By Alexi Holian
Contributing Writer
The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in Solvang has drawn guests for generations with its 10,000 acres of sunlit hills, majestic valleys, and authentic experiences from backcountry horseback riding to acclaimed local wine tastings.
At the heart of it all is tradition, and for one family, that tradition began 45 years ago.
“I was 10 years old,” said Sandy Gates, reminiscing on her first trip to The Alisal in the summer of 1973. She was then accompanied by her parents, Sarah and Clark Bertrand, and younger brothers, ages 7 and 5, and the summer getaway for the family quickly turned into a beloved annual tradition.
“A lot of it now is the familiarity and the traditions that are there,” she said as she named the friends who have become like family and the activities, like horseback riding, that the group just has to do each year, even after their 45th visit this summer.
“We stay in the same four cabins when we come, and we’ve gotten to know so many families over the years,” she said.
The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort has drawn guests for generations with its 10,000 acres of sunlit hills, majestic valleys, and authentic experiences such as backcountry horseback riding.
Today, seven members of the Bertrand family, including Sandy and her husband Dennis, brothers Mark and Paul, sister-in-law Gina, nephew Nick, and niece Noelle, travel to The Alisal for 10 days in late July and early August. Next year, Sandy’s stepsons and their families will join in for the first time.
Each summer the group is reconnected with the same three or four other families on the first weekend, followed by another seven or eight in the week that follows. “You get to know them so well,” Sandy said. “We’ve all been to each other’s weddings and baby showers.”
They’ve also become close friends with many of The Alisal’s staff members.
“Even after 45 years, there are two people who are still there,” Sandy said of the team members who were around during her family’s first summer. “Dick Silva is a wrangler who has been there the whole time we’ve been going, and Bill Powell is the pianist in The Oak Room” lounge.
To begin their annual stay at the ranch – and each day that follows – the Bertrands and the other families gather in one end of the Ranch Room restaurant before splitting up for activities like horseback riding, boating on the spring-fed Lake Alisal, mountain biking, archery, and bird watching. Then in the late afternoon, everyone gathers by the pool to catch up while swimming and playing games.
“If you want to be active all day, you can do it. If you just want to sit under a tree or on the porch with a book, you can do that too,” she said.
The Bertrands make sure to always spend a day in Santa Ynez, Solvang, or Los Olivos to shop and taste local wines.
They love their games with friends, from the annual game of Trivial Pursuit to tennis tournaments to Alisal bingo, a staple since Sandy’s first summer at the ranch.
The Bertrands and other families gather in the Ranch Room restaurant before splitting up for activities such as horseback riding, boating, fishing, mountain biking, archery and bird watching.
But perhaps the most looked-forward-to is the Saturday morning breakfast ride, which takes early risers to the resort’s Adobe Camp for homemade pancakes.
“A lot of people go horseback riding at different times during our stay,” Sandy said, “but we all make sure everybody goes on the last Saturday for the breakfast ride.”
“I also think that it’s a very romantic setting,” said Sandy, who was engaged to her husband on the Alisal property. (The Bertrands have celebrated many milestones there, from her brother’s engagement to two surprise 50th birthday parties to her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.)
As evening falls, the day ends in the same place it started: the Ranch Room.
Despite the casual nature of daytime adventures on the ranch, the Bertrands wear blazers and evening attire to enjoy one last tradition.
“What we really like is that we still dress for dinner,” Sandy said. “It’s a really nice way to wrap up the day that everybody looks forward to. It makes it special.”
While the stay never feels quite long enough, Sandy and her family always have something to look forward to: The same traditions will be waiting for them next summer.
