There are a lot of things you can't get out here - There are a few things here you can get nowhere else . . .  Like the freedom to be your own person, simplicity and a return to a straightforward way of doing things. Blue Sky Sage promises you will get all these things and more, set in the middle of expansive western Country, with a willing Horse as your partner.

Active Riding On Good Horses - Blue Sky Sage Horseback Adventures are not to be confused with dull "nose to tail" trail rides. The rides are safe and controlled, yet physically active. Where practical, riders ride abreast and extended gaits such as the lope are favored, when and where appropriate. Natural horsemanship philosophies and methods are practiced and taught throughout the week. The instruction is not formal, but ongoing, practical application whenever you are around the saddle Horses. You will be a much more confident and knowledgeable horsewoman at the conclusion of your horse back riding vacation.

Wide Open Spaces - When you are riding with Blue Sky Sage you will be horseback in the midst of the wide-open spaces of Wyoming, with 100-mile vistas stretching between the horizons. Ride along the Continental Divide as it crosses the Red Desert or into the Honeycombs badlands wilderness of the Great Divide Basin. Find yourself along the banks of the Sweetwater River as it winds its way like a ribbon of refreshment through the high, cool desert. This tall and uncut Country is the home of the true western perspective. Cowboys, wild horses, historic trails, and ancient Native American campsites are still a part of this landscape. The fences are few and far between, "civilization" is a long way off and the freedom to ride is limited only by your desire.  . . .

Away from the crowds - A smaller group means more personal attention . . . One of the greatest benefits that you will enjoy when you choose a Blue Sky Sage horseback riding vacation is the intimate, exclusive experience that is not often found on a dude ranch vacation, pack trips, working ranches or other trail riding vacations where 12-50 riders are common. A smaller group means more personal attention, more privacy and more individual space. You won't get lost in a crowd at Blue Sky Sage; group size is limited to 6 enthusiastic riders per week.

Ride with the Wades - You are personally invited . . . to join Mike & Bobbi - for their thirteenth season of these unique horseback riding vacations. You have their word that you will go home with a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of self. So get ready to pull your cinch, catch a stirrup and ride with Blue Sky Sage!

Activities

Mountain Horse Tent Camp Trips; Girls Ride Out! All Women Horseback Vacations; Horse Vacations for Couples/Mixed Groups of Men & Women; Summer Wildflower Ride; Fall Color Ride; Three Dimensional Horsemanship Clinic; Specials

Accommodations

The special campsite along the Little Sandy River is definitely not your standard, "cookie cutter" version of the typical dude ranch.  In fact, this is not a dude ranch at all, but a wilderness sanctuary. For those who are looking for a place that is closer to the Earth, more in tune to the rhythms of nature and the wilderness, yet offers everything necessary to be comfortable and secure, the camp setting where the Blue Sky Sage rides originate is the perfect home away from home. Think of the soothing melody of running water over smooth stones, with the harmony of a summer breeze through tall lodgepole pines to lull you off to sleep. The quiet of your own canvas tipi tent, with a warm sleeping bag on a comfy mattress for a bed are better than the best king sized bed in a luxury resort for restful sleep. The privacy and peace of the wilderness enhance the accommodations of the Blue Sky Sage wilderness camp. Every individual guest is set up in their own tipi, with larger tents available for couples or those who want to share.  In addition, there are private shower tents with hot water showers ready after we get in from the days' ride or, the river right beside your tent may beckon you to take a dip in the crystal clear water to cool off and wash off the dust of the trail.

Food

Another feature of Blue Sky Sage that our guests have popularized over the years are the meals that our various dutch oven camp chefs have prepared over the years. The cookhouse and those who work within produce the fabulous meals that have become a tradition. The Blue Sky Sage menu features organic grass-fed buffalo, and includes wild Alaska salmon, grilled chicken, crisp salads, fresh fruits, natural cereals and yogurt, vegetables, pasta, homemade biscuits and breads, and if you still have room, desserts made from scratch. Our dutch oven camp cooks are all experienced with preparing a variety of specialty hors de' oeuvres as well, to accompany our BYOB daily cocktail hour after the horses are put up from a good days' ride.

