Peace Valley Ranch, north of Shelbourne, offers three Rawhide Adventure packages for city-dwelling families who want to experience a taste of ranch life. -- Photo courtesy of Peace Valley Ranch

About 100 km northwest of Toronto, the massive hills of Mulmur Township remind me of the Alberta foothills, with little clear streams running down to the Pine River which eventually drains into the Nottawasaga River and Georgian Bay.

Here, in a scenic setting, a tall, rangy cowboy named Carl Cosack runs what he believes is the last horse-operated western-style cattle ranch in Ontario. He makes his living in three ways:

- By raising an average of 400 grass-fed Black Angus cows on 445 hectares with the help of 25 horses.

- By providing what he calls Rawhide Adventures to city dwellers who want to experience a taste of ranch life.

- By selling, at the ranch, 9-kg and 18-kg packs of his own ranch-raised beef at prices he says are 30% lower than retail.

For a spring outing I can suggest a drive through Shelburne, Reddickville and Honeywood to Peace Valley Ranch. You can have a look around, perhaps buy a little beef and maybe book a Rawhide Adventure for your family or a group of friends.

Carl, who came to Canada from Germany at an early age, was educated in Etobicoke, attended an agricultural college and worked for two years on a B.C. ranch.

He now offers rawhide adventures in three packages.

For beginners who have probably never been on a horse, Cowboys Up is a two-hour morning expedition to explore part of the sprawling ranch, ending with lunch in the Saloon, a big pine-panelled stove-heated ranch house room. The cost is $100 per person. You come dressed in jeans and sturdy footwear. Carl loans you an outback coat and a riding helmet that looks like a cowboy hat. He says two hours on horseback is more than enough for most novice riders.

Next-longest ride is the Wranglers Day, a four-hour jaunt in which you help move herds of cows -- the horses show you how it's done. This ends with a BBQ steak dinner in the Saloon. Cost is $135 per person for four or more.

The ultimate adventure is Range Riders Night, from noon to noon. With at least one professional rider for every four persons, you start after lunch and ride all afternoon, moving cattle, finding and setting up a camp site, looking after your horse, cooking outdoors and sleeping in a tent or under the stars -- the choice is up to you. This is priced at $200 a person for four or more.

Many families book outings to celebrate special events. Carl, by the way, is looking for an old-fashioned chuck wagon with cooking equipment. Please call him if you hear of one for sale.

I met some of the horses who work the ranch: Gentle, intelligent and professional, every one. Some are especially expert at calming nervous novice riders and all seem to like being around people. While I was talking to Carl, one mare slipped her nose into my jacket pocket, hoping to find a stray candy or bit of cookie.

For riding expeditions you should book well ahead. Call 519-938-1567. The website is rawhide-adventures.on.ca.

CORRECTION

In my April 19 column, I erroneously stated that HMCS Haida is Canada's only surviving warship from WWII. Peter Mansfield has e-mailed that a corvette, HMCS Sackville is alive and open to the public in Halifax harbour. My apologies to Sackville and to readers -- and thanks to Peter Mansfield.