Bonus: Pictures

An angle from the porch that looks down to the woods where we come in from rides.
My room was at that open screen door on the left.

The fields. Normally full of horses.

Close up.

The horses! Look at those mountains...

Inside the barn.

Where all the saddles go at night.

Another.

I like this picture.

My room. My bed is the lower far bed. Ignore the bed in the foreground...

Avery!!!

Day 56: The End

I'm headed home on Saturday. I gave it my best try but I wasn't happy here and it just didn't work out.

I have no regrets--I wanted to do this for years and the only way I could find out it wasn't right was to try it. Best to try than to always regret never trying at all.

I can't wait to be home in my bed, find a new car and an apartment and head back to everything I left. I'll see you all soon and I won't have any regrets.

Day 53: Fourth of July

So I had today off which was pretty nice since it was a holiday (obviously). We were still decently busy but I just stayed inside all day and lounged around with Avery (the cat). We napped, watched TV, and generally just relaxed.

At some point I got dressed and ventured outside to say hi to people, etc. After work there was a party at one of the photo girls' house so I got all dressed up for that. I wore a red, white and blue plaid peasant top that I bought for the day. I wore a little make-up and made it an occasion.

The party turned out to be pretty lame but there was a live band which was kind of cool. Most of us walked back from the party to watch the fireworks because the ranch had a better view of where they went off. They were pretty average fireworks but there were some that spelled out USA which was kind of cool.

So it was a nice day of relaxation and carefree-ness. I wish I had another day off, though. Can't wait to be home--80 hours a week will be a cinch!

Day 49: Drama

Two things to report:

1. My car was recently involved in a storm-related accident. A tree branch stabbed through the windshield of my parked car during a storm and damaged the dashboard and the instruments inside. The damage was enough to total the car so now I am car-less. Well, I've been car-less since I flew to Colorado but when I get home I will truly be car-less. The insurance will cover the value of the car and they're giving me more than I expected so that's a nice surprise. I plan on buying a new car when I get back and I'm trying to decide between four different cars: the Hyundai Elantra (which has gotten excellent reviews), Nissan Versa hatchback, Toyota Matrix (which I could get in 4-wheel drive and has excellent storage area), and Kia Forte 5-Door. If anyone has an opinion, feel free to shoot it my way. There probably won't be any progress on this front until I get home so don't expect a resolution on this blog.

2. One of the wranglers was fired this morning and left just about an hour ago. He has been doing multiple things over the past two months but the last straw was him loudly banging on the metal railings to get the horses in from the fields. It was really, really loud and woke up people who were trying to sleep (on their days off). Though it might sound rash to fire someone over just that, this was just one problem on top of many others. I'm not so sorry to see him go--he's been rude to me numerous times.

Anyway, that's the dish for today.

Upcoming events:
Tomorrow: Wrangler day
July 1: The start of 5:00 Steak rides, meaning we work an hour later than normal...
July 4: My day off! And fireworks!
July 14: Rooftop Rodeo (we get off work early!)
July 25: Lauren comes back to visit!
August 10: To be determined...

Day 44: Short Update

My wrangler day is now Friday so I wrangled yesterday. Took out a 1-hour and a 3-hour. It was an exhausting day. No sunburn!

Today was our busiest day of the summer yet and we all felt it. I even got to take out a random, unexpected 2-hour on one of the horses I had really been wanting to ride! His name is Spirit and he looks just like the horse character from the similarly titled movie. He was a good boy and I enjoyed getting out of the office for a bit.

After work today, Jeff, Shelby, Zak (new wrangler and nephew of the owner) and his sister, Selena, went out for Mexican food. It was delicious and we came home to Funfetti cake for Kelli's birthday party celebration. Yum!

Now bedtime, please. Thank god Monday is soon...

Day 40: Lauren

Lauren's leaving tomorrow. Hopefully you remember that Lauren is my bunkmate and we've become good friends so I'm really sad to see her go. She says she just can't do this work and then go right back to school and keep working hard. She wants a break and thought she could do this summer ordeal but has found she can't. It's her first time really away from her family and boyfriend and she's having a hard time so she's headed home. She's going to fly back, even though she drove here. She'll come back in a couple of weeks to hang out with us for a few days before driving home.

To say goodbye we had a little bonfire tonight and roasted s'mores and ordered pizza and sat on the porch and talked. I'm really going to miss her and I'll be a lot lonelier now but I still have Shelby and I think the two of us will soldier on. As Lauren told me, I'll be fine because I'm "already so independent" but having people out here that you really enjoy is what makes the work and the long stretches of time bearable. So I hope it works out but we'll see. I'm not even excited about having fewer people sharing one bathroom or having the dresser all to myself (and, if you know me, that says a lot)!

Day 39: Fifth Day Off

I was pretty productive today! Well, if you call spending money productive...

I started off by sleeping in pretty late. It was nice for a change. Then I got up and did laundry (of course), watched my show (as usual), and had lunch. I also found some cowboy boots online that I liked and bought them. Lauren has similar ones and I used hers to figure out what size I needed. Plus, there's a free exchange for a different size if I need it. They should be here in a week. Picture below!

After lunch I headed into town to pick up my hat which, luckily, had been delivered only a few minutes before I arrived. I picked out a hat band (which goes around the crown) and a stampede strap (which keeps the hat on when it's windy) and window shopped around town until the hat was finished. My hat looks pretty similar to the one below but my hat band is a nice red-brown. The hat is made of palm which is pretty sturdy and glazed to make it stronger. I'm pretty excited to wear it!

