Bluffton Barn in Bluffton

I stayed here on 7/27, 8/2, and 8/4/21.

My ‘master’ plan was to find a safe place to park my vehicle and do an out-and-back on the Katy, essentially doing it twice. I picked Bluffton Barn because it was near the middle (in case I’d bitten off more than I could chew in the heat), and I was looking for a good place to park the vehicle with a reasonable place to camp and clean up after a long day. As for the trip itself, I was mainly looking to just ride, sweat, and ponder.

This worked out extraordinarily well! Not only was Doug very accommodating, he took great care of me. With all the trail work and reroutes due to the flooding damage in July, he called to give me updates, and I’m sure he would have lent a hand if I’d gotten stuck.

As it turns out, the evenings at Bluffton Barn were a real treat. Doug is an attentive host and a great conversationalist. We talked long into the evening all three nights. Spot and Freckles were fine company as well, with Freckles slowly warming up to me.

So I was able to do the Katy (twice) in the heat, and clear my head as I had hoped. But then Doug helped me fill my head with philosophical fodder and a new appreciation for the goodness in people. Like his black powder rifles, once you clear the barrel, you need to reload carefully and in the right order!

On a recent trip to Hawai’i, my wife and I saw a quote carved into a bench, “Unplanned turns taken, often lead to the most unexpected, wonderful places." My turn was kinda planned, but it did lead to a most unexpected, wonderful place. Kudos to Bluffton Barn!