Part 1
Escaping and exploring the silence during Covid 2020 in hopes to gain more inspiration for Salty Western. I headed to the Colorado mountains to a little historical coal mining town called Crested Butte. This little town thrived as a coal mine during the 1800s, but as soon as coal started to decline so did this little town. Almost at the brink of becoming a ghost town, ranching kept their economy afloat and it also became an attraction by new comers as a destination for snow sports, to viewing wildflowers to hiking and much more outdoor activities. This little town called Crested Butte is known as “the wildflower capital of Colorado”.
Rachael is a free-spirited artist who uses water color as her main medium. She is currently on the road competing in the professional cutting horse world. While she was passing through her home town, I had the chance to follow Rachael Lacy on her home ranch called the Lacy Ranch. Rachael is a fifth generation local of Crested Butte. Her family raises and breeds cutting horses. They also lease their ranch lands to a local rancher who raises beef cattle and during my stay here in Crested Butte they accommodated me in their 1900s ranch cabin.
As, I walked through the rusted hinged screen door I immediately was transported to a day of the old west. The rustic furniture was draped with hand-sewn quilts and above hung hand-painted dinner plates with Native American art. Family photos dressed the top of heirloom dressers and an antler chandelier hung over the dinner table. I couldn’t help but stare in awe of the front porch. This cabin of the old west over looks one of the oldest water wells of their town with a stunning backdrop. I could feel the cold crisp air of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains with endless grassy fields that stood in front of me. The cattle grazed in the stillness of the hills while birds flew over their backs and once in a while a fox came out to say hello. I was swooning, head over boots…just died and went to heaven.
My high school friend Danelle Kamauoha who has been living in Colorado made the journey with me to this little slice of heaven. During this pandemic she reconnected with her love of photography. Although pictures are so hard to re-create the real life images our minds hold, Danelle was able to do justice and capture the most stunning photos of this little heart-warming ranch. Here are some of my favorite moments while we gathered the Lacy Ranch herd.
Me sitting in the 1900s ranch cabin enjoying the breath taking view captured in the reflection of the glass window in front of me.
Bill and Rachael Lacy getting ready to saddle up while wearing Salty Western hand-made leather chinks.
Rachael Lacy wearing the Salty Western “Pete Gorrell Cowboy Knife Case” in the buckskin color-way with a Salty Western branded hat.
Rachael wearing a pair of Salty Western handmade leather brindle hide chinks.
Rachael is wearing a pair of Salty Western brindle hide chinks.
