Hoofing It Up at 70 by Deborah Paul
Hoofing It Up at 70
by Deborah Paul
Since we couldn’t plan a big 70th birthday backyard bash without getting the electricity and water turned off, my husband Jim and I decided to do something really different. Once a well-kept secret, The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort located in Solvang, CA in the San Ynez valley, is a high-end destination for families, couples or individuals with plenty of down-home activities. Included in various packages are gourmet dining, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, hiking, archery, tennis, games, spa treatments, animal husbandry lectures for the kids, swimming, canoeing, wine tasting, or just plain finding a quiet place to read a book.
The 11,500-acre working cattle ranch has been owned by the Charles Pete Jackson Jr. family since 1941. The ranch gradually opened up in 1946 when the owners refurbished the cattlemen’s quarters into guest rooms for visitors. My husband Jim and I had two reasons for going to the Alisal. One, to spend time amidst stunning views and revive our inner cowboy and cowgirl. And two, to celebrate my 70th birthday by getting back on a horse to prove to my foreboding self, time heals all wounds -- in my case, a hip and couple of knee replacements a few years ago.
Debbie Zeligson from La Jolla said she didn’t know what to expect from the Alisal. Her and her friend Merrit from San Diego said they both golfed, rode horses, went to the lake and used the pool. For them, the trip was also a break from a constant stream of bad news.
“The Alisal is way more fun than I thought,” Zeligson said during a Breakfast Ride up to the ranches historical Alisal Adobe. “There’s something for everyone here.” It’s true. Visiting the Alisal really is a treat. Large oak and sycamore trees, dripping with Spanish moss that brush your shoulders when you ride by on a horse, are everywhere. A 100-acre lake provides the backdrop for fabulous photos, but a horseback ride along the shores or shuttle ride down the boat dock to fish is a good place for soul searching or lazing around in chase loungers.
Packages and specials range from about $650 per night for a special including breakfast and dinner, a trail horseback ride, golf, fishing, a $50 nightly ranch credit and an in-room welcome amenity. But if you are feeling generous to yourself or significant other you can book one of the signature packages like the 3-night, 4-day “Unbridled Retreat” for $6,828 double occupancy.
The Retreat package includes a suite accommodation, useful (not gimmicky) room amenities, breakfast, lunch dinner and hosted beverages, the popular Breakfast Ride on a hay wagon to the historic Alisal Adobe, two full days of horse encounters including equine coaching and trail rides. There’s also cowboy poetry, music and story telling throughout the days and evenings.
Everyone I talked with including cowgirls, animal caretakers, wranglers, wait staff, housekeepers, and cooks love working and maintaining the spirit of the Old West.
Because of COVID restrictions, a huge tent, sparkly lights and table clothes are currently set up outside while the evening tradition of dressing up for dinner is temporarily excused. And the scrumptious breakfast and dinner fare hasn’t slid an inch in quality or variety.Maria Castillo has worked for the Alisal ranch since 1986 and is currently waiting breakfast and dinner tables.
“There is something special about the Alisal,” Castillo said. “It has a feeling of home. Employees work together like family, not as a corporation, because of the family that owns it.” Front office worker Toni Nichols who lives in nearby Los Olivos has been working at the Alisal for more than two decades. She is a former Rancho Palos Verdes resident and 1964 PV High School graduate. Nichols said the topography and climate reminded her of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. She and her husband drove through the San Ynez Valley one weekend 46 years ago, loved the area so much, they returned five weeks later to stay permanently.
And that’s what Jim and I love about this rustic, but enchanting paragon. Though this is our third trip to The Alisal, it’s always a new adventure because of the folks you meet, the engaging staff, natural beauty of the wide-open land and gentle animals.
On the day of our Breakfast Ride adventure, wrangler Dustin Mackie walked my horse “Phil” up to a handy platform so I could mount up without looking too comical. There was no way I was going to swing up into the saddle like the frisky days with knees of steel and a demeanor of bravado.
Mackie, who feeds, saddles, brushes, shoes, bathes his charges, leads the trail rides and more, said the easiest part of his job was working with the horses. Conscious of not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings, he added the hardest part is communicating with variety of guest personalities since everyone has their own level of riding or way of doing things.
Phil, my handsome brown Morgan, was extra tender as he picked his way up tricky gradients and controlled his gait going down steep trails on the way to and from the Breakfast Adobe. He knew what to do better than I did. Further, Mackie earned his wages that day as he three other gentlemen wranglers helped me off Phil after the ride. My titanium right knee locked up and wouldn’t swing over Phil’s back so I could slide off gracefully. I was so grateful for their valorous help, it would take a lot more than an entertaining dismount to discourage me from riding, again.
This was one of the best birthdays, ever. To add to the fun, some of my best buds drove out from Palos Verdes and Torrance for the day to celebrate my breakfast lunch at the Alisal River Grill. When you are surrounded with the love of a good husband, family and friends, turning 70 isn’t so bad. Especially when you can return to a beautiful place like The Alisal, where something as sweet as a singing cowboy can remind you how young at heart you really are.
The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort
1054 Alisal Road
Solvang CA 93463
800-425-4725
Deborah Paul has played with ink since she was able to read and write. At 19, after two years of college, she left St. Louis to fly for American Airlines, and later enjoyed a long career with Flying Tiger Lines in many capacities, including flying military and their dependents all over the world as a flight attendant. Paul returned to university in the 1990s earning a journalism degree from Cal State University Dominguez Hills and was eventually hired as a newspaper reporter for the South Bay Weekly section of the Los Angeles Times. A decade later she worked for Orange Coast Magazine as their Charitable Events editor. She also taught journalism and was advisor to the campus newspaper at CSUDH and still contributes as a regular stringer for Peninsula News on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Currently, she has self-published four-of-five children's books in her ballad series. Her poetic fictional stories are inspired by real people who have left an indelible mark on the quiet display of simple human kindness. She resides in Rancho Palos Verdes married to Jim, her husband of many adventures.