After getting my hat, I stopped into the local book store and bought a book called Lonesome Dove which is a cowboy story that has also been made into a movie. The boys here really like the movie so I thought I'd give the book a try. I'm in desperate need of something to do in the office when it's not busy so I think a cowboy book might do the trick.

Then I headed to Safeway to pick up groceries for dinners throughout the week and also got a Swiffer WetJet so I can spot-clean the office. We have a big, old-fashioned mop but it does a really awful job and I usually only need to clean specific high-traffic places so I think the Swiffer will work out better.

All-in-all it was a good, productive and expensive day. But what else am I making money for, right? Kidding, of course.

Bonus: Today was payday!

Double bonus: We're going to Smokin' Daves tonight!

Day 38: Sundance

Last night a couple of us went to Sundance Saloon, a cowboy dance club. There was real bull riding, mechanical bull riding, line dancing and free drinks for ladies from 9-11 (Ladies night).

It was a lot of fun and Lauren and I just stared at the dancers the whole night, envious of them. It looked so complicated! It was all partner dancing and we were pretty intimidated. An older man came over and tried to teach us the two-step but it was hard and we felt silly. I think we'll go back on one of the nights they do dance lessons.

So we had a great time and Jeff and Melissa (bartender from Smokin' Saves who is sort of seeing Jeff) kept buying me drinks and we didn't get back to the ranch until 2... I accidentally slept in past my alarm until almost 7 but people covered for me so I was ok. It was a very fun night but I'm exhausted. Good thing my day off is tomorrow!

Day 36: Update

So Kelli had a check-up at the doctor's on Wednesday so I've been in the office the past two days. Clare had a migraine yesterday so I got to take out a ride in her stead. So that was nice. It's nice getting up a little later (5:15) and getting to sit but I'm bored and get frustrated since LITERALLY none of the guests listen to me when I give them instructions. People...

I felt like I had more to write about which is why I started to write this entry but now I can't think of anything...

Umm. It rained all last night (we needed it) and was pretty darn cold today (ugh). Shelby and I went to a new (to us) restaurant for dinner tonight and I ordered a buffalo burger but only got a normal one.

This weekend looks pretty busy so I'm sure that'll help keep me busy. I need a day off already so I'm sure Monday will be awesome when it does come. And I'll get my new hat! And maybe a belt, too. (Sidenote: one of the other girls went into town last night to buy a hat and she bought the same one I'm getting... Ugh).

So sorry that I didn't have much to really say but I thought you guys needed an update, especially about my office status. So there you go!

Day 33: Italians and Longhorns

Today I rode again and have a few interesting things to share:

I had a group of Italians for one of my rides and realized just how little Italian I actually learned/remember from my semester last Spring. I struggled to be able to say more than "You're doing well!" and "Good!" and "You're welcome!" I felt a little silly. But, I did realize just how much French I remember from my 5.5 years of study! I almost asked them if they knew any French so we could talk in French instead but I thought that'd be a little silly. Anyway, that was interesting. I hope I get some French guests.

We also got a small herd of longhorn cattle in. Apparently every year they put a herd on our land to graze and keep the grass in check (so the horses can resist it easier) and provide some "wildlife" sightings in addition to the real wildlife sightings we have. I saw them on one of my rides and they are so cool! They have gigantic horns and are spotted and there's even a little baby (with horns). I look forward to spotting them on my rides in the future.

In other news, more girls have shown up so here are some more introductions:
Michelle: different than the first Michele; wrangler; from California; redhead
Julie: French; from a town southwest of Bordeaux; wrangler; speaks English pretty well
Becky: wrangler; from New Hampshire

I'm riding again tomorrow but Kelli has a doctor's appointment and if the doctor says she's good to ride, I'll probably be going back in the office. I had a nice time riding so much but I knew I'd be going back to the office one day so it's not that bad. Plus, Kelli doesn't do a very good job in the office. Which is fine--it's not a job for everyone. I'll update when I can!

Day 32: Fourth Day Off

On my fourth day off, I slept in until 7:30 and then started my day off with laundry, of course. I had a lot of laundry to do and used the morning for that. I hung around on the computer a little bit watching shows and talking to people and then headed to the kitchen for lunch.

After lunch, I borrowed Lauren's car and drove downtown. My first stop was the Colorado Hat Company since my dinky straw hat had been mostly destroyed yesterday and I was in the market for a new one. I settled on a short-crowned palm hat which is similar to a straw hat but sturdier. Even the straw hats at this place were better than mine, though--the straw is glazed to be stronger and tear less easily. So I put in an order for my new hat and it should be here by next Monday!

After finding my hat, I had an ice cream mission. For those of you who know me well, you know how much I love ice cream (it's my favorite thing in the world). So I had to make a mission out of it. Estes Park has MULTIPLE ice cream shops all claiming to be handmade or old fashioned. I was unimpressed by most of them but settled on one shop that had a delicious wedding cake flavor which was awesome. I sat outside and ate it while watching tourists walk by.

Then I did a little window shopping and ended up buying a blown glass snowflake Christmas ornament for my future Christmas tree (when I have one of my own). I like to buy ornaments from the places I visit so I can remember them. I think this comes from Granan who always brought us grand-kids back an ornament from her travels and stuck it in our stocking.

I walked around town for a little longer and then got in the car to head to Safeway for some groceries. I bought some Mac and Cheese, some spaghetti sauce (we already have pasta), contact solution and some Q-tips. My shopping all finished, I headed back to the ranch and napped for a while and then watched some TV until people finished work.

