Bow Tie Tour

As a kid I enjoyed watching old western TV shows like Bonanza. Good cowboys, cattle, horses, barns, steak and good people. The True family and their ranch are very similar to the Cartwright’s ranch. I woke up in a large, finished room replete with Fireplace, grill, couches and tables all above a functioning horse barn.

I heard a faint whistling down below and went down to investigate. I answered with my own whistle and kept following the responding whistle. It was one of the kids, he gave me a tour of the garden and I started my day with a breakfast of fresh green beans and strawberries. His sister and brother joined us and we shot some arrows at a deer target in the yard. Soon a multitude of children filled the yard, running around and filling the air with a cheerful tumult.

A brunch was served to us at the Kip True homestead and by brunch I mean a true western brunch (pun intended). After riding a motorcycle through a storm, cheesy eggs, homemade pancakes with fresh blueberries and strawberries, bacon and toast a piece of heaven on earth. With a full stomach we chatted around the breakfast table then went out with the kids for a horseback tour of the “homestead” as they called it. They gave me a horse named “Preacher” which at first sounds like a nice horse but they didn’t tell me the denomination A better name would be Fundamentalist Baptist preacher from the hills TN. He had a mind of his own and was a little ornery to boot. But like a good baptist once you get to know them they are good people. We rode all through the fields and hills seeing antelope and deer. I had fun cantering around chasing the dogs that were chasing the deer. A horse is an old fashioned motorcycle I thought while musing in the saddle. And the modern day biker is like the old time cowboy and drifter. Everything you need is strapped to the saddle and you have the freedom to go anywhere.

We got back from the horse tour and relaxed siesta style for a little while and I took the opportunity to chat with my future wife on the phone For dinner the four families came up to the top floor of the barn and we had a feast. But first Eric and I drove into town in the stretch suburban to buy some tasty beers because the unenlightened only had coors light in the fridge Driving in the stretch suburban I felt like a rapper on MTV except I was in the middle of Wyoming. It was a strange feeling. The feast we had was awe inspiring. Large tasty cuts of marinated steak grilled to perfection, corn on the cob, salad, rolls and good beer. It was a feast of epic proportions. After the feasting had ended we sat outside and enjoyed good conversation as the kids played in the yard. Food Family and Fun equal Fellowship. And that is what we experienced with the hospitable True family.

That night I climbed the ladder to the very top of the barn and slept in a small 7×7x7 screened in room and fell asleep to the wind howling and the moon in the distance casting an eery glow over the mountains.