Yeehaw!!!!!!!!! Part Deux

After dinner we played volleyball... in the very corral where you see me on the horse. My first night of being cell phone free was extremely anxiety provoking. It troubled me that I could be so dependant on an electronic convenience. I had a hard time putting my mind to rest about the calls I needed to have made and the ones I was expected to receive. Needless to say I slept not too well.

I awoke, however to the most breathtaking sunrise. Fresh, pink and serene. I felt my worries slip away.

The breakfast bell rang.... what is it about not being able to munch and getting meals only at meal times that makes you sooooo hungry. Josh, the charming cook, certainly fed us well. Every meal was delicious and the fact that one could get home style cooking without the work, just cinched this very agreeable deal.

After breakfast we all donned our riding gear and went for orientation. Imagine 98 degree weather, 7 very eager guests and one somewhat temperamental horse.... we "dudes" were exhausted after orientation alone. And then came the riding... and all worries melted away as you found yourself giving your undivided attention to your horse and your surroundings.

The trail rides were relaxing... Imagine letting your mind go free. One forgets that there is a world outside of the ranch. There is only you and that moment and that is all that matters. Of course after the trail ride came the cool down walk... where you walked your horse around the corral and back to the pasture! For those of you who have seen City Slickers.. (remember the bow-legged walk of Billy Crystal??? Well that is what many of us felt like!)

Now the stiffness was not too bad on me, (I am a yoga enthusiast... it helped) and the heat was forgotten in the shaded serenity during the trail rides... for me the troublesome issue was the hair. The freakin' horse hair..... Sunblock was a must, to prevent burn (and wrinkles!) and it acted like a glue for the horse hair. Every morning and afternoon I get all sun blocked up and every time when I groomed my horse the hair would go flying. Everywhere. It stuck to my arms and my face. A couple of times I even got it in my mouth! And was spitting around in a most unladylike manner!

And then Tonomae, my chestnut mare just loved to graze. The silly animal was capable of even more amazing feats of flexibility than my yogi self and could keep grazing while the rest of her body seemed to walk of without any use for her head.... of course eventually once or more than once to be precise the darn animal actually tripped and almost threw me. I am glad to report I survived with no bones broken... again good balance a la yoga!

Aside from the riding, other activities on the ranch included tubing down the French Broad river... (where my daughter demanded I find her a box turtle!I almost caught her one too only the things were very slippery and I landed in the water trying...) And white water rafting.

For evening entertainment, there was good old western style square dancing, line dancing and yes even clog dancing! And a Bluegrass band. On Bluegrass night, all the ladies ended up taking center stage and belting out melodies with aplomb. For those familiar with "Whose line is it anyway....?" Trust me we did one better. The ad libbing is what brought about the creation of the "Big Red Boots!" as I (with relish) gave my spin on the classic "Boots" sung by Nancy Sinatra... and improvised a parody of poor Shawn!

One of the other guests meanwhile sang Amazing Grace.... only instead of singing "that saved a "wretch" like me", she has apparently always been singing... "that saved a "wench!!!!" like me.... hee hee....

Our last morning at this incredibly beautiful, relaxing, and serene vacation destination.... we all planned a secret attack on the cell phone free facility. We set our phone alarms to go off synchronized a couple of minutes apart during our last meal there. When poor Shawn got up to the head of the table and rang his bell to deliver his fare thee well speech, the symphony started... much to his chagrin and surprise. It was a classic "well executed prank" moment.... the perfect backdrop for our return to our lives.

We all made great friends and had a spectacular time. To all you Dude Ranch folks... The Nancy Sinatra "Boots" is dedicated to US!

Do play it and enjoy... (Look on the right of the page)