After work, Shelby, Jeff and I went to Smokin' Daves (our usual spot) for dinner (we usually go on Monday nights, though I don't know why). Lauren would have come with us but she had friends visiting so they did their own thing.

It was another awesome day off! Monday is now the best day of the week. More riding tomorrow so yay!

Day 31: Short Update

So I've been wrangling the past days (since my last post) and having fun. I almost miss the office, though. Giving these rides is only fun for so long and then the people just start getting on your nerves because they're rude/stupid/don't listen to you (choose one). Anyway, I've had good horses and nothing much has really happened but the riding is nice and the tips are nice (if I get them...don't even get me started on how rude people are) and I'm getting a little bit of a tan. But I do like the tidiness of the office and the orderly fashion of it (because I'm obsessive) so I won't be too bummed when I go back to it.

Tomorrow is my day off and I intend to do a lot of laundry, watch a TV show I need to catch up on, nap, and go into town to look for a new hat (my dinky straw one is getting chewed up...), a caramel apple, and groceries. Busy day.

Day 28: Changes and Third Wrangler Day

So yesterday morning, one of the girls (Kelli) fell off a new horse she was testing out. She accidentally made a noise with her radio (we wear radios to communicate between all the wranglers) and the horse spooked and she fell off. She ended up getting a really bad concussion and some soft tissue damage in her neck. Because of this, she can't ride for a week and will be taking over the office for me. While I'd never want these to be the circumstances in which I get to ride, I'm kind of happy for the change while it lasts. So, while it was my wrangler day today, I think I'll be riding most of the day every day for at least a week (maybe more).

This morning we had another injury--Clare got kicked right below her knee while bridling horses out in the pen. She hasn't gone to the doctor (and is refusing to?) so we don't really know what the status of the injury is but I think she can move her knee but not her ankle and the whole leg is really swollen. I think she's ridiculous for not going to the doctor but whatever. Anyway, she probably won't be riding for a while as well.

Aside from all these tragedies that will have me in the saddle a lot more than usual, I also rode all day because it's Thursday and my wrangler day. I rode Randy again today and he was very good and very cute. We took out two 1-hour rides (mostly uneventful) and 1 half-day steak ride which is a 4 hour ride. I had never been on a 4-hour ride before today since I don't ride much. Today, though, I finally went on one and got to see the trail. It's a really long ride and I don't think it's my first choice for rides but it was very pretty and I got a steak dinner out of it so I can't complain too much. Until tomorrow when my whole body hurts, that is.

We also got a new shipment of horses while I was out on the ride so there will be new horses to see tomorrow. A couple of horses also left since we're doing the winter-summer herd switcheroo (winter horses leave to go on their vacation and summer horses come to work). So that'll be exciting and maybe I'll get on a new horse soon.

Until next time!

Interesting note: It STORMED last night. It thundered and lightninged and hailed. The hail and rain sounded so loud on our metal roofs and the horses went absolutely wild from being beaten by the hail. It was a ridiculous thing to experience.

Day 25: Third Day Off

Today was my day off!

I started out by sleeping in until 7 again. Woo! Then I put in laundry and watched this week's episode of Game of Thrones. I took a shower after the laundry was done and got dressed to go on a ride.

I asked Kristyn for a horse so I could take a ride by myself and she gave me Baby, a little paint horse. He's a good boy but none of the horses like going out by themselves (since they're not used to it) so he yelled (neighed) the entire time. We eventually met up with a 2-hour ride Malori was taking out and tagged along so Baby would be happier. It was nice being out there on a ride while not having to pay attention. I got to look around and really enjoy the views and the woods. It is so pretty. The weather was perfect--a little hot but with a nice cool breeze to cool it off. There were a lot of points where I wanted to get off the horse and just sit and relax but I knew Baby wouldn't be happy with that. Maybe I'll take a hike on another day off.

After my ride I had lunch at the barn and then borrowed Lauren's car to drive down to Loveland. The idea was to go shopping for a few things and deposit my paychecks (both from Sombrero and PowerTrain). The drive down (and up) was just gorgeous. It's said to be one of the top 10 most beautiful drives in the country and I'd have to agree. The mountains loom above you, the river flows beside you and it's just terrain that is nothing like what we have back in Maryland. If I made a drive like that everyday to work, I'd be a happy girl.

Unfortunately, it turned out that all the Bank of America ATMs in Loveland are withdraw-only so I didn't get to deposit anything... Not sure what I'm going to do about it--I might mail my checks to Mom and have her deposit them with a slip. We'll see. Anyway, I was still more than able to do the shopping part of my Loveland mission. I went to Jax, an outdoor and ranch supply store, and bought a shirt, two sweaters and a litterbox for Avery (he's been using the bottom half of a cardboard box lined with trash bags...). The clothes were all 50% off and the litterbox was reasonable so it was a good day!

Then I drove back up to Estes and hung out watching TV and napping until everyone was done breaking down. We went to Smokin' Daves for dinner and I had a great salad (even though they forgot to put bacon on it) and it was all-in-all a great day! Lots of things packed in and next week I might be a little lazier.

Day 24: Cookout

Last night we were invited up to the Allenspark stables for a cookout. They have been having a lot of people quit recently so we've been doing a lot to help them (picking up their pack rides, loaning them trucks, driving them places, etc) and they wanted to do something for us to say thank you.

So after work on Sunday we drove down to Allenspark and had a cookout! All of us except a few (Lauren, Shelby and Matt) went and we ended up playing horseshoes and badminton and eating brautwursts and hot dogs and a really great potato salad.

