Saturday Sept 21st- Bar U Ranch
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| Ranch Area-- What a setting |
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| Derek-2 tooling around |
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| Statue at Entrance to Bar U Ranch |
It was our friends’ last full
day in Canada and after changing our minds about visiting historic sites in
Calgary, we opted for a 90 minute drive south of Calgary to a ranch (Bar U
Ranch in Longview, Alberta). This ranch, originally some 157,000+ acres, was
one of the most important and productive ranches in Canada and as the big ranch
system slowly died in the mid 20th century, the government took over
a 300+ acre chunk that was the main administrative area of the ranch and
preserved much of the original equipment, buildings and photographs, with each
building telling stories of life on the ranch and various owners etc. Apart
from the fact that the ranch is in such a beautiful setting in the foothills,
it is fascinating to read the history and to talk to the people on the ranch
(dressed in somewhat period clothes.) We had a picnic lunch and wandered the grounds.
A couple of the guys in the buildings were cowboys themselves and had several fascinating
tales of their lives on the ranches etc…
After a taste of cowboy coffee and bannock and petting the Percheron
horses, we headed back to Cochrane to enjoy a perfectly cooked steak dinner and
a final game of password, which Lin and Janice won, which was sweet.
considering the guys had won the previous 3 (yes Derek … it was 3) And so the
last full day with our friends was done.
Janice has developed a nasty cold and sore throat, hopefully it wont
last long.
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| Love this picture - Statue looks real |
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| Derek-1, cookies Anyone?? |
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| Derek-1 -- Shadow on bridge - LOVE IT!! |
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| Horses love these guys.. could be the fresh grass! |
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| Coffee and Bannock served here! |
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| Served by a cowpoke! |
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| Fresh grass - yummy!! Thanks!! |
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| For you older folk- is this Mr Ed's brother?? |
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| Idyllic view from the barn! |
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| Wedding Carriage - (there was a real wedding there that day) |
