Posts Tagged ‘Creede Colorado’

Celebrate Special Occasions at 4UR

September 19th, 2011 by Gail

The season is drawing to a close here at 4UR, our Creede Colorado Guest Ranch; this is the last week we’ll welcome guests in 2011. It’s always a bittersweet time for those of us who work at the ranch. We bid farewell to all our guests and summer staff, then we start to ready the ranch for winter and prepare to hunker down. We don’t exactly hibernate here from October to April, but the pace of life definitely slows down.

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.

Labor Day Weekend in Creede

September 7th, 2011 by Gail

Labor Day Weekend was great fun for all of us at 4UR, our Colorado Guest Ranch.

What to do if it's raining at our Colorado Dude Ranch? Eat more dessert!

The town of Creede goes all out for this holiday, with annual festivities such as soap box races, hot air balloon rides, and a half marathon mountain run. There is always a Salsa Fest, where local folks compete against one another for the title of best salsa maker (and we get to have fun tasting it). Labor Day Weekend is one of those special times when everyone at our Family Dude Ranch really gets to experience the community of Creede.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the pig roast – our first ever. Chef Wray Warner hist staff outdid themselves. The Leavell family, all of the 4UR staff, and all of our guests ate with gusto under clear skies. It was a beautiful evening. The pig roast looks like it will become an annual tradition; we sure hope it will!

Aside from the festivities over holiday weekend, September has been fairly quiet. Rain has encouraged our guests to indulge in massage, long soaks in our hot springs spa, and delicious meals. But of course we don’t stop outdoor activities just because of a little rain!

We close for the season on September 24, 2011. If you couldn’t make it this year, give us a call – we’re already booking for next year.

Autumn Approaches

August 15th, 2011 by Gail

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: peak season at 4UR Colorado Family Dude Ranch has just ended. It seems like everyone just arrived, and yet our first goodbyes are upon us; a few of our college-bound staff are packing their bags and bidding us farewell. Most of us, however, will be here until we close for the season on October 1, 2011.

September at 4UR is glorious.

There is still much to do at our Colorado Family Dude Ranch outside of peak season.

Our guests fish, hike, and horseback ride as always. Together we explore trails through the Rocky Mountains on foot, on bike, and on horse. We all indulge in sumptuous meals created by Executive Chef Wray Warner and his staff, in the dining room, by the pool, and out in the wilderness. We also find time to soak in our soothing hot spring spa – essential for all who work and vacation here.

The Creede Repertory Theatre continues to wow any and all guests who make the short trek to Creede for a show. Upcoming shows include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Road to Mecca, The Bad Men, Unnecessary Farce, and The Mystery of Irma Vep. Tickets are still available for most shows through the season, which ends September 24. For more information, please visit the Creede Repertory Theatre.

Give us a call if you feel you can squeeze in a few days of adventure at our Colorado Family Dude Ranch: 719.658.2202. We hope to see you soon!

Farewell to the Lees

March 12th, 2011 by 4ur admin

Departures are inherent in any vacation ranch. After all, we make our livelihood by welcoming guests to the ranch, helping them have a wonderful holiday, and then bidding them farewell. Since our Colorado Vacation Ranch is seasonal, we end up watching most of our staff depart at the end of each season, as well. It’s always hard to say goodbye, but we comfort ourselves with the knowledge that we’ll see many of our friends again the following year.

A few of us live on the ranch year round. Aaron and Robin Christensen and their four children, Damon and Kiera Gibbons and their new baby girl, and Andy and Sarah Lee and their two children. We’ve become a large “ranch family”, especially during the off-season, when few others are around.

2010 Fishing Guides: Andy (left), Jesse, Drew, and Boone.

Andy Lee started at 4UR Colorado Family Guest Ranch in 2001 as a member of the waitstaff team. He loved the land and the water, and after spending a great deal of time fishing on his own the following fall, winter, and spring, he returned to us in 2002 as a guide. He was hooked, so to speak. The more he fished, the more he wanted to fish, and eventually he became our Head Fishing Guide.

Sarah with Aaron Christensen

Sarah Lee’s first season at the ranch was the summer of 2002. She has worked on the waitstaff team, the housekeeping team, and as a nanny; in short, she has been invaluable. We have watched their children grow from infancy – Rowe is now 3, and Chapin 1.5.

We are very sad to see them go, but we wish them safe travels and the very best with their move. They’re heading to Henry’s Fork in Idaho, where they’ll be involved in the management of the Lodge. It’s a good move for them, and we’re happy for them, though we will miss them terribly.

Families at Our Colorado Family Dude Ranch

February 23rd, 2011 by 4ur admin

Perhaps families feel so at ease here at our Colorado Dude Ranch because they know the ranch depends upon families to operate. We welcome children because we have children, and we know how much kids enjoy fishing, horseback riding, and exploring the Colorado Rockies.

Our Head Wrangler, Damon Gibbons, and his wife Kiera are adapting to life as new parents. Their daughter, Adelaide, was born at their home on our Colorado Family Dude Ranch. A true Colorado native, she came into the world during a snow storm.

Sweet Adelaide

Adelaide is in good company, for there are quite a few other children already living on our Family Dude Ranch in Creede, Colorado. Head Fishing Guide Andy Lee and his wife Sarah live on the ranch with their son Rowen and daughter Chapin. Sarah has worked in Housekeeping and as our Dining Room Leader. General Manager Aaron Christensen and his wife Robin, our Reservations Manager, have four children: Cole (9), Kylee (7), Luke (5) and Laci (3). The oldest three love to ride horses. Cole won the National Little Britches Rodeo All Around last year, Kylee was a runner up at the National Little Britches Rodeo, and Luke is already competing. It remains to be seen whether or not Laci will share her siblings’ passion for riding – right now she has other interests.

