Memory Lane
Before I share a link with you below to an interesting and well-done PBS documentary, come with me for a short trip down Memory Lane…
Back in 1976, when I was ten years old, my parents took my sister and I on a vacation to a unique place. Upon arriving, even at that young age, I quickly realized that it wasn’t going to be like our typical family vacations, and that’s likely why the memory of this trip remains with me all these years later.
When planning our vacations, Dad normally selected locations relatively close to home in the Northeast U.S. with activities that my three sisters and I would enjoy, like beaches, pools, amusement parks, lakes, and mountains. We stayed in typical family hotels, nothing fancy. Everyone had their fun as we burned up our energy during the trip, and when we were duly exhausted from enjoying ourselves, it was time to pile into the car and head back home.
For this trip that I’m recalling here, it was a bit different. My memories are limited to the main highlights, because that’s what I was able to absorb as a ten-year-old. But the lack of my detailed memories doesn’t take anything away from what this trip was; a unique family experience.
Getting to our destination involved a long drive down country roads; traveling up and down rolling hills that always seem to go on forever when you’re out in the country. There were farms all around, and occasionally we would pass horses and cows wandering to the edge of the road to watch cars pass by from behind their fences. I think I remember it being very hot, and the windows were likely down in the car. I can imagine the smell of the country-fresh air, as well as sometimes “not so fresh” air when passing a little too close to a cow barn.
There have been a few times over the years on our vacations when I distinctly remember Dad not being exactly sure of where we actually were. You know what it’s like. The car slows down, Dad would look around a little more than normal, maybe pass something and then turn the car around to go back the way we just came. Sometimes he would stop the car to reset his bearings, and resort to pulling out a good old paper map in a final acceptance of the “lost-ness”.
This was one of those times.
Without remembering his exact words, he said something similar to, “We’re here!”
As young as I was, I still remember looking down a random country road and thinking (and probably asking), “We’re…..where?” I remember this because I don’t recall seeing anything that would have indicated to me that we had arrived at one of our typical fun-filled family vacations. There was…nothing. No sign, no hotels, no indication of anything that would offer entertainment.
As it turned out, where we had arrived to was called Pleasant Acres, the Northeast U.S. version of a dude ranch. It was similar in concept to western working dude ranches in places like Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Montana that sometimes expanded their properties for the dual purpose of serving as family vacation retreats. Pleasant Acres was not nearly as big or sophisticated as western dude ranches, but what it lacked in size and scope, it had in its spirit for carefree family vacationing.
As we turned onto the random country road and traveled a bit further, I remember Pleasant Acres slowly revealing itself. There was a small motel, a pool, horses and other farm animals, outdoor games, campfires, and one especially unique thing I’ll never forget.
At about 5:30 each evening, a loud bell would ring that you could hear from anywhere on the property, no matter what you were doing. This was the call to the vacationing families to pause what they were doing and take a walk over to the large outdoor covered pavilion in the center of the property. As we discovered the first night, this was where dinner was served to all of the guests at one time, like a big community event. I don’t recall much about the food, but I do remember it being loud and that there were kids running all over the place (probably including me). Grab a mouth full of food, get up, run around the lawn playing, and come back for more. I can practically hear my mom shouting “Don’t choke on your food” as I ran away to play, as cautious moms are wont to do.
I remember feeling that our family had never done anything like this before. We were outdoors all day riding horses, swimming in the pool, playing lawn games, hiking, and everything else that a kid does when cut loose on a ranch to explore.
At some point during the trip, we found a horseshoe on the ground when we were out exploring. Finding a horseshoe is supposedly good luck, so Dad put it aside in the car to take home. After some time had passed, I forgot about the horseshoe, but Dad didn’t.
