In dreamy Montana, heaven knows no end.
This quiet corner of America’s Northwest is the territory of America’s
last, genuine cowboys. Montana is also famous for its Big Sky, endless
and ever changing. The best way to experience this state is to stay in
comfortable guest ranches like Triple Creek Ranch, owned by Craig
Barrett, the former CEO of the American IT company Intel. He bought
Triple Creek Ranch, a cattle farm of 10 hectares, a while ago and has a
clear and correct vision what hospitality is all about.In a place like
Triple Creek it’s difficult to say whom the wrangler, or the cowboy, the
billionaire, the Hollywood celebrity or the cowgirl is. During the day
everyone wears the same uniform: a worn jeans, weathered leather boots, a
chequered shirt, maybe a leather jacket and of course the obligatory
cowboy hat.No matter what background, income or age, everyone is here
for the same reason: the charm of
Montana. After a day in the saddle, guests and aspirant cowboys can
relax at the ranch. Owner Craig Barrett is often here too, staying at
his massive log villa where he treats all guests to an appetitive and a
peek into his house. The fireplace looks like it can digestive complete
trees and the huge beds can probably accommodate a dozen of sleepy
cowboys. Chalets with names like Sapphire have luxuries in the form of a
private hot tub on the terrace, a fireplace, and your own golf caddy to
explore the domain. We like the privacy approach of the Ranch. Triple
Creek provides breakfast, lunch and dinner in the chalets, if you wish.
An apero before dinner? No problem, serve yourself from your own minibar
with huge bottles of all kinds of drinks, with compliments of the
house.
On our way the our second lodge we had a
stopover in the town of Hamilton where during a high school rodeo
cowboys and cowgirls from across Montana compete with each other. We
witnessed some spectacular exercises of horsemanship. Cowgirls
manoeuvring their athletic horses around barrels, trying to be the
quickest to catch a goat and tie it up. Viewers with a soft heart for
animals, might
want to look away. The cowboys, some
barely twelve years old, venturing into the arena on the backs of
snorting bulls, they throw lassos around horses and act as it is all
simple tricks. Yihaa! If you want to attend a major rodeo event in
Montana, head to the Nile stock & rodeo show, held every year in
October at the MetraPark in Billings, Montana.
