August 15: Keith and Kim from Wyoming and Kevin and Karen from Texas had a great half-day ride in cool weather with Jonesy.  We saw a mountain goat--a white billy-goat--which just layed on a ledge of rock above us and watched us while we enjoyed a granola bar.  We also saw a moose.  Had a great time.

August 10:  Steig, Renee', Conner, and Evan from Virginia on an all day ride with Jonesy.  "We arrived city-slickers and left cowboys.  The boys are worn out and I didn't think that was possible." Jonesy note:  They may have been worn out but I had to pry them off the horses, they just didn't want to quit.  Had a great time.

August 8:  Where do you go on your day off?   Colleen and Jonesy went to our office.  We sat at our desks all day.  Her desk was Captain, mine was Snickers.  We went to another wing of our office, one where we hadn't been before. Enjoyed the day immensely!!  A couple of good friends, Craig Knecht of Star Valley and Randy Snow from Virginia, and 4 fine horses in terrain that is as close to Heaven as you can get.  We rode up above Cottonwood Lake, south of Afton and east of Smoot.  Went up the trail to Mount Wagner, a place I have never been even though I've lived within 15 miles of it for 25 years. We paused to do a little snow skiing. Maggie, our four-footed assistant, did a little snow skiing of her own. At one point I had to consult with Craig's horse, Thunder, about the trails.  He seemed to think we should turn right and I wanted to go left.  We got out the map, carefully looked at the little dotted lines on it, and Thunder was right; Wagner Lake was just another half mile on the right fork.  As Thunder said, "When you get to a fork in the trail, take it." Randy Snow and I climbed to the top of 10,709 foot Mount Wagner. The view from there was spectacular! We left Colleen and Craig down between the two lakes. All-in-all it was one incredible day!! I LOVE MY OFFICE!!  Craig and I were commenting that even though we have been up in this high timberline country a thousand times, we just can't get enough of it.  We NEVER get tired of looking at it.  It is just hard to describe the feeling you get when you are at 10,000 feet on a good horse and lush meadows and heavy timber and craggy peaks are all around you.  Simply a heavenly day at the office on my day off! Thanks Colleen and Randy and Craig and our Great Creator for a very special day. Jonesy

August 5:  All day ride with Rodney and his 14 year old daughter, Brie, from Oklahoma.  We went where Jonesy had never been before, so basically we were lost.  But what a place to get lost!  Jonesy and guests had a great day at the office, in spite of Jonesy getting stepped on by a horse just before I went.  I was going to amputate the foot but decided to leave it on.  The ungrateful foot complained all day even though I exercised it often by climbing a "you gotta be kidding me" mountain and I stuffed it into a leather boot to protect what was left of it.  I even soaked it in the cold creek for a few minutes, er... seconds (ice-cold creek).  By the end of the day it was resigned to its fate and gave me a few minutes of peace, occasionally.  Note the view out our kitchen window. We had a great time throwing cone-flowers at each other.  Had a lot of fun with some great guests!  "Jonesy, Thank you so much for a great and very memorable day.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience for Brie and I.  Exploring that new trail was awesome and the view in the Lupine field of wonder was wonderful not to mention the smell.  I hope your foot gets better soon and thanks again for guiding us on a memory of a lifetime.  Thanks,  Rodney"
  Click here for video.  click on thumbnail pic for full size.

August 3:  Bob and Sarah from Texas all day ride guided by Jonesy.  They rode with us last year and came back for another ride to a different area.  We took a trail Jonesy had never been on to get to Big Basin where Jonesy had been before.  Sarah kept saying, "Oh my gosh! Holy Moly! Oh my gosh! No one would believe this. Oh my gosh!"  I heard "Oh my gosh!" or "Holy Moly!" at least 100 times.  I think she was impressed with the scenery.  Unfortunately I wasn't familiar with my borrowed camera (mine broke) and didn't take great photos and the date stamp was wrong.  March 1, 2008 there was probably 10 feet of snow right where we were riding.  This ride took place on August 3, 2009.  However, no camera can ever do justice to the scenery surrounding us.  Click here for video.  Click on the thumbnail photo for full size.