The children of our Office Manager Kathy Adelman are grown, but we still see them from time to time. Kathy’s husband Jimmy is a county commissioner who guides guests of our Colorado Dude Ranch on trips to Lost Lakes, up above timberline. Their oldest son, Cody, is a fishing guide at a lodge in Alaska, and their youngest son Casey married Joni last fall – a woman he met here at 4UR.

Meet the Horses at our Colorado Dude Ranch

February 11th, 2011 by 4ur admin

The horses at our Family Dude Ranch in Creede Colorado are patiently awaiting the arrival of spring. For them, spring means fresh grass and the advent of summer. Summer means parents and children and hours on the trail and in the ring.

All of the horses (and two mules) at our Colorado Dude Ranch are shown below, introduced by our head wrangler Damon Gibbons. The video was shot on a glorious winter day, cold and crisp and clear.

Click on the link for a virtual tour of our horse herd.

Horse lineup

Colorado Guest Ranch Celebrates Good Food

July 6th, 2010 by 4ur admin

There are dude ranches, and then there are luxury dude ranches. That’s 4UR. We are way beyond your basic BBQ & beds setup. Here are some of the small details and big amenities that make 4UR ranch more than your average guest ranch.

Dining: We recruited our chef, Wray Warner, from the Four Seasons in Jackson Hole. Some of his specialties include unique home-made ice creams, and ambitious pasta, beef and fish dinner entrees. One of my favorites is a mushroom pasta that has been prepared to allow the delicate flavors of the fungi to come out.

It’s not just about dinner, breakfast and lunch are stunning as well. I love to start breakfast with the home-made granola and yogurt, along with hot, strong coffee. We also serve unique cook-to-order breakfast dishes. Breakfast is a very personalized meal, and we want you to feel right at home.

Even lunch is a special affair, esp. on Wednesdays when we hold our Mexican luncheon poolside. We have fajitas, chips, guacamole, cold Coronas and margaritas. Box lunches are also available to take out for your fly fishing trip.

Bathing: We have great “watering holes” – literally! Our pool is large and refreshing; there is plenty of deck space for lounging or playing games with family. We have tables if you want to sit in the shade umbrellas and have a cold drink or a snack. The pool is the place to be, if you ask me!
The hot springs are what Wagon Wheel Gap was originally famous for. In the early 1900s, General William Palmer founded the Wagon Wheel Gap Hot Springs Resort. The Hot Springs were thought to have medicinal qualities; we still have the historic bath house on property. You can still enjoy the Hot Springs, they are just adjacent to the pool and may still have the power to cure what ails you.
The sauna is here for you to enjoy as well – it is also in the pool area, and next to it is our massage parlor. This is relaxation central, and something that makes 4UR quite luxurious.

colorado fly fishing

Catch a beauty in our "Private Tailwaters"

Fly Fishing Vacation: Our fly fishing is renowned as spectacular. We divide our pristine Goose Creek into 15 “stations”, each a 1/3 mile, which are assigned by lottery in the evening. This system keeps everything fair, and assures each fisher-person prime waters at a prime time nearly every day.

Along with Goose Creek, there are four stations on the Rio Grande and one in the Weminuche Wilderness. You may also take a guided fishing trip above timberline to Lost Lakes for rare Rio Grande cutts, or fish Station 21, a trophy pond in the ranch valley. All waters are catch and release fly fishing only, except for Walton Pond, which is a great place to start practicing with your little angler.

Goose Creek’s drainage is quite unique. Flowing from the Weminuche Wilderness, it passes through only two private properties before reaching the Rio Grande; the 4UR Ranch and our neighbors upstream. Our neighbor’s reservoir feeds the creek from its cool waters via an 80-foot dam, making this creek one of only a handful of private tailwaters in America. Andy Lee and Aaron Christenson have spent their years with us managing the stream rigorously. This, along with our catch and release practices make for some surprisingly big, well-colored trout. Look forward to seeing rainbows, browns, snake river cutts, cutt-bow hybrids and even brookies.

As you can see, 4UR Ranch is more than boots and dusty arenas – come here for something completely unique.

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Shopping in Creede CO

September 17th, 2009 by 4ur admin

The town of Creede is a great day trip for anyone that comes to the ranch. It is a tiny slice of history, and one of the last mining boom towns from the silver rush that came through this area.

There is some great shopping in Creede. While part of the family enjoys the fly fishing vacation end of 4UR, head to Creede to find some item or trinket to remember your trip by.

Retailers offer an array of goods inside unique specialty shops. There are a variety of Art Galleries, including Abbey Lane, which has a selection of ceramics I always think are fantastic, and Rare Things is also a great shop. They offer designer jewelry, antiques, fine collectibles, decorative arts, as well as strange and fascinating natural wonders. One of their most popular items is the exquisite Inge Horsehair Jewelry Collection. Finely woven horse hair jewelry that is unlike anything I have seen before.

The 4UR Ranch in Creede CO

The 4UR Ranch in Creede CO

Of course there are various trading post and country stores downtown as well, with various gear for your stay at the Guest Ranch, should you have forgotten something.

There’s lots of little tasty treats as well in downtown Creede, so stay and have lunch after you shop, or let the kids pick out some sweets from the Creede Trading Post, or the Candy Mine and Toy Store. They’ll probably want more than just toys from the Candy Mine!

If you don’t make it back in time for lunch, stop in at the Mermaid Cafe for a bite, a favorite with locals and visitors to Creede.

If you can pull yourself away from the ranch while on your horseback riding vacation, you won’t regret a trip to Creede!

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