East Glacier Park, Lonesome Dove Ranch, Montana – 10/30/2014
OCTOBER 30, 2014 (Thursday)
Woke up to clear skies. A little light fog but not bad. We were eager to get out into it. We had been told by the concierge, Jim, about a relatively easy but beautiful hike. He gave us a map and showed us pictures of what it was like and where it was. We were wanting to use our new walking sticks and headed for the Two Medicine area to the trail. What Jim forgot to mention was how far it was (or we got lost). We ran out of time since we were supposed to catch the van at Meadow Lake Resort for our dinner reservation tonight at the Lonesome Dove Bison and Guest Ranch at 3:30 PM.
We were getting nervous about the time and ended up turning around on the road down to Two Rivers – a road that looked like it was ready to fall into the canyon. Exciting. We drove back to the little town called Browning, a Blackfoot Indian town. We stopped and had a little bite to eat at a taco place called Taco John’s. What was fascinating to me were all the stray dogs, mostly mommy dogs with a puppy or two, running around the town. I hope they’re okay. There were so many.
We got back to our home just barely in time to brush our teeth, go to the bathroom, and walk down to the bus that was going to take us to the Lonesome Dove Bison and Guest Ranch for dinner. Our driver, Tom, was quite the character. Looked like a cowboy from Montana (originally from California). He also picked up two other ladies, Wanda and Rhonda, from Mississippi, visiting here in another area of the resort. Really enjoyed talking with them and getting to know them a little bit, and talked to Tom and hearing his stories. The drive to the ranch was almost an hour.
Not sure what I was expecting at the Lonesome Dove Bison and Guest Ranch, but it wasn’t what we got. What we got was a real Southern type hospitality. The host, Hal, greeted us and then showed us around the ranch – his buffalo, turkeys, etc.
Told us a little bit about himself and his life, then answered questions. Nice guy. He then took us into his home, where we were offered drinks and talked more. His wife, Sharron, is a fireball and does so many things. They’re a fascinating couple. Don’t know how they find time to sleep. They have the ranch, their bed and breakfast, their dinner and horse rides, a gift shop, and then they ship their homemade items to many different places. Like I said – exhausting but fascinating.
Once inside we got to meet their dog and cat. Such a warm feeling and welcoming home. They had a really nice couple from Idaho Falls staying at their bed and breakfast who joined us in the living room for conversation before dinner. They were on their way home after having lived in Canada for two years. Once dinner was ready we went into their dining room. Lovely. Again, felt I was at a friend’s home enjoying a meal with good friends. Great food – pork, green beans, fresh bread, baked potatoes, a huckleberry/plum spread for the pork. Delicious. After dinner we got a fresh huckleberry crumb cake. We were all so stuffed. Wonderful. Such a great evening. Really, really enjoyed it.
Tom got us home around 8:00 PM. We are still stuffed. That was our wonderful day. Hope yours was great!