Taking the Kids: To a dude ranch family reunion

Michael Walker wasn’t impressed when his mom announced the family was going to a place called Paradise where there was no TV or electronic games.

“Sounds more like hell than Paradise,” the teen declared.

That was more than 30 years ago, and Michael Walker quickly changed his tune. His family has returned 13 times to Paradise Guest Ranch in the heart of the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming. There is limited Wi-Fi and no TV, but families like that just fine, says co-owners Clay and Leah Miller.“We are surrounded by a million acres of Bighorn National Forest.There is a lot of room to play,” said Clay Miller.

If there isn’t good Wi-Fi or cell service,” noted Lisa Walbridge, here with her husband and two kids from Seattle, so her office can’t disrupt her vacation. She and her husband are already thinking of which friends might want to join them next time.

And with no one glued to their phones, added Clay Miller, “You see such chemistry between the families.”

That includes former staff who return with their families and former guests who now are staff, like college student Lilly Bryant, whose older sisters have also worked here and whose family will come as guests later this summer. “I’ve grown up here,” she said. “I have such good memories here.”

This past visit, the Walker family – 21 strong, including the parents, Larry and Martha Walker, their four kids and spouses, 10 grandkids and four great- grandkids – gathered from Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina for a week of horseback riding, fly fishing, hiking, and simply being together with no one having to do any cooking, dishes, or planning activities, laughing over meals at a big long table. We were visiting the same week. “It’s hard to get everyone together at the same time,” explained Martha Walker.

Family reunions can be problematic in the best of times – different interests, budgets, and agendas. Paradise, though expensive (starting at around $3,000 per adult for six nights) seems to have figured out a winning formula – a focus on the outdoors, authenticity, excellent food (including homemade breakfast pastries daily, an adult-only dinner and chuck wagon dinner) and plenty for all ages to do. They are already booked for this summer, including several family reunions. (The Walkers booked more than a year out.)

“I’ve been all over the world, and this is my favorite place,” said Caylee LeFan, the youngest Walker sibling and mother of three daughters. “I don’t worry about the kids here. … You can’t let them roam free like this at home.”

Nor do the kids ever get bored, no matter what their ages, said her older sister, Cherilyn Rice. There are kids, tweens-and-teens overnights, horseback riding and lessons, a kids rodeo, face painting, a kids talent show, special kids dinners, cowboy entertainment, and more.

Unlike most ranches, Paradise, more than 100 years old, has day care and children’s programs for babies and preschoolers. “I’ve made reservations for babies who aren’t even born yet,” said Leah Miller.

“That makes a big difference to me,” said Marie Castilleja, one of the Walker granddaughters and mom to 3- and 5-year-old daughters. “They love the kids’ stuff, and it gives me time to go on a morning ride.”

Wyoming, according to the Dude Ranchers Association, has 29 ranches, more than any other state, though at one time there were more than 100 when wealthy “dudes” from the East and Midwest came out for the entire summer, reveling in the rusticity.

Each ranch is a little different and at a different price point. Medicine Bow Lodge, for example, is small with a maximum number of 18 guests. It’s the most rustic and budget friendly. “We have worked really hard so people like us can afford a dude ranch vacation,” said Debbie Bishop, co-owner with her husband, Tim. Bishop is the head chef and visiting here feels more like visiting someone’s home.

Vee Bar Guest Ranch, located near Laramie, Wyoming, on 800 acres surrounded by national forest, is owned by Kari and Brent Kilmer, parents of four kids, and Kari Kilmer’s parents. The Kilmers grew up on ranches, which they explain is important. “We are not putting on a show, guests don’t want pretend Western,” said Brent Kilmer. They focus on keeping families together for activities and unlike other ranches, offer a three-night program. They are also open in the winter as a bed and breakfast.

With the uber popular“Yellowstone” TV series coming to an end, ranches are riding a wave of popularity. They are mostly booked for this summer with guests booking for next year when they leave. (There are specific adult weeks.) Everyone, ranch owners say, wants to disconnect from technology and better connect with each other. That includes the group of friends we met from mid-Atlantic states who take an annual ranch vacation together, sisters from Minnesota celebrating a 70 th birthday, and grandparents who want to get their grandkids outdoors and off their devices.

Kevin Walsh brought his two granddaughters, aged 11 and 9, to Paradise from Ohio. “They’ve never experienced anything like this,” he said. “They have never seen mountains.” By the second day, all of the kids had made friends,” he said. “It’s nice to see that happen. Every single kid was outside playing, no cellphones.” He can relax at the pool while the kids are at the kids’ activities, he said.

The adults connect too, sharing a drink, a meal, a horseback ride as we did with 85-year-old wrangler Tom George at Vee Bar Ranch, perhaps learning to swing dance together or listening to a local musician around a fire pit, as we did at Medicine Bow.

Typically, there are morning and afternoon rides, as well as other options, including hikes, fishing, and river tubing, though when we visited in mid-June the rivers were running too high. There are also all-day rides with a picnic lunch, lessons, the chance to help pen cattle or ride through a field of wildflowers and the mountains as the backdrop.

“For all of us to be together at the same place at the same time is amazing,” said Caylee LeFan.

Her mom, Martha Walker, added, "We are able to treat them all, but we are really treating ourselves … it’s the joy of watching them all enjoy themselves.”

And when it comes to family reunions, you can’t do better than that.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)