Memorial Day Weekend, 2004
I reserved a cabin on Wapiti Run Ranch just outside Buena Vista, CO.
The ranch is about two hours from Colorado Springs, and a world away.
I took Brady (15 month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi) and his brother Solo (8 months
old) along. I cannot imagine a better vacation place for my
boys! The cabin was small, but certainly big enough for us.
It had a full kitchen, a small sofa, a bathroom, and a very comfortable
Murphy bed. It even had a dog kennel area. Most
importantly, it was on an 80 acre horse ranch where the boys weren't accepted,
they were welcomed! Brady and Solo had the best time of
their lives!
Brady got closer to horses than he's been before. He still
doesn't want to get very close, and that's OK. He's not terrified;
he just doesn't want to get close enough for the horses to touch him.
Solo met horses for the very first time. At first he was very
apprehensive. But, as the photos show, it turns out he really likes
horses. Solo treated them with reserved respect, which I think was
very smart of him! At one point he looked back and discovered that
just one of the three horses was following us along the fence. Solo
barked quite commandingly a couple of times, and the other two horses trotted
right up to him. I'd love to see how Solo would react to
sheep. Gotta get that boy some herding opportunities!
We saw a fox, lots of horses, and a herd of deer on the ranch. One
morning there was a hummingbird right outside the cabin.
I took hundreds of photos, but I've managed to dwindle them down to just a few dozen. They've been divided into three areas::
|
The pictures along the Arkansas River were taken during a hike that started in downtown Buena Vista. All the other photos were taken at the ranch. |
||||
 I really like going to rivers and climbing rocks. I'm going to show Solo how much fun it is! |
 This is the life! |
 We just need a rest before we continue our hike along the river. |
 We really like the ranch. As long as we don't bother the horses, we don't even have to wear a leash! |
 Running around on 80 acres really wears you out! |
 There are sticks everywhere. I love it! |
 I'm so happy, I can't help but smile. |
 I don't really like sticks, but it's fun to tease Brady by stealing them. |
 Brady taught me how to climb rocks. It's fun, but Mom won't let me jump in the riiver. |
 I love my freedom at the ranch! Why did I have to wait 8 months to have this much fun? |
 Mama says this is what happens to puppies who don't come when they're called! I'm being very good! |
 Brady's on top now, but that won't last long! |
 We're ferocious corgis! |
 Now I'm on top, where I belong! |
|
|
These pictures are in order. Solo approached the
horses quite calmly. He only barked when he noticed two
of the horses had fallen behind. Other than that, Solo was
silent. He spent about 30 minutes getting to know his
buddy while Brady watched from a "safe" distance. |
||||
 This is the closest I've been to a horse. They're big, and the ground shakes when they run! |
 I'm going to get a little closer, but I'm not sure about this. |
 This horse looks nice too. I'm going to smile so he knows I'm friendly. |
 OOOH, that's a little too close! |
 Have you noticed, we have the same colors and markings? |
 Careful, don't get too close! . |
 OK, you can smell me, but I'm not sure I like it. |
 I'm going to close my eyes, and maybe it won't be so scary! |
 That didn't hurt, so maybe it's OK. |
 Yes, I know I don't have a tail. You don't have to whisper! |
 I'll let you smell me again, but be gentle. |
 I think I like you! |
That feels kinda good. |
 I think I like horses! |
 You're my buddy! Come on, Brady. Meet my new friend! |
 That's OK, Solo. I can watch from here. |
 I don't want to leave, but Mama says it's time to go. |
 OK, I gotta leave now. All right, you can have one more sniff. |
||
 The outside of the cabin. It has great windows! The first morning I woke up to see a fox right outside. |
 The dog enclosure. We only used it for a few minutes at a time. |
 I have no idea what mountain peaks I was looking at. So, the rest of these won't have captions. |
 This picture, the one before it, and the one after it, weren't taken at the ranch. But the rest of the views were. |
 |
 Wapiti Run is a working horse ranch. Oddly enough, it wasn't the horses on the ranch Solo got close to, but those of the neighboring ranch. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 There were snow flurries on Sunday morning when this picture was taken. |
 |
 |