July 31 half day: Hedlund family from all over the country.  Aaron and Jonesy took nine of them on a great ride.  All had a good time, including "Wati" who rode our big paint mare, Candy.  Note the cute picture of young Lana getting mugged by Shadow for a piece of her granola bar. (please ignore the date stamp on the pic; I had to borrow the camera and the setup was wrong).

July 22 half day:  The Ahearn family took a nice ride, very experienced riders so they got to do some galloping. click here for video.  We allow trotting or a slow gallop/canter on occasion. This gallop was a bit fast, but very experienced riders.  We are cautious with this, as often we are a long way from phone service and medical help.

July 18: "The Boardroom Group", twelve guys--John, Steve, Jack, Dave, Jake, Hammy, Chris, Brad, Tucker, Mike, Delly, and Dan-- took a half day ride with Jonesy, Aaron, and Caleb as guides.  Had a GREAT time!  Click here for video of them crossing a stream.

July 17: Bill, Adele, and Annamaria Traverso came back for another all day trail ride.  They took one Tuesday, then this one Friday.  My thirteen year old granddaughter, Rae Fullmer, went with us.  The night before she had a major wreck on a horse.  Rae and "Lady" were rounding the third barrel at Barrel Club barrel racing and Lady tripped and fell on Rae, then as Lady scrambled to get up she stepped all over Rae.  The onlookers feared the worst as they rushed Rae to the Emergency Room for x-rays.  By the grace of God Rae just had a badly bruised thigh.  It could have been very very serious. Rae was lamenting to her mother that the Doctor wouldn't let her go on the ride with Grandpa Jonesy.  When Grandpa Jonesy heard about it he went over and told Rae and her mother that they had to "Cowgirl Up" and be tough.  So Rae went on the ride.  The leg was sore, but manageable.  Rae and Annamaria hit it off really good.  Two fun girls on a ride made for a really fun ride on a challenging trail.  I think you can see by the pics that Annamarie really loves Shadow.  Shadow likes taking her better than taking me, because Annamaria weighs about 100 pounds less than Jonesy.  Click here for short video.

July 15: Austin family from Texas--Sarah, Paxton, Madison, and Taylor-- half day ride, guided by Melissa.  Had a great time, especially the kids!

July 14:  Traverso family, Bill, Adele, Annamaria (age 9).  Great ride with these good friends of ours from the Seattle area.  Annamaria just loves Shadow, almost as much as I, Jonesy, do.  Great ride, as usual!  Annamaria must have said, at least 400 times, "let's canter".  We did, several times, but she just couldn't get enough of it.  This is the first ride with them that I've untied Shadow from the back of the horse I was riding and let Annamaria ride "on her own".  She is growing up!

July 13:  Terry and Wendi from Florida and Chuck and Carol from Pennsylvania went on an all day ride with Melissa and Aaron as guides. Had a great time with beautiful weather.

July 10: Heaton family from Arizona, a special evening ride for relatives of Jonesy.  Moms, Dads, big kids, little kids, a whole bunch of them.  Had a great time and a great ride.  "This is the best horseback ride I have ever been on!"

July 8: Borron family.  Josh and Caleb guided the five of them; Everett, Colleen, Brittany, Marina, Faith.  Had a great ride and a good time in incredible scenery. Read their report, but be sure and read to the last paragraph. 

"Hello Jonesy,  Just a quick note to thank you and your staff (Josh and Caleb), for making our vacation a most delightful experience; a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be more accurate. But I'm afraid that 5 hours on a horse after 30 years since any previous experience was pushing the limits of an old man's body.  I will say it was most enlightening to discover parts of my body that were previously unknown to me. And I now know the thrill of saddle sores that I once dismissed as mythology.  The elbow and ankle are healing nicely.  The black eye is beginning to fade and should be completely back to normal by next month.  The doctors all agree that I should be able to keep solid food down soon so the feeding tube should be out by this weekend. (removed the ventilator a couple of days ago, as soon as I was out of the coma.) The rabies test was negative, but I'm afraid that gangrene set in near the snakebite and the surgeons are split on whether or not to amputate.  They put a bright yellow and blue cast on my leg  (to cheer me up I suppose), and they will take me to speech therapy after the tongue swelling goes down.  The burns weren't severe enough to require more than a few skin grafts and I've learned that you only need 3 toes on one foot to maintain balance. Fortunately , I was able to recover from the food poisoning rather quickly with little lingering effects, although next time I will bring a book on preparing centipedes and grubs for consumption.  So..to sum up, by this time next year I should healed up enough to be able to book another trip with you and repeat the experience...(if I don't kill myself before then).  If you have a wild stallion in your stable about that time, I would really like to take it out and get a "real" western adventure. Do you know of any hostile Indian encampments in the area?  I am going to ask for bullwhip lessons for Christmas so I'll be all set for anything you have!  In all seriousness, Jonesy, it was a most wonderful adventure for my entire family, My girlfriend, daughter and granddaughters and I were treated to a real gift, one that will be remembered long and with much pleasure. Josh and Caleb couldn't have been better hosts and representatives for your operation. (I think my eldest granddaughter has a bit of a crush on Josh). Be assured that I will give kudos and recommend Wydaho Outfitters whenever the occasion arises. And should I show up for another all-day ride, please shoot me on the spot. Thanks again..it was wonderful! Everett Borron, Colleen Donovan, Faith Borron, Brittany Dazy, Marina Dazy"

