CODY, Wyo. - Just off the beaten path, but only a few miles from the middle of Cody, Wyo., you will find the K3 Guest Ranch.
And a busy Jerry Kinkade.
He bought the property at the foot of the Rockies back in 1981. It looked a lot different back then.
“It was just a piece of junk land, sagebrush and washed-out fields, uneven ground. I started landscaping. It took me forever to get it done but I got her as you can see,” he says.
He made the decision to turn it into a bed and breakfast about 16 years ago.
“Taxes were going up, and I thought, how can I pay the taxes? So, I figured there ought to be enough crazy people to help me pay the taxes, so I opened it up as a bed and breakfast. And I’ve been sorry ever since,” he jokes. “No, we have had a ball.”
It’s a place that Jerry has put his unique touch on and his love for the Old West.
“I tell you what, I meet some really neat people,” he says.
Some of the rooms have ranch wagons inside that have been turned into beds. You can even stay in a 100-year-plus-old sheepherders wagon outfitted with modern amenities such as air conditioning.
It’s all designed with a western flare and adorned in Western art, some made by Jerry and his children.
“I have to admit they have got my talent because I don’t have any talent left,” he laughs.
Jerry grew up in Cody. His father was the city’s police chief and later became sheriff.
His mother lived to be 104. He undoubtedly owes some of his longevity and sense of humor to her.
Along with running the guest ranch, Jerry has plenty of other things he still stays busy with, including his animals, a couple of trick horses, a donkey, and some new additions among them.
“The year I decided I needed something that the guests would really get a kick out of, and I bought five miniature goats, and they are a scream. One of them had twins the other day so I’m a grandfather of twins,” he says.
Jerry will be 89 next month and plans to keep working for a while.
“Oh, until I die probably, maybe a little longer than that,” he smiles.
Click here to learn more about the K3 Guest Ranch.
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