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!

A new ranch baby!

Nope, it’s not a horse. It’s not a kid. Steve and Kelli welcomed home their new puppy named Rosie and she is now spending her days at the ranch with them, learning the ins and outs of being a ranch dog. Rosie has her bed all set up in the Nordic Center and is getting in shape for skiing this winter by taking walks with Maddie every morning. It may take her a while to get up to speed with the kind of trips Jake used to take with our guests, but she’ll be there soon. In the meantime, she’s finding out how to not run right underneath a horse, not to jump into a frozen pond and pretty soon she’ll probably figure out where Bill keeps his dog biscuit stash in the workshop. And she has no idea how much she hit the jackpot in life by ending up in the King family!

Steve, Kelli and Rosie

New guests at the ranch

We’ve been enjoying the company of some new guests this fall. A herd of 2 bull elk and about 30 cows and calves has been spending their late afternoons and evenings enjoying their own dude ranch vacation in our winter pasture. Although they make for a beautiful sight at dusk, they are doing a dandy job of tearing up our fences when they come and go. That’s just the price we pay for living out here with these critters. Pretty soon they will be moving to their winter grounds, although we still tend to see a few throughout the winter months. Jenn took this picture last week from her front porch. What a nice way to finish the day!

Elk enjoying a sunset at Vista Verde Guest Ranch in Steamboat

The snow is here to stay

October is fickle here in Colorado. It can be beautiful and cool and sunny and just ideal. Or, it can be blustery and sleety and make you want to run away to Mexico. This year, those in charge of the weather have decided to make it a mixed bag. We’ve had the sensational Indian summer days and we’ve had 6 inches of snow on the ground at one point. With all that going back and forth, one thing has stayed constant. Ever since the first snowfall, the snow is here to stay on the highest peaks. The combination of the snow on the highest peaks and the occasional sunny day has made for pictures like this one. Hey, it may not be the prettiest time of year here, but it’s still worth looking out the window each day! And, in no time at all, the whole scene will be covered in snow and we’ll be ready to be a winter guest ranch again!

The transition from summer to winter guest ranch

Sharing ideas

Today is my marketing brainstorming day. I spent some time this afternoon reading articles on social media and how it is used in various small businesses. As I read them, there are some applicable ideas. If I had all the time in the world I could Twitter, Flickr, comment on other’s blogs, etc, etc..but that time just isn’t there. I have had a lot of fun using this blog as well as our Facebook page to keep in touch with all of you and let you know what is going on here at Vista Verde, when you aren’t here. Well, actually some of you have even kept in touch online when you are here! But that’s another story.

In addition to keeping you all up to speed on the going on’s at the ranch, I also want to use these outlets to reach out to new guests. In the wide world of adventure travel, we are just a teeny tiny raindrop in a big, big bucket. It’s hard to figure out how to spread the word about Vista Verde. So, that was my mission today. To get some ideas on how to use these social media outlets to get in front of people who haven’t been here before. As much as we love all of you who come back year after year, if we don’t find new guests, our business model doesn’t work very well! As I thought through some of the ideas I was reading about, I kept thinking, “but we’re different. We’re a different product than a coffee shop or a restaurant.” You all know this better than anyone. So, I started thinking about how well you all know the ranch and how creative and smart you all are and wondered if any of you have ideas? How can we get Vista Verde Ranch in front of more people like you? Fun, adventurous types who like the finer things but want to have a unique experience?

So, to truly embrace the social media world, I am asking for any comments, ideas, thoughts, anything!

And I promise, the next post will be an update on what is going on at the ranch. Not just what is going on in my little brain.

Blustery Conditions no match for inspiring Love

So I didn’t come up with that headline. AJ and Charlie came into the office at just the right time for me to ask, “How do I title this blog post?” and AJ came up with the winning entry. Doesn’t it sound like it came out of the Vista Verde Post?

We just married off another couple in Vista Verde style. The irony is that in my years of coordinating weddings at the ranch I have a 100% showing for perfect weather, until today. But isn’t it perfect that we have the new Great Room right on time?

Mary Kate is Ben’s niece and Ben officiated her marriage to Dustin. The week started off with beautiful weather, but as we got closer to wedding day, it began to deteriorate. This morning it was 37 degrees and overcast, and the sun never came out. But it didn’t matter to anyone attending…the ceremony was lovely in front of the big fireplace in the Great Room. The food was delicious and the dancing is still going strong.

