The Ridgway ReporterVOL. 2 No.4CODY, WYOMING, CHRISTMAS 1985

THE RIDGWAYREPORTER

ELK CREEK RANCHP.O. 1476

Cody, Wyoming 82414

Is not entered as second classmatter at any post office underthe Act of Congress of March.

1879

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

AND RANCH NEWS

From Elk Creek Ranchand the Ridgway Family

FROM THE FAMILYChip, Lisa, Emily, Eli, and Abigail pulled up stakes this spring

and headed to Denver. "Go West, young family! Go West!"Their transport was not a Conestoga wagon but rather a coupleof large moving trucks and a new Suburban filled with all ofLisa'splants, two dogs, and one bewildered cat. Their route wasnot the Oregon Trail but rather Route 80. Still the frontier adven-ture is present. Chip is in charge of the Endocrine Unit at theUniversity of Colorado Medical School and Lisa is working for awhile as the head of Pediatric Endocrinology. (Talk about keep-ing it in the family!) Emily and Eli are anxious to tryout thatfamous western powder.

Debbie and Tina are also on the move as the college and post-college years take their toll on the Moore homestead. Tina is atthe University of Montana and was able to make the quick jauntsouth to the ranch as our top hand with the horses. Debbie had tofinish up several courses at the University of Washington duringthe summer but she managed to join Cliff and bring a specialfriend for the end-of-summer reunion in Sunlight. Cliff will miss

next summer, however, as he has been put in sale charge of cer-tifying a new Boeing passenger plane. Betsy will abandon himagain (Thank goodness for us!) and return for part of the summeras head wrangler and free spirit extraordinaire.

Pat spent a long, restful, and well-deserved summer in NovaScotia recovering from the trials of the past year. We are nowworking on her to return to the ranch for one of the upcomingfamily reunions. It will be great to get her back in Sunlight,however briefly.

Susan and Hap are truly daring the fates with child numberthree due sometime in early December. Every recent mother-of-three-or-more-children reacts in the same way, with the samewords, and with the same knowing tilt of the head: "That's threeunder four years of age, isn't it?" The headmaster of KimballUnion has expressed some concern over the future threat tohousing and classspace, and has even suggested some counsel-ing with the local chapter of family planning.

FROM THE RANCHEIk Creek Ranch was started in 1957with the idea that it wou Id

be run for five years and then be reconverted to a family sum-mer place. So much for long-range planning! That five years hasnow stretched to nearly thirty as the result of three or four majorfamily decisions. The last one came at the end of this summerwhen all the family reuned in Sunlight. In the midst of trimmingup the horses' feet, wiring the new cabin, draining the pipes,and all the other chores of closing up, we all managed to discussthe future of the Ranch. The question was whether or not Chipand Lisa and Betsy and Cliff would continue to approve theoperation of the Ranch as Dad had in the past. The upshot of allthose conversations was the decision in the corporation meeting

God bless thy yearThy coming in,Thy going out,Thy rest, thy traveling about.The rough, the smooth,The bright, and dread.God bless thy year!

to continue raiSing trail dust in Sunlight.One change in the Ranch operation may be of interest. Over

the past ten years we have built up the Trek Program to comple-ment the Ranch Program. We now have three separate treks, allof which teach the arts of wilderness travel and wilderness livingbut each of which has a special focus. The Beartooth Trek hasalways offered a great deal of fishing. The Shoshone WildernessStudy is also an accredited ecology course. We are now trying anew idea on the Absaroka Trek ending next summer's trip withfive or six days in the Tetons with the Exum Climbing Schooldeveloping rock climbing skills and climaxing with a majormountain ascent.

BEARTOOTH TREKTrekkers: Alex Dykema, Gordon Scott, Jenny Holl-

ingsworth, Goodwin Smith, Debby Ped-rick, Jeff Pierce, Sarah Russell, ChloeBreyer, and Will Pereira

Broadwater Lake: complaining about the packs.. Alex on the use of maps and compass ... we

couldn't start a fireBlack Canyon Lake: the huge boulder field ...

where to set up tents? .. Gordon "catching" a fishwith a stone

September Morn Lake: Jenny falls down themountain and has a swollen derriere ... Goodwinand Jeff whimp out on the swimming

Second Rock Lake: long day followed by a longbackrub session ... horror stories

Upper Cloverleafs: rain and more rain ...boulder fields covered in clouds ... sitting on eachother to stay warm

Queer Lake: the boulder field ... Chloe's fall... shock ... mountain goats scare Alex ... intocamp at 10:00

Queer Lake: Will arrives ... very small fishDesolation Lake: Will catches a golden troutAbove Mariane Lake: "fet" for dinner .

charades ... the boys' noises and the girls attack

Otter Lake: rain and an afternoon in the tentsCanyon Lake: strawberry pancakes bush-

whack time ... huge fishRock Island Lake: resupply!Rock Island Lake: wick-i-up!Aquarius Lake: bushwhack along Sedge Creek

.. religion, feminism, and politics for lunchFossil Lake: Alex finds Fred. What a wrangler!

