Just three miles from French Creek Horse Camp is the Blue Bell Lodge. This is a hub of activity! The food is delicious and reasonably priced. Folks may sign up for chuckwagon cookouts, horseback rides (for those without their own horses), breakfast rides, and even riding lessons.
Kristen Ahrendt, stable manager, told us the stables have 71 horses and a 250-pound weight limit for riders. She's an enthusiastic dynamo.
We participated in the chuckwagon cookout, which consisted of either a hamburger dinner or sirloin steak. Each guest also receives a cowboy hat and bandanna. Three wagons, each with 30 people, left Blue Bell Lodge for Parker Canyon. We rode alongside on Buddy and Scout.
At the canyon, folks were served their selected entrée with all the fixins. While contented guests munched away, a cowboy band's soulful renditions of old Western songs added a finishing touch.
On the return trip, Scout wanted to race the traveling wagons. He galloped alongside, then left them behind. Charlene had a ball, happily smiling, her hair streaming in the wind. Suddenly, her cowboy hat flew off and landed on the ground.
Folks chuckling in the wagons watched to see if I'd be a gallant cowboy and dismount to get her hat. I rode over to her hat but stayed on my horse. "Buddy, pick up the hat," I said. Buddy bent his head down, picked up the hat, and gave it to me amid a thundering applause from the amazed folks in the wagon. I then gave the hat to a grinning Charlene. One fellow in the wagon said, "I can't even get my dog to do that!"
Bed & Barn
If you want to finish your trip to Custer State Park with a little pampering, head out the west entrance of the park on Highway 16A to the French Creek Ranch Bed & Breakfast.
Here, ranch owner Diane Trithart will treat you like royalty. Those who choose to stay in the lodge can enjoy more than 2,000 square feet of total privacy amid Western and Native American artwork and décor. We can attest to the fact that her breakfasts are beyond spectacular!
There's also a recreational-vehicle park for self-contained trailers or RVs. Horse accommodations include box stalls, outdoor runs, and fenced corrals. There are numerous rides you can do right out of the ranch.
As we drove away from the Black Hills, our thoughts lingered on Custer State Park. It truly is a place where one can make riding dreams come true. But you might have to pick up your own hat!
Kent and Charlene Krone combine their interest in photojournalism with a passion for horses. They've sold photographs to magazines, books, calendars, postcards, and video producers for more than 20 years. (For a sampling, visit www.superstock.com, and type PG_1314 in the search box.) They enjoy sharing their horseback adventures in the United States and Western Canada. Reach them at kckrone@suddenlink.net.
