|
When I was invited to perform some concerts with the British Columbia Cowboy Heritage Society one of my first stops was the town of Clearwater British Columbia. This is where I first met Mike Mueller. The next time we met was at the annual Kamloops Cowboy Festival where Mike extended the invitation "If you're ever up our way again be sure to give us a call and you can come and stay at our place." I politely thanked Mike for his generous offer but I didn't take the invitation too seriously for the simple reason that after decades on the road I've learned that staying at someone's home can be extremely inconvenient for all concerned. Musicians keep very odd hours and aren't compatible with regular households.
Some months later I was booked to do a concert in Clearwater at The Bakery (see photo above). The Bakery is owned and operated by a terrific woman named Sam and she and her family present a great summer concert series to one of which I was lucky enough to be invited. The concerts take place outside the Bakery on a stage facing a grassy bank which forms a natural amphitheatre where the folks sit at tables and eat dinner or sit along the bank in the sun to watch the show. The evening was shared with a country singer named Lynn Shook who was instrumental in getting me booked at the Bakery in the first place. Lynn has one of the greatest natural country music voices I've ever heard. It was on her recommendation that Sam and I got in touch. The show went extremely well and the audience was fantastic
When we were doing our sound check and preparing for the evening my cowboy friend Matt Johnson (see photo on right) dropped by and said he was playing a gig a few miles up the road at the Wells Gray Guest Ranch. My gig ended early so when I was leaving to go back to my hotel I wondered if Matt would still be playing up at the ranch. I decided to drive the 27km up the mountain to check it out. I had never been to the Wells Gray Ranch before and was I ever in for a surprise. As I rounded a curve in the road there stood four colourful Indian teepees in a grassy meadow. I saw a beautiful spread with four large log buildings each housing several cabins. Beyond the cabins a herd of thirty beautiful multi-coloured horses were running through the fields. I was totally shocked to discover they also had the Black Horse Saloon on the property. This is a full-on western saloon with buffalo heads hanging on the walls, hitching posts and the whole nine yards - all this with the beautiful mountains of British Columbia as a back drop. This was cowboy heaven! I entered through the swinging doors of the saloon and ran into, of all people, Mike Mueller who turns out to be the owner/operator of the Wells Gray Guest Ranch. So this is where he has been inviting me to visit and stay? Mike's wife Regina's birthday party was in full swing that night and the next thing I knew my cowboy mate Matt and I were on stage swapping songs 'til the wee hours of the morning. When I drove back down the hill to my hotel that night I kept thinking that I've got to bring my partner Bonnie Dakota up here and show her this amazing place.
A month or so later I called Mike to ask when he closed for the winter because Bonnie and I wanted to come up and stay a few days. He answered "For you Dan we are always open, but wouldn't it be great if you could come the first weekend in October when we are having our annual staff party. Matt Johnson and Mike Puhallo will be entertaining and it would be great if you would also be part of the show. " I told him to count us in, that we'd be there.
When Bonnie and I arrived the party was just gearing up so Matt and I started singing songs and Mike Puhallo recited some original cowboy poetry. The folks from the surrounding district and all the cowboys were dressed up in their best western finery. We were told that around 11:00 p.m. a bus load of people from the white water rafting company Hyak Adventures would arrive to join in for their annual party as well. We thought the arrival of the bus would throw a wrench into the evening because they would surely be a bunch of young rowdies looking to let loose after a hard summer of work on the wild Thompson and Fraser Rivers. Much to our surprise they bailed off the bus into the saloon and were a happy bunch of young adventurers from all over the world who loved the music danced and partied 'til dawn. A great time was had by all!!!!!!
Mike and Regina are extraordinarily gracious hosts and Bonnie and I just love the Wells Gray Guest Ranch. If you want to see it for yourself visit www.wellsgrayranch.com
|
