Herdin’ slowpokes (page 3)
MY BEDTIME COMPANION is Harry Marriott — rather, his 1966 memoir Cariboo Cowboy, about
ranching in this “halflonesome spot.” Marriott, who was born in England, embraced
the cowboy lifestyle and founded the neighbouring OK Ranch. He later went into business with
Vancouver banker George Harrison, who built a grand lodge at Big Bar. Marriott’s book
stokes plenty of cowboy mythologies, with tales of “wild fandangoes” and lines
like “hell has no terrors for a cowboy.” But he captures the essential allure,
describing “big, wide open spaces” and grass-and-sunshine-nourished cattle, saying, “In
my humble, honest opinion, there is no life that can compare with living right with old Mother
Nature.”
AT HOME ON THE RANGE
Getting there Drive the “Gold Rush Trail Route” northeast from Vancouver, along Highway 1
East and Highway 97. Greyhound also serves the region, as does the well-equipped South Cariboo
108 Mile Regional Airport, with regular flights from Vancouver.
Staying there
While there is no shortage of campsites and affordable motels in the area
surrounding 100 Mile House, ranches offer accommodation in comfortable and atmospheric guest
houses. Big Bar Ranch has the Sagebrush Inn (no phones, TVs or computers, just large beds
and great views) in addition to the Coyote Lodge, cabins, tipis and campsites. Or choose
to pitch a tent at Big Bar Lake Provincial Park. Find a complete listing of accommodations
at www.southcaribootourism.com.
Playing there
There is no monopoly on year-round guest ranching in South Cariboo, with
more than a dozen ranches to choose from. Big Bar Ranch offers the greatest variety of activities,
including cattle drives, week-long pack trips, cattle branding and gold panning (250-459-2333). Montana Hill Guest Ranch, in Bridge Lake, is smaller and offers dog-sledding
in winter (250-593-4255). Moondance Guest
Ranch in Clinton
boasts a saloon and top-notch cooking (888-459-7775), while
Hills Health Ranch at 108 Mile House is a fully equipped spa resort in a ranch setting (250-791-5225). For a peek into the area’s history, visit Barkerville
Historic Town (888-994-3333) on the Gold Rush Trail.
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The rousing page-turner keeps me up well past midnight. Luckily, the ranch provides a 7
a.m. wake-up call: a border collie named Chevy that leads the horses to pasture. Just outside
the door of my clean, comfy, no-frills room, I find a mewing barn kitten and, a little way
off, a pack of horses munching grass below blue skies, and in shadow of Mount Bowman. It’s
a perfect start to a cowgirl fantasy, though I feel a bit of shame that I can’t pick
Misty out of the crowd.
After a hardy breakfast of eggs and flapjacks, I head to the barn, where Coldwell is saddling
the horses. The plan is to ride west and join the crew from the OK Ranch on this final day
of the roundup to bring the cattle back to the ranch from their summer range 16 kilometres
west of Big Bar.
In Marriott’s day, a cattle drive took about a week and meant herding cattle to rail
cars at Chasm, just north of Clinton, and, later, at Ashcroft, about 100 kilometres southeast.
Now calves are trucked to live auctions, then shipped to feedlots in Alberta or the United
States, so herds are gradually moved back to the ranch throughout the summer and fall.
We saunter along the dirt road and soon see a cloud of dust rising in the distance. When
we meet up with the drive, Misty’s cow sense kicks in. She goes into autopilot, trotting
right into the thick of the herd and nipping slow bovines in the butt.
“She must’ve been a cattle horse,” says OK Ranch cowgirl Kelly Stacey,
who schools me on the basics of cattle driving: keep the cattle moving and prevent them from
escaping through holes in the fences dividing pastures.
It sounds easy, but the pace of the drive is slow — about three kilometres an hour.
After eight hours, the sun has set and the air is chilly. It’s a relief to pass through
the final pasture gate. But a single ornery cow holds up our progress, and a chorus of cowboy
yips and whoops is directed at the offending slowpoke.
With the gates swung open, a dozen or so crafty cattle organize a rush back to pasture.
A real cowgirl would spring into action. But my trusty mare’s radar is now firmly set
to home, and this city slicker isn’t about to question her superior equine senses.
Or the call of the roaring hearth back at Big Bar.
Danielle Egan is a writer in Vancouver. Photographer Patrice Halley lives in Cranbrook,
B.C.
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