Wilson Ranches Retreat Bed and Breakfast Sign

First of all: There are no locks at Wilson Ranches Retreat. At least not on the guest bedrooms. And, while I think they exist on the front and back doors, there seems to be no reason to employ them. On the back deck, bobble-headed ceramic owls with yellow eyes do all the spooking that needs to be done.   Along the slopes behind the house, a large herd of black and brown cattle graze. Calves frolic in the stream cutting through the bright green floor of the valley. And the sky is lit from chalk blue to near black as the weather rolls between sunny and sleeting. 

Second of all: This is serious dude country. The owners’ son scooted over to the Bed and Breakfast at 6:00 AM to ready our breakfast in starched Wranglers and striped button-up. The official story for his cooking in place of his folks was that his parents were needed in Portland, but I am guessing his father was pretty wiped out still from the “calving” over the past few weeks. Apparently, he stays up all night with the cows as they give birth. For a city slicker such as myself, that sounds exhausting.

The herd at Wilson Ranches.

Additionally, the other guests (long-time friends of the owners) showed me photographs of a cougar, splayed out triumphantly on the driveway of another rancher. One less big kitty to disturb the herd. I learned that if you do find yourself in possession of a puma carcass, your one responsibility is to send in a tooth for age verification. Fascinating.

Bobble-headed ceramic owl on the back deck.

Third of all: Grandmother’s biscuit recipe puts all other recipes to shame. Light, fluffy, perfectly browned on the outside and flakey on the inside. Our chef noted to another guest that he only uses his grandmother’s recipe. Good move, cowboy. No need to mess with a good thing. The rest of the breakfast included scrambled eggs, “porridge” also known as oatmeal with “the fixin’s” (brown sugar, pecans, cranberries and raisins), fried ham slices, and homemade jam. It was decent, but those biscuits stole my heart.

And, because, fourth of all: Fossil is a ridiculously friendly place, the other guests found me a ziplock bag to take the leftover biscuits home.

Tags: bed and breakfast, biscuit, breakfast, fossil, owl, porridge, ranch, wilson ranches retreat