Weekend Getaways!

Two weekends ago we traveled to St. Labre Ranch for the second time this year. The ranch is located about two hours away in Custer, MT and is owned by St. Labre. The first time we went we all realized the true meaning of "middle of nowhere" as the ranch spans 20,000 acres and no matter where you look all you see is land. It is a great place to go when you're looking for some peace and quiet.

The best part about the ranch is getting to see the buffalo! Ray and Rose, the ranch managers, took us out in a pickup to help feed the herd. Some of the buffalo are so used to being around people that they actually ate food pellets right out of our hands! In case anyone is wondering, buffalo tongues feel like sandpaper and are freakishly long! Besides feeding the buffalo, a weekend at the ranch gives us time to relax and enjoy each other's company.
Last weekend we went to Hays to visit the 5 JVs there who were celebrating the dedication of their new school building. In 2008, the Hays elementary school was burned down and since then, the school had been operating out of makeshift trailors while awaiting the completion of the new building. Construction was finally finished in January, and the Bishop came last weekend for a blessing of the entire school. It was a very happy day for all of the students and staff at St. Paul's Mission School, as they had been waiting a long time for this! We were very excited to travel to Hays to support our friends, and I think we we all enjoyed the beautiful views on the ride up there! In fact, James timed the drive almost perfectly so that we drove through the mountains right as the sun was setting. And of course, stopping in the awesome town of Roundup was also one of the highlights of the trip.