Best Resort Hotel?

We had a nice mention on a travel blog today. I’m not sure who it was that gave them the info, but we were included amongst a diverse list of resorts and hotels. It’s always fun to be mentioned in write ups that cover more than just a bunch of ranches.

Working at the Ranch

Today is an exciting day. Although we had the guides show up a little early for some extra training last week, the rest of the crew shows up today. We have some great folks returning for their 2nd, 3rd and even 4th seasons, but also some new faces. It’s always exciting to see how everyone gets along and how they take to ranch work.

After getting everyone settled into their housing, we’ll start the orientation week with a welcome dinner tonight. It gives everyone a chance to get to know each other before we start putting them to work tomorrow. 12 days and counting…..

Weekends

There is a big significance to weekends this time of year at Vista Verde. Because we are closed, all of us work (for the most part) Monday-Friday and take weekends off. Why is that significant? First of all, it’s significant because that means that we are all actually at work together 5 days of the week. Not only is that great because we all like each other’s company but also because we get a lot done when we can communicate more frequently! Second, it’s significant because we get just a glimpse of what it’s like to be in a “normal” job. Ok, I know that’s a bit of a stretch as ranch jobs are exactly normal in any sense, but it’s fun to just think we’re normal every now and then.

Once we open for the guest ranch season in 14 days, we get into a rotation so that there are very few days when all of us are working at the same time. It is a bit of a challenge to schedule a staff meeting when everyone has different days off, but we manage to find times here and there to make it work!

With that delightful bit of insight into life at VVR, I’m going to go back to the couch for a few minutes of reading the newspaper before my kiddos wake up from their nap!

Burzy Wurzy

That’s the line we use in my house (for those who don’t know me, I live with a 4 year old) when it’s just that cold out. And all of us at the ranch keep looking at the thermometer in disbelief each morning because it has been THAT cold for 3 days now. Terry claims that his car told him it was -23 yesterday morning. Bill says he would never trust a Jeep and that his “accurate” thermometer said it was -12. Ok folks, when it gets that cold, the difference between -23 and -12 really doesn’t matter. It’s just too darn cold. We can’t figure out what’s going on, but those of us who get to work inside are sure happy with our desk jobs right now.

The upside of this crazy cold weather is that the sky has been sparkling clear at night and blue as can get during the day. Even though we are closer to the sun up here, it still isn’t quite doing the trick as it beams down on us.

Those of you coming later this winter, don’t panic. This isn’t normal and as I write this the sky is beginning to cloud over (which actually means it is warming up) and a storm looks like it is rolling in. So, Wanda and our other snow dancers, start doing your dances! Bring on the snow, that real champagne powder. And we’ll start getting ready for those perfect days of winter when those of us inside are REALLY, REALLY jealous of those who get to go out and play.

15 days to go…

I missed the moon shot last night…. but the manager dinner was great. It’s pretty rare that we all have a chance to get together socially which is too bad since it’s such a great group of people. The talk about work was limited and we got to just laugh and have fun together.

I opened my computer this morning to an email from one of the families coming for the holidays, telling me that they had to cancel. That’s never good news- both for them and for us. So, we now have a cabin open for New Years…..in case any of you want to make a last minute getaway! That’s our only cabin for the New Year’s week, but we do have a couple cabins for the Christmas week still too….White Christmas anyone? No cooking or cleaning or entertaining family? Does it sound appealing to have a real Christmas vacation?

We have a big meeting on the agenda this morning, and then more guide training. Off to get ready for that!

Full Moon on Snow

So it’s not like we’re the only place enjoying a full moon tonight, but there is something very different about full moons on winter snow. At Vista Verde we get to enjoy a spectacular show every time there is a full moon in the winter. The opening act is when the moon starts peeping over Wapiti mountain with a navy blue sky as the backdrop. The main event is the first part of the night when the snow reflects all the light from the moon which makes it light enough to go out for a walk, a ski, or a snowshoe without any lights needed. It’s so bright that the trees make shadows. After crawling into bed and sleeping under the moon’s watchful eye, if you wake up early enough (which I do) you get to watch the moon set over Sand Mountain. It’s actually darker at that point until the sun starts lighting up the sky again.

I’ll see if I can get a picture tonight as it comes up….but we are all heading into town tonight for a little manager dinner to have a bit of fun before the rest of the staff arrive!

Opening Day Countdown

Many people begin opening their advent calendars today, counting down the days until Christmas. Here at the ranch, we’re doing the countdown to opening day. Our first guests arrive on December 19 and will help us celebrate a white Christmas. I’m going to try to be your Vista Verde countdown clock and post a daily update on what’s going on during this exciting time. The guides are arriving today so they can begin guide training tomorrow. Rob and Pat are opening up the kitchen, scrubbing it down and putting in food orders for the next week. We’re all pretty excited to have them cooking again. It’s such a treat to not be packing lunches and to have a hot breakfast in the morning!

