kept us entertained as we made our way down river. No one fell in and got wet but we did get rained on for a bit in the afternoon but it cleared up by the time we had to set up camp for the night. We went swimming and fishing and even caught enough trout for our evening meal.

The next morning a couple of jeeps arrived to take us back to the ranch in time for lunch and the afternoon was spent hiking up another trail into the mountains. We were certainly getting our exercise, but it was a lot of fun.

We got back to the ranch and after dinner we had another night of square dancing. Mark and Julie had brought in a real 'caller' and what a difference it made. I could see now why they didn't bring one in on the first night we did this. At least we had time to practice. Exhaustion soon overcame us but it was with reluctance that we all adjourned for the night. We had another busy day scheduled for tomorrow.

************

We had our usual great breakfast at about 7:30 am and then all four of five others and us met at the stables for our loping instruction class. Here, Sean and the other wranglers gave us instruction and allowed for some practice in the corral. After about an hour, we were off with Matthew for the morning ride. Shadoes' horse was named Hobbles, Trace rode a black horse named Tripper, Aly rode a docile mare, called Bucko, of all things and I rode a brown and white mottled horse named Whisky. After our ride, we were back to the ranch for lunch - spaghetti, shrimp alfredo, fruit salad, brownie pudding and more.

"I swear I am not going to fit into any of my clothes when I get back home." I complained.

"You and me both!" Trace agreed. "I can barely get into my jeans as it is now."

"Well, if you two would stop gorging your faces every time you see food, you wouldn't be having that problem, now would you?" Shadoe admonished us. We both turned and glared at her and if looks could kill she would be dead.

"Oh Shadoe!" Aly sighed. "You might as well be talking to a wall for all the notice these two give you. When it comes to food, there is no stopping them."

"Hey, Trace and I happen to enjoy our food. Besides it always tastes better when someone else does the cooking. Right Trace?"

"Yuppers, gotta agree with you there North. Besides I need to eat to keep up my strength."

*******

Although we're very tired when we return to the ranch, we all decide to go to the Hot Springs fed swimming pool and whirlpool. Matthew joins us shortly and we all enjoy the relaxing whirlpool. This was just what we needed after a morning of riding. The days were passing by quickly.

For dinner, Sean and Rick, another ranch hand, were cooking at the outdoor grill grilling steaks. We went down for some pictures and Rick (who was sampling the food) gave us all a sample right off the grill. The steaks, salad and other vegetables along with the cheesecake were great. At 8:30, we assembled again in the dining room and Julie had a slide show with numerous slides over the years that the Circle 'D' Ranch has operated.

Another day done and again we just fall into our beds, looking forward to tomorrow. We only had a few days left before we had to head back home.

~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~

Two days left. We couldn't believe how quickly the last week had gone by. We had done white water rafting, hiking, toured an old mine, had an overnight campout, the list just went on and on.

Today we were going on another horseback expedition that would take us most of the day. Matthew was going to take us to a place he found the second year he worked at the ranch. He called it his special place and because we were such big fans of the show and didn't gush all over him all week, he decided to share it with us. He got us excused from the planned activity that day and we were excited about going.

After breakfast, we all went out to the stables and saddled up our horses. We were old hands at this now and it went quite quickly. By the time we were done, Matthew was waiting for us with the pack mule loaded with our lunch.

We took our time on the trail as we moved up the mountain. It was shortly before noon when Matthew turned in his saddle and told us we were close to our destination.

"Now, you'll need to follow quietly and if we're lucky we may see some wildlife in the way of deer grazing." he whispered. We nodded in understanding and followed him as he ducked under a low hanging branch.

When we came through on the other side, we were astounded by the vista that was presented to us.

Coming out of the rocks on the far side of a pool was a stepped waterfall where the water cascaded into the pool below. Just at the edge were 3 deer taking their fill of water. They cautiously lifted their heads as they noticed our presence, turned slowly and wandered off into the bush giving us a last look before they disappeared from view.

We got down off our horses and Matthew gave us a tour of his special place. He took us to the top of the falls. From there we could see for miles and miles and Matthew pointed out where the ranch was. It looked so small from his special place. We thanked Matthew for sharing his special place with us which made us feel special too.

Then we got our blankets out and rested for a bit before we had our lunch. Afterwards we went for a swim in the pool below the falls. It was cold but refreshing. We went for another small hike after that and soon it was time for us to be heading back. Tomorrow was our last day here and they were having a special dance that night. We were told that there would be some special guests as well. Tomorrow was also Matthew's last day at the ranch.

With reluctance we gathered up all our things, loaded up and started on the trail back to the ranch. We arrived with a half-hour to spare before the dinner bell sounded. We had just finished up with the horses and had a chance to wash up, when we heard it chime.

************

There was a hint of sadness at dinner tonight as most of the guests didn't want to leave. We had made quite a few friends during our stay there and we promised to keep in touch once we returned home. A few of us had even agreed to come back again the following year. Addresses were exchanged and Matthew even gave us his address so we could keep in touch with him. He also told us that he was going to be at the Close Quarter's Standby that October in Toronto, so we would be seeing him then.

"I can't believe our time here is at an end." Shadoe sighed. "I really enjoyed myself this week. Considering I was a bit reluctant to come at the beginning, I am glad now that you all talked me into it. Thanks North for even considering asking me to join you guys."

"Hey, I'm glad you could all come. I have had a blast this week. We were lucky to have Matthew as our 'wrangler' too."

"Yeah, I can't wait to get back home and tell my hubby and kids about this place and about Matthew. I think it would make a great vacation for all of us once they get a bit older." Aly gushed. "I can't wait to tell them that I actually went white water rafting. They will never believe it."

"Well, it's a good thing we have the proof captured on film!!" Trace said. "I enjoyed myself too and I LOVED the food."

We all stood laughing at that and it was at that moment that Mark and Julie appeared on the stage. "If we could have everyone's attention please." they yelled over the crowd.

It took a few minutes for the noise to die down so we could hear them. "We want to take this time to thank everyone for joining us this past week. It has been a real pleasure for us to have had you all here and remember you can all sleep in tomorrow morning. Tonight as you know is our final dance before you all take your leave tomorrow. We have for your entertainment, the pleasure of announcing that we have the group 'Blue Rodeo' here for this special occasion."

There was loud applause as the curtain was raised and the last night was officially underway as the group started playing. It was late when we danced the last dance and reluctantly made our way to bed.

~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~

The next morning we allowed ourselves the luxury of sleeping in till 8am. We were so used to getting up early that none of us could sleep any later. We got up, showered and went to have our last meal at the ranch. After that we returned to our room to pack up the last of our belongings and put them outside to be picked up. We all took one last glance around the room as we walked out the door and closed it behind us. We then went to say our good-bye's to Matthew and the other ranch hands.

Just before noon the Suburban pulled up in front of our bunk house and Sean got out and packed our cases in the back. We waved goodbye to everyone and got in and got settled for our trip back to the airport.

********

Hugging each other goodbye and agreeing to meet online the next day, we each made our way to our respective gates for the journey home.

The End