It was a great GREAT day today. We did a lot and everyone walked away alive....BONUS!
The day started with a lot of mix ups. Everyone woke up early....thinking it was later. This one hour time change really screwed with our sleeping. The boys were up by 5:30....thinking it was 6:30. My room woke up at 6 thinking it was 7, etc. Some of us stayed up, MY room went back to sleep for an hour. Either way it was an interesting start to the day.
After breakfast we put on some sun screen....well I put on some sun screen (along with a few brave others) and we headed out to go HORSEBACK RIDING! It was the most beautiful day! Warm, hardly any clouds, we were truly blessed because the rest of the trip the weather is supposed to be rainy. It was the most amazing time. None of our students have EVER ridden a horse, let alone seen one. They were nervous but also really excited to try.
We pulled into Peaceful Valley Ranch and the first thing that greeted us was....buffalo! I swear...they are everywhere :D We had all our paperwork ready to go so they lined up and were given horses. They really enjoyed being assigned horses and learning their names. The staff of the ranch were SO helpful and patient. They really did a great job the whole time. It took awhile to seat all the riders but eventually we were off and on our way. They learned so much about the land, the animals, and riding. Some of their horses even trotted a bit! That was pretty exciting. They got to cross rivers, see prairie dogs and wild horses, and wander the beautiful badlands. No one was bucked or scared witless....again....BONUS.
By the end of the ride they were all walking a little funny but they had GIANT grins on their faces. :D All of them have said they want to ride again.....I figured that would happen. We said our goodbyes and thanks, took a picture, and headed back to the hotel to change.
After lunch we went to go play mini golf. None of them had any idea what I was talking about when I said that we were playing mini golf. They all thought we were going to golf. There were a couple of pessimistic faces and not a lot of enthusiasm......UNTIL
Mini golf ended and we wandered on over to Todd's Old Time Photography. For their souvonier for the Medora end of the trip we wanted them to take those old fashioned photos. It was SO cute! We had a group of boys dress up as outlaws, girls as saloon girls, girls as outlaws, and a combo package or two in there as well. They all turned out SO well. As soon as I can scan them I'll put them up. They really are to die for.
The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping. A couple of boys got cowboy hats....naturally. They got souvoniers for their parents, siblings, etc. Ate ice cream and generally got to know more about Medora.
We capped off the night at the Elk Cafe. We walked in a half hour before closing. God Bless Them! They didn't break a stride and were so nice. We were all exhausted from the long day of riding, golfing, and walking.
Other than a few rides on the toy horses for little kids, the evening ended with the students again swimming and playing pool. The hotel was a pool table in the 'pool' room.....odd but effective. I can stay in the same place and still keep an eye on everyone.
Tomorrow we will wander through the state park and then head east to Wahpeton. It's been a great couple of days and I know the students will never forget it.
No comments:
Post a Comment