Weekend TV worth watching! A California cowboy episode of Today’s Wild West!

Weekend TV worth watching! A California cowboy episode of Today’s Wild West!

coming up on today’s Wild West we’ll explore the western side of California we’ll saddle up in the Eastern Sierra at historic honeywall Guest Ranch there is no place that offers riding like this place we’ll roll through the California Gold Country with the days of 49 Wagon Train California has always been the trend Setter and we’ll show you the artistic side of cowboy gear at the ricotti Saddle Company a California edition of today’s Wild West just ahead the Wild West it’s still out there we’ll show you how to find it this is today’s Wild [Music] West Galloping horseback on a warm summer day in the American West who hasn’t watched a western movie and dreamed of flying across a meadow on the back of a horse just outside bridport California honeywall guest branch has been making horseback dreams come true for Generations that was so fun oh my gosh I’ve never done anything like that before it’s like riding in a postcard a rare place where you can take the brakes off a tuned up quarter horse and run and run across a vast Green Meadow sprinkled with wild flowers beneath the snow C capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada just Northeast of yosan National Park the horses the atmosphere the people all of it it’s just an entirely fantastic package you know and there is no place that offers riding like this place and I’ve got a friend with a head Wrangler at a at a dude ranch up in Wyoming and I’ve told him about the way we ride here and he can’t believe it he said how in the world do you get away with that BR it’s just the way they do it it’s all thanks to the California Gold Rush of 1849 Napoleon Bonaparte honeywall came West from Maine and was one of the lucky few who actually did find gold after sending for his bride Esther the couple founded a 4500 acre cattle ranch to provide beef to the nearby Wild West gold mining town of bodh California when beef prices dropped to just 3 cents a pound during the Great Depression Napoleon’s grandson Stanley and his wife Lenor opened the ranch to guests in 1931 and today the Honeywell family continues to raise cattle and Lead guests on Long Lopes across their amazing land they don’t have to ride head to tail they can just spread out across these Meadows and lope and it’s kind of an amazing place to ride and you know you add that with the fact that we’re a working cattle ranch and we we really are the real deal we’re a working cattle ranch we’re familyowned for over 155 years I am sixth generation sixth what’s your name ran and Honeywell ran and Honeywell mhm yep been here all my life I bet you had a happy childhood too H it was the best fishing in The Meadows going on rides going up in the High Country it was the best keep your hips and your shoulders Square to where you’re going don’t know how to ride no worries this is the place to learn even if you’re just 4 years old you have [Applause] fun she’s never been on a horse besides being pulled around at a at a fair and yesterday I raced behind her while she loped and I trotted and I was scared to death but she was loving every second of it crazy you’re going to kick him like you mean it ride it like you stole it all right we joined a little Isa in her young Pals for the Buckaroo ride thanks to the expert Wranglers who run the honeywall kids program brand new Riders don’t stay beginners for very long okay what you need to do once you start looping you start going like this once you start chatting and Murphy doesn’t like it so you got to try and hold your hand really still on his [Music] neck it’s amazing how quick it happens it does take a few tries for the kids to figure it out but by the end of a 2-hour ride these children are loping their horses and having a blast it’s so much fun it takes a special string of hor horses to be able to do that our horses the by the time they become kids horses they’re really used to our program and they’ve been here for years and years and have shown themselves to be very trustworthy sixth generation family member Lesley Honeywell helps lead the ranch horse and cattle breeding program so of course there’s an inherent danger in riding a horse but we we really trust these horses enough to put small children on them and enough to say you know these horses have been in our program long enough they know the drill they know that after they get done loping with these little kids they’re going to get a nice brushing and some carrots and then they get to go out to the pasture with their friends so um of course there’s always a little bit of worry but we we do trust our kids horses very much honeywall Ranch keeps about 150 horses many of them registered American Quarter Horses raised and trained right on the ranch it’s good for them to know that people are a good thing every week guests get the opportunity to meet that season’s new Colts fun for the kids and grown-ups alike and good for the horses the ones that we that we breed to raise they have to be pretty exceptional Mayes um for us to consider breeding them so what they’ve shown us through um us using them on the ranch as a working horse and also as a guest horse if they can handle both aspects of that and uh handle different levels of people and still be the same horse and um perform consistently that’s very important to us so they can show us that they do that uh over the years then we will breed them they have to be good cow horses because this is a working cattle ranch and guests get to help Drive the cattle so we’re all going to ride this way and get around them we head out to get her done and what a beautiful place to push cows [Applause] all right got it done there are opportunities to drive cattle several times during a summer week stay plus a weeklong cattle drive in the fall I love this country it’s it’s part of me Ben and Romero ran cattle here for neighboring