www.hotelfun4kids.com Visits ... Vee Bar Guest Ranch for a taste of "True Western Hospitality" and Adventure - Lefty Cole Style, a Laramie, Wyoming Guest Ranch

Vee Bar Guest Ranch for a taste of "True Western Hospitality" and Adventure - Lefty Cole Style.

Immortalized in movies, Dude Ranches have always held the allure of the "Old West" combined with the chance to become a wrangler on a working cattle ranch. For this feature www.hotelfun4kids.com"Visits ..." we were looking for a vacation destination that would offer western horse back riding, new experiences and a glimpse into the life of a cowboy.

What we found was the Vee Bar Guest Ranch just outside of Laramie, Wyoming. What we got was so much more than we ever anticipated.

The Ranch's sprawling lodge houses the ranch's office, dining area and staff sleeping quarters during the summer guest ranch season.

Off season, the lodge offers bed and breakfast accommodations.

Once a post office, stage coach stop and local freight line station, the historic building is the heart of the ranch.

Situated along the banks of the Little Laramie River, the lodge and all of the Vee Bar's cabins have porches overlooking the gently flowing waters.

We arrived to find ourselves bunking in one of the new log duplexes that include a full bathroom with laundry facilities. The river front porch had a great Wyoming view.

Our Cabin

A welcome package from the Vee Bar Gang was waiting by our bed that included sunscreen, lip balm and a Vee Bar Coffee Mug. We also received a guide book to local animal tracks - great for those early morning walks along the river bank.

The cozy living area comes complete with a gas fireplace that can take away any morning chills.

The Boys bunked down in the bedroom with traditional cowboy wall pegs to hang up their hats at the end of a day on the range.

The start of our six day ranch adventure at the Vee Bar began on 6:00 pm Sunday with the daily Roundup at the John Wayne Saloon. This is where we first met Lefty Cole, the ranch's owner, and the other families that would be joining us.

The Saloon offers Cocktails every evening at 6:00 pm., providing a great opportunity for guests to share their experiences with Lefty.

The social hub of the Ranch brings guests back after dinner for evening activities and many challenging games of pool.

Shortly after Lefty arrived at the Saloon a family of five from New Jersey joined us for their third trip to the Ranch. They gave us some great tips during our stay. Another couple brought along their daughter, a university student, who became the resident bartender as well as being the biggest kid of all. All the kids quickly became fast friends, riding, playing pool, tubing and enjoying many great experiences at the ranch. After all our introductions at the Saloon, we headed over to the main lodge for our first dinner.

Meals at the Ranch, served buffet style in the Main Lodge, consist of a variety of delicious homecooked breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

The relaxed atmosphere of the dining room gave us a wonderful chance to share our meals with new friends and the wranglers.

After our first dinner we experienced Lefty's own brand of "Welcome to the Ranch" and a brief orientation.

Our Week of Riding Adventures

For week long stays at the Vee Bar, Monday is a day for getting to know your horse. All guests complete a Riding Information Sheet. The wranglers use the information to match each rider to a suitable horse. At the morning orientation, equipment adjustments and some basic riding instructions ensure that everyone is comfortable and ready to go.

One of the wranglers made sure that Stephen was ready to go on Charlie Brown. These two hit it off immediately and had a great week together - Stephen wanted to bring his horse home.

Monday afternoon saw the whole group going through meadows and pastures around the ranch under the brilliant Wyoming sky.

It doesn't get much better than taking the occasional lope through the fields. We just had to remember to stay behind the wranglers for safety sake.

Tuesday's morning ride had the kids asking to go off with Carrie, Lefty's Granddaughter, to one of the nearby table tops for an "Adult Free" ride. We couldn't let the kids have all the fun so we headed up to our own table top, climbing and climbing over rocks and around boulders. It was a good thing the horses were so sure footed.

And the climb proved well worth it. My cowboy looked right at home with the backdrop of the vast Wyoming panorama behind him.

Since we knew that Wednesday was all day ride in the Medicine Bow National Forest, we decided to forego the Tuesday afternoon ride. The relaxed schedule leaves all guests at the Vee Bar free to choose which rides to participate in. We just needed to let the wranglers know we weren't riding so the horses could be unsaddled and put out to pasture.

We woke Wednesday to beautiful weather for our all day ride in the Medicine Bow National Forest. The kids were asked to accompany the wranglers, trailers and horses, while we rode up with Lefty in the "Van".

With lunches and water stored in our packs we mounted up and headed off. The initial forest trails proved to be a rough and challenging ride with fallen trees which the horses confidently walked around, over and in some cases right through.