It was a lot of fun to do something different and be somewhere new. We all sat around the bonfire to stay warm in the cool summer night. We all brought our own drinks so it was a real party. I left with the later crowd since my day off was the next day and we stayed out until an unprecedented 11:30 (that is SO LATE).

I had a great time and I'm glad we got to do it and even gladder (??) that people actually came. Day off tomorrow and I've got plans so it should be good!

Day 23: Wrangler Ride

Today, after we broke down the horses, all the wranglers (except Matt) went for a ride. Apparently this is something we occasionally do in the summer. We leave all our horses out and then break down all the others and then go for a ride after work.

Tonight I rode Otis who I've ridden before. He was really good and I'm glad I got to ride him. What I didn't know is that it's essentially a free-for-all gallop up and down our rocky trails. It was a BLAST but I was not expecting to be galloping around those trails. We did it, though, and it was so fun. I really hope we do it again.

One of the new girls, Kim, ended up losing her sweatshirt while we were running so I offered to turn around and help her look for it. The horses really, really don't like going off on their own so I knew she'd need someone to go with her. While we were looking, it was really nice to be out on the trails in the beautiful dusk silence in those mountains. I'm so lucky to be somewhere so beautiful and I'm glad we all got to go out and experience it. When we're giving rides, it's really hard to be able to focus on the scenery since the guests require so much attention. This way we got to get our ya-ya's out by running (ANYTHING but a walk, please!) and got to really see our beautiful trails.

It was a great ride and I hope to encourage them as much as possible.

Final introductions:
Kelli: from Ft. Collins, Colorado; wrangler
Clare: from Columbus, Ohio; wrangler

Day 19: Second Wrangler Day

Like I said yesterday, today was my second wrangler day because Kristyn is taking an 8-hour ride on Thursday and she usually covers for me when I have my wrangler day. So I had it today instead.

The day started out windy and cold like yesterday but got warmer and sunny and really nice. I forgot to put sunscreen on this morning like I did last week on my wrangler day so I ended up getting sunburned a bit on my face, arms and neck. I put lotion on and will try to remember next time.

I had four different rides today: a breakfast ride and three 1-hours. They all went pretty well. Nothing to really note except that the breakfast ride was nice to do. One of the new girls tagged along and it was nice to go on a longer ride and the meal rides always get good tips.

I rode Riggin today, a chestnut mustang mare. She was pretty good. A little spooky, meaning she jumped and got scared at some things (like deer, elk, or invisible things). She was mostly good, though, so I can't complain. Riding a mustang was cool, though, if only to be able to say I've done it.

Nothing much more to note--just hanging out on the porch after work. I've been hanging out with Lauren, Shelby and Jeff the most. Jeff has been here for 2 years but Lauren, Shelby and I kind of all got here at the same time so we bonded. The new girls are also bonding with each other, especially since they all live upstairs together. I have kind of steered away from them because they seem kind of young and college-y. But who knows.

Anyway, more introductions:
Veronica: wrangler; roommate; from California
Kim: wrangler; Asian; no idea where she's from (haven't gotten to ask)

Two new girls showed up today as well and I don't know their names yet or where they're from so I'll introduce them later.

We're gonna have a lot of people in the barn tomorrow morning since all these girls start tomorrow. I might stay in the office and give them their space. I've been helping out during barn call and break down because I want to work with the horses and my help was needed. Don't really know if it is anymore, though. We'll see how it goes.

Stay tuned!

Day 18: Second Day Off

Today was my second day off. I didn't do much but I did enjoy myself.

I got up at 7 (instead of 5), had breakfast, enjoyed the beautiful, warm weather for a little bit and put my laundry in the washer before catching up on a TV show I like. When I finished my show and went to get my laundry, the weather was still sunny but had turned windy and COLD. Ugh.

I offered to take two of the new girls (arrived the night before) our for a ride to show them around and because I wanted to go for a ride but it was COLD so I held the ride off until 2:30. In the meantime I watched TV and generally relaxed. It was nice.

2:30 rolled around and we went for the ride. It was nice to be out and doing some trotting and cantering (rather than the normal slow walk) but it was still very windy and cold so not ideal. We had a good time, though, and I got to know them. Then I went back to watching TV and having some alone time. After break down, Lauren and I decided to go out for Italian for dinner.

The dinner was ok but was really weird for Italian food. The menu was strange, the pasta overcooked and just generally weird. We came back and watched TV together with Jeff and Shelby.

Introductions:
Kelsey: wrangler; from Connecticut; English rider
Courtney: wrangler; from Massachusetts but goes to school in Utah; English and Western rider

NOTE: There are two girls that came today, one of which is a new roommate, but I don't know much about them so I'm waiting until tomorrow to introduce them.

ANOTHER NOTE: Lauren and I convinced Shelby to move into our room and be the fourth girl in here. We wanted her to live with us because we've been hanging out with her and know she's cool whereas we can't be sure a new girl will be. I'm glad she moved in. Not sure if I'm glad about the other girl but we'll see.

ANOTHER NOTE AS WELL: Kansas is making tomorrow my wrangler day this week because Kristin is going on an 8-hour on Thursday so he needs me to be in the office while she's on that ride. Normally she would take my place in the office when I'm out riding. So tomorrow I'll have another post! It snowed a little while we drove back from dinner so tomorrow is gonna be cold.

Day 17: Busy

Today was our busiest day yet! It got sunny and warm and we had a lot of walk-ins on top of the already busy bookings we had. We even had a group of 28!

