You Bet, we’re going back

That’s right, regular readers know that one of our favourite haunts is the Yaha Tinda Ranch, in the west country here in Alberta, and after our STARS ride on the weekend we thought what the heck, we are loaded, got food, diesel, and our horses so a visit to the ranch is in order. We stopped and camped at the Sundre Rodeo Grounds to catch the end of the Super Six team roping and watch Harold get his horse shod for the mountain trails. I am not sure Murray Young, the farrier, is usually working by the headlights but it does make for nice photo’s

Monday morning we headed for the west country, the pictures surely tell the story better than this writer so I will let them do most of the talking. These guys were hanging around on a gravel bar along the Red Deer River till we came along the Coal Camp Road and they decided to head back across to the shoreline.

After getting a few photo’s of these fellow we were off to the ranch to meet my cousin Mike, and Harold and Diane Baldwin along with new friends Lee Laskosky and Hazel Crowe. This special place has a draw on a lot of folks and they come from far and wide to visit this little piece of heaven here on earth. Mike is down from Valleyview, Harold and Diane from Vermilion, while Lee and Hazel came on over from Viking, Alberta. Sadly for all these folks they are not nearly as close as we are and can’t manage to spend as much time here as they would like.

This photo stolen from Hazel’s email. Left to right, Harold Baldwin, Diane Baldwin, Mike Macnab, JB, Brenda Brown, Hazel Crowe, Lee Laskosky

We got our camp set up and headed out to the Scalp Creek waterslides to watch some young folks slide down those icy chutes, makes me shiver just thinking about it but they were young and probably didn’t even feel the cold. This is shot across Scalp Creek towards Warden’s Rock and Banff National Park in the background.

The next day began with breakfast cooked over an open fire, and just to dispel any rumours that I don’t cook here is evidence to the contrary.

Photo by Brenda

Now this isn’t a regular occurrence but once my cousin Mike finishes that grill he is promising I am sure it will be more regular than in the past. And just to prove that this really is Mike behind those shades, look under the grill in the photo below, and “that” is a Macnab trademark being cooked while waiting on breakfast, yep, tube steak, or wieners, to the uninitiated.

Our second day at the ranch we took a ride over what we call the High Trail and had our lunch on the shores of Eagle Lake in the James Pass.

 

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While we were at Eagle Lake a young fellow and his horse and dog took a little dip.

When we weren’t out riding we spent some time around the campfire visiting and spinning yarns while enjoying our surroundings. Mike and Lee sit back and tell a few stories.

 

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The shot above was from beside our campfire.

The Yaha is not only a special place because of its natural beauty it is also the spot Brenda and I chose to share with our friends and family when we got married,

and we revisit it on a regular basis and got Hazel to take the photo below just the other day, back at the same spot with our friends and more relaxing garb.