adventure vacation

Dude Ranch Never Ending Summer – Doncha Wish! August 2014

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Dude Ranch Cowboy and His Horse
A Cowboy and His Horse

 

I have some bad news,
and some good news.

The bad news:
September is right around the corner, and the summer of 2014 is soon to be a memory.

And some good news:
There is still time to book an incredible week of dude ranch living with us in August and September.

Ask us about a 20% discount for the month of August!

small2011-02-08 241
Pepper Loves Being Painted Pretty, and Taking a Bath with Her Cowgirl!

This is also a great time to thank our guests for  the wonderful reviews they’ve shared on  TripAdvisor!

The base rates can be found at     https://www.sundancetrail.com/rates
– be sure to subtract 20% for August!

And please don’t hesitate to call or text any time.
970-224-1222

If we’re out on horses, we’ll call you back the    minute we are back inside.

You can start booking your reservation at  https://www.sundancetrail.com/contact- us/guest-ranch-reservations

Dude_Ranch_Sundance_Trail_NamelessFilly_20130412

Colorado Dude Ranch: Hello’s and Good Byes

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New Arrivals and Sad-Joyful Departing’s

Hello Nameless Filly!

Welcome! One day old!
dude ranch mommy horse
Jazzy is now pretty thanks to Justin

Last summer, Justin rescued a very skinny and remarkably ugly little gray mare named Jazzy.

Under his skillful watch, Jazzy blossomed into a fat and loving all-around children’s horse  –  a favorite!

dude ranch spring baby
Filly, age 10 days

In March, Jazzy started looking “funny.” You know, this big bulgy

dude ranch mom and baby
Mom & Baby taking a walk while their shed is getting housekeeping

tummy started sticking out. Not worms, not

melanoma, not too much beer. The obstetrical experts (Justin and Ellen) examined her to find…. a kick! ANOTHER kick! A BABY!

Little nameless filly was born April 12th. Then it snowed, and snowed and its still snowing! So the tractor shed was renovated into the mom and baby nursery, where they are both doing quite nicely, thank you!

Baby is now old enough that she will approach us and allow us to hold her head and pet and generally love on her.

Justin: Best Wishes on your New Dude Ranch Adventure!

Due Ranch Barn Manager Justin
Due Ranch Barn Manager Justin

Sad for us, a

Great and Joyful Adventure for You!

Although he told us: “I have a dream that when I grow up I will be the CEO of Wal-Mart or NASCAR,”  it came as no surprise when Justin told us that he is buying his own dude ranch.

He’s a cowboy through and through, and it will be heart warming to watch his dreams grow and unfold.

On the secret staff Page, Justin introduced himself to his staff with these words:

Hello there my future minions… So Justin Ripley here (Believe It Or Not) I am your Barn Manager but I do anything and everything needed on the ranch. I have a dream that when I grow up I will be the CEO of Wal-Mart or NASCAR until then I am just playing..

I am from Indiana, a Vet Tech, horse trainer, and former Military. I needed a break from the real world so I moved to Colorado a few years ago to follow my childhood dream of working on a dude ranch for a summer. Ends up I refused to leave so I took over managing the ranch for awhile. Then I was off to AZ to play with the rattle snakes and cactus at another ranch. I would not recommend taking up Rattle Snake Charming anytime soon.

Guest Ranch Barn Boss!
Boss!

Dan and Ellen decided to rescue me from a horrible death from snake bite.. I have been at Sundance since Nov 2010 and have fallen under its spell.

And now the spell of his own place!  Yee-haw! Here are his websites:

http://www.1880sguestranch.com/

https://www.facebook.com/RbarSminiatures?fref=ts

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-cowboys-dream-the-1880-s-guest-ranch

Justin & Cyril dancing
Justin & Cyril dancing
Dude Ranch Justin Graduation
Dude Ranch Justin Square Dance Graduation

Justin is now working on fleshing out his Business Plan, Balance Sheets,  PPM Offer and all that other fun stuff.

Not sure if Ellen’s “town job” gives us enough income to invest, but we sure do plan on being customers. We can’t wait for the opportunity to visit. Yes, dude ranchers tend to vacation at dude ranches! And summer in Montana is beautiful; both weeks!

Happy trails, Justin. We welcome you into the neighborhood of dude ranchers and wish you all the happiness in the world.

Happy Trails

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.

Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smilin’ until then.

Who cares about the clouds when we’ere together?
Just sing a song, and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you,
Til we meet again.

Colorado Dude Ranch 2012 Discounts

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Cooling off in the pond: Sundance Trail Guest Ranch
Hot where you are? Dani & Alex & Montee cooling off in the Sundance Trail pond.

