team penning and roping in a ranch arena. For recreation there’s trap shooting, fishing, and swimming in a pool. Guests get three hearty meals a day. Most of the food comes from local sources—expect rib eye and T-bone steaks, fried chicken, locally grown vegetables, homemade bread, cobblers, and apple pie. Another ranch favorite is cowboy stew, a red beans and rice concoction with plenty of vegetables.
This all-inclusive experience runs just $130 a day for adults, less for children—one-half to one-third the cost of most dude ranch vacations, and discounts are available for weeklong visits. Accommodations are in ten air-conditioned cabins, with private bathrooms and queen-size beds.
“You really get the opportunity to experience a Western lifestyle without sacrificing the comforts of modernity,” says Jordy White, one of the newest generation to help manage the ranch. “We try to give people a picture of the West and Oklahoma and what it’s like living and working in an idyllic situation where you can just get on your horse and go.”
The ranch is home to a variety of wildlife from deer and coyotes to turkey and armadillos. Guests also often see cranes, roadrunners, quail, and scissortail flycatchers.
Horses are carefully matched with riders based on their skill levels and guests who want to can ride several times a day. It’s a learning experience for novices though. “You have to remember you’re not riding a box or a bicycle, it’s a living breathing animal,” Jordy says.
In the evening, guests might take a trolley ride pulled by a team of Belgian draft horses. The Whites often invite over a neighbor who sings songs for square or country dancing, or they might host friends who are Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians who will perform a mini powwow for guests. If you’re visiting on a Friday or Saturday night, there are usually community rodeos in the region, and the staff can take you even if it’s an hour or two away.
Although cowboys are part of the U.S. national heritage, most people checking in to Island Guest Ranch aren’t Americans. The property attracts Europeans looking for an authentic slice of the Old West. Perhaps, we’re missing something.
In 2011, the ranch plans to start a cowboy school for urban dwellers (that’s the politically correct term for “city slickers”) who want an in-depth ranch experience. They’ll learn how to train and break in horses, cover the basics of working with cattle, and build fences. “They’ll really get an understanding of what a cowboy does on a daily basis,” Jordy says.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Island Guest Ranch, Ames, OK 73718, 800-928-4574, www.islandguestranch.com .
----
$PLURGE
FIVE-STAR RANCHING
Montana’s Triple Creek Ranch offers amenities that John Wayne would never have recognized. From a wine cellar to in-cabin massages, the ranch, which is a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux group of hotels, knows how to take the edge off roughing it. Cabins include stocked wet bars, nightly turndown service, and fresh-baked cookies and trail mix. Although you could spend days visiting nearby art museums or taking a helicopter tour, TC’s still a ranch offering a chance to take part in cattle drives, try your hand at fly-fishing, or just hike out into the surrounding Bitterroot National Forest.
None of this comes cheap, of course. Cabins begin at $650 per couple per night, including three meals a day and some activities, such as on-ranch riding, hiking, and fly-casting lessons. The property is located about 65 miles south of Missoula in western Montana. Triple Creek Ranch, 5551 W. Fork Rd., Darby, MT 59829, 800-654-2943 or 406-821-4600, www.triplecreekranch.com .
----
explore underwater
FATHOM FIVE NATIONAL MARINE PARK, CANADA
The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
— OCEAN EXPLORER JACQUES COUSTEAU (1910–1997)
41 | Diving is usually a tropical pursuit, but to reach one of the best places for
This all-inclusive experience runs just $130 a day for adults, less for children—one-half to one-third the cost of most dude ranch vacations, and discounts are available for weeklong visits. Accommodations are in ten air-conditioned cabins, with private bathrooms and queen-size beds.
“You really get the opportunity to experience a Western lifestyle without sacrificing the comforts of modernity,” says Jordy White, one of the newest generation to help manage the ranch. “We try to give people a picture of the West and Oklahoma and what it’s like living and working in an idyllic situation where you can just get on your horse and go.”
The ranch is home to a variety of wildlife from deer and coyotes to turkey and armadillos. Guests also often see cranes, roadrunners, quail, and scissortail flycatchers.
Horses are carefully matched with riders based on their skill levels and guests who want to can ride several times a day. It’s a learning experience for novices though. “You have to remember you’re not riding a box or a bicycle, it’s a living breathing animal,” Jordy says.
In the evening, guests might take a trolley ride pulled by a team of Belgian draft horses. The Whites often invite over a neighbor who sings songs for square or country dancing, or they might host friends who are Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians who will perform a mini powwow for guests. If you’re visiting on a Friday or Saturday night, there are usually community rodeos in the region, and the staff can take you even if it’s an hour or two away.
Although cowboys are part of the U.S. national heritage, most people checking in to Island Guest Ranch aren’t Americans. The property attracts Europeans looking for an authentic slice of the Old West. Perhaps, we’re missing something.
In 2011, the ranch plans to start a cowboy school for urban dwellers (that’s the politically correct term for “city slickers”) who want an in-depth ranch experience. They’ll learn how to train and break in horses, cover the basics of working with cattle, and build fences. “They’ll really get an understanding of what a cowboy does on a daily basis,” Jordy says.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Island Guest Ranch, Ames, OK 73718, 800-928-4574, www.islandguestranch.com .
----
$PLURGE
FIVE-STAR RANCHING
Montana’s Triple Creek Ranch offers amenities that John Wayne would never have recognized. From a wine cellar to in-cabin massages, the ranch, which is a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux group of hotels, knows how to take the edge off roughing it. Cabins include stocked wet bars, nightly turndown service, and fresh-baked cookies and trail mix. Although you could spend days visiting nearby art museums or taking a helicopter tour, TC’s still a ranch offering a chance to take part in cattle drives, try your hand at fly-fishing, or just hike out into the surrounding Bitterroot National Forest.
None of this comes cheap, of course. Cabins begin at $650 per couple per night, including three meals a day and some activities, such as on-ranch riding, hiking, and fly-casting lessons. The property is located about 65 miles south of Missoula in western Montana. Triple Creek Ranch, 5551 W. Fork Rd., Darby, MT 59829, 800-654-2943 or 406-821-4600, www.triplecreekranch.com .
----
explore underwater
FATHOM FIVE NATIONAL MARINE PARK, CANADA
The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
— OCEAN EXPLORER JACQUES COUSTEAU (1910–1997)
41 | Diving is usually a tropical pursuit, but to reach one of the best places for
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