It was pretty stressful and busy, especially because the group of 28 got lost and were late which threw off EVERYTHING ELSE. We did our best and ended up pulling in over $7000 which is definitely our record for the year so far.

Since we were so busy and aren't operating at full capacity yet (both horse and wrangler-wise), I got to go on three 1-hour rides. I rode Tux today, an awesome white draft mare. I really like her so far but I'll need to take her out on a ride with the other wranglers so I can really try her out.

My first ride was with a family who had ridden with us a couple of times before. It was a pretty normal ride. No tips.

The second ride had a little 4-year-old girl on it who totally talked my ear off the ENTIRE time. I could barely get a word in edgewise! She was also really sassy--I definitely feel bad for her parents. They felt bad (and thankful) for me since I was taking all of her abuse. They tipped well. It was a pretty long hour but talking to kids does help it go faster. This one was a bit much, though!

The third ride was toward the end of the day and was a Latino family from the area. They were really loud and talked amongst themselves mostly which I was fine with since I was tired and sort of just wanted to get the ride over with--their noise really got to me. They also didn't tip me.

The whole tipping thing is ridiculous. We have signs up that say the wranglers work for tips. And wouldn't you tip the person not only responsible for the information (both riding and local/nature facts) you're receiving on your trip but also your SAFETY and WELL-BEING on the horse? I could totally leave you out there and let you have a bad ride but it's our job to make sure you have fun and shouldn't we be tipped as thanks? People always say "tip the people who handle your food" but, in this case, we're handling your life! I'm always amazed when people don't tip at all. And we VERY RARELY ever get anything close to 20%. Usually it's 10% or less. I've gotten $3 on a $140 ride. People...

Anyway, I'm glad I got to ride so much today since it was BEAUTIFUL out and I really got to enjoy being here. I also got a taste of what is to come traffic-wise and I'm a little worried about getting stressed out but I'm hoping it works out. Once we have all our wranglers and horses, we should be able to handle all the people I can possibly check in.

Hope things are great back in Maryland (or wherever you might be tuning in from) and I'll see you before you know it!

Day 14: First Wrangler Day

So we've decided that Thursday will be my wrangler days. This means that every Thursday, I get to be a wrangler instead of work in the office.

Today I got to ride on three rides and had a great time! My horse today was Henry and he was really good. My first ride was just me and a couple. We went on a 2-hour ride and I actually got the whole route correct and we got back right on time.

The second ride I went on I wasn't actually working as a wrangler. Shelby and I rode these two horses that are inseparable. We rode them together at the back of Bob's ride and just made sure they didn't act up. Hopefully we can put some guests on them soon since they were very well-behaved. Oddly enough, I rode behind a guy who actually does the same thing I do for work back home--he's a corporate trainer. So we talked the whole time and it was really nice.

The third ride I went on was the steak ride. There were 9 people and I led the group while Bob took up the back. We had a very good ride and everyone was really good. I got lucky because usually big groups cause a lot of trouble because there are so many people and horses involved that something usually goes wrong. Luckily, we only had a few mishaps and all were easily and quickly solved. Dinner was good and we got back right on time.

All in all, it was a good day. However, I'm gonna be thankful to be back in my quiet office tomorrow. Unfortunately, that quiet office is going to get busier and busier everyday from now on and soon it will no longer be the relaxing escape it is now. Oh well, hopefully I'll get used to it.

Day 11: First Day Off

I had big plans today.

The first thing I did was attempt to sleep until 7 AM. I failed and ended up waking up at 5:40 and sort of laying in bed until 6:40. When I got frustrated enough, I jumped out of bed and immediately did my laundry. Oh man did I need to do my laundry. Eleven days of mud and dust and sweat and almost all of my clothes were dirty and I had worn the same four long-sleeved tops at least twice each. So laundry was at the TOP of my list.

While my laundry was washing, I had a bagel for breakfast and watched some TV on my computer to get caught up on my shows. I finished my laundry, took a shower and got dressed. Then I found Michele and we drove downtown to walk around and look at the shops. Estes Park has a really cute downtown that has this (slightly fake) small town feel. There are a bunch of cute shops and ice cream stores and we walked around for two hours, window shopping. I bought a pair of turquoise stud earrings to wear since the stud earrings I brought are boring. Around 11:30, we stopped by Safeway on our way back to the ranch so I could get some things I needed like hand soap, conditioner, hair ties and carrots to snack on while in the office. Then we headed back to the ranch for lunch.

Lunch was elk burgers and we ate quickly and got back on the road to go visit Allenspark, another Sombrero Ranches location about 30 minutes away in the mountains. We got there and it was dead. There was no one in sight--especially no tourists looking for a ride. Luckily, we found Compass, the manager of the Allenspark location and she had one of her boys take us out on a ride. The country up there was just GORGEOUS. The terrain in Estes Park is mountainous high desert so it's dry and there isn't much flat land to ride on. Most of our trails are steep up-and-down and it's hard to look around you while you ride. At Allenspark, it was wide and open but also forested. There were rivers and rocks and mountains but it was all so much more beautiful. I was jealous. We had an awesome ride and came back just as a big storm was hitting. Michele and I said goodbye and thank you and then hurried back to the ranch.

While it was raining, I relaxed and watched a little more TV. After about 20 minutes, the storm stopped and Michele and I went on ANOTHER ride. This time we went out on the Estes Park trails by ourselves and did some exploring. We took out two of our favorite horses, Mijo and Rueger, and had a great time.

