Hmmmm…… The weather people call for an October total of 2.9 inches of snow for our area. We got that three weeks ago, and it disappeared the next morning, as October snow should. The aspens still claim October as theirs; time to show off their golden leaves.
HoustonTracy with her horse Gauge
Oops! Wait a minute – we got a good eight more inches last night, and another six inches falling today!
The dogs are delighted! The older horses are playing like foals! The goats are making snow angels and laughing!
And the guests riding in the snow? Just look at their faces…
This Sure Ain't Houston Horse back Riding Y'all!
Tracy (from Houston!) says that riding in the snow is spectacular. I think that Laura (from Cleveland) agrees. Not too sure what Texan Kevin (also from Houston) thinks, but his horse, Jack is a happy fella! At lunch Kevin said it was a great ride…
Cowboy Victor was born and raised up here – he’s just cold!
Mountain lodge cowboy Victor horseback riding his trusty steed, Trigger!
So now it’s official.
It’s fall. now we’re ready for Halloween!
Trick or treat!!!
First snow-person of the season. Jack! No Jack! No! Ahhhh... naughty dog....
–After successfully keeping momma black bear and her cubs out of the dumpster and the kitchen all summer, Sundance Trail Guest Ranch has been been completely overrun with bears… and mooses*!!
-Take home a bear as a memory of your ranch vacation! Or maybe a Christmas present from your family vacation. Looks like there’s a whole herd of the critters hiding in the gift shop, next to the Jackalopes, water bottles, disc golf Frisbies, and elegant Colorado hand carved bowls.
Bears Hiding in our Dude Ranch Gift Shop
-Our neighbor, Rob, is a chainsaw artist, and he make some of the finest carvings we’ve ever seen!
-Our dude ranch has become a gallery of finished pieces!
-Rob’s work shows the demanding control and precision needed for this unlikely art form.
Itty Bitty Dude Ranch Bear & Kleenex
Big ones, little ones, some holding signs, some holding tables, some just sitting on a table top being cute.
Sundance Trail Guest Ranch Front Porch Greeters!
Most of these are bears, but there are cubs and mooses* as well.
He takes custom orders for wood carvings of any kind; including bears, bear lamps, Eagles, Indians, Cowboys, Santas, pumpkins, …you name it!
Bears Protecting Ranch Dining Room Fireplace
Rob’s prices vary, depending on the size and difficulty of the piece, and whether any museums or fine arts galleries are bidding for the piece.
Colorado Ranch Vacation Hugs 5 cents!
Generally, small bears & mooses*, about a foot tall, start at $35 or so.
If you have something special in mind, please feel free to email the ranch and Rob can give you a quote.
Also, Rob said he’s open to demonstrating his art here at the guest ranch if you have a group that would like to watch & learn more.
Trail riding on Annie is a great adventure vacation!
Annie (with John) loves to lead every Trail Ride at our Guest Ranch
She has a very fast walk, which some riders enjoy, and which intimidates some anxious riders. She has very sensitive sides. Annie loves to run! The whole forest is her dude ranch!!!
She has never bucked, spun, reared or tried to unseat her rider. But she has a mind of her own, and does not immediately automatically follow her riders’ cues. She likes to be in charge, but will gladly follow a confident rider, after that rider has established her/his horse back riding authority.
Annie is excellent on trails – never spooks. Likes to lead every trail ride.
Timid riders who need a “push-button” horse would not enjoy her.
A wrangler favorite. Annie also LOVES water. When allowed, she will swim in our mountain lodge pond with the ducks (and her tack, and her rider…!). She also enjoys putting both front feet in the water troughs and kicking out all the water – just for fun!
Annie - cutest lady in the horseback riding world!
Age: 1998
Color & Markings: Buckskin Height: 15 Hands Horse size: Medium QH Rider size: Medium Rider skill: Confident Bit: Padded hack
Guest Ranch Horseback Riding is seldom as intense as Dorothy May Winfield expresses here, but this poem beautifully catches those blissful moments of being “in the zone” with your horse. Thanks, Dorothy (and Stewart!) – please say hello to Scotland for us. We hope to see you again next year!
Mounting my quarter horse, I steel myself for the journey,
A ripple runs through him as my legs gently squeeze his sides,
He moves forward, slowly at first.
I feel his power beneath me,
Flicking the reins he gathers momentum
Faster and faster and faster,
He breathes deeply,
Fire bursts from his flared nostrils.
The plain stretches before us like endless time.
hands pull at my hair, my clothes,
Stripping my mortality.
