What to Expect on Your First Ranch Stay
Most guests arrive at Cashew Canyon Cross Ranch with a rough idea of what a ranch stay involves and a few specific questions they have not quite asked yet. This is an attempt to answer those questions before you get here, so you can spend your first morning doing things rather than figuring out how things work.
The day starts earlier than you think
The morning feed happens at 6:30. That is not a suggestion or a scheduled activity; it is when the cattle eat, and the cattle do not negotiate. Guests who want to join are welcome, and most find that getting up in the dark and walking to the barn in the early light is the best part of the day. Breakfast is on the table at 7:30, which gives you time to come back, wash up, and sit down properly.
If you are not a morning person, that is fine. Nobody will knock on your door. But the ranch runs on the sun's hours, and the best of the day tends to happen before noon.
What to pack
Bring clothes you do not mind getting dirty. Jeans, a warm layer for mornings and evenings, a rain jacket, and boots with a heel if you plan to ride. The foothills weather in summer can run from warm and sunny to cold and wet inside a single afternoon, so layers are more useful than a single heavy coat.
Sunscreen matters more than most people expect. The light at elevation is strong, and you will be outside for most of the day. A hat with a brim is worth bringing.
- Jeans or riding pants
- Warm mid-layer (fleece or wool)
- Waterproof jacket
- Boots with a heel for riding
- Wide-brim hat and sunscreen
- Work gloves if you plan to help with fence or feeding
How meals work
Breakfast is included with every stay and is cooked from scratch each morning. Bunkhouse guests eat together in the main house. Cabin guests have breakfast delivered to the door before 7:30. Lunch is on your own unless you are booked on a full-day activity, in which case a packed lunch is included. Supper is not included in the standard rate, but Thomas cooks a communal Friday supper that guests are welcome to join for a small additional charge.
The kitchen uses beef from the ranch's own herd and vegetables from the garden through July and August. If you have a dietary restriction, let us know when you book and we will do our best to accommodate it.
The main thing to know is that the ranch runs whether guests are here or not. You are welcome to join in as much or as little as you like. Most people find their own rhythm by the second morning.