2021 09 Go West, Old Man (Part Two--Dude! You Are A Dude!)

 Saturday, September 11

Now I am on Eatons' Ranch in Wolf, Wyoming. Here is some of the text from the information sent before the trip by our workshop provider, Clare O'Neill:

"Back in 1879, three brothers, Howard, Willis, and Alden Eaton, came out from Pittsburgh, PA and shortly thereafter, their friends from the East began to visit and stay for long periods of time. Individual cabins were built on the property by these families, so no two cabins are alike. We have a grouping of cabins together closest to our studio (for safety reasons, i.e., wildlife, I feel it’s important to have cabins close to one another when walking back to in the dark after a long day.)...Eatons has a 51 individual guest cabins throughout the property. The cabins vary by size and décor, but all are lovely."

I was assigned to Dailey Cabin and it proved a rough and tumble existence were I had to sleep on straw and build my own fire under the stars every night. Wait, no--that was my dreams. The reality was that Dailey proved to be wonderful and was a safe haven for me every time I came home.

                              

Dailey Cabin

Dailey Cabin with the home of Lynn, Kelley and Shirley across the street

One of the cool things about living on the ranch is you get regular visits from the wild life. For whatever reason, I always found two bunnies under my van whenever I came and went. 

"Eatons’ is recognized as the first ‘Dude Ranch’ in the country and is now operated by the fourth and fifth generations of Eatons. Tradition is synonymous with the name Eaton and they have done things the same way for a hundred years. The 7,000-acre ranch is located just 3.1 miles from the Bighorn National Forest."

"The ranch cabins, our studio, the barn, and some of our shooting locations are spread out throughout the property (no, not all 7,000 acres) but be prepared for some walking between venues...Please note that this is a working dude ranch and we will be working around the traditions of the ranch."

This is Howard Hall where we are going to have our encaustic art workshop. 

"All your meals are included in the workshop and will be served in the dining hall. We will be assigned a table or two. If you are a vegetarian, brace yourself. There will be options, but this is also cattle country and meat is considered a staple."

"Each morning we’ll rise and head straight out to take photographs. You’ll have the opportunity to take images of horses running (there are approximately 200 horses at the ranch), landscapes, and portraiture shots with the horses and their wranglers. In the morning, they move the entire herd into the paddocks and at various times during the day the horses are turned out to pasture. We will have full access to photograph during these times. We’ll also have access to photograph the barns and various wranglers working with the horses, as well as be able to saddle up and ride with the wranglers and photograph in the mountain pastures. Along with the horses there will be various opportunities to shoot around the property."

"Early afternoons will be free so if you wish to ride more you will be able to do so. (Please note there will not be an afternoon ride on Sunday.) You will be fitted for a saddle and given a horse for the week. You can choose to take a wrangler with you on the ride or if you are an experienced rider you can go off on your own. If you haven’t ridden in years, no worries, you can still ride. There will be a handful of wranglers at the ranch who will be happy to accompany us on any rides. I will arrange on an individual bases those who wranglers who are comfortable having their photograph taken."

Some dudes I photographed riding on the ranch

Tonight is the meet and greet in the Apartment Bar before dinner. Dinner is the first surprise as the food is served buffet style, is cooked by a NOLA chef and are a wonder throughout the week. Eventually we will have all the meat staples like chicken, beef and pork but also a fish offering including mahi mahi and seared tuna. 

The evenings in Dailey cabin are enjoyable for me. I brought along for the rode a series of live cd performances by all of my favorite bands but for the cabin I have a boom box. I also packed all the supplies to do some collages. So, no TV or no Internet--who cares?

Sunday, September 12

Horses and wranglers up on Chocolate Drop

Today we are up early and out at 7:00 a.m. Each morning at Eaton's three wranglers ride up into Chocolate Drop to herd the ranch horses back into the ranch corral. Today we start our experience by waiting at the fence line in front of the corral to take our first pictures of the horses for our art projects. 

Lynn Ovenden being photographed by Kelley Clarke being photographed by me

Kelley

It was pretty exciting when the cry went up that the gate was opened and the wranglers were bringing in the herd. 

I probably do not have to tell you how dry the American West is so it may come as no surprise to you, but it did catch me by surprise, that my chosen location for this event was going to be turned into a huge dust bowl. 

