In the veneer-paneled dining room of the 1890s ranch house at Bull Run Outfitting & Guest Ranch, C.R. Eisenzimer-the owner of the ranch next door, resident trail guide and builder/rider of a 1400cc Kawasaki hillclimber-was laughing so hard tears were rolling down his cheeks. Vince Siler, the Kentucky-born-and-bred ranch mechanic and carpenter, and Chuck Fitzgerald, the cook, were both doing the same. Bull Run co-owner Joe Tripp was doubled over in his chair, and the other six guests and I were similarly indisposed.
We had just polished off another one of Fitzgerald's feasts; this one began with his smoked-trout corn chowder, followed by grilled New York Strip beef and a fresh garden salad and ended with falling-apart moist brownies.
As we settled our dinners with coffee and conversation, Eisenzimer told us about his dog, a bulldog as solid and gregarious as his owner. While Eisenzimer described how the dog's less-than-polite habits disrupted family gatherings, one of the guests, Johnathon Yanover, started to speak. The quiet half of a couple of guys from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who came to the ranch for a few days of motorcycle riding, Yanover had not yet said much more than, "Pass the salt." His first real contribution was a one-liner about the dog that had the room roaring.
Laughter at the dinner table was a consistent component of our four days at the ranch, as most of the ranch hands sat down with us for always-excellent dinners and entertaining discussions.
The ranch house has been owned by Joe Tripp's business partner and wife Leslie's family since the 1940s, and the Tripps' three children grew up there, much of the time among the guests. The family has since moved to a different ranch house down the road and hired Fitzgerald to do the cooking, but the toy box in the television room and smattering of family pictures intermixed with those of visitors on the wall give the house the comfortable patina of wear and tear from a young family and a steady stream of friends and guests.
"This isn't a resort," Tripp said, "it's a ranch. We want you to feel like part of the family."
The primary draw to Bull Run Guest Ranch is 15,000 acres on and around 6000-foot-high Harris Mountain laced with more than 100 miles of well-marked trails used by horses, off-road motorcycles and ATVs. The Missouri River runs nearby, and the rugged country teems with wildlife. The ranch offers some of the West's best riding, but it's the atmosphere that keeps visitors coming back year after year.
When we arrived at the airport, we were met by one of the many members of the Tripps' adopted family, Dave Womack. Womack is a former small-business owner who is spending semiretirement as a hunting guide and, when the need arises, airport-shuttle driver. After loading our gear into his dusty Ford F-250 4x4, Womack told us about his life and the abundant wildlife found in Montana's mountains as we bounced our way down the rutted gravel road leading to the ranch.
Womack pointed out the front side of Harris Mountain, on which ATV trails are closed in the spring because it's a breeding ground for elk. We spotted circling golden and bald eagles as he described the area's superb trout fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation.
"As long as you like to fish, hunt or ride," he said, "you're never looking for something to do around here."
When we pulled into the ranch, we found Tripp tucked into his log-walled office answering e-mails. He offered his easy grin and a handshake and said he'd be with us in a minute. A former computer consultant and amateur off-road motorcycle racer, the good-natured host has his hands full managing the ranch's multiple businesses. The ranch, like so many others, is involved in a variety of enterprises, including recreation, in a never-ending effort to make ends meet and keep the property in the family.