Greenwood

We drove to Nelson for a few days, and on the way stopped in the small town of Greenwood. It started as a mining town in 1897 and still has a smelter smokestack and many old brick buildings. In fact the cafe where we had coffee was originally the assay office; it was used in the movie Snow Falling on Cedars.

Last day at the ranch

The last day came up quickly, and was another full day, this time of roping, branding a calf, and barrel racing.

We were lucky to have Joel Eliot with us for the week, and were in awe of how easy he made roping look.

Mounted shooting

We learned to rope, move cattle, tried team penning (harder than it looks!), went on some trail rides, and spent the whole of Thursday on mounted shooting. We strapped on holsters, and walked, then trotted the course, "dry firing" at the balloons, to get the hang of it, and the feel of the guns. You have to use single action Colt 45's or replicas, which means you have to pull the hammer back each time you fire the gun; this is tricky when you have small hands.

After lunch we took turns riding 3 horses (only a few are trained and able to handle the loud noise) through the course at a lope; you have two guns with 5 shells each, to shoot the10 balloons on the course. So at the half way point you're putting the first gun back in the holster, getting the second one out as you turn around a barrel, and getting that hammer back to shoot the first balloon on the straightaway home. Those balloons come up quickly when you're loping!

Cowgirl Camp

There were eight of us at Cowgirl Camp, level II, held at the Double E Guest Ranch in New Mexico. The first day was spent getting oriented, and in the arena getting used to our horses. Though cool in the mornings, once the sun came up over the hills it was warm and got into the 80's every day.

A day in Havana

After a two hour bus ride we were in Havana for a busy day tour. The first stop was the old part of the city, and we walked for several hours through small streets, across plazas, into a hotel where Hemingway had stayed; we toured a cigar factory, had lunch in a lovely old hotel restaurant, and went to a rum museum. After hearing all about the production of rum, and the different kinds made, we were ushered into a bar and offered a taste, before exiting through the gift shop.

Escape from the rain

We decided to take advantage of a last minute deal and book a trip to Cuba, so off we went, and after a 6 hour flight, were in Varadero at our hotel by 8 a.m. The resort was right on the beach, so we had the choice of swimming in the ocean, or in one of several pools. It was entertaining watching the kiteboarders out on the water.