After the horses were in the corral, they go through a process of being cut into two halves: those that will be ridden by dudes and those that can be released back into Chocolate Drop. This is done by a wrangler who sits on a gate and moves it with his foot to sort out the horses we have been fitted for.

While this is going on we can wander anywhere we want and shoot photos.  

This is a great opportunity to get close ups of the horses in the corral. 

After a hearty breakfast we are off to class. Class today consisted of basic overviews of encaustic and photographing horses. 

Lora Eaton the the horses arrive at the corral

That afternoon we are offered a special opportunity to get into a corral with some horses while their wrangler, Lora Eaton, a direct descendent from the original Eatons who founded the ranch, chased them around for our benefit. 

The class bravely in the corral with the big boys

While I like horses a lot, there is something a little exhilarating to have a giant horse come pounding down the corral at your face, hidden behind a camera, while you watch it get bigger and bigger in the view finder. It takes courage to stay the course and get the shots.

You are going to see this photo again

You are going to see this photo again

While the action by the horses was impressive, it was equally impressive to watch Lora chase the horses around the corral with more strength and energy than I have ever had.

Not sure who is more tired by this exercise.

You are going to see this picture again

A great deal of time was spent locating the right image and massage the photographs--after all, if I am going to art of these I want them to be the right one. 

While it is not as massive as the drive in the morning, at lunch and in the early evening the last of the horses are driven back up to Chocolate Drop. 

That afternoon and evening we talked about the process of the workshop and prepared our substrates so they would be ready the next day.

After the evening workshop, I headed back to the Dailey to work on some collages and play some music. 

2021 09 Go West, Old Man (Part One--Getting There is Half the Fun)

This account of my travels west in 2021 is made with the understanding that any comments I make regarding the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions are with an acknowledgment that many people have suffered with consequences to their health and may have even lost loved ones. My wishes are that all of us stay healthy during this very challenging time. 

My art buddies Lynn Ovenden and Kelley Clarke have heard me say that I did not want to add another medium to my art bucket and therefore would never, never, never take up encaustic (more on what this is later) as an art practice. However, after taking an encaustic class at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI, Lynn discover an encaustic class with artist Clare O'Neill to be held at Eaton's Dude Ranch in Wolf, Wyoming. It took about the time to read the email as it did for me to make up my mind that this would fulfill one of my photography dreams: taking pictures of horses in the wild, wild West.

So I said yes and made plans to hit the road.

Wednesday, September 8

My plan for the early days of this trip was to drive from Milwaukee west on non-federal highways. I took off at 10:00 a.m. (CST) on this day but did drive the federal highway to just north of Madison, WI, before starting to exploring. 

Outside of Baraboo, WI, in the Town of Greenfield I went to Man Mound Park, the only remaining ancient effigy in the shape of the human form in North America. Here is your Critical Race Theory lesson for the day: The form was discovered in 1909 but that did not prevent White People from building a road across this sacred site, cutting the legs off the Man Mound. 

Image Man Mound from Smithsonian

I made a stop at Baraboo Vintage where I picked up a wood travel ironing board and a drawer for future assemblage/collage work. 

I took a short walk at Wildcat Ridge, a Kickapoo River Overlook, to get the long view. 

One of the things I like about being off the Federal highways is I get to see things up close, a little slower and there is almost always a pull off the road to get the shot I want. 

You also get to hear what the priorities are of the local people. 

That night was spent in a Holiday Inn Express in Rochester, Minnesota, and I treated myself to great food at the Hunan Chinese Restaurant.

Total mileage for the day (and the trip so far)=340 miles. 

Thursday, September 9

(this photo is not from the Honker but it is a cool roadside find)

When ever I travel on the non-Federal highways, one of my goals is to find a breakfast establishment where someone addresses me by an endearment like "baby," "honey," or "sugar." Today's choice, Canadian Honker, did not get to that level but was a delightful place to eat and comes highly recommended. 

My first stop was in St. Peter, MN, at the Linneaus Arboretum on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College.

I stopped at the St. Peter Consignment Store and picked up a child mannequin and a clock body for future assemblage work. In Hutchinson, MN, I proved the store name, Antiques To Go, was true as I walked out with a small cupboard door.

By nightfall I stopped in Fargo, North Dakota, at a Holiday Inn Express. Because it was late at night and I was tired of being creative, I settled for a nearby Red Lobster for dinner. 

Total mileage for the day, 390 and for the trip so far, 730. 