Area Attractions

Yellowstone National Park; Grand Teton National Park; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Oregon Trail; Pony Express Trail; South Pass City State Historic Site; Wind River mountain range; Great Divide Basin and Red Desert wild mustangs.

About the Wades

Both of us were born and raised on small family ranches, 3rd generation natives, in eastern Wyoming. For both of us, the ranches we lived on were a family operation, with no hired men to do the work.  Our dads had worked for many years on different old-time ranches north of Lingle, Wyoming as Cowboys (I can remember that they still used the chuckwagon during branding in the spring, when I was only a year or so old, early '60's).  They later both became ranchers on their own places, but they are still Cowboys more than anything else.  So, we were raised in the true "Cowboy tradition" of eastern Wyoming, just a few miles from the Texas Trail and the Pony Express Trail.  We spent our youth working at trailing and branding cattle, training colts, riding and exploring the many natural and historic features of our home country. 

Mike was raised on the open prairies, at a place called Prairie Center to be exact.  He and his Cowboy buddies made many drives of cattle over 60 miles from the prairie to higher elevation summer pastures, riding young horses and camping at one of Wild Bill Hickok’s favorite spots along Rawhide Creek.  After graduating high school in 1977, Mike started guiding hunters in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, near the southeast corner of Yellowstone National Park. He also worked extensively as a horse and mule packer and horse wrangler during those years.  He always had an intense interest in wildlife, guns, hunting, trapping, horses and wild country and we often said he had been born a hundred years later than he should have been. 

Bobbi lived on a couple of ranches along the banks of Rawhide Creek; one outfit was located at the site of the Rawhide Stage Station of the Cheyenne-Deadwood Stage Line.  My dad taught me to rope at a young age, and I competed through high school in the roping events. My other passion besides horses was, and still is, vocal music of all genres. My love of music and horses, combined with an outgoing personality was a good combination to bring to the wilderness; I started as a cook's helper and campfire entertainer on pack trips and learned to pack mules that first year, then went with Mike back into a wilderness elk hunting camp, 56 miles horseback from the road and worked as camp cook and horse wrangler.  After we were married in 1979, we spent the next 10+ years packing all over the Teton, Shoshone and Washakie Wilderness and other areas of Wyoming, taking guests on pack trips and into hunting camps.

We chose outfitting as the industry to build our careers in, learning the trade from the ground up. After about 20 years or so of working for others and running our own hunting business, the time came to make a change that would bring us back closer to our heritage and High Wild & Lonesome Horseback Adventures was born. As this company has grown and developed over the past ten years, a new name has now been discovered that is even more descriptive of what this lifestyle we love to share is all about - Blue Sky Sage Horseback Adventures.

Both of our daughters have grown up in the business and have spent most of their childhood summers at horse camp, working as cooks, camp jacks and helping wrangle horses and guests. We are grateful that our girls have been able to live the lifestyle we chose so many years ago and that they have gained so much personal growth and character from their work and from the many wonderful people they have met over the years.

Our long and varied career has taught us that the best approach to a successful and enjoyable horseback vacation for all our guests requires a handful of simple, straightforward things.  Those things are to provide an active, hands-on horseback experience for small groups of people, active, well-mannered saddle horses to ride, remote locations that put folks in the heart of the real wide-open spaces, and a comfortable wilderness camp atmosphere.  These features provide every guest with the individual attention they deserve and appreciate.

We have both lived a very adventurous life and in spite of coming from a background that was very isolated and sheltered from the mainstream, (or as we joke, we were raised "at the head of the creek") somewhere along the line we knew we wanted to share the best things about the Cowboy way, as we knew and believed them to be, with people who had a sincere interest in experiencing what for us is a life, and a very good life at that.  It is our belief that Blue Sky Sage is a genuine reflection of what we have lived and what we envision.  There is always an open invitation to you to pull your cinch, catch a stirrup and ride for the high points with us across these wild, wide-open spaces we call home. 

Welcome to Wyoming,

Mike & Bobbi Wade