Stone Creek Vacation
Posted by David Bolin
We're just back from three days at Stone Creek Ranch. This was my all time favorite family vacation. It was definitely in the top three for the rest of the family if not number one. This has nothing to do with fishing, but it could. Stone Creek Ranch is within a couple miles of the Cartney access on the White River and just a few miles from Buffalo City. It's about a two hour ride to the river on horseback.
We had no idea what to expect. It just needed to be very different than anything we've ever done before. I'm changing jobs after twenty years. It's been an emotional transition. I have a deep personal investment in the company that I've grown up with. I needed a serious change of scenery. I had planned to spend a lot of time fishing in October, but we still have non-stop high water on all the Arkansas tailwaters. That's been very frustrating.
Our hosts were Arvell and Karry Bass. They made us feel right at home...and then turned it up a notch or two. I had a vision of lazy trail rides and long afternoon naps. There was time for short naps, but Arvell does not run a nose to tail trail riding operation. He was teaching us horsemanship. We did things on the trail that would be strictly prohibited at a nose to tail operation. We learned leadership skills that have universal life applications. If I had told my family we were going to a leadership school, there would have been a revolt. We learned things on a horse that could never be adequately illustrated in a text book. I've never been in a more enjoyable classroom environment. Arvell's classroom is a corral and he's a very effective teacher.
By the way...if you're looking for the reins in that photo of Arvell on the Mustang, there aren't any. That was very cool. And yes, that was a wild mustang until Arvell worked with it.
We'll be back some day. With some low water on the White River, it will be a riding and fishing vacation. I encouraged Karry to develop reciprocal relationships with the local fly fishing guides. It seems to me that fly fishing and horsemanship would be a perfect family vacation.
http://www.stonecreekranchresort.com/