Are you wondering where I’ve gone? A whole week of nothing from The Rancher’s Wife… That’s, like, unheard of. I’m probably the chattiest girl in the valley!
But I have been gone this last week. To Girls Camp. We camped out near Soda Springs with about 150 other girls and leaders. And not to pat myself on the back, but I have to tell you that I rocked it. It wasn’t long after getting up there that I realized we had a bunch of city girls in our midst! Boy, was I grateful to be a rancher’s wife and new a little bit about surviving in the wild. Now I don’t know if I learned these things from life on the ranch or life living in the country. Either way, they are certainly worthy of sharing with you today. Here are my “5 Ways How Being a Rancher’s Wife Makes me an Awesome Camper!”
1. I know how to set up a tent. Seriously, you would think that such a basic camping essential would be high on the list of knowing BEFORE you go camping, but for some it wasn’t. For as long as I can remember, I have known how to set up a tent. Growing up we would throw the tent up in the yard ALL the time. Or we would load up the camping gear and campout somewhere on the ranch. Since being married, The Rancher and I have even had the awesome opportunity to do overnight cattle drives where we camped along the way. Yep, this girl doesn’t need anyone setting a tent up for her!
2. I’m not afraid of bugs. I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to squash a bug or save some helpless girl from her impending doom. I’ll admit, I’m not a bug person. Especially the extra buzzy ones, but these girls were something else. It was almost like they had never been told there would be bugs!
3. I know how to tie knots and to use knives. Last minute I was asked to help teach some basic skills with knots and knives. It only took a quick look at the manual to know just what I was supposed to be teaching and we were on our way. I do have to give credit to my father-in-law, Rancher Sr., for being willing to help (he was there to cook all week). There were a few knots that I was sure everyone would know. Ya know, the ones we use almost daily to tie something together or up to the trailer. But no. A lot of them didn’t even know what a square knot was. But I guess that’s why they were there…
4. I took my cowgirl boots to camp in. Everyone has their favorite pair of shoes or hiking boots to camp in. For some crazy it is their flip flops…. Mine are my boots. They have kept me clean and dry all over the ranch and did the same camping. I didn’t suffer from stubbed-toe-itis, nasty-dirty-toenail-itis, or soaked-foot-itis. I love my cowgirl boots, especially when they can be functional and fashionable!
5. I can cook over a fire. And when I say I can cook over a fire I don’t mean a hot dog on a stick. Don’ get me wrong, I love a good tube steak. But camping should be more than just a weiny roast or tinfoil dinners. We enjoyed BBQ ribs, cheesy bacon potatoes, corn on the cob, and dutch oven cobbler. That’s pretty close to the same menu we had branding this spring. Cooking on the desert for the cowboys is all too similar to cooking at camp. But wherever we eat camping out, it’s in style!
Ok, I have to share a bonus. The last bit to share about how my ranch life has helped me be an awesome camper is dealing with the dirtiness of camping. From the dusty sock line to the greasy hair I was totally ok that I hadn’t showered all week. Don’t be grossed out. Please. I pride myself in being ok with doing my hair once and leaving it up for the week, having spraying on tan of dirt, and wearing no makeup. Working on the ranch has taught me to appreciate crazy hair, dustiness, and make-up-less face!
My list isn’t anything crazy… No secret tips on how to camp rancher style. But it’s crazy how many skills I use for camping I have learned from the ranch!
