Downtown Diva Turns Cow Girl in British Columbia: Part 2
Written by Elizabeth Haggarty of AOL Travel
Cowgirls at the Elkin Creek Guest Ranch relax on the lodge deck
An hour and a half after my Pacific Coastal Airlines flight left the Vancouver cityscape behind I arrived on the tarmac at Williams Lake, in the province Brittany Triangle, my once slept on city-styled hair blowing in the breeze. Having left the plush comfort of the Four Seasons Hotel and surrounding spas I stood waiting for the cowboy I expected to pick us up, with a group of other cow girls. I made sure to check the mini Grand Marnier bottle, the Four Seasons chef had put in my Tiffany lunch bag, was still within reach. Entering the wilderness can be a shock.
Our cowboy/Head Wrangler Travis Baldwin arrived in his mandatory rural pick up truck and, accompanied by the strums of Johnny Cash, we drove along the bumpy logging roads for an hour and a half to the Elkin Guest Ranch. As Baldwin joked about people who had tried to make the trip in a yellow mustang we passed a pack of wild horses munching on brush at the side of the road. I’ve never seen a wild horse before, let alone a pack of them, and a feeling of awe combined with a worry that they were going to charge us soon rose in my chest. I was in a land where these magnificent creatures were a daily occurrence, like the raccoons in my Toronto apartment building’s garbage bin. As the truck moved on kicking up a small storm of dust I kept my eyes glued in their direction, only shifting my gaze when our pick up pulled over the cattle grids that marked the entrance to the Elkin Guest Ranch and we were left, with our luggage, on our log cabin door steps.
The scenery at Elkin Creek Guest Ranch is spell-binding, too beautiful to be real. As I slept I expect a crew to take down the blue mountain, with its white patch glacier accentuated by the warmth of the glowing golden fields, to put it back in the Hollywood box once filming was done.
In the cabin I walked past the pre-worn cowboy boots, the lodge was loaning me for my stay, and the copy of ‘Born to be Hung’, a cowboy novel that replaced a copy of the Holt Renfrew catalogue on the night stand of my travel accommodation, I went to dress for a day on the ranch.
For us cow girls, the day started off with breakfast. At Elkin Creek don’t expect a secluded dining experience. As soon as you enter you are greeted by the lodge’s open kitchen where you can tell the chef your morning order, ranging from eggs and bacon done however you like them to crepes with fresh fruit. Breakfast and diner are often taken at the dinning room’s main table with guest sitting together and helping themselves to the jugs of juice in the fridge found behind them. The ranch’s lodge house boasts a comfortable bar complete with stone fireplace and hunting trophies. Lunch is taken in the wilderness, with the lodge’s chef driving out to set up plates of sandwiches, cheese and fruit and a cooler of beer, to greet riders amongst the trees at the end of a long trek.
After breakfast, a farmer’s coffee and a pep talk from the other guest about the glory of riding I was off to meet my steed. I don’t ride. Not because I have anything against dotting equestrians, but because while my friends learnt to jump and canter I was content to sit on the fence holding the bridles, a child-like fire hydrant to tie your horse around.
But under the watchful eyes and instruction of Baldwin and Robinson I, along with other cow girls, was soon comfortable brushing and saddling up my assigned neddy; the last remnants of any nail polish quickly ripped off as I tried to ram the bit into the mouth of Roan-y, my sleepy stallion. The ranch pairs horses with guests according to their riding level. My level was beginner, slow moving, much like the pale speckled horse that was to be my weekend companion.
Whether you are a rider, or not, Elkin Creek accommodates you. While the more advanced equestrians took off for a canter the rest of us were taught the basics of Western riding and how to direct our horses around barrels and get them to trot. After squeezing my heels hard into his ribs, I got my horse to walk into the barrels, by the end of the third go we wandered around them. I was ready to head onto the trails through the hills and around the clear, still lake next to the ranch.
But don’t think you’ll only be riding; the ranch works hard to give you the full farm girl experience. A real cowboy from next door stops by, with his horse and herding dog, to teach lodge goers how to lasso a haystack. It doesn’t stop there. After you’ve demonstrated you can throw a rope cow girls are lead to wrangle some real cattle, on their horses, and then lasso some calves from the ground.
While thriving to give you and authentic farm experience, you can treat the Elkin Creek experience with the level of seriousness you see fit. Case and point, I was awarded a lovely rustic picture frame, complete with plaster skull and barbed wire to commemorate my fast calf roping time. While other cow girls demonstrated the lassoing skills they had learnt while running after the calf they were meant to rope and release, I quietly snuck up behind my prey, slipped the rope over its neck and pulled until the release clasp let the animal break away. Victory for a fast time– yes. Sportsmanship – maybe.
After a day on the ranch mum’s who had a fear of getting into a saddle after years of not riding were drive their horses into the thick of a herd to scare out a crowd as social workers from crowded cities force their horses to stand their ground as cattle race towards them.
Elkin Guest ranch also provides relief for your bruised, stiff body. Borrow one of their bikes to cycle down to the lake, whose clear serenity buffered from the sky by craggy mountain peaks can be observed from the Ranch’s hot tubs or one of the kayaks or paddle boats they leave out for guests.
By the end of the day all thoughts of the city had faded from my mind. Relaxing spa treatments were replaced by tranquil night kayaks around a moonlight lake, fusion food replaced by hearty meals and picnic of cheese, fruit and beer with my horse in the wilderness.
Read More: Downtown Diva Turns Cow Girl in British Columbia: Part 1
Source: By Elizabeth Haggarty, AOL Travel
Posted: 01/06/10 1:13PM
Filed Under: Canada Travel Guide
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