Many times people have asked me my favorite place is.  I’ve been lots of places in the last 25 or so years, and I will have to say one of the places I really enjoy is the Flint Hills of Kansas.  Because of the limestone rocks most of the prairie is not tillable, and it is the same as it has been for thousands of years.

I was asked by my longtime friend Ernie Rodina, whom I have worked for with Purina and Better Horses Radio quite a bit in those 25 years.  We have been through lots of good times and seen lots of horses and horse people together.

I have been on lots of organized trail rides in my life and I can take em or leave em.  If I’m riding a young horse or something that needs a little work I like it a lot better as I get bored otherwise.

The “Dream Ride” as Ernie bills it is very enjoyable to me.  I reunite with lots of my real good friends that I have met in the past in the Midwest.  I met lots of new folks that I really enjoyed this time.

A lot of cowboys are above a trail ride, and that’s ok but they are missing out on alot of  enjoyment and contentment.

We rode  through great country, ate good food(I think I had the best steak I have ever eaten on Saturday night, and I’ve eaten lots of good steaks) was around lots of good friends and like minded people, great entertainment on Saturday night, and we had a great cowboy church service Sunday morning, then finished with a great ride with no big wrecks.

I talked a lot with folks while riding, and I looked across this big old open prairie and I told a young fellow that if you woke up out of a coma you wouldn’t know if you were in the 17th, 18th, or 21rst century.  It was a beautiful site.

I was visiting with another friend and mentioned to ride good country on good horses, eat great food, and go to church and pray along with good friends you pretty much cover all the basic needs for my lifestyle.

So it was a real fulfilling three days.  I also got to spend time with some other good friends before I went to the trail ride that was real special to me.  We may talk about that some other time.

So when people ask me my favorite place is, most of the time it’s right where I am at.  Ryegate, Montana is a great place to live, but so are all the other places I get to live life, as long as you have what you need.

I’m on a big run and will enjoy lots of places in the next month.  I just landed in Denver and will be heading to the “Home Ranch” in Clark, Colorado for 4 days.  Then it’s North to Alberta to work in Feedlots with Shawn Wilson and Zoetis.

From there South to Ardmore, Oklahoma and a demo with Oklahoma Beef Council on the 19th in the Evening.  Then we do the second Stockmanship and Stewardship event in Montrose, Colorado the 21rst and 22nd of September.

Next back North to British Columbia and Thompson River College the 25-27, with Gord Collier and Zoetis,  strait south from their to Visalia with California Beef Council for a presentation at a bull sale Sunday the 30th.

As soon as I finish I will board a plane and head south to Monterrey, for a cattle conference in Old Mexico the 1rst and 2nd of October, then I fly to Cancun to Present at Zoetis feedlot symposium on the 3rd.

I’ll fly back North to be part of the third S and S event in Stephenville, Texas on the 12 and 13th.  From Texas I’ll go back to Colorado to introduce Temple Grandin and participate in the “Horse Summit” in Durango, and that is the 7,8 and 9 of October.  Then I finish up the run in Pasco, Washington for the 4th stop of the Stockmanship and Stewardship tour on the 12th and 13th of October.  Then its back home.

This is a great run and I feel real lucky to get to go to all these places and meet lots of people all in the name of improved Stockmanship.  It was a little challenging to get to all the places but it worked out pretty good.  I have one heck of a credit card bill this month with all of these plane tickets I have bought.

So my favorite place is the place I’m at.  The Flint Hills were great, but I am looking forward to the great adventures I have ahead of me.  I’ll let you know how it’s going.