Work and Hospitality on the Range

Story and Photos by Brian Parry

In the summer of 2019, I spent a week with my friends Jim and Jacque Moreno and their family on a beautiful 122-acre ranch near Culdesac. During my visit, it became clear I wasn’t much of a ranch hand—more like a tenderfoot. Jim and his family had moved to the ranch about two years earlier. This was my first visit. He lured me there with promises of fishing, hiking, and a Snake River rafting trip.

I did not experience much fishing, hiking and rafting, but what I did experience was more valuable: hard work and an abundance of friendly people. Jim had warned me we’d be doing ranch work, and that it was hard and the days were long. Still, I didn’t know what I was in for. I grew up near New York City and have spent the last fifty years in suburban California. For me, hard work is cutting my lawn on Saturday.

Before my visit, Jim, a retired law enforcement officer, and Jacque, a registered nurse, told me about the people in Idaho. They raved about how friendly and helpful they are. Jim referred to their authenticity as “the Idaho way.” I was about to experience firsthand exactly what they were talking about.