COWBOY FOR A DAY, PART II (AVALIABLE ON AUDIO)

INTERVIEW

Source: Speak Up

Language level: C1 Advanced

Speaker: Chuck Rollando

Standard: American accent

HEY, DUDE!

TODD Larsen is a cowboy. He and his wife Cindy run a working cattle ranch near Belle Fourche in South Dakota. It’s called “Crow Creek” and they also operated it as a “guest” or “dude” ranch, where visitors can come and try the cowboy life. We asked him why he decided to open a guest ranch:

Todd Larsen

(Standard American accent)

I have a buddy that was doing it and it looked like he was enjoying himself and it was a learning experience, with people from cross seas. It looked like it was something that could be real interesting in doing, you know, teaching other people how to do the cowboy stuff that we do, and in with the ranching. And I see people really enjoy it, and he had a lot of fun teaching them. It is a sideline income, but it’s a full-time job.

 We then asked Todd what makes a good cowboy:

Todd Larson:

You’ve got to be dedicated to your work. You’ve got to know what you’re doing. You’ve got to have patience. It’s just something that you’ve got to have in you, to do it. It’s probably not for everybody!

DOING YOUR OWN THING

And, in conclusion, we asked him what he enjoyed most about the life of a cowboy:

Todd Larsen:

Well, it’s kind of nice just to be your own boss, do your own thing, something that you like to do, you know. When the work’s out there to do it you’ve got to go do it and then, when you’re caught up, you can take a break, but you’re not punching a time clock for anybody. You’re doing the…the cowboy thing, you’re doing your own thing. You know, it’s not getting in your car, going to work every day. You might have to go saddle your horse ever day!

THE RAIN

Successful ranching increasingly depends on the weather. In recent years persistent drought has been a problem for ranchers in South Dakota and neighbouring states. There’s no shortage of r rain, however, at the Bar M Ranch near Pendleton, Oregon. Located at an elevation of over 650 metres, bar M is surrounded by mountain streams and green, forested landscape.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

Bar M is a guest ranch rather than working ranch, with horse-riding, hot springs and tranquil surroundings for guests to relax and escape from the pressures of everyday life. Built in 1964, this historic log building was once an important stagecoach stop. The mountains here are very steep so the stagecoach journey must he been like a rollercoaster ride!

The ferns and waterfalls or Bar M are a long ride from the sun-burnt fields or Crow Creek, where Todd Larsen and his cowboys have finished a long day’s work. But it’s the same world. As the sun begins to set behind the guest lodge, the air becomes colder and clearer and the first starts begin to show. Sitting out on the veranda of the guest lodge, the wide open landscape looks timeless: this is just as the first cowboy’s would have seen it.

IF YOU GO

A week at Crow Creek Guest Ranch near Belle Fourche,  South Dakota (the nearest international airport is Denver International Airport), will cost you around $ 1.150 (3 nights $575): www.crowcreekguestranch.com  you can obtain detains of further dude ranches from South Dakota Tourism at www.travelsd.com and via the official Dude Ranchers’ Association website at www.duderanch.org .