My heart beats to the rhythm of his hooves.
The ball of fire above, now burns my naked body.
The saddle has gone,
There is nothing between us,
We have become one.
Only my senses are alive,
I am lost, deep within myself.
Our Western Horseback Riding philosophy is on our Riding Horses page.
Elope to a Guest Ranch Vacation: Fast! Fun! Stress free!
Kim and Gale’s Western Dude Ranch Elopement Wedding
Justin: “We’ve gotten old and stodgy. We need some excitement around here. Let’s host elopements! Let’s host gen-u-ine western dude ranch elopement weddings. Ride a horse and tie the knot! ”
Ellen: “Elope to a Colorado dude ranch… Awwww… That’s sooo romantic!”
Dan: [Grumble grumble.] “Keep it simple!”
Justin: “That’s the whole idea! A simple Colorado get-away elopement wedding at a western dude ranch.”
1. Folks don’t need a preacher or justice of the peace to elope. In Colorado, they just need two witnesses to sign the license with them. And getting the license is easy – no blood tests, no waiting time; just ID and $30.” The Larimer County Clerk’s rules are pretty darn simple.
2. We’re only 2 hours from Denver International Airport. Couples can fly in, get their license, marry and be in their honeymoon cabin the same day! Next day half-day horseback rides, all day horseback rides, or maybe just an hour or two and some frisbee golf, or hiking or fishing, or maybe even a jack-a-lope hunt!
3. They can save themselves hassle – their wedding can create a frazzled “bride-zilla” or relaxed cow girl. Instead of endless family arguments, they can enjoy a romantic ranch vacation, a spontaneous elopement wedding and honeymoon. Pull out your hair organizing or sit in the jaccuzzi with a glass of champagne.
4. They can bring guests, or keep it intimate. Heck, they can bring their kids – we can throw in a few family binding ideas. Or they can bring a bunch of friends – I’ll bet Sherri and Joel would throw in a Murder Mystery and make a week-end party!
5. We can put together a handy-dandy Ceremony Planning Guide. They can cut and paste a ceremony from our guide in a matter of minutes, or they can write their own.
7. With our own retail liquor store, folks can enjoy alcohol if they wish: champagne, spirits, wine, beer and sodas.
Gale Helps Kim with Her Last Minute Elopement Wedding Jitters
8. And there’s no reason why married folks can’t elope and renew their vows.
9. Although Colorado does not yet recognize same sex marriage (we do), there’s no reason why we can’t provide these folks with a Certificate instead of a license.
Dan: “Simple rules (and not many of them!), simple ceremonies, simple fun! I like this.”
Ellen: “We’ll make little gift baskets for their rooms, and we can keep silk bouquets, and maybe some other simple keepsakes for couples to take home with them. And I can order petite wedding cakes if they want to celebrate.”
With neighbors like Mae and Charlie, our dude ranch B&B sees lots of mystery murders!
What do Pepi Roni (the pizza magnate), Judge Waylin Payne (of Roadkill, Colorado) and the science fiction author H. G. Wells have in common? Why, they’ve all been murdered right here at our Colorado B&B – dude ranch!
One of our favorite winter time activities is Murder Mystery weekends. Once a month or so, when we have 8 to 12 willing suspects, we find a poor murder victim sprawled out nearby – “deader than a doornail.” Murdered, and often with the first clue nearby.
Murder on the Dude Ranch?
Who did it? Helena Handcart? Charley Chaplin? Tiny Bubbles? Father Alfredo?
Our guests then spend the weekend, between meals and horse back riding, untangling each others’ half-truths. evasions and high jinks. The games are designed for participants who are willing to take a whimsical view of blackmail, larceny, deceit, and murder.
Those of you who are offended by such high-jinks as shady dealings, sordid affairs, and deceptive conduct should not book reservations for these weekends! If you do book, plan on some laughter!
We love hosting these games. Imagine, people come to spend a B&B week-end with us: They exercise our dude ranch horses, they make us laugh like crazy for the weekend, and then they pay us money! What a life!
Agatha Christie, baffled by this Bed & Breakfast mystery murder, consoles herself..
We have games scheduled the weekends of:
November 11th Sorry! Fully booked!
December 9th
December 31st New years!
January 13th
February 24th
We can also schedule a game for any time that you might have 8 – 12 people who want to spend the week-end together and play (before dude ranch season begins in mid-May) – birthday party or maybe just get away with some friends!
Give us a call (970-224-1222) and we can tell you all about Bed and Breakfast murder in Red Feather Lakes.
