“Such a wonderful experience with our horses, hounds, and friends.
Memories that will last a lifetime.”

-by Stephanie Westover

If I could design the perfect vacation for myself, it would include Val, our horses, our hounds, great friends, a beautiful location, adventure, and of course PHOTOGRAPHY.  Our recent trip to Utah for the Bryce Canyon Full Moon Meet and then on to Salt Lake City was my kind of vacation!

We started the trip from Reno in the wee hours of the morning with a caravan of equipment and provision laden trucks and horse trailers.  If you’ve never traveled HWY 50 across Nevada, said to be the “loneliest highway on earth,” it is an adventure in itself.  We were part of a multiple vehicle and trailer convoy made up of Red Rock Hounds and Big Sky Hounds friends of the two- and four-legged variety.  Top off your fuel whenever you have the chance and watch for random desert travelers, who you’ll see more often walking down the road than passing vehicles.

Once we arrived at Bryce Canyon City, a gem of an oasis in the middle of the gorgeous Bryce Canyon National Park area where everything is called Ruby’s Something-or-Other, we off loaded our precious cargo and made sure horses were comfortable in their temporary lodging at, you guessed it, Ruby’s Horse Corrals.  We unpacked, decompressed, and started to prepare for the upcoming days and nights of exhilaration.

Our first dinner was at a cowboy steak house off a randomly placed roundabout, where we dined with colorful personalities, old friends, and bolstered ourselves with food, hugs, and planning.  It was then I knew we were in for some pretty amazing experiences. How exciting!

HEADING TO THE TRAIL HEAD WITH GOOD FRIENDS

The first day was an epic trail ride. Val rode with no hands most of the day, photographing backward on his amazing horse, Morris. I held my breath and smiled, while being terrified (I’m afraid of heights) of the steep drop offs into picturesque ravines. Being on your own horse on a trail usually traversed by a dude string is an incredible opportunity, and I couldn’t help but think that we were so fortunate for the opportunity.

After our fantastic trail adventure, we tucked our horses into bed for the evening, hurried to the hotel, washed, dressed, and went straight to a country dinner and show. Whoosh! How much fun can you pack into a day?

The next day was an equally impressive trail ride through a slot canyon. There were times I couldn’t believe we were doing it on horseback! Riding, talking with friends, and the breathtaking views made it all perfect – and I was starting to get used to Val’s trick-riding photography from his big red buddy, Morris.

Afterward, we again raced home, showered quickly and rushed back to the rodeo grounds to board a horse drawn wagon that took us to an outdoor dinner set on the very rim of the canyon.  The draft horse team pulled the wagon full of our whole group to a giant white party tent where we had a wonderful meal, watched the sun set, and then saw the full moon rise.  Then, the biggest treat of all, we were serenaded by the angelic opera voice of our talented and beautiful friend, Clara Lisle.  Outside.  Under the full moon.  On the edge of Bryce Canyon. Truly. Epic.

Our third day of riding was full of “pinch me” moments. Angela from Red Rock hunted a combined pack of hounds from three hunts. We rode in first field behind Marti and Don from Santa Fe Hunt and our friend Renee led a packed second field behind us. Somewhere further back was another huge field led by Jim. It was awesome! The weather was perfect and the views just amazing. There were 57 riders all turned out in traditional hunting style and horses of all colors, all ready to give chase. What fun!

How many times can I use the words “amazing,” “epic,” and “incredible” in my story?  Ha!  There can’t be a limit when I’m writing about our adventure in Bryce.

We spent the last morning watching the sun rise over the canyon, eating breakfast in that same rimside tent, and listening to a gentleman who played the Native American flute.  There, we said goodbye to our friends and thanked the landowner, Brady (who I suspect is related to Ruby, somehow), for our epic adventure in Bryce Canyon.

We quickly packed up our horses and hounds and just like that, we were off to Salt Lake City for the last part of our trip, to do corporate headshot photography sessions, hike with the hounds, and visit Val’s awesome family. Then head home.

There you have it – my perfect vacation.  There was so much I missed in this little story, so next time, you’ll have to just come with us and see it yourself!

A very special thank you to Marti Manser from Santa Fe Hunt, Angela Murray from Red Rock Hounds, Renee Daniels-Mantle from Big Sky Hounds, and Brady Syrett from Ruby’s Horseback Adventures.

STAY TUNED
THE FULL BRYCE CANYON GALLERY
WILL BE READY SOON!

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
© VAL WESTOVER PHOTOGRAPHY