We are actively booking the 2013 season,
but there are still some rooms available the weeks of
7/15/12
7/22/12
8/5/12
8/26/12 and
9/2/12 (Adult Only week)
and we are offering deep discounts!

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to call us at 970-224-1222.

Colorado Dude Ranch: Sundance Trail & High Park Fire

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Goodbye, Daphne Duck! Rest in Peace, High Park Fire. You are now just an Adventure Vacation chapter in our Colorado Dude Ranch History!

colorado dude ranch horse smoke
We still have Smoke (a very old horse), but no fire!

Joy and Gratitude!

  • So many folks have called or emailed – we are deeply moved by your friendship and concern. Thank You! Feel free to reply below.
  • The High Park fire is no longer news. More than half of the fire fighters (and TV vans) have all moved on to other parts of the state, with our prayers and gratitude.
  • The fire met the containment perimeter cut by fire fighters and stopped dead in its tracks, miles from here.
  • It stopped growing about three days ago.
  • And then a bit of rain cooled it off. Remaining fire fighters are mopping up.
  • Yesterday almost all of the evacuees went home.

    dude ranch fire 6/10/12
    In the beginning.... Pyro-cumulus clouds, about 27 miles from here, June 10th, 7:30pm
  • Our ranch family is now smaller by five humans, five dogs, four cats, two horses, and a very awesome DUCK.
  • Gary, Carol, Jeanie, Penny & Ron, we are so glad to have gotten to know you better! You are no longer good neighbors, now you are dear dear friends.
  • For the dude ranch, very little changed.
  • Sundance Trail continued on with our guest ranch life, always watching closely and fully prepared with fuels mitigation, sprinkler and foam throwing systems (& a few miles of
    Dude Ranch Duck
    Daphne the Dude Ranch Duck!

    hoses!), strengthening defensible space, staff training, evacuation plans, back-up vacations with neighbor ranches for guests, safe pasture for horses…. and, of course, groceries!

  • We have been preparing for this for more than 5 years, since long before the beetle kill adventure began.
  • Thanks Dave, for getting us started with those Colorado Forestry Service fuels mitigation grants so many years ago! And thanks to our friends and neighbors who were there for us; Dickie & Christine, Luann, Jim Beck, LeAndra, Patti & Dennis.
  • A HUGE big thanks to our Glacier View Fire Department and Greg and Andrea. You folks left your homes, livestock and businesses to lead the crews to protect our homes. We are grateful to you and will not soon forget your generosity and dedication.
  • We’d love to hear from you! Send us a reply here.

    • Dude Ranch Disc Golf: Wright Life’s Grateful Disc Tourney

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    Colorado Dude Ranch: The Thirty-fifth Annual Grateful Disc!

    Dude Ranch Disc Golf in the Rocks
    A Few Rocks! See the basket in the rocks?

    Disc golf at our dude ranch can be quite a family adventure!

    This is the 35th Annual Grateful Disc Festival.

    Yee-haw!

    And a few dude ranch trees
    And a few trees… Can you see the basket just on the other side of the trees?

    For the first time in all these years, we have beautiful weather .

    Yes, most years we have snow and sleet and freezing rain.

    No one is complaining!

    Here are a few shots from the morning round.

    Sorry, Evan, this makes your butt look big
    Sorry, Evan, this picture makes your butt look big…

    One of our fearless leader hosts, Evan. Thank you Evan!

    For more info about disc golf in Red Feather Lakes, take a peek at our (oops… outdated) Dude Ranch Disc Golf webpage.

    If you are new to disc golf, visit our First Time Here Disc Golf page.

    disc golf at the dude ranch
    Oh that sweet sound! Colorado Dude Ranch Disc Golf

    For Dude Ranch Maps and Directions.

    A hugs big thank you to Evan and Bill from Wright Life.

    dude ranch dog
    Poor Tess, the dude ranch retriever, does not get to bring back any discs…

    For information about this summer’sGrateful Disc Dude Ranch 2011, July 7th and 8th, call Evan at 970-980-1148.

    We’ll post more pictures next week in our Dude Ranch Photo Album.

    10 Common Questions People Ask Our Dude Ranch

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    1. Do you have a less-than-a-full-week stay?
    Answer: Yes! We offer a four-day, three-night family vacation:

    • Sunday afternoon through some-time Wednesday OR
    • Wednesday afternoon through Saturday afternoon.

    Details in the “4 Day/ 3 Night Prices Section” of the Summer Rates Page.