Woodworking was one of Dad’s primary hobbies, and he was so good at it that he built much of the furniture in our home by himself. For the horseshoe, he created a little wooden plaque and mounted it along with an etching of the date and location where it was found. He intentionally distressed the wood to make it look old, and mounted the horseshoe using real horseshoe nails that he must have gotten from the stables before we came home from our trip. Of course, the horseshoe is mounted in the position of the letter ‘U’; that’s tradition so that the luck stays inside and doesn’t spill out. I still have that horseshoe plaque to this day, 50 years later. Thanks, Dad! (As a side note, Dad was precise with his woodworking, and in fact everything that he did. Notice that the etching and horseshoe are perfectly centered on the plaque! That’s Dad…)
Seeing the documentary that I link to below made me think about the Pleasant Acres trip and other family vacations from back then as well. I was curious to know, “Could Pleasant Acres possibly still exist after all these years?” I searched for it online, and sure enough, I found it! Fifty years later, it’s still alive and well! It’s more of an RV family camp than it was back in the day, but their current website shows pictures of the resort that match many of my dad’s from back when we were there. The pool, outdoor pavilion, lake, and games are all still being enjoyed by the families that go there today.
Curious to know more, I contacted the current owners to ask them about the resort’s history over the years. They responded and told me that not much has changed since I was there as a young boy. The exceptions are that its ownership has changed several times, and they no longer ring a communal dinner bell for the guests anymore. That’s one piece of tradition at Pleasant Acres that has slipped away…
Wyoming PBS Documentary – “Call of the West”
In the Southwest U.S., dude ranches are a slice of Western Americana that thrive to this day. Current working dude ranches offer a family vacation retreat that can include relatively high end accommodations and resort-style amenities, because that’s what travelers these days want. But they also offer something much more; a chance to disconnect from today’s fast paced society and its many interruptions so that you can breathe a little easier, enjoy family time, and take the opportunity to learn what western ranching life is about. You can even get involved in the daily happenings of the ranch if you want to, such as the Utah cattle drive described in this article from Equestrian Living magazine.
With all of that said, below is a terrific little documentary about these western dude ranches. I was not aware that so many of them still exist, or how popular they are. The dedicated families profiled in the documentary keep the history and spirit of their ranching lifestyle alive, and it’s a great thing to see traditions maintained and shared in a time when constant, rapid, change is all around us.
Below is the PBS link and description of the documentary. Sit back, disconnect, relax, and enjoy a slice of the American West!
Call of the West – The Director’s Cut (a film by Mat Hames)
In this feature-length documentary from Wyoming PBS, directed by Mat Hames of Alpheus Media, we journey across seven iconic ranches over the course of a single year to discover why the American Dude Ranch remains a cornerstone of Western identity. From the legendary Eaton’s Ranch in Wyoming to the desert vistas of Arizona and the shores of Montana’s Flathead Lake, we explore a way of life that prioritizes tradition, hard work, and deep connection over the “hustle and bustle” of the modern world.
What You’ll Discover:
- A Century of History: Trace the industry’s roots back to 1879 with the Eaton family, the Pittsburgh adventurers who pioneered the “Dude” experience.
- The Post-War Boom: Hear the stories of WWII veterans who returned home to build legendary lodges like Flathead Lake Lodge and White Stallion Ranch.
- The “Hollywood” Effect: Learn how pop culture—from Teddy Roosevelt to City Slickers and Yellowstone—has repeatedly revitalized the image of the American cowboy.
- Modern Challenges: A candid look at the “Third Generation” struggle, where families must balance skyrocketing real estate values ($60 million listings) against the desire to preserve their heritage.
- The Digital Detox: See how guests from around the world (Germany, the UK, and across the US) find “horse therapy” and a much-needed break from technology in the pristine wilderness.
Featured Traditions:
- The Spring Roundup: Experience the high-energy tradition of trailing 130+ horses through the streets of Sheridan, Wyoming.
- The Code of the West: Meet the wranglers and ranch owners who believe that “the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.”
- Generational Legacy: Meet the families fighting to ensure that the next generation still answers the call of the West.
Whether you are a seasoned rider, a history enthusiast, or someone dreaming of a wide-open horizon, this film offers an intimate look at the people who keep the West alive.
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Slant On Life 