Last guest week, artist week, and a wedding….
Winding Down
Sun continues to shine into the basin here at the 7D Ranch. There have been many shifts and changes in the staff recently; we are down to 12 staff members as Meade and Chris Scheer have bid us farewell to return to guiding hunters. Carol finished second in her rodeo event, Breakaway Roping, and fourth overall; we are SO proud of her! Guests and staff both cheered her on during the penultimate rodeo of the season. Lauren has started her next adventure in Maine, leaving behind her mourning housekeepers. Luke will catch up with her shortly, as he leaves next week. We also say goodbye to Cordelia, who dances like an intoxicated octopus. Thankfully, she will not be missed as Chelsea’s cousin Andrea Verdegan has arrived and is working harder than ever as a housekeeper, ranch hand, and part-time wrangler. Vanessa is back in kitchen action, cooking the most delicious brownies ever eaten by man.
Excitement continues with a rescue mission executed at the end of August: Our adventurous cook Grace didn’t return from a morning hike, the staff embarked on a search and rescue mission at 10PM. Chelsea spotted a faint light high up on the cliff at which point Grace radioed us to say she was alive but cliffed out. Meade, Chris Scheer, Josh, and Jeff bushwhacked toward the faint light and finally retrieved the hungry and dehydrated hiker, arriving home safe and sound circa 1:30 A.M. Grace later recounted her excursion in a Facebook note, reflecting how she felt: “I knew I was dehydrated, hungry and exhausted. I could summon all my strength to go back into the woods, but it would be dark and hard to see. I could attempt to climb down the cliff, but with limited rock climbing skills and dizziness, I would most likely get hurt. Or I could stay on this ridge and wait until the sun comes up again to find a better way down. Plus, to remain calm I rationalized with myself that the wildlife wouldn’t walk on this ridge and I would be safe… I heard a vehicle and saw lights in the direction of the brunch spot. I quickly turned back on the walkie talkie and radioed a couple times. “Grace?” It was Sherri’s voice. I felt relief tremendously; it was definitely comforting to hear her voice… Overcome with a huge sense of relief and safety, I patiently waited. I held up my cellphone in hopes they would see that light better than my headlight. I saw glimpses of a light and whistled a couple times… I really appreciate the wonderful staff at 7D and I am grateful for their quick response.”
On a slightly sadder note, a poor calf was killed by a grizzly bear next door in the witching hour of one night. The grizzly has subsequently been captured in a live cage and relocated to the Jackson, Wyoming area. The new evening activity of the weeks is a guest lecturer named Scott who presents a detailed powerpoint on wolves and their habits. But life still grows as Basin (baby filly) gets bigger and bigger every day. She will even come up to you to be petted if you call to her from the fence. The 7D has seen the last of the younger folk for the season. From here on out, we are enjoying adult-only weeks with fewer guests, giving the shrinking numbers of staff a little break. With the extra time, we organized a delightful campfire and sing-a-long last Saturday night. Cordelia’s dad John broke out his accordion and accompanied Carol on the guitar for a splendid evening of folk and campfire songs along with some polka lessons from Andrea V. & Chelsea. We even had a nimiety of campfire songbooks printed up as a donation to the ranch in hopes that the fire sing-a-long tradition will continue.
The other huge event of the season was the wedding of Josh Stanley and Melissa Ridgway. They had their rehearsal dinner here at the ranch before getting married at Elk Creek. A pulchritudinous tent was set up in the front lawn decorated with floating lanterns and twinkly white lights everywhere. The staff worked with admirable ardor for two full days cooking, serving, cleaning, washing dishes, organizing wedding supplies, and chatting with the 150 guests who showed up to celebrate the momentous occasion. Roistering in the presence of new staff, missing loved ones who have migrated south for the winter, we all sing, “I want to linger a little longer, a little longer here with you. And as the years go by, I’ll think of you and sigh… This is goodnight but not goodbye!”
Still in High Gear
The weeks continue to fly by here at the 7D. Already the evenings and mornings have turned chilly, and it’s no longer light out until almost 10! These last weeks of August mean we say goodbye to large numbers of our staff who are returning to school and jobs that start back up in the fall. We said goodbye to Jenny and Kendal, two of our housekeeper/servers, and to Sam, one of our wranglers. Tomorrow we will lose Kyle, an outstanding ranch hand and irrigator, who always keeps a smile on our faces. We will miss them all! On the upside, Chris and Carol have finished up their pack trips for the season and will be with us for a while, until Chris heads off to work on hunting trips with Meade and when Carol isn’t rocking the Cody Night Rodeo with her skillful roping manuevers.
