Horsin' Around up in Oakley Town

One of the best things about my sister Chelsi and her family coming to town is that it usually means we get to go hang out at her husband's family's cabin; which is conveniently located on the most beautiful ranch near the Oakley, UT area.
I'll admit it, I am a sucker for anything reminiscent of the old west. I love horses, boots, fires, acres of land, mountains, and just about everything else involved with ranch style living. The Dixie Chick's song "Cowboy Take Me Away," sometimes feels like my fantasy theme song. In other words, hanging out on the ranch is my idea of a good time.
This year, we only got to be up there for one evening- thanks to my newly acquired role as a full on adult with a full time job and student loans to pay off- so we made sure to make the most of it. My brother Howard and I headed up on Monday evening as soon as I got off work. The drive was of course amazingly beautiful; going up through Park City and Brown's Canyon never fails to delight the eye, and the sweet sounds of Etta and Louis blasting through my brother's speakers delighted my ears the whole way there. Once we got to the ranch, we helped saddle up the horses and took the nieces and nephews for some little walking rides around the main pasture.
As near horse experts at the ages of 6, 4, and 3, not a single moment of dullness is to be had with my sister's red headed crazy children around. I sure do love those children and all of the cuteness their tiny little faces possess.

Once we got the horses all saddled and ready to go, my brother-in-law, Sam, led us off into the beautiful mountainsides that surround the ranch. We trotted along through little creek beds, lush hills of quaking aspens (my very favorite type of tree), little fishing lakes, and rolling fields of late summer wild flowers. With the sky covered in ominous clouds, all the plants had a deep shadow cast over them that seems to make everything more alive, as if reaching towards the clouds above and beckoning for the inevitable rain to being its decent. Luckily for us, the rain held off until we had made our way back to the cabin for dinner. 

Back at the cabin, my sister had a wonderful meal of ribs, fruit, avocado salsa, and chips waiting for us. It was a perfectly savory, western style dinner to end a perfectly gorgeous and western night with the horses. After saying goodnight to the horses, eating our fill of good food, and playing a bit more with the children, Howard and I said our goodbyes and headed back towards the city. The rain caught up to us on the drive down the canyons and by the time we reached the valley, it smelled almost as fresh and clean as the hills we had left behind. 

I don't look forward to having to wait another year to get up there in the hills with the horses, but I guess it is better than not getting to go at all...

Thanks for the fun times Sam and Chels!