outfits for 30 years all these years later you’re leading rides here yeah that’s what I do yeah and I love it Benny was our Trail guide on the Buckeye Canyon ride that trail at first took us through Timber where Napoleon and his logging Crews cut trees here in the 1800s the reason for those stumps so tall is because it was two men with cross cutting them it’s not long before we emerg from the woods into a beautiful mountain Meadow later the snow cap sier frames the background we on the Eastern Slope of the mountains and at times can see the peaks of Y just about the time you’re looking at the beauty of one type of terrain that Chang changes into something totally different pretty nice one of my favorite rides out here this is like vacationing in a Post Guard look at that look at that view there is no riding like at anyal their horses are by far the best the riding is spectacular the operation has run so well I love the fact that it’s family owned generational you know what can you say between the horses the riding the people running it it’s spectacular scenery something near and dear to all of our fam’s Lives coming back I hope this is fantastic as wonderful as the riding the horses and the scenery is the salt of the earth Honeywell family obviously the riding is phenomenal second to none but the family honeywall family makes you feel like family and it’s just unusual to have that connection with the people that have ranched this and owned this for five generations well you know it’s like old home week every week when people come back I love that about it someone said to me the other night you have a great business here and I said oh it’s a lot more than a business Jan Honeywell first came to the ranch as a guest in the 1950s worked here while going to college and soon fell in love with a fourth generation honey well Stan and I Lenor and Stanley’s only son we became an item right away way and that was that the couple had three children Jeff Megan and Betsy and the fifth generation all worked at the ranch as do many of their children providentially perhaps the honey walls were able to expand their cattle operation to accommodate their growing family and we have these huge allotments out in Nevada and the whole spring cavers go out there in the winter and we can have more cattle than we ever had before not everyone would want to work every day with their family and the Honey Wells have long held weekly meetings to make sure everyone’s on the same page and iron out any problems we all work on this together and we all we all share all of our talents and and it’s just that’s the only way to do it you know it’s a it’s a big privilege family members are very aware of this precious treasure they share with each other and those who visit I have a lot of friends that they always tell me you’re so lucky to have grown up there and and I I feel the same way so it’s a it’s a big job but someone’s got to do it and I’m glad that that somebody is myself my brother and my cousins I think we like what we do we like each other um we like this place so I think we all feel like it’s a gift to work here and to to make it viable for the Next Generation to keep this place going it’s as a a gift for our kids and as a gift for the people that come here it really is a magical place for families to have fun together and just be [Music] together and ride those great horses which for Dan Wilkins and his 13 family members was a brand new experience and I had some trepidation cuz none of us are experienced Riders yeah most of them have never been on a horse at all so how’d it go went great I mean you know they all like loping I’ve got 13 people all of saying fives favorite part just watching my family have a good time and they’re all having a great time yeah the only Downer is when it comes time to leave oh the rides have been great meeting everybody start to feel like a family after a week you know you guys going to be hard to leave huh started packing the car last night and it made me sad but you can always come back like Lisa who’s been coming here with her family since she was four years old what is it not to like Le much beauti the country in the world I get to spend time with four kids without having them look at cell phones and text all the time my daughters are learning how to horse back ride like a true like true cowgirls and I feel like I have step back in time the honeyball ranch never changes I think that guest ranches are a gift to people in this day and age and that’s what you hear week after week people who just want to get out and be in the quiet be with a horse experience this kind of a life so helps me get up in the morning to know that we’re kind of making these special memories for people like Galloping on a fine horse splashing through a mountain meow California’s honey wall Guest Ranch my favorite part is uh watching the kids like learn for the very first time be scared at first and by Friday they’re opening machines go to watch so much fun up next we crossed the Sierra to the California Gold Country to ride with the days of 49 Wagon Train The Wagon Train this romantic symbol of the old west rolls again through the Gold Country stre of Amador County California about 50 Mi east of Sacramento the horse drawn wagons rumbling through the historic towns of the Sierra Nevada Foothills are the centerpiece of the annual days of 49 celebration recalling the California Gold Rush of 1849 when this area was swarming with Prospectors looking to strike it rich head him up it’s part of our American Heritage John carollo is the leader of the Kit Carson Mountain Men the group that organizes this historic Caravan the mountain men are dedicated to celebrating preserving and passing on our country’s Western Heritage young people today have no idea what our forefathers went through that’s why we go to all the schools awesome awesome huh for 4 days in late April kids and grown-ups get a firsthand look at this living history as the Wagon