Dreamscape Hosts Tree Planting Crew

Dinner line-up after a hard days work!

.
We recently had an unexpected surprise when we got a call from a tree planting company who was looking for accomodation for their crew of 28 planters who are planting a block of land nearby.

The "accomodation" they required was a bit out of the norm for us but we were very happy to be of service to them. Basically, they all have their own tents and have been camping in our back 80 acres.

Every morning we serve breakfast for the whole crew; have pack lunches ready for them to take into the back-country; and then we've got a hearty dinner waiting for them upon their return from their hard days work.

These young people are a really hardy bunch, and they must work very hard during the day as they are as quiet as mice at night!

From what they tell us, they will be planting 400,000 trees in their current block of land over 8 days, and a good planter will plant 2,000 or more seedlings per day.

The planting season is from the end of April until the end of July, and this one company (with all of its respective planting crews) are expected to plant 15,000,000 seedlings this season alone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
.

Day Trips from Dreamscape Ranch

.

Yes, horses and horseback riding are definitely a big part of the attraction for guests here at Dreamscape Ranch, but there are lots of other great things to see and do in this region too. We like to think that makes Dreamscape the ideal home-base for some great day trips and excursions!

One such example is the BC Wildlife Park Kamloops which is such a short drive awaythat you may as well call it a 'morning trip' or an 'afternoon trip' rather than a 'day trip'!

Now don't expect something on the grand scale of the London Zoo, because the Wildlife Park is just that... a Wildlife Park. Smaller in size and more personal in style, the Park is mostly populated with the types of wildlife that are found in our region (with a few exceptions).

Many of these animals were injured or orphaned in the wild and were nursed back to health at the Park, but wouldn't be able to survive if released back to the wilds. Even so, the Park does have a release program for as many animals that can be successfully re-entered into their natural habitat as possible.

Animals at the Park include bears, wolves, mountain lions, elk, moose, eagles, owls, reptiles, and much more.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
.

Two Nice Young Ladies From Germany

.
We recently had the pleasure of having two very nice young ladies, who are students from Germany, stay with us at the Ranch.

Rikki and Flora are university students who came to British Columbia from Germany to do their internships for their agricultural degrees.

Rikki and Flora at the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops

After spending some time in the Fraser Valley at a dairy farm, Rikki and Flora joined us here at Dreamscape and were a great help to us while they completed their report on Agri-Tourism for their university.

Unfortunately for the girls, their stay ended just as the Spring weather arrived so they didn't really get to see the Ranch in it's Springtime glory... but perhaps they could return in the not too distant future for some fun in the sun and plenty of horseback riding! :)

Thanks for all your help girls, it was wonderful getting to know you and we wish you all the best as you finish off your degrees at school!  :)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.

Our Sandhill Crane Friends

.

Two flocks of Sandhill Cranes come together over the Ranch in April 2012

Every Spring and Fall we are fortunate to have flocks of Sandhill Cranes migrate through this area.

These are large birds with a wingspan that commonly reaches over 6 feet and very vocal when they are in their flocks. In the summer breeding months they can be found in many parts of Northern Canada including well up into the arctic and have also been found in Eastern Russia. In the Winter they travel to the warmth of the U.S. States such as New Mexico.

Interestingly, Sandhill Crane fossil records date back at least 2.5 million years and while the species of Crane that we see twice each year are not endangered there are three sub-species in the Southern USA that are considered quite rare.

We're fairly deep into April now and the flocks are becoming less frequent, but we'll definitely be seeing them again as they make their way South. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.

Spring Has Sprung - Time To Get Busy!

.

Renegade, Tango and Caillou on the bluff one beautiful Spring evening.

Hello again folks!

Well, the quiet winter months have passed, the snow has melted, and the sights and sounds of Spring have arrived at last!

I have to admit that I've been negligent about keeping the blog updated with news (bad! bad! bad!) but we'll be getting back to that in full force now in 2012. 

If you'd like to have a look through a selection of photos from over the winter you can head on over to our Facebook Page which we have kept up with regularly over the winter.

Everyone here at Dreamscape Ranch is excited about the upcoming season, and to welcome old friends, new friends, and friends we have yet to meet, here to the Ranch!

So, that's it for the moment, but keep checking in as new news will be added here regularly along with some photos and video and anything we can think of!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.

Our New Quarter Horse Filly at Dreamscape Ranch

,

Our long awaited new filly was born here at Dreamscape Ranch on July 9th at 4:40 in the afternoon.

It was a good delivery - Cookie's water broke at 4:15 and the foal was born at 4:40 and drinking milk about 1 hour later. While this isn't Cookie's first foal, it is her first 'bay' coloured foal.

