Originally posted on Suite 101 (defunct) on 7/18/2009
Just 25 miles west of Laramie, WY, in the valley of the Snowy Range Mountains, lies an oasis called the Vee Bar Guest Ranch.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Vee Bar has operated as a stage coach stop, a post office, a boys’ school, and a buffalo ranch. The ranch gives its guests the gift of “unplugging” from the hectic, electronic lives most people live these days. Not to worry though, hard-core Type A personalities can access the outside world—if they really want to. They just won’t find phones, TVs, or the Internet access in the cabins.
No Nose-to-Tail Riding at This Ranch
The Vee Bar’s central attraction is the forty or so horses that guests get to know during their stay. Each guest fills out a questionnaire prior to arrival, and the staff selects a horse just for them that matches their personality and experience level. During their stay, guests have a chance to groom and care for their horse, but that is not required. The wranglers do all the heavy lifting, saddling, and unsaddling the horses.
Some ranches run their trail rides in a fashion called “nose to tail.” This means there’s very little thinking or handling required by the rider. Not the Vee Bar. Guests are encouraged to ride in small groups, side-by-side, or in one big clump when reasonable. Riders ford streams and small rivers, climb hills, and even herd cattle.
Calf Roping and Home-Cooked Meals
A highlight of one’s stay at the Vee Bar is a field trip to the Deerwood Ranch. Here, guests ride their horses out into the sprawling pastures and watch the Vee Bar staff tag newborn calves and sometimes, they can even participate in branding. And these activities are sure to work up a person’s appetite.
Back at the Vee Bar, home-cooked meals await tired, but happy campers. In the log-built lodge, the staff sets tables with homey placemats and pitchers of iced-tea, water, and lemonade. Anticipating what’s inside the steamers at the buffet is part of the meal-time experience. Stick-to-your-ribs cooking combines with healthy salads, fruits, and vegetables. In addition, vegetarians and guests with special dietary needs are cheerfully accommodated at the Vee Bar.
At night, the John Wayne Saloon, on the premises, is a favorite place to kick back, listen to some live music or the jukebox, socialize, and perhaps, play some pool.
At the end of the day, sleeping is sound at the ranch. All of the guest rooms are nestled in log-built duplexes and cabins. The accommodations are roomy, and the beds are comfortable. The rooms all feature washers and dryers, which come in handy after a day on a horse. Outside the cabins, the Little Laramie River babbles by, faster or slower depending on the time of year. Adirondack chairs on the porches are a perfect place to read or just watch the sun on the flowing water.
In the winter time, the ranch operates as a bed and breakfast, enjoyed by skiing enthusiasts, when they’re not on the slopes of the Snowy Range Mountains.
Perhaps the best part of the experience is found during interactions with the owners and staff. It could be the fresh mountain air, but something keeps them smiling and they seem to genuinely like making their guests feel at home. Most people are sad at the end of their stay and the Vee Bar staff seems sad to see their new friends go.
Important Information:
8 Vee Bar Ranch Road
Laramie, Wyoming 82070
Phone: (307) 745-7036 or
1-800-483-3227
Fax: (307) 745-7433
E-mail: veebar@veebar.com
Ann’s Wyoming Trip Posts 2009
Home to Davenport, IA (May 29, 2009)
Davenport, IA to Ogallala, NE (May 30, 2009)
Literature and Landscape Writers’ Retreat (May 30, 2009)
“Lollipop” (June 1, 2009)
Pictures (June 2, 2009)
More on Lollipop (June 5, 2009)
Mountain Ride (June 5, 2009)
Holiday Inn Express (June 6, 2009)
