April 24th / Rowdy Barry Charity Ride

With the weather warm and the spring birds chirping, I was excited to spend the day on Rowdy and Laura Lee’s, Wild R Ranch. As with every trip, the drive made me thankful for my cell phone, but the father I drove, the less reception I had. I enjoyed a serene dirt road meandering back and forth a dry creek bed leading to the Barry’s Ranch bunkhouse. Never having to open many wooden gates in my time, the first one I came across took me a little bit! I must have stood there and messed with it for a good five minutes before starting to laugh—I had no cell phone service and was stuck on the wrong side of the fence! I had to look over my shoulders and hope no one was watching!

After arriving around 11 a.m., I had the chance to relax and meet many of the people I would be sharing the day with. We had an incredible spread for lunch—BBQ chicken, ribs, spinach salad, chips and brownies!

Soon after lunch we all began to saddle; I had the privilege of riding one of Laura Lee’s horses, “Friday.” Friday was a tall sorrel with a really, really smooth lope. Thank you Laura Lee, I couldn’t have had a better mount! As I always seem to have something funny happen, the saddle didn’t have long enough stirrup leathers–so I resembled a jockey! None the less, Rowdy led us up through a canyon and to the top of a magnificent hill that overlooked valleys from the Tri-Cities to Hermiston.

Upon returning from our ride, there were about four kids who grabbed hoes and went up in the hills surrounding the bunk house searching for a prize rattlesnake! This made me laugh as it seemed a little bit crazy, but how do you get more western than that?

Miles Barry, Rowdy’s son, made homemade ice cream for everyone to enjoy with our Dutch oven dinner and cobbler, and let me tell you—it was phenomenal! As dinner wrapped up, we all gathered around a campfire for cowboy poetry and music from Coyote Joe & Duane Nelson. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time while listening to cowboy poetry!

When I returned home, smelling of campfire smoke and sporting a new sun burn, I peeled my jacket off and threw it in the washer. The next morning, upon pulling it out, it still had a permeating smoke smell to it! I hung it outside for almost two whole days, and to this day it still smells of campfire smoke. The second thing I noticed is that my boots felt funny as I was walking on the tile in my house. After looking at the sole of one of them I realized I had sat a little too close to the fire and melted the soles of my boots!

This will be a trip I remember forever; the amount of western heritage I got to be a part of gave me a fresh perspective of the dedication and friendships cowboys share. From the trail ride, the Dutch oven dinner, to the cowboy poetry and music, the open spaces and the clear skies; I hope to attend again!

For more information about the Annual Rowdy Barry Charity Ride, Rodeo Bullfighter Rowdy Barry, or his exquisite artwork, check out his website at www.rowdybarry.com