.. the ranger's visit ... SNOW!Fossil Lake: Debbie gets cold and goes wackoUpper Skytop Lake: Alex and Will sacrifice a

grasshopper ... everyone goes wacko ... Alexwins the blubbering contest, lips down

Lower Aero Lake: Alex, Will, and Jeff catch19-inch cutthroats

Big Moose Lake: Solos!Widewater Lake: Gordon's birthday ... tree-

bashingFarley Lake: a successful bushwhackLower Cloverleaf Lakes: racing a storm into camp

.. snow and hail"No-Name" Lake: met the backpackers headed

up and into the storm working on the skitsIsland Lake: the vans showers at the ranch

... Cody and civililzation!

THE SUMMER OF 7985 .Bo caught "red-hooved" breaking and entering the oat bin

· winter blizzards in Damnation Basin (we were even snowed out of "Thumper") and theBeartooths ("Walking in a Winter Wonderland")

· the dreaded disease strikes again ... and again ... and again: "boofing it" throughYellowstone and the Grand Tetons (will that ecosystem ever recover?), Mary B.'s midnightbomb run over Jessica, long nights perched on the throne, and the ranch's overtaxed septicsystem

· Hap's bushwhack down Dead Indian Creek out of Damnation Basin: How many slippedpacks? How many missed turns? How many creek crossings?

· that oh-so quotable Brett: "Three Little Pigs" . . "Baby Cakes" . . "It's raining. It'spour-ing. Honey, my love life is boring me to death"

· Elliot's pre·afternoon ride raindances . love that enthusiasm!· Alex's unabridged version of "Charlie the Moth": It all started under an overpass on the

Tri-State Tollway iust east of O'Hare Airport when a big 01' Mac truck, running hot and heavy at70 mph made a hood ornament out of Charlie's mother.

· "1Dream of Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" ... well. ."1 Dream of Phoebe with theLong Back Rubs"

"/'m a Rock Jock and I'm Okay, climb all night and sleep all day"· Will and Alex's very own forensic union or the endless debate between the "racist" reac-

tionary and the "effete" intellectualThach's TRUCK:will the story, and the expenses, never end?

· Jessica's "E.T." imitation ("Ouch") and animal calls. We understand she has been hiredby Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom" to work as a second.

· Jeff Lipson's "Mr. T" imitations· Seton, "The Walrus," and John, "The Rock Jock," in their main event, sumo wrestling

bouts

Spats and Traveler. . debuting on the barrels

· Pat: ''I'm havin' fun like I never have had 'cause nobody knows I'm a panelling lad"· Thach's "Bert and I" stories: "Give 'er a thwack, Bert." "Thwack." "Give 'er another

thwack, Bert." "Thwack. . thwack. . thwack."· Rockin' Robin and the Lords of the New Church· Kahlua and Flaxy's strange relationships. . and Thach's tarnished macho image· Suzette's "special counseling" during Denny's last weeks. . or the varied applications of

kung fu· Leggo, Duke, and Kahlua: four-legged graffiti· Goodwin's pre-Halloween haunting on the prairie overnight· Matt with Chelsea, Bo, and Bob on the packtrip: "Whoa, Chelsea!" "Move, Bo!" "Ex-

pletive deleted, Bob!"· Sam cha-cha-ing Jimminy through the barrels· THELOGS. BOY'S WORK CREW, LET'SMOVE IT! ... THELOGS· Alice and ''I'm not Your Maid," a new hit single with that Nashville sound· Susan C. driving the International: Susan looking for Kyle's booster seat and Hop's new

crop of gray hair· On the first day of Elk Creek Becky said to us, "Don't warry 'bout the runs!"· On the second day of Elk Creek Annie said to us, "Turn out the lights!"· On the third day of Elk Creek Tina said to us, "How I hate this canteen bell!"· On the fourth day of Elk Creek Pot said to us, "BOY'S WORK CREW,TEN MINUTES!"· On the fifth day of Elk Creek Alice said to us, ''I'M NOT YOUR MAID!"· On the sixth day of Elk Creek Thach said to us, "And we were swanging."· On the seventh day of Elk Creek we saw Brooks tear up "memory lone."· On the eighth day of Elk Creek Betsy said to us, "Storm, Storm is graining (again)."· On the ninth day of Elk Creek Susan said to us, "Sandwich orders, please!"· On the tenth day of Elk Creek we heard Hop soy, "BRETT, WHAT DID YOU SAY TO MY

WIFE?"

