FEATURE KANSAS & OKLAHOMA
KANSAS & OKLAHOMA Top Selling Tips...
• For guests looking to join a cattle drive, Ranch Rider’s Tony Daly recommends the Moore Working Ranch in Kansas, which operates them regularly throughout the year
• Real adventurers can join a five- day, 80-mile cattle drive from Moore Ranch to Medicine Lodge in September, or the return leg in October, which only operates every five years
winds through the beautiful Smoky Hills in the region – and Route 66, of course. It’s still complemented by quaint roadside diners, old-fashioned petrol stations and eclectic shops.” The operator features two fly/drives
through both states. The 15-day Cowboy Days and Indian Ways, a circular route from Kansas City, goes though pioneer areas and places rich in American Indian culture, following parts of Oklahoma’s Route 66 as well as the Flint Hills Scenic Byway in Kansas, Lindsborg and the Post Rock Scenic Byway. The 13-day Oklahoma & Kansas from
Yesteryear to Today itinerary starts and ends in Tulsa, taking in part of the same route and including the Cherokee Nation Heritage Centre in the Ozark Mountain foothills of Tahlequah and Fort Gibson, the first US Army post in Indian Territory, as well as the cowboy heritage of Oklahoma City and Wichita. Both Ranch Rider and Ranch America
"Many of the major cattle trails, like the Chisholm Trail, go through both Oklahoma and Kansas"
in Kansas costs from £1,755 including
flights, taxes, gratuities and transfers. Guests can get involved in helping to
drive, herd, and feed the 300-plus longhorn cattle on the ranch as well as riding out to check on the pasture and wildlife. They can also try their hand at target shooting and roping dummy steers, and enjoy a trip to a local rodeo.
RANCH AMERICA - 0845 277 3306
www.wandotravel.com Seven nights at the 923-acre Tiger Mountain Ranch in Oklahoma costs from £1,665pp until October. This price includes return flights, transfers, taxes, gratuities and full-board at the ranch and most ranch activities, with accommodation in a tepee or a lodge room. Wranglers show guests cowboy activities including shooting Old West guns and cattle ranching.
Small pic: Moore Working Ranch, close to historic Dodge City in Kansas, offers a ranch of 'western activities'; Main pic: Guest options at Tiger Mountain Ranch in Oklahoma include Native 'map reading'
34 May 2011 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
NORTH AMERICA TRAVEL SERVICE 0113 246 1466
www.northamericatravelservice.co.uk
The 14-night Cowboy Days & Indian Ways itinerary begins and ends in Kansas City and covers both states. It takes in the Flint Hills and pioneer towns of northern Kansas; Wichita, with its Old Cowtown Museum; Oklahoma City for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and its stockyards; and then follows Route 66 to Tulsa and Overland Park. Starting at £1,859pp, the package includes flights, accommodation and fully-inclusive car rental.
Fly-Drives Kansas and Oklahoma are made for touring with almost 20 scenic byways between them, the most famous being the historic Route 66. Over 400 miles of it runs through Oklahoma, from Quapaw in the north-east to Texola in the south- west, going through pastureland, wooded hills and semi-arid prairie, and passing diverse communities, Native American tribal sites, museums, vintage bridges and historic architecture en route. North America Travel Service managing director Ruby Briggs says of the driving experiences: “Things not to miss would be quaint Lindsborg in northern Kansas, with unique shops, museums and art galleries, a six-mile scenic route called the Post Rock Scenic Byway, also in northern Kansas – it
also feature fly/drive tours. Ranch Rider has two options in each state. In Oklahoma, a seven-day itinerary starts and ends in Oklahoma City and includes Medicine Park, Fort Sill – where Knoll Cemetery has the grave of Geronimo and other Indian chiefs – Sulphur, for the Chickasaw Nation Culture Centre, and Oklahoma’s first capital, Guthrie. The second option, lasting nine days, is
a round trip from Tulsa and takes in Cherokee Nation's capital, Tahlequah, Oklahoma City and Route 66. An eight-day Kansas option goes from Kansas City to Overland Park, Leavenworth and Atchison, while a seven- day one from Wichita visits the Amish village of Yoder and includes the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Centre, Wetlands & Wildlife National Scenic Byway and Dodge City. Ranch America combines the two
states in an eight-day itinerary which can be added to a ranch stay. The circular route from Tulsa includes Cottonwood Falls, Wichita and Oklahoma City.
Ranch Holidays Whatever your riding ability or whether you prefer a working cattle ranch or a guest ranch with more comfort and other activities, both Kansas and Oklahoma have options to fit the bill and are well placed to meet the growing demand for ranch stays. “In general ranch holidays are definitely getting more popular as more and more people want an experience rather than laying on a beach, and it is not just horse riders that want to try these holidays,”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68