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High Park Fire

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.

    • Sundance Trail Dude Ranch & High Park Fire Colorado

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    Wow! So many emails and phone calls! Y’all make us feel very cared for.

    The fire remains at least 25 miles south east of us and on the other side of the river ( a major big protective fire line).

    Our prevailing winds continue to be from the west or northwest, pushing the fire away (and filling Fort Collins with smoke). A wind from the south will push the fire north, but still far west of us. A wind from the east will push the fire far south of us. Our concern is high winds from the south-east; pretty unusual. We are watching closely and we are prepared.

    Staff fire training is complete. We own our own foam system to cover the lodge. We have set up impulse sprinkler systems around defenable buildings as a precaution. The last few beetle killed trees will come down today. All is well, we are prepared. Actually, thanks to Nick, Victor, James and a few others, we have been well prepared for a couple of years now. (We have been expecting this since we moved here – Smoky the bear has caused almost one hundred years of fuels to be left on the ground – Mother Nature is trying to balance out our arrogant foolishness.)

    Neighbors closer to the fire are bringing their horses here. Thanks to Dicky and Christine’s loaning us their 10-horse trailer, we can move all of the horses to Luann’s corrals in Owl Canyon in less than three hours.

    In other words, we are expecting the best, prepared for the worst, and watching closely.

    Now join us in praying for rain.

    And we are starting the summer dude ranch season. Yee-haw!

    Sorry no pictures on this post – have been off buying horses! Have bought 6 new horses in the last two weeks – all are “honeys”! Pictures of Ralph, Dharma, Rio, Guss, Soda-Pop and Gene soon.