Weddings are great. Vista Verde weddings are pretty special to all of us here. What an honor and what a gift to offer a new couple! Congratulations and best wishes to Mary Kate and Dustin!

Winter at the Ranch?

We woke up this morning to some softly falling….snow! Every once in a while we do get snow here in September. But normally it is a little surprise that melts away before the end of the day. Today it just keeps falling and it’s actually accumulating! We all just keep walking around in shock, wondering what is going on?

Hopefully by the weekend we’ll be back to the gorgeous 70 degree and sunny days we were having earlier this week. We’re not ready to be done with fall!

Snow in September

The Doors are Open!

We kept telling people all summer that the indoor arena would be ready to go by the time we have snow here. We didn’t really mean it needed to snow in September to prove that point! Nonetheless, we had our first snow yesterday (it’s gone already) and today used the indoor arena for the first time. They thought they signed up for a summer vacation, but it looks like they got a winter ranch vacation today!

Matt, Jamie and Bunky got to be the inaugural guests in the arenaand everyone stayed a bit warmer than they did this morning on the breakfast ride. In fact, Matt and Jamie earn the tough guests of the year award for going on the ride at 7am this morning in 30 degree weather!! Apparently winter has decided to come a little early…but we’re hoping our nice fall weather returns soon.

After playing around with the clay and sand percentages for the footing in the arena for weeks, Terry seems to be pretty happy with how it’s turned out. But, as I’m writing this, I hear him on the radio, and it sounds like he’s back down there this afternoon tweaking a few things. Doesn’t he have some horses to train?

Fun new stuff on the website

As with many of the bigger picture projects around here, we started a couple last spring and am finally getting them finished. We wanted to have something on our website that gives a potential guest a feel for how varied and flexible the choice of activities is here at Vista Verde. Nothing can capture it like hearing about it from a former guests or experiencing it firsthand. But our new virtual itinerary is a fun way to dream about your next visit to Steamboat Springs!

In addition to that, we also wanted to have a way for the testimonials on our site to be more real. There are some great reviews on Tripadvisor, Ranchweb.com and Duderanch.org but we thought we would give you all a chance to leave comments, howdy’s and memories on the Vista Verde site. So, we now have a guestbook page where you can do just that.

Now that these two are done, on to the next project! Ideas, ideas, ideas….always more fun stuff.

A real winter wonderland

Although the summer season still have a couple weeks left, I’m finding myself thinking more and more about the winter these days. It may have something to do with the increasing emails and phone calls I’m receiving about Christmas at the ranch or winter vacations at Vista Verde.

Winter is the real challenge for us at Vista Verde. It’s the unknown season, the misunderstood season. A dude ranch in winter? Yes, absolutely, and you really just have to try it to get it. In fact, I was just talking with our friends and loyal guests Kim and Mark about that yesterday and how they were very skeptical before their first winter stay and fell in love once they did it. They then turned around and talked some other great friends and guests Dan and Sandy into trying it too. When the two couples were here at the same time last week, they were laughing about how true it was that they had no idea how much they would love it before trying the winter experience at Vista Verde.

It’s a lot to ask someone to shell out a chunk of change for a vacation that they are skeptical about. I understand that completely. Vacation time is precious and so are the funds that pay for those times. I’m pretty confident that I could offer a money back guarantee on a winter ranch vacation at Vista Verde. So, if you’re on the fence, give me a call.

We just want you to try it, or to have your friends try it. It’s romantic- think bubbling hot tub with the snow falling around you or sitting by the roaring fire in your private cabin or in the new Great Room. It’s adventurous- almost every former downhill skier who formerly poo-pooed cross country skiing changes their mind after one backcountry ski with Steve or his guides into the wilderness. It’s doable- the climate is surprisingly friendly to getting outside and enjoying the outdoors. And our guides have the best gear and the best instruction for making the activities something that everyone can do. It’s just plain unique.

Enough ranting about why I think this is the best winter vacation. I know I’m biased. But I’ve done this long enough and watched enough people fall in love that I feel like it’s an educated bias! Bring on the snow.