Now I'm sitting in my bed watching some more TV before I go to find out what everyone else is up to. All in all, it was a great day off. Next Monday I plan on asking Lauren if I can borrow her car so I can go down to Longmont and get some more clothes. I feel really limited by my 8 tops... So that will be yet another adventure. Tomorrow it's business as usual!

Day 9: Colic

Colic is a gastrointestinal condition that causes a horse a lot of pain. There are a few different types which are caused by different things (eating sand, not drinking enough, eating too much or too fast). Time is always of the essence so noticing the symptoms in a horse is crucial to their survival. In the last three days, we've had two horses get colic very bad.

The first horse, Blaze, wasn't actually one of ours but a horse for the Allenspark location that we were holding until she could be picked up. Early Thursday morning she was laying down and getting up and then laying down again. While the rest of us were tacking up the horses for the day, Kristyn and Kansas worked to get her better. She was so bad, though, that Kansas drove her down to The Farm, the home base down in Longmont where all the vets are. She was there all Thursday night and Friday and died sometime Friday.

Today, another horse named Reba, one of our big draft horses which we use everyday, got colic very badly right at the end of the day. She was laying down and we couldn't keep her up. Keeping a horse on their feet is also very important for their survival--a lot of times if they lay down, they never get up. I don't know all the reasons why this is--I just know it is. Anyway, we had to put Reba inside the barn between two chains so we could lean her against the chains and keep her up. She would try to lay down and we had to beat on her as hard as we could so she would keep standing while Kansas and Kristyn pumped her stomach full of mineral oil which apparently does something (again, I don't know the technicalities). Eventually they finished and put her on the trailer to go down to The Farm. We're all hopeful but Jeff told me she had already tried to lay down in the trailer and was hanging herself by her halter when they pulled out of the parking lot. Not sure what will happen but I guess we'll see.

It's a sad day so us girls are trying to cheer ourselves up by making cookies for ourselves and the horses (separate recipes, obviously).


Update: Reba died last night. She came home from The Farm but came off her meds badly. She threw herself on the ground and couldn't get up so we had to put her to sleep.

Day 8: Further Introductions

Some more people have shown up for the season so I thought I'd give more introductions so you'd be able to follow along when I reference people.

Lauren: my bunkmate; wrangler; studying Equine Science in Athens, Georgia.
Banker Bob: older man; wrangler; might be moved to a slower location
Michele: works as a wrangler occasionally; moving to Ohio soon; temporary roommate
Mike: camera man (takes pictures of the guests on their horses and then sells the photos); lives in a trailer; said to be mean

It snowed yesterday and is supposed to thunderstorm this afternoon but, at the moment, it's nice and sunny. Should be a good day.

Day 6: Avery

We got a cat! Yesterday we got a cat from a shelter in Boulder to be a mouser for us. He is black and white and pretty friendly. Not sure if he mouses yet but time will tell! He has been living in the tack room of the barn so he can get used to living here and not run away. He has feline herepes, it looks like, because he has an eye infection and that is usually caused by feline herpes. We got him some treats that have medicine in them so we'll see if that helps.

Avery in his tack room home.

He is a fun distraction during the slow times which we've had many of since it's been pretty cloudy and rainy the past couple of days. I hope he gets better and I hope he can earn his keep by catching those mice!

Matt holding Avery for me so I could take a "better" picture.

This afternoon we're going to get a shipment of 30 horses in so that should be exciting. They will come in a semi and be unloaded into our pens. Only 10 of the 30 will stay here--10 will go to our Allenspark location and 10 will go to our Moraine Park location. Should be exciting!

Day 4: Steak Dinner.

This afternoon I finally got to go on the steak dinner ride. Every evening, as long as someone has signed up for the steak ride, we leave at 4pm and head out on a 1.25 hour ride up to the dinner grounds. It's a pretty nice ride and you get some awesome views. We climb up to an elevation of 8,000 feet and you can look out and see all of Estes Park and the mountains that surround it. Thankfully, the skies cleared up today and the view was gorgeous! Until today, I had only been on the 1-hour ride trail and so this was new. I rode a horse named Pinecone and led the 13-person ride while Clayton rode as the outrider and kept everyone in line and moving. Pinecone threw a little bit of a temper tantrum when he tried to go on the 1-hour trail instead of the 2-hour trail when the trails split but we I got him in line without too much trouble.

We got to the dinner grounds around 5:15 and tied up all the horses and then headed off to eat! The food was so delicious: steak, potatoes, baked beans, garlic toast. I was so hungry and happy to have good food. Gail caters it and she's the best. We ate for about 30 minutes and then hopped back on our horses to head back to the stable by 6:30. It was a good ride and we got to see some wildlife: a bobcat, chipmunks, a rabbit and some elk. Clayton and I made some good money and then it was time to break down the horses and call it a day!

Work is hard and long but I enjoy it and the people I work with are fun. We'll be getting quite a few more people (at least 12!) in the next couple of weeks so I hope they are as good and fun as the ones so far. So far I know that I get Mondays off (starting next Monday...) and I think we're going to make Tuesday my wrangler day when I get to ride instead of sit in the office.

Well, I'm off to bed. Hope you enjoyed "riding" along with me!

P.S. I got my package from home today (love you, Mom!) and I'm so excited! Muck boots and full sheets! I should be all set now except for the things I need to buy--especially work gloves.

Day 2: Ride Report

Not much new happened today other than that I got a roommate named Lauren (she's from Atlanta) who seems pretty cool. I thought I'd give you a little recap of the rides I've been on so far.