Train travels through several historic Gold Rush towns along Highway 49 towns that look much like they did back in the 1800s along the way the wagons passed by remnants of the Hard Rock mining operations that pulled millions of dollars in gold from the earth like the Kennedy mine outside Jackson these are the skips this is what California is it was immigrants that came here from all over the world for the gold rush to start with and then with hard rock mining it became other immigrants that came and worked there and now they live here in the community and all over underground miners once worked here for $4 a day we have between 50 and 100 miles a tunnel underground which was good money at the time so this is H ingersol ran drill sharpener and it was from The Argonaut mine I don’t think we appreciate all the work that came to make what we are today what what came before us and everything imagine picking up your home right now and trying to fit what you needed inside that wagon to go across country and enough grain in there to have your horses so they could eat whether you’re a part of it or just watching the Wagon train is all about helping people connect with both history and horses really cool yeah that they’re reenacting all of this are you guys tired hold that minut I love getting to let the public see the horses when she’s not driving horses and N Islander is a computer science professor at Sierra College watching the kids expressions when they get to come up and Pat the horses watching the adults melt cuz they’re good for our souls I love horses the amazing thing about going on a wagon train is that I get to meet the most amazing people Denise Bart spent 6 months recreating her dress from the old west era I don’t know there’s something that just fascinates me about it whatever that is the men and women on the wagon train have loved horses wagons in the old west as long as they can remember I’ve been a wagon train gry since I was 10 years old my parents moved to Placerville and we just happened to be on Main Street one day when the highway 50 Wagon Train came down it’s most amazing thing I ever saw I think I was born too late my grandfather used to plow with crops with horses and I learned to do that then when I I was a kid I just love doing this it’s perfect wagon training is not an inexpensive Pastime Richard Ley spent $6,000 restoring his authentic Freight wagon not to mention the cost of the truck trailer horse horse shoes and everything else it takes to do this but to him it’s worth every penny the serenity of it just uh being out in the open and I love the sound of the clip clop I just took to it naturally it’s fun you know do it whenever I can Dave presler is one of the Wagon Train out Riders helping out Pam Andrews who’s driving the wagon behind him so what’s your job is wrangling for her I’ll hold her horse do whatever it takes make sure there’s no problems the friends the camaraderie everybody’s here has a common interest and we all love doing this it’s a lot of work but well worth it you get a glimpse of just how much work it is when you watch the teams of horses get hooked up in the morning you don’t just turn the key and go well I’ll tell you what I was born in Dodge City Kansas and I traded my first horse for wages on a farm when I was about 12 and I’ve had horses ever since and as soon as I got big enough to handle a wagon I started playing with wagons and that’s a lot of work to get all the permits and everything else it takes for the Wagon train to go down the road and it’s best if you start real early doing this every little town you go through you need a special permit um calr has their own permits it’s it gets pretty big so you have a big task list and you just keep working through that task list it’s going pretty good people are very Cooperative they’re actually enjoying the Wagon Train even the cars that have been stopped in it once the wagons are rolling wagon Master Dan Dietrich is the Man In Charge number one is safety safety to get all of this through here in one piece without any wrecks and number two is make sure we’re kind of sort on time but that’s what I have my assistant Sherry for I want you just keep an eye on your on the wagon in front of you and when you feel comfortable let her rip okay Sher soua is second in command people have been doing it for hundreds of years but it’s a Dying Breed and it’s our goal to keep it alive oh this is my favorite event of the year is this yeah I love it oh I just love the horses and I think it’s fun that it’s a multi-day thing I look forward to it every year me too my girls love the horsey One goal of the Wagon train is to get the Next Generation passionate about horses in history and young outrider Taylor tallet is proof that’s working that’s all she wants to do is just ride her horse all day every day The Wagon Train also shines a spotlight on this beautiful part of the new American West Amador county is wine country home to Vineyards awardwinning Wineries and wine tasting delicious very ni who doesn’t love a good white wine you can stay in beautifully restored historic hotels like the Imperial Hotel in Amador City which first opened back in 1879 a gourmet breakfast is included with your room and the hotel offers fine dining in the evening with locally grown items on the menu or stay at the historic National Hotel in nearby Jackson John Wayne was once a regular visitor and the suite where he slept is named in his honor and this area is beautiful to visit all year round we were just going on and on how beautiful we didn’t see anything as this pretty all the way across the United States we were going on about that county is the most beautiful County in the whole United States I really believe it R Marie scoffield drove a wagon from California to Valley Forge Pennsylvania in the bicentennial Wagon Train of 1976 after seeing everything at 3 and2 mil an hour going across United States when we got back to Valley fors Pennsylvania we said