Last week was a very busy and fun filled week here at the ranch. The ranch was humming with the sound of lots of young children. They rode, had boat races, fed the animals, made arts and crafts, and just had an all around great time. As for their parents, they hiked, went to the Beartooths, visited Yellowstone, did lots of fishing with Tom, and of course, took many amazing rides with our wranglers. They even squeezed in some good relaxation time, complete will oil painting, reading, and laying in the hammock. We were honored to host a number of birthdays and the 49th wedding anniversary of our guests Mort and Ann. We finished off the week with a bang with our usual delicious steak barbeque, and once again, Carol and Sam graced us with some expert guitar playing and singing for our Saturday night campfire.
This week we welcome our last big week of families for the 2011 season. Many of our guests this week hail from New England, with some visiting us for the first time and others returning for another great week. We welcome Vanessa, who will be cooking on and off with Grace for the remaineder of the season. If she keeps making scones as good as the ones she has made so far, our waistlines are all in trouble! We are looking forward to another week filled with rides, hikes, and great conversations between guests and staff. To all staff and guests that have left so far, those of us here at the ranch are thinking of you and wishing you a fantastic last few weeks of summer.
A Foal is Born
Early Monday morning our horse Pigeon finally gave birth, and we welcomed a newborn foal into the group in the corralls. The birth was a success, and both Pigeon and her baby, Basin, are doing well. We will have pictures up on facebook hopefully by tomorrow if the internet cooperates!
Last week we had a wonderful time with our guests, many of whom were here together from New York City. We had the great pleasure of having John and Lynn Dominick with us for the week as Meade and Andrea were away on a pack trip, and staff and guests alike loved the experience of getting to work with them. The week went out with a bang with another great lamb roast put on by Marshall and some songs by the campfire performed by our very own Carol Bachman. Not only can she rope a calf with the best of them, but she can charm you with her guitar like you wouldn’t believe!
Sunday evening we said farewell to Katie, one of our cooks. Katie worked at the 7D on and off for six seasons, and she cooked on dude ranches across the west for sixteen years. It was very sad to see her go. Sherri is helping Grace out in the kitchen this week until our new assistant cook, Vanessa, arrives early next week. This weekend we will say goodbye to another four members of our staff who will be returning to colleges across the country.
This week we are fortunate to have some wonderful families and individuals with us. We have two large multigenerational families with us, and coincidentally, they are both from the Baltimore area. Amazingly, one member of each family is a practicing lawyer in Baltimore, and the two of them happen to know each other and even worked on a case together many years ago. Leave it to the 7D to bring together such strange coincidences.
This week we also have with us families from Italy, France, and other parts of the U.S. We are celebrating three birthdays and an anniversary. Monday we welcomed back Bryan Ragsdale, a renowned singer and songwriter from Wyoming. We continue to offer a forge clinic/demonstration from Tom, our resident ferrier. We have a lot of fishing interest this week, and we will also take our first trip of the summer to Yellowstone tomorrow. It’s shaping up to be another great week here at the ranch.
Comings and Goings
It’s a rainy day here at the 7D, and the air smells like fall. The rain gives the ranch a fresh, clean, and rejuvenated feeling on this Monday morning. We are halfway through our guest season for the summer, and change is in the air. Yesterday we said farewell to Peter, our beloved ranch hand and goat whisperer. He boarded a 48 hour bus bound for upstate New York. The ranch will not be the same without him. Valerie, one of our great wranglers, finally returned to us after two weeks away, so that lessened the sting of Peter’s departure at least a little. We are nearing the end of our time with Katie the cook, who will be leaving us shortly to begin working as the head of the school lunch program in Newcastle, Wyoming. Meade and Andrea will be leaving us for the week to take longtime friends on a pack trip. Fortunately, we are lucky enough to have John and Lynn Dominick here for the week in their stead. We’re all excited to get to spend a little more time with them.
