Happy hour starts at Triple Creek Ranch with Huckleberry Lemon-drop Cocktail

Huckleberry Lemon Drop at Triple Creek Ranch

You had me at huckleberry lemon drop. It’s true, slide a pretty red drink in front of me, where the rim sparkles because the lip of the fancy glass has been dipped in fancy sugar, and I’m one happy camper. This is especially true after a long day of horseback riding in the Montana Rockies.

Of course the bartender at Triple Creek Ranch is just as happy to whip up a hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps as he is to pour a deep garnet glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley.  This particular wine matches the color of my wild rag from Triple Creek Ranch. For all you none cowboys out there, a wild rag is the ranch name for a silk scarf – meant to keep the dust out of your nose and mouth during cattle drives and keep your face warm when the Montana winds blow.  But enough about cowboy gear, let’s get back to the grub at Triple Creek.

Triple Creek Ranch Lunch on Trail

Gourmet all the way at Triple Creek Ranch

Triple Creek Ranch is an all-inclusive, adult only resort. Waffles and blueberry pancakes do not come in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears and the waitstaff does not bat an eye if you ask for a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream to accompany that morning cup of Joe. After all, we’re cowgirls here attending Triple Creek’s annual Klicks for Chicks horseback endurance ride. It’s early November and Montana has been dusted with its first blanket of snow.

Twenty two cowgirls, along with Triple Creek Ranch Owner Barbara Barrett, Head Wranger Kristen Snavely and General Manager Leslie McConnell, have walked and trotted along 100 kilometers (klicks) equivalent to 62 miles of Montana riding trails on horseback. We’ve worked up an appetite riding these wind swept roads – okay, so it was sunny the first days and we actually had to stop and apply sunblock – but I’m setting the scene here.

While we didn’t actually have to catch and saddle our horses, we did get mighty hungry riding along where Lewis and Clark passed before us. When we did finally stop for lunch at a former Elk hunting lodge, we were greeted by a Triple Creek Ranch culinary team lead by Sous Chef Nicholas Kormanik, Chris Koerber, William Hammet, Misty Finks and Ronald Beckwith. This hard working crew had prepared vegetable stew with wild rice and lentils; fresh herb and field greens salad with white truffle dressing;  a charcuterie and cheese platter; San Francisco sourdough bread; spinach and fresh ricotta croissant; asparagus and Dungeness crab quiche; a plum and blue cheese tart with balsamic reduction sauce and fingerling and cauliflower casserole with Chanterelle mushrooms and Gruyere cheese. One of our riders was celebrating a birthday and this repeat guest had a fondness for the vanilla creme brulee…..yes….it was amazing.

New York Strip Steak at Montana's Triple Creek Ranch

Dinners at Triple Creek Ranch

Probably the most difficult part of my day at Triple Creek Ranch was deciding on a dinner selection. Will it be Maple Leaf Farms duck breast with sweet potato puree in a spiced red wine sauce, Broken Arrow Ranch venison loin with braised cabbage, herbs and apple, served alongside a cranberry sauce or perhaps the troll caught coho salmon with Basmati rice in a Tomatillo pineapple sauce. What’s a girl to do?

The dessert selection at Triple Creek Ranch caused me even more anxiety. Banana walnut cake with vanilla anglaise sounded fabulous; on the other hand, so did the warm apple crepes with house-made apple cider sorbet. When all else fails, stop by the cookie jar downstairs in the main lodge and sample the cookie of the day!  P.S. Triple Creek is happy to accommodate dietary restrictions with advance notice. Needless to say, you will not go hungry at the Triple Creek Ranch – a luxurious Montana hideaway!

If You Go:

Triple Creek Ranch (406) 821-4600 or (800) 654-2943

5551 West Fork Road
Darby, Montana 96753

Follow Triple Creek Ranch on Twitter and follow Travel Expert Nancy D. Brown on Twitter for insider travel tips. I was a guest of Triple Creek Ranch.

Article written by and photos courtesy of  Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip, Travels from Northern California.