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Powder River
Cattle Drives
The
Cadillac of Cattle Drives PO Box
676
Broadus, MT
59317 Toll Free -
(800)492-8835
FAX -
(406)436-2388
The Cadillac of Cattle Drives
by David Marlow
April 1996 Issue of Senior Magazine
Let's begin
by shattering an illusion. For those who saw City Slickers
and are convinced you'd happily pay good money to fulfill the fantasy
of that kind of rough and tumble cattle drive, better think again.
In point
of fact, being a cowboy on most cattle drives means little more
than working under extremely arduous conditions, from sunup to sundown,
where you just push and push and then push some more, all day long,
with no stops along the way to rest your weary butt, or even take
time out for lunch.
You must
mind your overworked horse with all its accompanying accouterments,
put up and take down your own tent, be responsible for your personal
luggage, bolt down hastily prepared, mostly dreadful meals, and
- perhaps the final indignity - go without showers for days on end.
Should the realism of that less than bucolic scene paint a
pretty picture for you, have at it.
The week-long
Powder River Wagon Train & Cattle Drive, out of Broadus, MT,
provides a far superior alternative. "We'd like to think we
run the Cadillac of cattle drives," says Wagon Master Tracy Fruit,
and is he ever on the money.
The folks
from Broadus provide you with a full-tilt, live-action cattle drive
which kicks off from a ranch just outside town, then ends up, six
days later, back in beautiful downtown Broadus. However in
a conscientious effort to bolster the commerce of their small community,
they've also turned the circuitous journey into a relaxing western
excursion.
Between the
kitchen staff, the transportation crew, the Guest Wranglers, et
al, there are more than 50 in help, which amounts to practically
one staffer for each guest.
The eclectic
group of guests is composed of families with kids, (mom/dad/sis
& bud); single women hoping to find a little romance with real
life mountain men; big city young men in cowboy hats looking to
stretch the outer limits of their machismo; plus your every day
garden variety of grandmothers, bankers, lawyers, horse people,
and of course cowboy/cowgirl wannabes.
On a typical
day, you'll steer the herd of mobile beef into camp about four in
the afternoon and find - to your complete relief - that your personal
tent has already been set up for you. Furthermore, your luggage
has been delivered in advance of your arrival from last night's
camping spot.
Generators
set up at each campsite power a half dozen showers. You have
no idea how great a cool, bracing shower feels after a hot day's
ride. There are also, right across from the showers, a bank
of sanitary and not-unpleasant portable toilets already in place.
Sure beats the daylights out of having to run off into the
bushes whenever nature calls.
You are also
welcomed by an enormous red and white striped tent, which serves
as a combination town hall/dining room/saloon/poker parlor/opera
house/dance hall. After showering, you might choose to mosey
on over to the main tent where you can belly up to the bar to pop
open a chilled beer, belt down a whisky, drink some lemonade, participate
in a spontaneous game of poker, practice your lassoing, or simply
relax until you hear the dinner bell.
Montana is
cattle country, a land where vegetarians are still regarded as heretical
eccentrics, so be prepared to find various presentations of meat
(steaks, prime ribs, bacon, barbecued beef, sausages, etc.) at every
meal. Clearly, this is no place for vegetarians to be hosting
a convention. Still, for those who subscribe to the philosophy
of Red-Meat/Red-Death, there are also enough servings of salads,
veggies, pastas, beans, cornbreads, fresh fruits and desserts to
keep malnourishment at bay.
Each evening,
after dinner, some form of entertainment four-wheels all the way
in from town and in short time, a singer is belting out country/western
songs to the accompaniment of amplified electric guitars. Guests
become fast friends, joining in to learn the basics of country western
dancing.
Come 7:00am,
your gentle wake-up call arrives when a pair of Guest Wranglers
goes from tent to tent slipping welcome cups of freshly brewed coffee
into outstretched hands, making it that much easier for you to rise
and shine.
After a hearty
(and I do mean hearty!) breakfast of pancakes, bacon, scrambled
eggs, muffins, fruit, biscuits with gravy, you pack up your luggage,
deposit it outside your tent, and head for the corral. There,
the horse (with whom you have been bonding since it was first assigned
to you) gets saddled up and, by 9:00am, the entire wagon train is
ready to roll out.
The horses
used on this drive are not your typical tired trail horses, more
used to moping along, nose to tail. These are genuine ranch
horses of varying temperaments, from subdued to spirited, which
have been designated based upon your ability as a horse person.