Anni!""s "Army" playing Elk Creek's back nine "Oh, say can you see.

SUNLIGHT SAVAGES-~aron Albright

Wayland, MA. 01778

Chloe Breyer

Cambridge, MA. 02138

Victor Bradney

Lincoln, MA. 01773

Elizabeth Brown

Watertown, MA. 02172

Matthew Brown

Watertown, MA. 02172

Mary Buckley

Los Gatos, CA 95030

Nina Cabot

Westwood, MA. 02090

Sandy Collier

Bar Harbor, ME. 04609

Ashley Edgar

Wayne, PA. 19087

Ian Edgar

Wayne, PA. 19087

Chris Goldsmith

New York, N.Y. 10128

Denny Goodrich.

Manchester, MA. 01944

Katy Judd

Hull's Cove, ME. 04644

Marianne Kenney

Cody, WY. 82414

Ted Ladd

Dover, MA. 02030

Paul Leaver.

Boston, MA. 02108

Josh Levinson.

Orlando,FL. 32804

Jeff Lipson

Los Angeles, CA. 90049

Brett Marden.

New Boston, N. H. 03070

Debbie Pedrick

Norwalk, CT. 06854

Elliott Perkins

Westwood, MA. 02090

DIRECTORY FOR 1985Jorie Peters

Wellesley, MA 02157

Jeff Pierce

Cumberland Center, ME. 04021

Jenny Reynolds

Westwood, MA. 02090

Elizabeth Rosan.

Brooklyn, N.Y. 11219

Duncan Roy

Boston, MA. 02108

Christina Ruggieri

New York, N.Y. 10021

Sarah Russell

Lincoln, MA. 01773

Gordon Scott

Cambridge, MA. 02138

John Sheffield

Newport Beach, CA. 92660

Goodwin Smith

Charlestown, S.c. 29401

Tom Spang

Manchester, MA. 01944

Robin Stopford.

London, NW 18413, England

Jessica Thompson

Medfield, MA. 02052

Lindsay Thompson

New York, N.Y. 10021

Melanie Truman.

Boca Raton, FL. 33432

Ben Tucker

Wayland, MA. 01778

Shawn von Schreiber

New York, N.Y. 10025

Phoebe Welch

Greenwich, CT. 06870

Shandy Welch

Wayland, MA. 01778

Eliza Williamson

Warren, ME. 04864

Seton Wood

Swampscott, MA. 01907

.............-..

THE RESTOF US

Suzette Coffi n

Franconia, N. H. 03580

Cliff, Betsy, Debby & Tina Moore.

Seattle, WA. 98166

Will Pereira

Libertytown, MD. 21762

Susan Crimmins

Katonah, N.Y. 10536

Pat Delaney

Lansing, MI. 48912

Alice Ponce

Swan Lake, MT. 59911

Chip, Lisa, Emily, Eli & Abby Ridgway.

Evergreen, CO. 80439

Hap, Susan, Kyle, Melissa +? Ridgway

Meriden, N.H. 03770

Pat Ridgway

Tucson, AZ. 85704

Sam DeVore

Tucson, AZ. 85718

Alex Dykema

Cambridge, MA. 02138

Brooks Emeny

New London, N. H. 03257

Jennie Hollingsworth

Dover, MA. 02030

Becky Lay

Boston, MA. 02116

Thach Winslow

Essex, MA. 01929

Annie Woodard

Andover, N.H. 03216

TEWA SONGOh, our Mother the Earth; oh, our Father the Sky.Your children are we and with tired backsWe bring you the gifts that you love.Then weave for us a garment of brightness;May the warp be the white light of morning,May the weft be the red light of evening,May the fringes be the falling rain,May the border be the standing rainbow.Thus weave for us a garment of brightnessThat we may walk fittingly where birds sing,That we may walk fittingly where the grass is green.Oh, our Mother the Earth; oh, our Father the Sky.

The staff standing in front of one 1985 project: new digs for our cook and guests in 1986 and on.