July 7: Florence family, Mike, Rachel, Rachelle, Matthew, Savanna, and Shayla had a really fun ride.  These kids were a blast to have along. Jonesy and Aaron guided them.  Little 5 year old Shayla started out riding with Dad, then on her own horse, including Jonesy's guide horse, Ranger.  Ranger can be really tough to ride, but he was a perfect kid's horse for Shayla.  Jonesy led Ranger for a while, then unclipped the rope at Shayla's insistence and she rode it by herself.

June 27:  All day ride.  Steve and Kerry from Colorado and Mark, Elaine, Shelby, and Harrison from Illinois had an incredibly beautiful ride.  Weather was just gorgeous and the scenery spectacular. View short video by clicking here. We had an unusual thing happen:  A mama Ruffed grouse challenged us, as she was protecting her newly hatched chicks.  She really threatened us, standing on a log just 6 feet away and hissing and puffing up her feathers.  Quite a protective mother!  Harrison had never been on a horse, so we put him on a horse that had never been ridden (just kidding).  He took to riding like a duck to water, enjoying several gallops before the end of the ride. "Colleen & Jonesy: Again, thanks for the fun & safe horseback trip and delicious mountain burgers.  Kerry and I did a yurt trip in north-central Colorado this past weekend and showcased your mountain burger technique with some friends...a big hit!  We rode 10.93 miles, total trip, with you and gained 2,400 feet elevation before turning around.  Thanks again. We'll recommend you in the future.  Steve Schweitzer, The Global Fly Fisher, www.globalflyfisher.com 

June 25: All day ride. Margie, Jackie, Dillan, John had a nice ride with Melissa as guide.  Beautiful wildflowers!

June 22: Half day ride.  Tim and Libby from Kansas.  Had a beautiful ride with beautiful weather.  Saw some elk with calves. Also saw a bunch of pelicans at close range out the truck window.  We have an infestation of pelicans on Palisades Lake and surrounding streams.  They have destroyed the fishing in the area.  Don't ask me how pelicans got clear to Wyoming, but we wish we could get rid of this federally protected pest. Click HERE for short video.

June 20: Half day ride. The Johnson Family from Los Angeles, Roger, Denise, 8 year old Sydney, and 6 year old Casey had a great ride, beautiful weather, Jonesy as guide.  Roger is with the mounted police in Los Angeles.  All the family were expert riders, including the kids.  We took several slow gallops and the kids enjoyed it immensely!  I took a short video as well as lots of pictures.  See the video by clicking here.

June 20: All day ride. Zach and Elizabeth from Chicago, Melissa guided them.  Had a good ride with good weather.  They rode half the day with the Johnson family, had lunch together, then split off a different direction with Melissa.

June 10:  All day ride. Stewart and Bonnie went on a trailride with Jonesy and it rained most of the day, or all of the day.  However, we found a really nice dry tree to have lunch under and built a good fire.  We saw several elk today, some at very close range, including two bulls which are growing their antlers.  We also heard an elk bugle, very unusual for June.  Very rainy day with LOTS of mud, some places very deep mud.  The ground is saturated so the wildflowers will be incredible this year.

May 25: Brian and Courtney from Chicago. Had a super good time, gorgeous weather. Brian now wants to move out here.