We had a truly wonderful week with our guests last week, and with some visiting family members. We had a number of returning guests, although some had not been with us for a few years. People left saying it was the best vacation they had ever been on, which is such a special thing for the staff to hear. Marshall was back for a lamb roast on Thursday night, and the weather was perfect this time around. Angie, who worked as head housekeeper for many years and who now has her own dance studio in Cody, came up to the ranch that same night for some square dancing. Cordelia followed her up with a full on dance party with the kids, complete with worm races. It was great fun. Chris and Carol ran another successful pack trip with a family from Arizona, who got to experience some intense horseriding and camping, as well as a tremendous storm their first night out. Fishing conditions improved greatly, and one of our guests got to eat the fruits of his labor on Saturday evening at the barbeque. The only unfortunate part of the week occured on Saturday, as Kyle was splitting wood. He got hit in the face by a piece of wood and broke his nose. Kyle is a trooper and nevet utters a word of complaint though. After a late night trip to the hospital on Saturday night, he was back at work yesterday, being as helpful as ever.
This week we have a mix of new and returning guests. One of our guests has been coming here for going on fifty years! He has experienced all three generations of Dominick management, which is a pretty cool thing. It certainly is a testament to the ranch that people keep coming back for so long. We have a number of guests who are here all the way from Europe, and quite a few from the New York area. Everyone seems excited to ride, hike, and soak in all that beautiful Sunlight has to offer.
Hot Fun in the Summertime
It’s mid July, the weather is heating up, and the summer feels like it’s in full swing. Things here are the ranch have been going very smoothly, with five terrific guest weeks under our belts and another great one already under way. For week six we have a slightly smaller group of guests than in weeks past, which will give us the opportunity to get to know the families on a slighly more personal level. This week we welcome five wonderful families, whose kids outnumber the adult guests!
Last week we had lots of fun with our guests, the majority of whom were returning. We hosted another family reunion for a group of four sisters and their families who try to get together once a year. To everyone’s delight, we were able to get the Wiki-Up back up and running as water levels have started to recede. Tom and Meade gave their first horseshoeing and forge clinic, which guests and staff found fascinating. We will welcome back a group of horseshoers this weekend and next week for lots of shoeing and good times.
This week we have an entire group of new guests, so we’re excited to show them all that the 7D and Sunlight have to offer. This morning they all got matched up with a horse and learned the ropes down at the corralls. We’re hoping to get in some great hikes, rides, and some fishing this week if the rivers cooperate.
Last night we picked up Peter after his two weeks away from the ranch. Everyone is excited to have him back, particularly our little goats, Hetfield and Nanners. Cordelia, our new housekeeper/server, begins her first full week of work with us. Valerie, one of our beloved wranglers, will be away from the ranch for the next two weeks, and it just won’t be the same without her! One of our horses, Pigeon, is expecting in the next few weeks, and we can’t wait to have a new addition to the corralls, as well as to have the chance to ooh and ahh at a cute little foal.
As Andrea said this morning, it seems as though we’ve all gotten into the groove of the summer here at the 7D, and we’re looking forward to another great week with guests and all the wonderful opportunities Sunlight provides for us each day.
Week 5 Welcome
We are now into week five of our summer guest season as we welcome another wonderful group of people to the 7D. This morning they all headed out to get acquainted with the horses and the wranglers. The sun is shining, and the river has receded enough so that the arena is drying up and we can hopefully have the Wiki-Up back on the agenda for the week.
We said farewell to Molly this morning, who helped us out tremendously last week during her visit back to the ranch. We were all sad to see her go. We also said goodbye to Jenna, a wonderful housekeeper and server, who unfortunately had to leave the ranch. Tomorrow we will welcome a new staff member, Cordelia, who stayed with us last week as a guest with her extended family, who have been visiting the 7D for years. We’re excited to have her on board with us.
We had a terrific time with the guests last week, many of whom were kids. Children always bring a wonderful energy to the ranch, and last week was no exception. We had some great riders among them. Our 4th of July fireworks were rained out on Monday evening as a storm moved in towards the end of our dinner BBQ, but we had a spectacular display on Tuesday evening that made up for it.
Chris and Carol have returned from a very successful pack trip with an enthusiastic group of people who we had the pleasure to host here at the ranch for a few nights at the end of their trip. They graced us with some tunes at Saturday’s campfire, which was one of the best we’ve had so far this season.