    2. How is the shorter stay different?

    Answer: Our riding program is NOT nose-to-tail! It is based on a “curriculum” of learning objectives based on the level of skill you bring with you.

    • If  Sunday afternoon through Wednesday sometime. You follow the same riding schedule as the full-week guests.
    • If Wednesday through Saturday, you have your own wrangler who will start you with the first learning objectives (depending on your skill) and build from there.

    3. What type of riding is available? How are you different?

    Answer: First, this is not a nose-to-tail riding program!. Our program is small enough to accommodate both proficient riders, and beginners. We are one of the smallest ranches in Colorado, and we enjoy being flexible in our programs and teaching.

    Those who enjoy sight-seeing at a walk can; and those who want the faster jogs and lopes can too!

    Our program uses a series of six steps to bring beginners from the ground up, starting with basic Dude Ranch Western Riding and ground manners. These steps are based on principles of Western Riding taught by the American Association of Horsemanship Safety and the Dude Ranchers Association Wrangler Safety  programs. More details on our Riding and What Makes Us Different pages.

    4. How often?

    Answer: Every day but Sunday (Horses’ Sabbath)!

    • Monday both AM & PM
    • Tuesday AM (or Rock Climbing) and PM
    • Wednesday All day ride or two shorter rides AM & PM
    • Thursday white water rafting or AM ride for shorter stay folks
    • Friday All day ride or two shorter rides AM and PM
    • Saturday AM Gymkana (Ranch Rodeo!) and swim with horses in the pond.

    5. Are there fast rides? Long rides? Family rides?  Separate kids rides?

    Answer: Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

    Massage? Jacuzzi?

    Yes! Yes!

    6. What type of terrain is the riding in (mountains, meadows, rocky, flat, etc)?

    Answer: We are in the Rocky Mountains. Although we have lots of meadows where we can jog and lope horses, much of our trail in the Roosevelt National Forest involves some climbing and descending.

    7. What is there to do?
    Answer: The list of activities is long!

    • Shooting: rifles, black powder, & shotgun trap (with safety instruction)
    • Rock climbing, belaying, and rappeling lessons
    • Fun Fishing in nearby lakes for trout
    • Serious Fly Fishing on nearby “Wild and Scenic” river
    • Hiking
    • World Class Disc Golf
    • Private Riding lessons and Coaching
    • Tomahawk Throwing
    • Archery
    • Horse Shoes
    • Pool Table
    • Fooseball
    • Mountain Biking
    • Adventurous side trips
    • Jacuzzi
    • Professional Massage
    • and, of course, the hammocks…

    Evening Activities include:

    • Sunday Evening guided hikes
    • Monday Square Dancing Lessons
    • Tuesday Evening Kids’ Night Out at the Campfire and Tipi, & Adults’ Quiet Candle Light Supper.
    • Wednesday Campfires with Cowboy Singers
    • Friday Campfires with Cowboy Poetry

    Summer Schedule of Weekly Activities

    8. What is there to do nearby?

    • Answer: Visit the Laramie Territorial Prison, where Butch Cassidy lived for a while in the late 1800’s.
    • Visit Rocky Mountain National Park and say hello to the elk.
    • Visit the village of Red Feather Lakes
    • Visit the Great Stupa of Darmakaya
    • Visit Old Town Fort Collins (a few hundred unique shops, galleries, brew pubs, tea houses, restaurants, a VERY cool toy store, and Ben & Jerry’s)

    9. What’s new?
    Disc golf course is known for being knarley! (Nice word for nasty!!!)
    Obstacle course — we’re designing now. Should have up by the end of May.

    10. How do I check availability?

    Easy – just call or text us! 970-224-1222

    More questions? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.

    Summer Vacation Plans Made? Time to Make Reservations!

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    Dude Ranch Vacation Events near the Sundance Trail Guest Ranch

    Lots of great summer family adventure vacation opportunities coming up this summer. Here’s just four:

    #1 Greeley Stampede June 22–July 4, 2012

    Colorado Dude Ranch Rodeo
    Rodeo Events at Sundance Trail Guest Ranch

    Dust off your cowboy boots for one of Colorado’s largest summer festivals and rodeos. Dating back to the 1800s, Greeley’s Fourth of July celebration puts the “Yeehaw!” in Colorado’s western culture. Justin Moore, Credence Clearwater Revisited, Montgomery Gentry and Luke Bryan will headline this year’s Stampede.
    greeleystampede.org

    #2 Colorado Brewers’ Festival June 23–24, 2012

    If you’ve tasted a Colorado-brewed beer, then you know why Colorado Brewers’ Festival is wildly popular. 30 Colorado breweries, showcasing more than 60 cold and fresh handcrafted beers, fill Fort Collins’ historic downtown. Summer has never been more refreshing than at this beer-lover’s paradise.
    downtownfortcollins.com

    #3 Cheyenne Frontier Days July 20-29

    Summer family adventure vacation
    Thanks David Hobby!

