Where we stayed

Our trip to Alberta for the Stampede was also a bit of a celebration for us; we had our 20th anniversary on June 15th, and since we got married on horseback at the Anchor D Ranch, we went back there and stayed there the weekend. The owner is a good friend, and it's been 3 years since I visited, so it was nice to catch up.
This is a photo of the log house- hub of all the activity. Notice the pen in front of the house with the paint filly?

Well that painted baby is an orphan, she was found abandoned by her wild herd, no sign of mama. She was rescued from a bog, and  they tried to reunite her with the herd but they wanted no part of her. So Dewey went all the way to Grande Prairie to bring her to his ranch. (9 hrs. at least).  She pretty much has him twisted around her hooves!

She gets to visit in the evening.

That sign can't possibly apply to meeee.....

They were outfitting a whole bunch of riders the next morning. Of course for me, that meant photo op! Dewey says he has about 135 horses. They run weekend camping trips, day rides, hourly rides, and week long packing trips into the mountains as well as guided hunting trips.

We got to go along when he had to take a team up to his base camp to pull a wagon out. Here is the team:

 Ted and I rode in- Dewey led the roan mare and the black gelding followed, with Ted and I riding behind. My camera was out of battery, I should have checked before we left! so I didn't get any photos of that ride. But here are the horses we rode:

I rode the sorrel mare, Ted rode the paint. The mare is a quarter horse/Percheron cross, and the paint is a Suffolk Punch cross. It's been a long time since I rode a horse that big! They were both really good.

We rented one of their cabins- more like a small log house than a cabin! It was so relaxing to be there, especially since there was no cell coverage to speak of so we were unplugged for the weekend.