The ranch hosts a lot of tour buses, school kids and tourists from all over the world. While we were there, a bus tour of Germans were on their way to Whistler, then Vancouver. Steve took this picture of a couple of tour bus drivers playing horseshoes while waiting for their group.Once I was ready to go, we headed up to the main building to pay for another night. We also had to pay our admission fee to the historical grounds...we even got senior's rates, $11...still a little pricey, we thought.
This is one of the ladies in "period costumes" going to greet a tour...
After paying and getting our wristbands (apparently, they aren't "all-inclusive"...bummer) and headed out...
The First-Nations people were putting on a dance demonstration for a group of tourists...
We had to cross a wooden bridge over Hat Creek...
Horses and barn...
And a pen full of goats that scurried away as we neared the fence...
The tour begins...
The stagecoach goes by the 1860 Roadhouse...
Nicola took us on a tour of the Roadhouse....she was new and we were her second tour...she did very well...we started in the Parlour...
She took us upstairs to see the various rooms...that is the original wall paper on the walls...she said the wall paper wasn't pasted to the wall but hung from the top and tucked under the baseboards...interesting.
After we were finished in the roadhouse, we went outside...this is the McLean Building...
The pig pen...ewww....very stinky fellows!
The chicken House...
The grounds are really beautiful and well maintained...
After we were finished our tour of surrounding buildings, we decided to go back to the Roadhouse and take more pictures...this General Store is actually open and selling candy during the summer months...
Back out across the road for more displays on old farming equipment...
We stopped at the Black Smith Shop...
We wanted to go on a stagecoach ride but he had a bus load of kids to pick up first so we decided to walk back to the fifth-wheel and check the awning. It had gotten quite windy out. There are little cabins available for rent; this is the area where the First-Nations demonstration was this morning...We now have neighbours...
We had a quick bite to eat and then headed back for our stagecoach ride. We wanted to sit up top with the driver, but another couple already had those seats taken...
I can't imagine riding hundreds of mile in a stagecoach like they did back in the olden days...even though the roads appeared smooth it was very rough and not very comfortable.
After our ride, we took a walk to the Native Village where members of the Shuswap Nation share their history.
This is a gazebo at the entrance to the displays. It is a welcome centre for visitors and where we waited for a tour of the displays.
This is our guide taking us on the tour of all of the displays, explaining what each was. Fish traps on left...smoker on right...
A leather soup pot that is heated with 24 small volcanic rocks...4 at a time...
Hanging meat to dry...
Miniature mobile shelters...
This is an authentic Kekuli (pit house), the traditional winter home of the Shuswap built half above and half below ground...this entrance is used by the woman and the elderly...the elderly...really? It was uncomfortable enough for us getting inside...
There is an opening at the top used by the men...
And this is inside...
Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were really bad in the densely treed area, making it a little uncomfortable and annoying! So I was glad when the tour was over and we could get back out into the open where the mosquitoes weren't quite so bad.
Time for a little R'n'R after a long busy day!
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