Give them a gift they'll always remember and appreciate.

As parents, we want our children to be happy. We want to watch them open presents and smile and laugh. Their unbounded enthusiasm adds a wonderful spark to the holiday season.

At the same time, many of us don’t want to simply give our children every little thing they want. We understand that many of those toys won’t have staying power–they’ll be played with once or twice, and then end up disappearing under the bed or in the back of the closet.

We want to give them something they’ll really appreciate. Something that will impact their lives. We want them to have a gift they’ll remember for years to come.

Consider giving them a week at our Colorado Family Dude Ranch.

We’re offering a Two For One Kids Special again this year. One child stays for free with one paid child (for children 9 and under). That’s the kind of bargain some folks fight for at the Walmart. You won’t have to shield yourself from Bear Spray or Mace–you just need to give us a call.

A week at our Colorado Family Guest Ranch will involve horseback riding and hiking in the Rockies, swimming, and fly fishing on Goose Creek. It will be one adventure after another, with plenty of good food and many new friends. Your children will never forget it. Now that’s a present worth giving.

Your children will have to wait until summer, of course. But patience is a virtue and worth cultivating, right? Our Two For One Kids Special Weeks are June 9-16 and August 11-18, 2012. August is nearly full, but there is still plenty of room in June.

Please contact our Colorado Dude Ranch for more information about the Two For One Kids Special.

• For the angler in your life, give some time at our Fly Fishing Vacation Ranch.

• For the equestrian in your life, give some time at our Family Dude Ranch.

• For the children in your life, give an unforgettable experience replete with horseback riding, fishing, swimming, and unparalleled outdoor fun.

• For the grandparents in your life, give a Colorado Family Ranch Vacation – it’s the perfect family reunion.
  

  For someone in your life, this is a dream come true.

Don’t battle it out at the mall this year. Do your holiday shopping with us.

1. Chef Wray Warner and his staff will cook for you in glorious outdoor settings.

Food tastes best when consumed in a beautiful setting.

2. Your children will be deliriously happy.

Deliriously happy children? Check.

3. You can fly fish on your own stretch of water.

Fly fishing on Goose Creek.

4. You can ride horses in the Colorado Rockies.

Simply spectacular.

5. You’ll have a memorable family vacation.

An unforgettable family vacation.

We’ve already started looking ahead to next season, and some folks have already made their reservations for 2012.

This is a good time to start thinking about celebrating a special occasion at 4UR. There’s ample time yet to contact friends and family and to coordinate schedules. Are you (or your folks or your grandparents) celebrating an important anniversary this year? Silver? Gold? Is your son or daughter graduating from a high school or  college? Are you retiring? Significant events merit something out of the ordinary.

Sometimes, the best way to celebrate is simply to go someplace beautiful with the people you care about most in the world. Spend time together. Go horseback riding. Go fishing. Hike. Relax in the hot springs. Linger over meals. You don’t have to make a big fuss over the occasion – the fact that you are all together speaks for itself.

We hope you’ll consider bringing friends and family together here at our Colorado Family Guest Ranch, to mark a significant event in your life.

Pictured above are some of the families and friends who came together at 4UR this summer.

Bring your children to 4UR, and watch them thrive.

Children ride horses at 4UR, in the ring and on the trail. They go fishing. They climb and hike and swim. They build muscles and they build confidence and they breathe in the fresh air of the Southern Colorado Rockies. We swear we’ve seen kids grow while they’re here, so fertile is the soil (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Kylee, Aaron and Robin Christensen’s daughter, ended her rodeo season this year as the Reserve All-Around World Champion Little Wrangler at the National Finals Little Britches Rodeo. At the start of the competition she was in 9th place, and she finished in 2nd place. She won 12 buckles while she was there, and she had a blast doing it. We’re all so proud of her.

Kylee has grown up at our Colorado Family Dude Ranch, reaping the rewards of her environment. Children who visit 4UR get a taste of what Kylee and her siblings experience every day. They have thrilling experiences, they gain confidence, they make friends and they have fun. As parents, what more can we want?