The next part of the ride was a leisurely stroll along a logging trail to our picnic spot. We picked up our lunches in the kitchen before leaving the ranch. It even included an apple to share with our horse.

Incredible blue skies, vistas that included the Snowy Mountain Range and winding trails gave us an unforgettable afternoon of riding.

A few laughs did erupt as we dismounted. I don't hesitate to say that I was feeling the effects of an all day ride but it was well worth it..

Some of the guests opted for a van tour and hike in the Snowy Mountains, an alternative to the all day ride, coming back with tales of local wildlife along with some great pictures.

On Thursday morning we had a family ride. This gave us an opportunity to have a wonderful outing, just the four of us with a wrangler.

The Overnight Campout at Deerwood Ranch

An absolute highlight of the week was the much anticipated overnight campout at the Deerwood, Lefty's working cattle ranch set on over 8,000 beautiful Wyoming acres.

From the Ranch's barn we set out through meadows, through mountain streams and even gathered some stray cows along the way. Reaching the campsite set in a sheltered glade we knew this was going to give us a real taste of cowboy life on the open range, including dinner cooked over an open fire.

Three teepees were to be our sleeping quarters for the night complete with sleeping bags and foam mattresses. Our evening entertainment was Dan Brain and friend who serenaded us with western ballads.

I have to mention here a big thanks to Betsy, who not only stoked the fire all night long but kept an eye on the big boys who slept by the fire under the stars.

Lefty's enthusiasm as he joined the kids in sack races and regaled us with stories into the wee hours revealed just how much he enjoys his guests.

Before dinner the boys learned how to rope the "Bull", took turns roping themselves, the wranglers and anyone else foolish enough to venture near them.

When we emerged from our teepee the next morning Lefty was already busy cooking breakfast for us. We had just enough time for a refreshing swim in a mountain stream before our hearty meal.

We were going to need it for the upcoming cattle roundup.

Our cattle work for the morning was to separate the yearlings from the cows with calves. This proved to be a tricky job but the wranglers taught us well. The veterans C.J. and Ted from New Jersey showed us first timers how it was done.

More Fun at the Ranch

While riding is the preeminent activity at the ranch, there were plenty of other pursuits that were highlights of our "VISIT" at the Vee Bar, including:

A visit to the Rodeo in Laramie for some excitement

Tubing down the Little Laramie River

Meeting Duke, Lefty's Dog, along with the other resident Ranch animals.

Gymkhana including barrel racing, pole bending and the team relay races.

Afternoon Hayride with live entertainment

A ride up to the Snowy Mountain Range

Watching the wranglers bring the horses to the barn in the morning.

Billy Pickle and his Border Collies demonstrating sheep herding - Stephen feeding a lamb

Mexican Night and the Pi�ata.

Skeet Shooting

The Awards

Our final night at the Vee Bar concluded with the Golden Horseshoe Awards. Each guest, whether they ride or not, receives an award that captures their experience at the ranch. Since Mitchell always carried his hunting knife he received the "Davey Crockett" Award. My husband was dubbed "Sidekick" to his horse "Outlaw" and Stephen, who always had his horse on the move received the "Speed Demon" award. Mine will remain a secret.

After the awards were handed out Lefty took a few moments to thank all the guests for coming. His heartfelt words were very emotional, showing just how much he enjoys sharing his ranch with families.

We were welcomed to the Vee Bar Guest Ranch as a family ready for the adventures of a western style dude ranch vacation in Wyoming.

When it was time to go home, we left with tears in our eyes and memories of an incredible western adventure. Our visit gave us the privilege of becoming part of Lefty Cole's family and experiencing the Vee Bar's brand of true western hospitality. The boys are begging to go back again.

Our Visit to the Vee Bar Guest Ranch was an amazing family vacation. We took so many wonderful pictures and had such incredible experiences that it was hard to narrow down which to feature in this article. That's why the article is so long.

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Look for new articles coming up with a new member to our Family. Chad, our Bernese Mountain Puppy has joined the fold and will be adding an interesting aspect to family travel with a pet including tips and feature "VISITS". "Chad - The Hotel Fun 4 Kids Travelling Dog" and our new "Pets Too!" Rating will be profiled in our next "VISIT".

www.hotelfun4kids.com"Visits ..." is an unique opportunity that encourages you to ask us questions about the Visit location. Go to www.hotelfun4kids.com/contactus.htm to submit your question and we will do our best to answer it.

By Maureen Hall

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