Thus, depending upon your skill (and your courage) you can
either gallop to your heart's desire, straight across seemingly
endless plains, hell bent for leather or; if you're less inclined
toward maintaining breakneck speeds, you can assist in steering
the cattle, clippity-clopping along the trail at your own leisurely
pace.
There are
water and lemonade stops along the way to quench your thirst. There's
also a leisurely buffet luncheon of salads, lunch meats, cheeses,
watermelon and cookies served daily, in the shade, alongside the
chuckwagon.
Should you
feel to achy-breaky one morning from either too much horseback riding
or too much line dancing the night before, you can always opt to
sit-this-one-out and spend the day as a passenger in one of the
teamster-driven covered wagons which accompany the drive.
While riding,
you pass beneath Montana's aptly-named Big Sky, through some of
the most beautiful country you're likely to see anywhere. Not
a day passes when you won't be spotting pockets of antelope, mule
deer, jackrabbits, pheasant, and even patriotic eagles soaring overhead.
City Slickers
may have looked like fun, but you can bet it wasn't comfortable.
So the choice is yours. Be a real cowboy on a genuine
cattle drive, cough up about $950 for the experience and work all
day and stay filthy and eat lousy meals and sleep out in the rain.
Or, "For a Few Dollars More" (per Clint Eastwood), you can
not only be a real cowboy or cowgirl for a week, you can also be
one living comfortably along the magnificent Montana trail on the
Powder River Wagon Train & Cattle Drive, the Cadillac of cattle
drives.
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 Packages
 Quote by the late, great, western artist, Charlie
Russell, which goes something like this, “one can see
what is man-made from the seat of an automobile. But, one can
only see what God created from the back of a horse.”
 When you book a vacation with Powder
River Cattle Drives on our "Premiere Drive", we furnish your horse
and tack, your meals, and sleeping accommodations. A typical
camp setting on our "Premiere" Drive has porta-potties, shower
facilities (solar heated), and a large tent with open bar for
our evening jams (country & western music & dancing, cowboy
poetry, etc.). Our meals are furnished around the chuck
wagon with plenty of wholesome  food. We provide your cowboy teepee (canvas teepee with a
floor and zip or tie-up door), a summer weight sleeping bag and
standard backpacking sleeping pad. For your comfort, you
may also wish to bring a sleeping pad and your favorite pillow.
Bring your own personal items including cowboy hat, slicker
(raincoat), jacket, riding boots, and sun screen. Any of
these items are available in local stores if you wish to purchase
them after your arrival. Transportation from the airport
to Broadus can be obtained via rental car. Rides may be
able to be coordinated between guests. Contact us by phone
or e-mail to inquire about possibilities.The
drive consists of 4-6 horse-drawn wagons driven by experienced
teamsters; a small herd of longhorn cattle trailed by drovers;
 as well as a remuda of extra horses trailed
by the horse wranglers. Our route will be 8 to 15 miles
per day with the distance depending on the type of terrain we
encounter. This is not a typical trail ride where guests
are confined to trails in a head to tail type of fashion. Consideration
should be given to the physical demands that this vacation will
require. The days are strenuous and require physical exertion.
Riders are carefully matched to mounts by assessing
each individuals expertise and confidence level.  Each guest will experience a great amount of freedom while riding
their mounts. Scenic side excursions are available for those
who desire a few more miles in the saddle during the day.The
staff is comprised of local people from in and around Powder River
County. Between the kitchen staff, transportation crew,
guest wranglers, and others, there are close to 50 in all - which
amounts to about one staffer for each guest.
 Natives of the area share
their experiences and knowledge of the area during the trip. Entertainment
is provided in the evenings and guests have an opportunity to
interact with each other as well as staff. Ranch Vacations
Ranch
vacations are available from May through September. It is
 an opportunity to experience true ranch life at its finest and
may include activities such as horseback riding to gather, brand,
sort, or vaccinate cattle and many other ranch activities. Friends
or family groups can take advantage of this option or professionals
may wish to schedule a corporate retreat or business getaway.
We are able to accommodate any size group.
Included
in the daily rate are food, lodging, and most daily entertainment.
Some side excursions may be additional. We will furnish
your horse and tack, but you will need to bring your own personal
items including cowboy hat, slicker (raincoat), jacket, riding
boots, and sun screen.
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The dates of this vacation can be scheduled for your custom dates
but the spring and fall are the best times to book as these
are the most active time periods on most ranches. We have
provided a per day rate so you can customize the vacation to
fit your budget and time schedule. Additionally, children
are charged a lower rate.