Douglas Lake Ranch

A long drive through so 
many valleys and many 
gravelly roadways

~carliewired

After breakfast my brother and I headed off to the Merritt Highway to take the turn to Douglas Lake Ranch. We passed the Upper Nicola Band Reserve with its old wooden church. The Douglas Lake Road runs along beside Douglas Lake and onto the headquarters of the ranch on the east side of the lake.  

Cattle and horses wander in open range. The ranch now controls over 1.2 million acres, having been founded in 1886. The ranch employs 18 to 20 cowboys who care for up to 20,000 cattle. This is all managed with horses. Each cowboy has a string of about 10 horses so no horse is overworked. The ranch favours the American Quarter Horse, breeding, raising and training their own. 

About twenty families live and work on the ranch. Its headquarters and supporting buildings and homes are clustered together between Douglas Lake and Sanctuary Lake. The ranch buildings are distinctively white with red trim and red roofs. The General Store is in an original building supporting the residents and tourists with food, souvenirs, clothing and tack, etc. 

Moving east along Douglas Lake Road, we passed an log barn that is in its last days. I can see light through the roof. High on a ridge above the road a small herd of horses clustered under a pine tree. My surprise was finding a small flock of sandhill cranes feeding in an irrigated field. They are on their way south for the winter. 

We stopped for a snack on Highway 97, then headed for home. I need a nap! 

We will expect a high of 25 C on this sunny day.