Yesterday I went on two rides. The first one was a 1-hour ride with a large group (about 18?). I rode Ariel and was an outrider (rides along the back of the line and makes sure everyone is doing well). Ariel, however, is in love with Rufio who was riding at the beginning of the line so she was a mess, prancing around, trying to run to the beginning, calling out to him. So Kristyn had me lead the ride while she was outrider. So, essentially, my first ride was the first one I was the lead rider which is kind of a big deal if you don't know the trails. But we did well and made some money! Exciting first ride.

The second ride was at the end of the day since it was slow. A bunch of the wranglers (Malori, Kristyn, Clay and Jeff) and I went out on a short 30-minute ride. This time I wrote Otis who was boring but reliable and a good way to become more re-familiarized with Western riding. Good ride.

Today I went on another 1-hour ride (about 6 people) and got to ride one of Malori's project horses, Oliver. He is one of my favorites from his personality and looks so I was excited. Malori says I'm the first one to ride him other than her. He was prancy and kind of pining for Malori (who rode a different horse on the same ride) but we did well. He was really sure-footed and did well on the steep, rocky paths. The weather was pretty crappy all day but we did well in spite of it.

So that's my short recap! Thought I'd just share a little, even though not much has happened.

P.S. It's snowing...

Takeoff and Day 1.

I made it! I'm officially moved into my digs in Estes Park, Colorado and had my first real work day. Blogger has been down since yesterday so I couldn't post last night or I would have. Long post here so be prepared!

Thursday, May 12

My flight yesterday was at 6AM (because apparently I'm crazy) and both legs of it (1 hour layover in Atlanta) were uneventful. As we came below the cloud cover above Denver, I was shocked. There was SNOW on the ground! The pilot announced it was 38 degrees in Denver. I was so not prepared. I got to the Denver airport 3 hours before my shuttle was scheduled to pick me up so I hung out and bought a few things I forgot at home (headphones....and my cowboy hat. D'oh!). Then I watched most of Pride and Prejudice on my computer while waiting.

I got on the shuttle and it was a 2 hour drive to Estes Park, throught the flatlands, up to the foothills and, finally, up into the mountains. It was a great drive. I arrived at Sombrero around 3PM (Mountain Time--2 hour delay from Maryland) and immediately put my boots on for a tour. I got the grand tour, brought my stuff upstairs to the room (there are 2 rooms of 6 girls each and one bathroom for all of them...)  and then started getting trained doing a number of things: everything from office work to horse work. I'll essentially be doing two jobs so I have to learn the ropes of each. While the season is still slow (until Memorial Day), I will be helping out in the barn quite a bit. When things heat up, we'll be crazy, crazy busy. My boss told me that we are the largest stable in the country in terms of volume and capacity. So...that's intense. We will have 140 horses here this summer. Yikes!

I met everyone throughout the course of the afternoon (introductions below) and after "breaking down" the horses (which means taking off their saddles and bridles, etc), I went to dinner with two of the guys here. Dinner isn't included in our meals so people eat dinner out a lot. We went to a BBQ place and it was really good. Then we came back to the stables and went to bed. Early mornings!

Friday, May 13

We had "barn call" (when we tack up the horses) at 6:30 this morning so breakfast was at 6 and I set my alarm for 5:15. Unfortunately, my body felt like waking up at 4:30 so that's what ended up happening. Got up, took a shower and headed off to breakfast. One of the boys made what he calls a "trainwreck" for breakfast. It was a delicious mess of potatoes, cheese, sausage, and eggs. Yum.

Then we headed off to barn call and started our day. It was a beautiful day in the upper-50's and felt much warmer. I got more training and was even left on my own in the office for most of the day since I got a good handle on how to do things. I went on one guest ride (14 guests) and made my first tip of $20. I also went on another ride at the end of the day with the other wranglers. I won't bore you with all the particulars.

After breaking down the horses and locking up, I moved my stuff into a different room that is only 4 girls to one bathroom and is sort of set aside from the main bunks. It will be quiet but not lonely and there is a common area in the main bunkhouse so I can always go up there and hang when more people show up and things really get rocking. I moved my stuff in and cleaned the room and bathroom since they were pretty dirty. Now I'm all settled and have the time to write!

Tomorrow's barn call is at 7 so we get to sleep in a bit!

Some initial observations:

•  gas is cheaper (3.59-3.79)
• elk nuts (exactly what you think they are--commonly called "Rocky Mountain Oysters"
• medical cannibis? I saw a sign on the roadside advertising...
• mud, mud, mud
• lots of new construction near the Denver airport and in Longmont
• COLD--Spring has yet to arrive in Estes Park

List of things requested from home:

• sheets for a full-sized bed (we were told to bring twins but the bunks have fulls on the bottom)
• muck boots (no idea why I didn't bring them...)
• vest I gave to Carole at one point and am now asking to borrow
• standard pillow case (might as well stick that in the box as well, right?)

List of things to buy:

• ibeprofin (no idea why I didn't bring some...)
• new cowboy boots? (maybe as the summer progresses--mine are a bit snug)
• belt cellphone holder? (seems to be pretty necessary)
• lotion (SO DRY HERE)
• liquid soap for the bathroom
• hand towel for the bathroom
• sponge?

