SUNDAY

We got to the ranch about 4:30pm after leaving St. Louis. We were in awe of the beautiful scenery at the top of the canyon. It seemed like you could see forever in every direction.

The lodge is situated in the center of the canyon. There are cabins on the hills surrounding it. There is a big barn off to one side where plenty of horses, dogs and a pig (Peabody) mill about.

Up the hill behind the barn is a fishing pond. The trails beyond the pond go up the mountain and head up to the bluffs.

There are plenty of big rocks for climbing too. The horses roam free as far as the eye can see.

Our cabin isn't quite ready yet so we decide to head back into town for dinner so that we are back on the ranch before dark. (The mountain roads getting into the canyon are steep and winding and we don't want to risk the drive back without benefit of daylight!) We went to a little diner where they have a brown bear cub (in a cage) named Coco. We feed him some peanuts and then head inside to eat.

It's dusk by the time we return to the ranch. We check in and go to our cabin and get the van unloaded before dark. This is a good thing, since horses are roaming free everywhere and we don't want to get in their way! Once we were settled we decided to get the flashlights and go for a night walk. We could see millions of stars everywhere-we don't see them much back home. Nick quickly found Orion the Hunter, the Big Dipper and the North Star.

Since it was getting colder by the minute, we decide to head back to our cabin (named "Hole In The Wall") for hot chocolate before turning in for the night. Tomorrow the fun starts!

Continued on Monday
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