Wyoming Official Travelers Journal 2008 - (Page 21) Your Backcountry Concierge So, you’re looking for a place to get a llama to help you haul a bunch of gear for a long excursion in the Wind River Range. Perhaps you need to rent a jeep, a string of horses, a canoe or even a prairie schooner to carry you and some friends to remote backcountry. Or maybe you just need someone to help you set up that epic climb of the north face of Devil’s Tower that you’ve been dreaming of for so long. Taking a Wyoming adventure from pipe dream to cherished memory is a whole lot easier when you enlist the help of an outfitter. Like one-stop shopping for ready-made fun, working with an outfitter removes the stress and hassle associated with planning wilderness adventures. You’ll be working with guides who’ve seen it all, and their vast experience will be applied to your plans in a way that will undoubtedly ensure the success and safety of the excursion. To begin your search of Wyoming’s best outfitting companies, start with the Wyoming Travel & Tourism Web site at www.wyomingtourism.org, where you’ll find a comprehensive list and links to the Web sites of leading outfitters in the state. For even more listings, check out the Wyoming Outfitters & Guides Association’s site at www.wyoga.org. They’ve got the inside scoop on hundreds of local companies ready to provide experienced guides, the best gear available, expert local knowledge, and the assurance of fully licensed and bonded companies. experience the beauty of cowboy poetry at a number of festivals, a public workshop or other events focused on this unique brand of poetry and performance. For more information about cowboy poetry and a list of events, visit our Web site at www.wyomingtourism.com. A Dude Ranch Vacation Ever dreamed of being a cowboy? The long days out on the trail, the skill with a lariat, the easy command of a trusted horse — and the driving of the cows, of course. If so, there’s no better place to find your inner cowboy than the Cowboy State, home to countless ranches where a good portion of the work is done by visitors. These dude ranches provide everything you need to perform as a cowboy in a real cattle drive. Many guest ranches provide a completely different experience, one with less labor involved and every bit as memorable. More like Western resorts, these ranches boast such amenities as fine wines, hot tubs and massages. In fact, no two ranch experiences are the same. While one might feature gourmet cuisine and fine linens, another might offer only basic necessities. Some ranches require a minimum stay of seven days, while others allow you to join the fun for three days or less. Some ranches welcome children; others are for adults only. Great for reunions, retreats, family vacations or honeymoons, Wyoming’s dude ranches allow guests to reconnect with nature and with each other. Horses are a given, but other activities might include fishing, guided hiking, swimming, wilderness pack trips, chuckwagon dinners, square dancing and cowboy poetry. This range of options means doing a bit of homework before signing up for a dude ranch vacation. To find the right ranch for you and your group, search the listings in this guide or contact the Wyoming Dude Rancher’s Association at 307-455-2084, or go to www.wyomingdra.com. Photography: (Facing page) Home on the Wyoming range. (This page lower left) Get a taste of frontier life at a dude ranch. (This page lower right) Fishing in a perfectly secluded spot. ©Jeff Vanuga, ©Fred Pflughoft, ©Fred Pflughoft The Fine Art of Cowboy Poetry Back in the ol’ days, cowboys didn’t have the luxury of bringing along books and musical instruments when they were driving cattle across vast swaths of open country. For entertainment, they would often gather around an evening fire to swap stories, tall tales and legends. Over time, the fireside musings took on a more formal delivery, sounding a lot like traditional ballads with rhyming couplets and simple quatrains. The subject of cowboy poetry has always been the everyday world as seen from the saddle, and the poems live on in the oral tradition more than in the written form. Today, contemporary cowboy poetry has a strong foothold in the everyday culture of Wyoming life, gaining a huge following among residents and visitors who cherish the colorful stories and the galloping cadence of their delivery. Legendary cowboy poets like Baxter Black, Red Steagall and Waddie Mitchell continue the proud tradition of cowboy poetry with entertaining live performances. If you’re going to stay at a dude ranch during your visit to Wyoming, there’s a good chance you’ll be exposed to cowboy poetry while you’re sitting around the fire. But if dude ranching is not part of your vacation agenda, you can www.wyomingtourism.org 21 http://www.wyomingtourism.org
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