Introductions (of those who are already here--many more on the way in June):

• Kansas: my boss and the general manager of the Stables; dating Kristyn
• Kristyn: the assistant manager and one who knows most about the office job; stable "vet"; dating Kansas
• Jeff: head stable hand/wrangler
• Clayton (Clay): wrangler from Washington state
• Matt: moody wrangler
• Malori: wrangler; Gail's grand-daughter
• Gail: chef for breakfast and steak rides; Malori's grandmother

Note: The internet is pretty good but not very good for streaming stuff or uploading things. So that means pictures may not be so forthcoming... We'll see what I can work out but so far things look bleak in the picture-sharing department. I'll be sure to share when I get the first opportunity. Stay tuned!

I might just start keeping a list of eventful details and post one a week or maybe twice a week. I doubt there will ALWAYS be something to report. Though, with horses, there is always disaster/excitement to report.

Love you all!  

P.S. My address here is:
Sombrero Stables
c/o Margo
1895 Big Thompson Ave
Estes Park, CO 80517

4 days Until Takeoff.

Current list of things to do--I've actually made progress!:

• Take my car in for VEIP inspection
• Get an oil change and new tires (definitely AM loaning out car for the summer)
• Cut my hair so it can grow out well (it's been decided that a ponytail will be necessary)
• See people before I leave
• Finish conditioning my cowboy boots (and old riding boots)
• Get old riding boots repaired (to use as a second pair of boots)
• Pack
• Various doctor's appointments 
• Vacuum-pack the sleeping bag so I can attempt to only take one large suitcase, a carry-on bag and a purse
• Hand over the car
• See Thor  (a movie, for those of you wondering)
• Go to Good Will and attempt to find a flannel shirt (it gets really cold in Colorado at night)
• Run to CVS to get the mentioned items below

List of things I still need to purchase (or retrieve from elsewhere) since I have no idea how easy it will be to get to a drug store (or any store):

• shampoo
• contact solution
• headbands
• hair ties
• barrettes
• laundry hamper from Granan's
• toothpaste
• tooth brush
• spray-on sunscreen
• Nalgene from work
• deodorant

So the days are winding down and I'm getting pretty excited. Things are crazy at work so I'm glad I'm leaving and hopefully things will have settled down by the time I get back. All of MY stuff is finished and I won't be leaving any loose strings for someone else to deal with. I'll probably check my work email daily (it comes to my phone) so I'll still be working in some respects. I might even, if I find I have the time, do a little work from Colorado. We'll see.

In any case, I'm excited and I feel like I'm leaving things at work and home in good order (except my room...). I'll miss riding as much as I get to here but I'm hoping things turn out to be better than expected and I'll get to ride more than once a week.

Wish me luck! My next post will be from "the other side," most likely a report about my day of travel early (EARLY!) Thursday and, perhaps, the grand tour of the ranch and maybe its trails!

16 Days Until Takeoff.

Current list of things to do before I leave home for the longest period of time yet:

• Take my car in for VEIP inspection
• Maybe get an oil change and new tires (might be loaning out my car for the summer)
• Cut my hair so it can grow out well (it's been decided that a ponytail will be necessary)
• See people before I leave
• Finish conditioning my cowboy boots (I've completed only step 1 of 2)
• Get old riding boots repaired (to use as a second pair of boots)
• Pack
• Various doctor's appointments (which will all hopefully be finished after this week)

So...not much progress but I thought you deserved an update.

31 Days Until Takeoff.

Hi guys.

I'm off on another adventure and I thought I'd continue to chronicle my days with another blog.

Per requests, I will NOT be talking about what I eat (come on...what else is one supposed to do in Italy?) and I will try to complain less. I will probably be too busy and too tired to complain anyway.

This next adventure will take place in Colorado during the summer (May 12th-September 16th, exactly). I will be working for Sombrero Ranch in Estes Park, right outside the Eastern entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park and two hours North of Denver. Sombrero is a trail riding outfitter where you can go and take a horseback-riding trail ride. I'll be working in the office handling bookings and the cash register but I'll get to ride one day a week. It's a 6-day-a-week, 12-15 hour-a-day job but it should be a fun (if exhausting) summer.

So be prepared for fun tourist stories, loopy-from-exhaustion antics, stories about my fellow "wranglers" and lots of horses. I hope to see a rodeo (again), learn to live without sleep (seems it will be a necessity), lose 5-10 pounds, and maybe even fall in love with a cowboy. Haha. Just kidding (maybe not?).

I have a lot of things to do before I leave (almost only a month left!) but here is a list of things I've already gathered for my trip West:

• Sleeping bag (using the one I got for Christmas!)
• Twin sheets (oh goodie, back to a twin bed--just like college!)
• Cowboy boots (still have them from when I rode Western a couple of years ago)
• Leatherman multi-tool (woo!)
• Lots of airy, light, plaid tops (part of our Western wear uniform)
• Cheap jeans that I won't mind having ruined by the end of the summer
• Straw cowboy hat (from my trip to the Grand Canyon)
• New sports bra (you totally wanted to know)
• Barn jacket (apparently there is a wide range of temperatures)
• Light zip-up sweatshirt

I don't really need to buy anything else but there are a lot of things I still need to do like:

• Take my car in for VEIP inspection
• Cut my hair shorter (maybe?)
• See people before I leave
• Finish conditioning my cowboy boots (for waterproofing and flexibility)
• Get old riding boots repaired (to use as a second pair of boots)
• Pack

Supposedly we have internet in our rooms so I'm bringing my laptop and intend to give regular updates but they might be weekly updates like I did in Alaska so it should be a good balance of information rather than my boring entries from Italy which were similar on a day-to-day basis because I had classes and such.

Anyway, I hope to have some good stories for you so start tuning in on May 12th for my Colorado Chapter!