Some of our guests have visited our Family Dude Ranch yearly for more than 30 (even 40) years. Some came here as children with their parents and grandparents, and they return as adults, eager to share 4UR with their own children. We’ve been known to have three generations at the ranch at one time. It seems a rare and beautiful thing these days.

Reunions may have many faces. Sometimes families meet here, parents and grown children arriving from the four corners of the country. Sometimes siblings come, bringing their children so the cousins will share incredible experiences here. Sometimes old friends come together for a few days of fishing, horseback riding, and good meals.

Then there are reunions of guests who met at our Colorado Guest Ranch, people who end up staying here the same time each year. They become friends thanks to their many shared experiences here: horseback rides to cookouts of steak and wine, good days fishing Goose Creek, cheering on their children during the Kids Rodeo. These people didn’t know each other before fate brought them to 4UR, and they end up great friends. It’s wonderful to witness.

We are honored to have so many guests return year after year. They become part of our extended family. We invite you to be a part of our family, too.

Kids arrive with their families, excited to be here and curious about what the time at our Colorado Family Guest Ranch will be like. By the end of the first day most have tried a new activity and made new friends. They have overcome obstacles and gained confidence.

See for yourselves.

Each year, the Creede Repertory Theatre draws actors from all over the country to the small town of Creede. They perform a number of different shows during the season – this year it will be six – from serious plays to mad-cap musicals. Thousands of people now travel to Creede, Colorado, specifically to go to the theatre.

A couple of years ago, expansion of the theatre was deemed necessary. Construction of the Creede Repertory Theatre’s new Second Stage Theatre is underway; once completed it will replace the current Black Box space (on the third floor), and enable more than one performance to take place at a time. In addition, the Second Stage will be used by the greater community of Creede, Colorado, for workshops and the like.

The new Second Stage Theatre at the Creede Repertory Theatre.

July 16, 2011, Creede Repertory Theatre will inaugurate its new Second Stage Theatre with a Special Cabaret. Past and present members of the Creede Repertory Theatre Company will put on what is sure to be an unforgettable show in honor of this new space. We can’ wait!

This is an exciting time for our local theatre, and we couldn’t be more pleased. Although we live in a small community in the Southern Colorado Rockies, each summer we are treated to some of the finest theatrical performances in the country. CRT has won numerous awards over the years; in 2010 it won the Denver Post Reader’s Choice Award for Best Year by a Company for the fifth consecutive year. It is considered on par with the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, The American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, and the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Not bad for a town with a population of approximately 500!

If you’re planning to spend a week at our Creede Colorado Dude Ranch this summer, we hope you’ll check out the 2011 season at the Creede Repertory Theatre.

But we’re not really here to delve into the pros and cons of small and large families.

Instead, our Colorado Guest Ranch is announcing an exciting new special for the week of June 11 – 18, 2011. We call it the “Two for One” Special; bring two children ages 9 and under to our Family Dude Ranch that week and you’ll only pay for one.

Go ahead - bring them both.

The truth is, having children is expensive. We want to give them the world, but the world doesn’t come cheap. Sometimes it’s nice to catch a break, and that’s what we’re offering with our Two for One Special. We hope it will make things a little bit easier for you this year.

Bring your children to the Colorado Rockies for a Dude Ranch Vacation they’ll never forget. From the moment they mount their horse to the day when you watch them canter around the arena, you’ll be giving them more than great memories. It’s amazing what kids learn about themselves (and each other) when they’re here. They learn that they can: they can ride, they can catch a fish, they can do something they didn’t think they would ever do. It’s amazing.

If you thought you couldn’t afford a big family vacation this summer, perhaps our Two for One Special will permit you to reconsider. We hope to see you, and your delightful children, this summer at 4UR.

Ring in 2011!

Thanks to all guests of our Family Dude Ranch in Creede Colorado. You helped to make 2010 a great year. We look forward to seeing you in 2011.