Stay at a dude ranch

“After half an hour, we found the separated cows, encircled them as Bayard instructed and used our horses to push them forward and to chase strays back into the herd. I had a willing partner, Talek, who helped me do things I’d never done before on a horse: leap up riverbanks, blaze a trail, chase another four-legged creature and make a sharp turn to head it in another direction. I love my job at The Post, but this felt like a second calling, or a previous life, something eerily familiar.”

“The first thing we noticed upon entering our cabin was the perfect outline of bear claw nails in the screen door. Bayard assured us that it was a decade old and that no bear had ever gotten close to a guest. They were after left-out food. The second thing we noticed before unpacking our bags was the guest list left on the dresser. It was another sign — following Bayard’s warm welcome and Mel’s friendly tour of the lodge — that the chemistry between guests would be as important as the chemistry between rider and horse.”