Friday, September 10

Today I tried to find a recommended restaurant for breakfast that may not be in business anymore but its location was right by the highway so I took off west until I came to Valley City, North Dakota. I drove downtown and selected Vicky’s Viking Room for breakfast. I had a nice talk with my waiter about the dude ranch experience. For breakfast I ordered The Vikingnator which consisted of two pancakes, two eggs, bacon, ham and sausage all covered with gravy. While I tried to tackle it, when he asked me if I needed anything else I suggested someone else to help finish it. When it came time to pay the bill he said “someone” had paid for my breakfast and suspecting it was him, I left a generous tip somewhere between not insulting him for letting me eat free yet substantial in helping him pay for his college tuition.

Valley City had a thrift store near the restaurant but I was unable to find anything that made me feel thrifty. 

Sometimes on the road I just come to a complete stop in order to capture something that looks like a image to me. 

You will see this image again

Down the road I stopped a Jamestown because the billboards on the highway promised the world’s largest buffalo. It is indeed large. Unfortunately, the replica town around the statute seems pretty much done for the season, the buffalo museum did not interest me and the herd they supposed have was no where to be seen.

While I am not above bathroom humor, I should tell you that it is no joke I took these photos while on the toilet at the Buffalo Park. Insert your own joke here. 

The Enchanted Highway begins at Exit 72 on I-94 near Gladstone, North Dakota, and terminates 32 miles down the road in the small town of Regent. Beginning with "Geese in Flight" at Exit 72, large metal sculptures are placed along the county highway, each with parking a area. When I say large, I mean multiple story-high works of art. 

For a few minutes I went north instead of south to see what I could see in that direction.

This trip was challenged by the smoke from the wild fires in the North American West

Above is pictured a structure not "officially" on the Enchanted Highway but it look like a Harvester Stonehenge to me. Walking in the field proved lucky too as I found three of the four jaw bones of some dead animal that I bagged up and took along for future assemblage work. 

Back on the Enchanted Highway I finished the tour:

"Deer Crossing"

"Grasshoppers in the Field"

"Fisherman's Dream"

You are going to see this image again

"Pheasants on the Prairie"

"World's Largest Tin Family"

"Teddy Rides Again"

While these huge sculptures are captivating, sometimes the details alongside the road prove just as artful.

From Regent I drove north to Hwy 84 and the city of Dickinson. By the time I was at the third hotel trying to get a room, I was smart enough to ask the reason and was told there was both a volleyball tournament at the college and the local stock car track was having a special two night event. Trust me, either was a reason to stay and attend if I was still not 5 hours away from the dude ranch.

Back on Hwy 94, I went west until the Teddy Roosevelt National Park where I found a room in Medora at the Elkhorn Quarters motel. This park is gorgeous and begs for a return visit with Denice.

85320 (430; 1,160)

Total mileage for the day, 430 and for the trip so far, 1,160. 

Saturday, September 11

This morning I decided to get up at 7:00 a.m. which would have worked great IF my phone automatically updated when I entered the Mountain Time Zone. Instead, it was up at 6:00 a.m. when I was bounced out of bed. As long as I had the head start I decide to head on down the road instead of eating breakfast in Medora.

I pulled of at Glendive, Montana, and ate my breakfast at C.C.’s Family Diner. This is my third straight day of eating in a small town diner for breakfast and one thing is a constant no matter what state I am in: old people eating and gossiping at breakfast. 

Today's priority was getting to the dude ranch but despite driving down the highway at 85 miles an hour and slammed on the brakes when I saw some really cool wall art on the side of some buildings in Garryowen, Montana. 

The advantage here was that the works were on the property of the Wellknown Buffalo Native Art Store so that meant I could drive right in and start shooting.

No matter where you take this type of photograph you can attract attention and one of the store workers came out to greet me and to invite me in. I am glad she did as the art inside the gallery was very interesting. The worker, her husband and one of the co-owners chatted me up for quite awhile (many jokes were shared about me on a horse--trust me). For me, one of the most interesting aspects of this was to have all the artist introduced to me this day, including the wall artist, are identified by their name and their tribe. 

Now it was time to drive the last few miles of this day. My GPS managed to stay active even though I was on dirt roads that last 10ish miles of the trip. The goal, Eatons' Ranch, was reached and the rest of the story will be told in the next blog. 

Total mileage for the day, 380 and for the trip so far, 1,540.