Like her dad ("Smart Lil Freckle") she is a mahogany bay she has great markings and could be the best looking of all of Cookie's 7 foals and... probably... her last.

Cookie is only 11 years old but because of a bad leg injury she is getting a bit arthritic, so we might not breed her again. Also this year she has had a late foal so we will give her the year off for sure and re look at it next year.

What with the arrival of "Chance" earlier this year, we've got our hands full with these young-uns!  :)

* * * * *     * * * * *     * * * * *

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
.

Wedding Bells at Dreamscape Ranch

.

Wedding bells were ringing at Dreamscape Ranch recently! We were very honored to host Justin and Stacey's wedding here on the 17th of July.

The weather was great and everyone had a really nice time. With the capable assistance of our International Students I did everything for the wedding right here at the ranch.

Appies were served to get everyone's taste-buds racing, and then a buffet dinner of Tuscan chicken, pork tenderloin, corn, potatoe salad, caesar salad, pasta salad, roast potatoes and... of course... wedding cake for dessert!

Art Pruce sang the song for the bride to walk down the isle and Lewis McIvor from Country 103 radio was the DJ for the evening. Everyone had a great time and they danced the night away.
 
The next morning the guests that were staying here at the Ranch (including the bride and groom) were served a buffet breakfast and then the wedding presents were opened.
 
* * * * *     * * * * *     * * * * *

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
.

Making Improvements

.

So far the Spring weather has been more mild than we are used to, but that hasn't stopped us getting at more improvements and maintenance.

After the new hay shed was finished we cleared some room beside and in back of the shed for a trailer parking area.

As you can see from the photo it has all been fenced in and the ground has been flattened and prepared to make it suitable for use as a roadway.

In addition, there's a fair bit of new fencing that has been put up along the property line as well as to create new paddocks.
 

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
.

Very Special People That Deserve Thanks

.

It is quickly coming up to four weeks since we adopted Chance - a very special little colt that we brought to Dreamscape Ranch when he was but one day old.

Getting Chance through his first week of life was an crucially important milestone and now the 'one month' mark is the next.

Hand-rearing a foal is very taxing work with hourly feedings throughout the day and night, and constantly being vigilant about its health. This is especially true with Chance due to the fact he never nursed from his mother so he wasn't able to develop his immune system from the colostrum his mother would have produced.

There is absolutely no way I would have been able to take Chance on without the help of some very very special people. The first to be mentioned are Stephanie, Sonja, Melanie, Claudia and Julie who all gave of themselves to assist me and to provide care for Chance. The thoughtfulness, caring, energy and responsibility shown by these young ladies goes beyond what words can describe.

Out for dinner and ice-cream with the girls to thank them for all their dedication and hard work with Chance and helping me.
Left to right: Claudia, Sonja, Julie, Stephanie, Melanie.

While the story of Chance starts out as a sad one we're doing everything we can to transform it into a happy one. We feel that his story... his journey... is worth sharing. The recent global economic difficulties have not spared Canada, and have certainly not spared the equine community. There are so many sad stories of people being forced to downsize or even give up their horses all-together that we thought some happier news would be welcomed.

There has been a wonderful rally of support from people who want to help give Chance his 'second chance'. I would like to express my heart-felt thanks and appreciation to those people who, through their very thoughtful donations, have helped us provide Foalac and other essentials.

As of the time of writing this (June 5th) those kind people are:

• Kamloops Large Animal Veterinary Clinic
• Jen Wind
• Douglas Lake Ranch
• Nina
• Meghan
• Andrew Thomas
• Wendy and George Roberts
• Donna Kerby and David Callaghan
• Geri Helmer
• Rob Bennett
• Sara Dixon
• Deborah Beasley
• Greenhawk - Kamloops
• Terry Tobey

Again, thank you so much to everyone - we could not have done this without your thoughtfulness, generosity and support. We will continue to update Chance's progress on his webpage and hope that you'll follow along!  :)

* * * * *     * * * * *     * * * * *

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.

Additionally, as a Horse Ranch, Dreamscape also provides full Horse Boarding, Bed and Bale, and Horse Rehabilitation services.
.

Dreamscape Ranch - Remember The Hay Shed?

.

An update! Remember back in October we were working on our new hay-shed?

Well, it was completed very successfully and just in time to shelter the round-bales from the winter rain and snow. That was certainly a big project and an invaluable one!

* * * * *     * * * * *     * * * * *

Dreamscape Ranch offers our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime Guest Ranch experience. We're also a Horse Ranch that provides full horse boarding, bed and bale accommodation, and horse rehabilitation services. Our ranch is located in the beautiful rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
.