What is it about a western movie that is so appealing and heartening? Is it watching the chivalrous cowboy defeat the malicious villain? Or is it simply the fact that we enjoy a great film without a million dollars worth of digital effects? Whatever the reason may be for enjoying a Western movie, you cannot help but watch and have a special connection to the characters, plot, and historical representation.

Hundreds of Westerns have been produced since the genre’s inception in the early 1900s, making it hard to pick just one favorite movie. The motion picture that comes to mind as a favorite is “City Slickers.” In the movie a group of city boys travel to a ranch to participate in a cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado as a way to escape their life troubles and dilemmas. Sprinkled with comedic relief, the friends are tested throughout the cattle drive with the birth of a calf, the death of a friend, and a fight against Mother Nature’s fury. In the end, the “city slickers” exemplify the essence of what it is to be a cowboy and appreciate the Code of the West. I believe the movie is best encapsulated by a quote from John Wayne, “courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”

I appreciate the movie “City Slickers” for a variety of reasons but the foremost is pride. Watching the city boys understand the ways of the West reminds me of the sense of pride I embody when an individual is exposed to rodeos, ranching, and the Western lifestyle for the first time. It is a reminder of how blessed and fortunate I am to be part of such a magnificent, unostentatious, and humble community and family.

I hope y’all are having a wonderful 2014 and we look forward to seeing you in our future travels. Until then … Let’er Buck!

Jackie