Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure: Ranch Life

A beautiful view of the sunset and a storm coming in from the porch of the guesthouse.

Two Rivers Ranch was a great trip, the drive was long, but well worth the drive once we arrived.  The rolling hills and unobstructed views were fantastic as we drove about 2 miles on a minimum maintenance road to finally get to the arch, signifying that we had finally arrived at our destination. The name Two Rivers Ranch comes from the fact that on the ranch is both the Snake and the Niobrara rivers, including where they meet. The whole property totals to over 7,000 acres of very diverse land including rivers, hills filled with cedars, canyons, plateaus, wooded areas, and even two corn pivots.

The arch is a traditional way of letting your know what ranch you are at.

This calf didn't want to move off the road.

We got into a standoff (complete with pawing) with our bull called Mr. T. Probably doesn't help our truck is red ;) Eventually we made it around him. 

There were many cows along the way that went wherever they pleased, they even decided that they belonged in the middle of the road--now we may have been driving through their pasture rather than wandering around on the road. There are things called cattle guards that are about 5 feet long and are made of several pipes where the cows will not cross, but vehicles can easily cross. This made it really easy so that we didn't have to go and open or close any gates to drive through. One time Mr. T didn't cooperate at first, but he eventually let us get by him in order to continue on to our destination. We were only able to stick to the "main" roads at the ranch so we only got to see the handful of the herd that were still close to the ranch buildings. These were our newest bulls and cows that had later calves than the rest of the herd. Even a few calves were born while we were there! Hopefully next time Alex will get to see the whole herd. He only saw about 20, but the entire herd is over 300.

12L the yearling steer, 204 the baby steer, and 204 the old granny cow enjoying a cool afternoon

This was my sixth time out to the ranch, but every time I get awestruck by how vast it is and how far you can see. I feel like Simba when his dad shows him all their territory and how everything the light touches is theirs. It is quite the feeling! One of my other favorite parts is how quiet it is. You hear the wind and the wildlife, but nothing else. It is incredibly soothing especially when compared to all the constant stimuli we are constantly bombarded by with city life. It's also a good security system. Whenever you hear an engine you know someone is coming.

Our truck got a little mud on the tires! 

While we were there it rained for a while making the roads awfully muddy. Driving was difficult to start, but once I got used the roads and how to handle them, getting around was pretty easy. This was exactly why I told Alex that I was taking his truck from now on instead of taking my Cobalt to navigate the mud! Not to mention we stuck to the roads! Alex hasn't even experienced blazing through the pastures trying to round up the good-for-nothing fence jumpers and get them through the gate before the rest of the herd sees it as an exit. Traveling anywhere at the ranch was no quick task, with the minimum maintenance roadways, even though the properties were only about 1 mile apart, it took nearly 15 minutes to travel from house to house to complete part of the jobs, I even forgot some tools that we had to go back for, I can't even imagine how that would feel if the well truck forgot a tool or part while out repairing livestock wells and had to take several hours to get a replacement!

This is what a cowboy moving crew looks like. We welcomed our newest employee while at the ranch.

The clouds were impressive above the deer barn, chicken coop, and guest house.

The guest house wasn't much to look at from the outside, but once we got inside it is a very nice house. It was built in 1930 and had a lot of character. The exterior retained many of its original features while the inside has been renovated to add in modern comforts. The guest house also comes fully equipped for regular life. The kitchen, laundry, bedrooms, bathrooms, and living room really feel like home. The four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and many beds prove the potential there once was to house decent sized groups. Years ago, the ranch functioned as a guest ranch and even had the catchy slogan of "Try our brand of R&Я" which I have a huge amount of appreciation for how clever that is. 

The brand for Two Rivers Ranch is painted on the barn. 

Alex was testing the newly installed wifi. The band of horses thought he needed help.

The main purpose of our visit was to install some new outdoor wifi antennas to allow them to get internet while on the yard for their business uses. While we did have fun, there were still several things that I wish we could have done while there. I never was able to see the property where the Niobrara and the Snake rivers meet and horse back riding around would have been great as well. I guess that means we will just have to take another trip out to the ranch! I know it is just a matter of time until I'll get to visit again. I'm lucky enough that my job as accountant involves helping with round-ups and brandings. We'll have to write another post when we test Alex's cowboy skills!

This is the second blog post in the "Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure" series. Please stay tuned for the rest of the series:

• Circle C Rodeo
• Geocaching the Sandhills
• The Cowboy Trail
• Smith Falls State Park