As you can see from the picture, the snow is starting to pile up in the meadows, but the south facing hillsides are still bare. This is pretty typical for December 1, and with a couple big storms in the forecast for the next week or two those hillsides will soon be covered up as well.

Let the countdown to winter vacation at Vista Verde begin!

Snow piling up at Vista Verde

Heading Home for the Holidays

While some of our guests are starting to think about what to pack for their Christmas vacation at the ranch, those of us living here have our thoughts on Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving being the one major holiday that we celebrate while the ranch is closed down, the place tends to turn into a bit of a ghost town. It’s the last getaway for most of us before we open for the winter ranch season. So, where is everyone going?

Ben, Holly and the kids will be packing up this weekend to head down towards Colorado Springs to spend the week with Holly’s family.

Dace is visiting some friends at another ranch and then jetting off to IL to see his folks at their farm.

Steph is leaving Todd behind and taking the girls to CA for some warm weather and time with her sister and family.

Steve and Kelli and taking Maddie to Denver for a weekend of museum and aquarium visits to celebrate her 11th birthday. Then they’ll head over to Kelli’s folks home in the middle part of the state for Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday Maddie!! Gosh, we remember when you were barely walking…..wasn’t that just last year?

Charlie is following Barb down to her mom’s in Frisco, CO for a quick one day visit for Thanksgiving, but he’ll spend the better part of the week working on their new house up by Hahn’s Peak. It’s beautiful by the way…who knew one could create such a masterpiece building a house just on weekends?

Jo and Javin left last week for a road trip. Javin dropped Jo off with her family in IN and then continued on to spend a couple weeks with his family in PA. Nicky is also taking the opportunity to catch up with her family in IN for the week. At the same time Bekah is taking a couple weeks to spend time in FL with her folks.

Terry might have the most exciting Thanksgiving plans as he’ll be sitting on the sidelines of the Bronco game. Did you know his wife is the Bronco girl? She’s the one who rides Thunder across the field every time they score a touchdown. Go Broncos!

So, who is going to stay behind and keep an eye on things? Well, Bill took some time off earlier in the fall but is going to stay put and finish working on his projects. And Rob was hoping to get away but has since complicated his life by getting a new baby. After Steve and Kelli showed up with their new black lab, Rob fell in love and ended up with a sibling of Rosie. So, he’ll be staying put at the ranch to take care of his new bundle of joy.

Upon return, the crew will be hitting the ground running as we have just one week to prepare for the new staff to arrive, training them and then getting ready to open for a white Christmas! We hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends and laughter.

The horses are moving in!

This fall the construction crew moved from the actual riding area in the indoor arena over to the part of the arena that will house the horses. As the weather got colder and the stalls weren’t quite ready, Terry, Jo and Nicky moved the horses that needed to be worked daily into temporary pens in the arena. As you can see here, Gunslinger, one of our new weanling colts, had a hall pass from his pen while Jo was cleaning it. He was trying to visit with one of his future girlfriends, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Ahh, rejection starts at a young age. Keeping the horses in the warmer environment and with blankets on helps keep them from growing the woolly mammoth coats that they grow when they live outside. This, in turn, makes it a bit easier for upkeep with them when they need to be worked daily because if they sweat during a “workout” they will cool down and dry off more quickly. With the 2 and 3 year olds we have added, it is important to work them year round so they have a proper base of training before we put them into the string for guests to ride.
Just this week, the crew did finish work on a couple of the stalls so a few of the mares were moved into their new digs and are keeping an eye on the guys working on the tack room and wash bays.
It’s starting to feel like a real live training barn down there! We hope you get a chance to visit it and smell the great smell of cedar shavings filling the barn area.

The moose on the loose yesterday!

For those of you who follow us on Facebook, this is old news. But for the rest of you, I have to share the coolest experience we had just yesterday. Ben had been working away at his desk all morning and just felt the urge to step outside for some fresh air. It might have something to do with the insanely beautiful weather we’ve had this week, but I also had the urge to get outside so I was taking a lap around the ranch at the same time. I stopped by the Nordic center where Steve and Kelli are getting all the ski gear ready for the winter ranch season when Ben came hollering over the radio to look toward the Sunday pasture. Ben’s great timing put him looking right at a mama moose and her calf as they came through the pasture. The horses got all riled up, so they started running around, which made the moose a little nervous. With that, they jumped over the fence and headed towards the pond, right in front of the Lodge! We all watched as they ran through the compound, up behind the Zirkel cabin and then started making their way down the fence line to Coulton Creek. What a great moment! We have been seeing moose here for the past couple years, but not front and center like that. I wish I had a picture to share with you, but it all happened too fast for that. Thank you Mama moose and mooselina for the show! And great timing Ben!