Thanksgiving at the Ranch

We went to Lodge Creek Ranch to celebrate our Canadian Thanksgiving this year.
It's always a benefit to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without having to cook anything. Grandpa Buck and Grandma Nunn came to the ranch, too.

We ate Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday night.
On Monday, we watched Austin and the crew castrate and brand 2-year old horses. I bet none of you cut horses for fun on Thanksgiving Day.

I wanted to give a full tour of the ranch - so you can appreciate the full experience and so we can always remember the good times. Austin has come to the ranch for 20 years for a few days or weeks or months. We also come with him lots of the time.

This is the first building you come to when you drive into Lodge Creek Ranch. This is known as the brown trailer. You might be surprised to know it is the nicest of the ranch accommodations. This is where we stayed this visit.



Next is the green trailer - a little like a tin can. You can see daylight through some of the doorways and walls. We have stayed there a few times, too. The camping trailer next to it is Mary Jane's trailer. She comes and goes.

Next on the road is the indoor arena. It is a nice building. When they had their horse sales, they had them in this building.

The equipment row.

The big white barn


The ranch house - Carly is on the deck. I wish I would have taken some pictures of the inside. There are two kitchen tables because there are always people coming and going and working and getting fired or quitting and more visitors, etc.

Joan, the lady of the ranch. She would give you the shirt of her back. She collects lots of clutter and never throws anything away. She is a micro-manager when you help her in the kitchen. She hates flies and spends much of her day swatting flies.


Time for the ranching event of the day:
Austin getting warmed up.


Horse down - ready to cut and brand


Kaylynn watching all of the excitement - including Austin getting bucked off - no broken bones just a swollen hand and bruises.


Jill holding Austin's horse

Joe (the man of the ranch) with the branding irons



Austin roping the next horse


So what do we do all day while Austin is working....

Carly and Addison (a ranch visitor) playing with the miniature donkeys

Lucy on the elaborate playground on the ranch


Lots of random people come to the ranch.
This is Adell. We have met him before. He makes his living driving his van full of goods to ranches and farms selling things. Joe bought 3 new pairs of overalls. Grandpa Buck bought new wool socks.


At the end of our awesome ranch vacation, we got to the end of the 45 minutes of bumpy dirt road, and Grandpa and Grandma weren't behind us anymore. They had gotten a flat tire. So while we waited for them, we took some pictures on the highway. You will be able to tell how much traffic there was...

Jill, Hanna Kaylynn laying in the middle of the road

Hanna running

The prairies have their own beauty

Good job Jill on this photo - notice the moon.

That takes us to the end of our Thanksgiving break.

Kalispell 5k

It was time for our second annual trip to Montana to run a 5k race. And of course to have a little get away, shop, eat and laugh. The bummer of the trip was that Barb got the flu the night before, but we did have a fun time with her replacement, Laurel Cahoon, Marilee's daughter.

It rained all the way to Kalispell, but the drive was so beautiful with the changing leaves. We got lots of great shopping done, got new tires on Marilee's car, and test drove a new car for me. We ate yummy food, stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and even sat in the hot tub for a few minutes.

Marilee, Kaylynn, Dixie, Laurel

The race was called A Run Through History, and we ran from downtown Kalispell around a really pretty park and back up a hill to the finish. It felt like a long run, and I didn't eat the right thing - too much or too little or something. But I beat my time by 40 seconds. I finished in 29 minutes 16 seconds. I was 8th in my age group and the 25th woman to finish. Being done with a race is definitely the best part. I do have a love/hate relationship with running.

Before the race


My big finish - they even announced Kaylynn Nunn from Cardston, Alberta

After the race


A little bull riding at Wal-Mart, our last stop of the first day of shopping.

On the way home, I thought, what a great day... a car full of friends and groceries and new clothes, ran a race, a full moon, and to top it off we listened to Michael McLean on the way home... "If only you believe in yourself, you won't be scared"

The second bummer of the trip was that CostCo closes at 6 pm on Saturdays, and we got there at 6:15. Good thing we went back the next week to pick up the new-to-me car I bought (watch for a future post...)

My kids were watching for me out the window when I got home, not so much because they missed me, but because I knew I would be bringing home lots of new things and treats. Of course, I did deliver!!