We are home from our annual visit to the R Lazy S Ranch in Jackson, WY.
Bittersweet. We always hate to leave.
If you can go, you should. They have an 80% return rate (that kinda says it all…). You have to make the effort to get in – but SO worth it. If this interests you, TRY. I know Hubby didn’t think he would have a good time the first year he went, and now he wouldn’t miss it – ever. He even has his favorite horse.
Two of my neighbors go, my best friend went, Hubby’s best friend has gone… we recruit everyone we know because the experience is so life affirming and revitalizing.
In my opinion, the R Lazy S Ranch has the best food, best horses, best views, best owners, best feelings of “ahhhh” and “ohhhhh” and “isn’t that breathtaking”… truly… AND THE ONLY PERMIT TO RIDE IN THE TETON NATIONAL PARK. YUP, the ONLY permit. And, the Park is directly next-door to the Ranch. You just ride off the ranch and into the glory of the Tetons.
Amazing.
The Ranch is up against the Tetons, right below Jackson Hole Ski area.
IF YOU CAN GO… (no affiliation at all, I just want you all to go!)
This year, these dates are available – grab the available cabin if you can! July 23- July 30th, July 30th-Aug 6th, Aug 27th- Sept 3rd, and Sept17th- Sept 24th
I took this photo on the first day. So lovely.
MY PHOTO JOURNAL, PART 1
I’ve written so many posts about the R Lazy S Ranch, this one will be more of a photo journal. Just an fyi, there are activities other than riding… you can fish, go into Jackson, eat, hike, take nature walks, go to the lake, go down the Snake River, mountain climb, ride bikes… but we ride all day, every day. The opportunity for amazing riding is just too much of a pull for us.
This is the cabin we love – although they are all great in different ways. The R Lazy S provide all the necessities for a crackling fire… and look at our view – we look upon the Tetons! The weather was stormy off and on, so we had a fire every day.
This is the view from our porch. I could just sit on that porch and drink it all in, all day. Often we see elk in the vast field.
This is my favorite horse, Cash. He is in high demand and I felt very fortunate that I got him this year. I love him. He’s huge and I’m not, but we get along!
This is Cash. He walks right up to this platform to help me load my short self onto his HIGHness.
This is Hubby and his favorite horse, Rose. Hubby has had Rose for the past 9 years. They love each other.
This is me receiving my 10 year belt buckle from Kelly, the owner of the Ranch. The Stirns are a GREAT family who run this place with humility and grace. Everyone feels loved. I sure did/do!
I put it on a belt as soon as I got home…
Usually, you see wildlife on the rides. Bison, lots of elk, deer, foxes, rabbits, coyotes… bear. The Park is full of lovely flora and fauna.
Meet Paige. She is an awesome wrangler with a huge, warm smile. We are having lunch during an all day ride. Just look where we are?! We are in the middle of the park with grassland and epic views everywhere!
I took this from the porch. We were at a boarded-up historic old ranch building.
These are my neighbors who come with us every year. We have such a great time… Oh, on this ride, I was on Jazzy. She’s a very special girl as well.
That is Paige the Wrangler again. We had so much fun! As you can see, the weather was changing and we got wet, but we moved fast and saw such glorious views!
This was our good friend Tom’s horse, Quarter. By coincidence, a woman I worked with at the winery, happened to go to the R Lazy S and also had Quarter. She loved him and Tom loved him.
Yes, we got rained upon, but who cares with this view?! I love this particular ride when we are above the tree line and can see the entire valley. Just breathtaking. (That is the Snake River)
I WILL SHOW MORE NEXT TIME!
Beautiful country, beautiful pictures. What a glorious time you all had. Thanks for sharing.
I love going on vacation with you to this place. It’s so beautiful!!! Enjoy.
Awww, if I lived there, I would help you so you could go…
I have followed these posts for years with so much envy. I wish I could take a vacation there. But where I live there literally is no one doing horse/chicken/dog care to cover even a short stint like for a weekend trip, much less entire vacations. And this is a farming area so you’d think there would be interim livestock care available to hire – there isn’t even a local dog and house sitter around here! So for even a weekend getaway there would be no choice but to put the horses in a boarding barn, leave the chickens to fend for themselves, and put my dog in a boarding kennel which no doubt would trigger a relapse into his extreme separation anxiety. So I’ll just continue to enjoy the R Lazy S posts and photos and have an enjoyable virtual vacation.