This week we’re happy to serve as the meeting point for another large family to reunite and spend time together from points all over the country. We’re hoping to get a little fishing in as waters begin to calm down ever so slightly, and we have a few avid hikers on our hands, so the week promises to be filled with many long and beautiful hikes. It’s hard to beat the scenery here at the 7D!
Happy Birthday USA
It’s the 4th of July, and what better place to be for it than here at the 7D? We had a preliminary celebration to say farewell to our long time returning guests from last week, complete with fireworks, two birthday cakes, kids and adults dressed up in some of our Gym Khana attire, and a human pyramid. We had so much fun with last week’s guests, and we can’t wait to see them again next summer. As promised, lawn games were a highlight of the week, with one team of guests bringing along pre-made t-shirts, and everyone bringing tons of energy. Thankfully, no injuries were sustained this year!
The weather is getting warm here now, and the river waters have been flowing high. Fishing trips have been a challenge due to the high waters, but guests have been using the time to go on plentiful rides and hikes, with many braving Windy Mountain. The water levels continue to make us a bit anxious, and they put a slight hiccup in last week’s Gym Khana, forcing us to move it onto the lawn due to flooding in the arena. But that didn’t stop the wranglers and the kids from having a fantastic time. Josh really does wear that dress quite well. We had record participation at country swing dancing on Friday night, with loads of guests and staff members learning how to turn and do “egg beaters” from our wonderful teachers Jenna and Kyle. We also had a lot of help in the dish alley from some of our young lady guests. Thanks girls!
Today we officially welcome a new group of guests, some familiar faces and some new ones, as we celebrate the 4th here in Sunlight. We have two BBQs on the agenda, a campfire, fireworks, and hopefully a few songs from Sam and Jeff. We also celebrate the anniversary of some of our favorite returning guests, who have been married for 19 years today. Congratulations you two. We welcome back Molly, a staff member from last summer who is visiting for the week, as well as some friends and relatives of other staff members, many of which are helping us out in various ways throughout the week. We already miss Peter, who has left us for the next two weeks to take a trip to Scotland with his family.
A very happy 4th of July to all our staff, guests past and present, and friends and family. We’ll be thinking of you as we watch the fireworks tonight and revel in the stunning landscape that is all around us.
Summer is Under Way
We are now in our third official guest week here at the 7D, and the summer season is truly under way. Family week was a blast, and as usual the Dominicks were a huge help to our staff. We completed numerous projects, including staining many of our cabins, refinishing the Rec Hall floor, and planting flowers all over the ranch. Our first official guest week was a huge success with the return of a family that has been staying with us for 8 wonderful seasons. They spanned four generations, from darling one year old babies to 88 year old great-grandparents, and we hope that they will continue to visit us for generations to come. They joined us for some terrific rides, a rollicking game of capture the flag, and even the kids joined in at the Wiki-Up for some detoxification and rejuvenation. We are fortunate enough this year to have the musical stylings of the “Cowboy Singer” Scott Bragonier , as well as our own staff member Sam Kesler, who frequently serenades us at the campfires. During our first week, while Scott entertained us with his cowboy tunes, a grizzly bear made an appearance off in the cattle fields, and guests and staff alike got to catch a glimpse of one of the area’s most impressive animals. Last week we had a wonderful group of guests from the Boston area and the midwest, and we had a fantastic time getting to know them all. Highlights of the week included an all day ride to Dead Indian Meadows and some country line and swing dancing led by our staff members Jenna Potter and Kyle Buck.
This week, we have a jam packed ranch filled entirely with returning guests who have been spending time at the 7D for years. Lawn games promise to be truly exciting this week as old friends, both the little kids and the “big kids” get to take out some of their aggression on the field. This week we are also heading into Cody to some of the best rodeos the United States has to offer, with Extreme Bull Riding on Thursday and the Cody Stampede Rodeo on Saturday night.
The pigs have finally made it up to the ranch, and they’re helping us to dispose of some of our leftovers and entertaining the kids. Peter Talpey, our self-proclaimed “goat whisperer”, continues to work his magic with our baby goats, Nanners and Hetfield, who are as cute as ever. So far we have managed to avoid flooding from the summer thaw, but diligent sandbagging from staff and family members has helped us to be as prepared as we can be should the need arise. Fingers crossed we won’t get there!
We are so excited to be in the beginning stages of what promises to be another amazing summer at the 7D.