    Cheyenne’s world-class rodeo is truly the Daddy of ’em All. Known for its fast pace and large number of contestants, the CFD rodeo ensures that visitors see more rodeo action (over 40 bulls and 70 saddle and bareback broncs daily) than they can see at any other rodeo. Every event is performed in each of the nine daily performances, so any day at Cheyenne Frontier Days is a good day to see an exciting, action-packed
    rodeo.http://www.cfdrodeo.com/

    guest ranch family adventure vacation
    Family Time -- Roman's Gang

    #4 Larimer County Fair & Rodeo August 3 – 7th

    The Ranch 5280 Arena Circle Loveland, CO Mary Starck, 5280 Arena Circle, Ste 100, Loveland, CO 80538 mstarck@larimer.org (970) 619-4009 Aug. 3-5
    www.larimercountyfair.org

    Dude Ranch Horse Leo Has Retired

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    Ever Wonder Where Our Colorado Ranch Vacation Horses Retire?

    Dude ranch wrangler in 5 years! Yee-Haw!
    Matt & Leo -- Horseback Riding
    Hello Sundance Trail Guest Ranch,

    I talked to Justin the other day and thought that you might want to see a couple of pictures of Leo.

    He and Matthew have really bonded and spend most weekends riding around in the pasture.

    They are the perfect match, and Leo seems to enjoy getting out and seeing his new surroundings.

    Matthew can’t wait until summer so that we can take Leo with us on a few trail rides.

    Katie

    Dude ranch cowboy and his horse
    Matt & Leo -- Horseback Riding Friends

    Pet Friendly Colorado Dude Ranch Vacations

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    guest ranch vacation dog
    Me! Waiting to greet you!

    You Dogs and Horses are welcome here! You can be part of your family’s adventure vacation!

    Hi! I’m Jack-jack, the official Sundance Trail Guest Ranch Dog. My job is to be so happy I can barely stand it!

    Also, I lead some special “dog-only” activities like

    • chasing the cats and the goats (when they want to play too, otherwise they just sit there);
    • sometimes taking naps with the kittens:
    • playing with kids!;
    • sniffing noses with the miniature horses (who are only about 30 inches tall and weigh the same as me!);
    • NOT chasing the big horses (unless you want to get kicked!);
    • checking EVERY tree and, well, you know…!

      KIds and dogs on the dude ranch!
      RJ, Me & Annie
    Ranch Vacation Baby-sitter!
    Baby-sitting

    I just talked with a couple of dogs who asked about our dog and horse “culture.” Here’s what two people thought: Dude Ranch Delight – Dog Friendly Guest Ranches, Bark Magazine, July/Aug 2009 and Pet Friendly in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, The Pet Gazette, May/June 2006.

    A Ranch Adventure Vacation – May Trail Maintenance

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    Spring Trail Maintenance – Dude Ranch Work Vacation

    guest ranch spring chores
    Spring is here! Time to groom trails! Yee-haw!

    By popular demand! A new get-away idea! May 13 to May 19

    So, if you want to get away from

    • the telephone ringing,
    • the traffic,
    • the TV commercials every six minutes

    And you think that celebrating spring might include

    • hauling logs,
    • carrying buckets of dirt up steep climbs

      guest ranch barn and fencing
      Posts for fencing and barn - what fun!
    • setting fence posts and
    • a few hours of riding horses every day for a week?

    May 13 is our spring trail maintenance week, and you are invited to join us!

    guest ranch horses running
    Who left the corral gate open???

    We will have 12  – 15 new horses joining our herd, and they will need lots and lots of riding to get into shape for the summer.

    Our trails will also need lots of attention (that is, lots of sweat and dirt!). Areas of erosion will be repaired, dead  trees that may compromise safety will need to be removed, water bars built, and just maybe we will build a small barn.

    spring guest ranch trail maintenance
    Lot's of trails to clean up
    • Hard physical labor and
    • Lots of dirt.
    • No texting,
    • No cell phones,
    • No TV
    • and very limited internet available.

    A break from civilization!

    If this sounds like fun, visit our Dude Ranch Specials Page or call the ranch (970-224-1222) for more details.

    BTW, summer is booking now. If you are planning to join us this year, you might want to call soon!

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