you know what Amador County was the best be hard to find anyone to argue with that especially when the wagons roll again in the Gold Country during the days of 49 still to come the artistic side of cowboy gear handmade at the ricotti Saddle Company if you want to discover the authentic American West step into an authentic Western Store like the ricotti Saddle Company in Clement California or Rick and Susan rotti will indeed welcome you to come on in and take a look and there’s lots to look at people come in and you don’t realize it because we look at it every day but when uh they’ll come in and and they’ll spend hours just looking the Norland California shop specializes in the kind of handmade leather goods and silver work you just don’t see very often work created by some of the best known artisans in the Western World Doug Krauss makes the mottis Marty Elmore does uh some strap work for us the silver on the spur straps Rob shazlin made it’s a like a heavy garment leather ricottis creates their own Western jewels in the Saddle Shop attached to the retail store I actually did the silver and the leather myself on this custom briefcases there are photo notebooks filled with the one-of aind leather goods that have been crafted in the store over the years um this is a waste basket that we made Denver Stock Show we were their West Coast saddle maker they commissioned uh I think it was four saddle makers to make their 100th anniversary saddle you can see this piece right here that’s the binding and this it’s Rawhide Rick staff built this saddle and rebuilt all 14 Saddles used by the mounted officers of the San Francisco police department they had a capital Improvement project where um over a period of time we’ve rep placed all of those Saddles just as fascinating as this shop and its merchandise is the story behind it the movie posters on the wall provide a clue they’re all westerns films that Rick and Susan’s kids and grandkids have worked in doing horseback riding stunts grandaughter Cassidy Heist is a champion barrel racer whose Western film credits include Cowboys and Aliens and the hateful eight I have four kids that rodeo and when they were young they ruined a lot of equipment broke a lot of things and and that’s how I started I just started by fixing it and I kind of got hooked on it and uh and so here I am um actually he didn’t like my repairs of horse blankets well well that’s how the very beginning how it started so he took that over and then repairing horse blankets yes our own our own yeah okay and I’m looking at the way she pouched it and I’m thinking can’t you do any better than this and she said well go ahead do it yourself so that’s the very beginning at that time the family lived in fast growing Hollister California where Rick worked for a civil engineering firm and Susan was in the insurance business but Rick’s Hometown had grown way too big one day I went home and I I said you know I think I want to quit my job and I want to see if I can make saddles and see if we can get it to work and she said okay she said uh maybe I’ll quit mine too she said and uh why don’t we sell our place and move someplace quiet they bought this Century old building in the late 1980s and a saddlemaker and silversmith friend offered to help them get started he said well she said why why don’t you come to my shop sometime and and and I you know I’ll help you and uh so that afternoon I went home changed my clothes got my truck went to his place and I was waiting for him when he got there business blossomed as ricottis became known for its focus on quality Gear with an artistic flare of course this is very opinionated on my part but California has always been the leader of the trend Setter when it come to Tac the artistic part of TAC okay a lot of silver a lot of silver before hor shows they used a lot of silver in California that was a plus for us so we could do some kind of extravagant things and so those extravagant things I think uh helped us because you uh pretty tough to make a living uh making rough out Saddles you know it’s not going to work and the quality of their work created some amazingly loyal and trusting customers we actually had some customers that sent us a check filled out with everything except the amount and say you fill in the amount and that always that that has always meant a lot to Susan and I because there’s not too many people I’d send a check to and leave the amount blank rot to hit the road most every weekend to sell their Wares at rodeos and horse shows but they’ve dropped the road trips and scaled back a bit at one time in here we had six guys and me you know we were sending quite a bit of stuff to Europe anyway it just got kind of topheavy there’s still lots of work and a waiting list of over a year for a new custom saddle Rick designed the Shop’s clever r logo that looks like the front of a saddle and he still loves to create but he’s too busy dealing with customers and phone calls to do much of the work himself but that’s okay after all the people are the best part of the business well I think it’s their values pretty much anybody that likes dogs and horses are are pretty likable people and you’re always welcome to stop in just to take a look and get a sense what the authentic American West is all about that’s it for now we’re back next time with more cool stuff from today’s Wild West I’m Mark bador we’ll see you down the trail for more information on the people in places featured in today’s wild west or to order show DVDs and books visit today’s wild west.com funding for today’s Wild West provided by the Montana film commission the Leed Foundation the Chuckwagon Trail Riders Foundation the dude ranchers Association and the dude ranch Foundation [Music]

Dating to the 1860’s at the base of the towering Sierras, we’ll ride California’s historic Hunewill Ranch; roll through California’s gold country with the Days of 49 wagon train; and meet the Western artisans of Ricotti Saddle Company.