Posts Tagged ‘Fly Fishing’

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.

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!

New Experiences at 4UR

August 4th, 2011 by Gail

Vacation at 4UR Colorado Guest Ranch means trying something new.

Do something you didn't know you could do.

It means doing something you didn’t know you could do, and perfecting skills you already have.

Hone old skills.

A 4UR Family Dude Ranch Vacation means fun for children….

Did you know your child could do this?

and fun for adults.

Picture yourself here.

You may see something you’ve never seen before.

It was worth the delay.

You may try something you never thought you’d try.

A safe environment to practice shooting.

You may decide you need to come back to 4UR again and again, because you like how you feel when you’re here.

The Thrill of Discovery

July 10th, 2011 by Gail

Our Colorado Family Dude Ranch is full of thrilling “firsts” for children: The first time they fly down a zip line. The first time they touch a horse and go horseback riding. The first time they climb a mountain. The first time they cast a line and catch a fish. Each day brings a new experience and a new discovery.

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.

 

Children and 4UR Colorado Family Dude Ranch

June 14th, 2011 by Gail

We’re in the middle of the first Two For One Kids Special week here at our Creede Colorado Dude Ranch, and it’s really fun. Everyone at the ranch enjoys the company of children, from Kids’ Counselor Kali to Andi and Becky (waitstaff). This means parents and children can relax while their here.

Damon is a man of many talents.

Our Kids Program fills 6 hours each day. Children start most days with a horseback ride, which is a central part of our Family Dude Ranch Vacations. They swim, ride bikes, hike, play games, and try their hands at fly fishing, too. Parents can spend six hours fishing on Goose Creek or take long trail rides, secure in the knowledge that their kids won’t even think to look for them.

Kids love roasting marshmallows over an open fire and listening to Damon pick a song on his guitar. They feel accomplished when their parents watch them perform in a rodeo. They make new friends, bond with siblings, and generally have a great time. The hardest part is leaving.

There will be another Two For One Kids Special at our Creede Colorado Fly Fishing Ranch the week of August 13-20, 2011, and we’ll probably offer them again next year. Contact us to learn more about it. No matter when you come, your kids will feel special.

 

 

Busy Days at our Colorado Dude Ranch

June 3rd, 2011 by Gail

These are busy days here at our Colorado Dude Ranch in the Southern Rockies, as we ready ourselves for the even busier days ahead. Our staff has all arrived, with the exception of returning wrangler Spencer Johnson, who is finishing a semester of college in California. Kathy is back from a cruise through Alaska’s Inside Passage, and was relieved that the pile on her desk isn’t as large as she feared it would be. We miss the Lees, but have heard that they are happily adjusting to life in Idaho, where there is still a good deal of snow.

Bring your boots to our Creede Colorado Dude Ranch this summer!

Chef Wray Warner’s wife Sarah has been visiting from Charlotte, North Carolina, where they live. Chef Wray will work tirelessly during the season, and is enjoying this time with Sarah before they have to part for the summer. Kiera Gibbons has taken the adorable baby Adelaide to visit family in Cincinnati, and Head Wrangler Damon sure misses them; luckily he has too much to do to be able to be too lonely. On a more cheerful note, Kate and Kyle are having fun driving around in their new, green 4-wheeler, which the Christensens have been eyeing with envy.

We’ve been bustling about clearing trails, fencing (as in fixing fences, not playing with swords), training, cleaning, washing, dusting, and painting. It feels good to flex some muscles and get things done! Winds have been high, which has slowed things down a bit; it’s hard to paint outside in strong winds, and as it’s a drag to eat with dirt in the food, we’ve had to cancel some cookout practice sessions. Still, it’s beautiful here and it is feeling more summery with each passing day.

Our annual community dinner was a great success. Each year we invite members of the community to come for dinner as part of our staff training. The food was wonderful and the service impeccable. We also hosted a rehearsal dinner for 65 people that went off without a hitch. The Mai Tais were flowing thanks to a tropical theme – be sure to try one when you come to our Creede Colorado Dude Ranch this summer. Finally, our new Sous Chef Blake Bond won the Creede Cook-off competition over Memorial Day Weekend. 4UR has won 4 out of the 5 years we’ve competed. Way to go Blake!

We are all looking forward to a fantastic 2011 season at our Dude Ranch South Fork Colorado filled with horseback riding, fly fishing, and more.

More Fabulous 4UR Staff

May 18th, 2011 by Gail

In our last blog, we featured men and women who have worked at our Creede Colorado Dude Ranch in past years and are returning for the 2011 season.

Read on to learn a bit about the new staff of our Colorado Fly Fishing Ranch.

Looking forward to the 2011 season at our Colorado Dude Ranch!

Our Kids’ Counselors are an integral part of our team:
Zachary Hall comes to us from St. Petersburg, Florida. In summers past he has worked for a youth hiking and backpacking ministry on Virginia’s Appalachian Trail. He loves to be outside and to keep kids active and engaged.

We welcome two new Fishing Guides this season:
Drew Hoffman has fished his whole life. He’s angled in small Midwestern creeks and roaring rivers in Montana. He is excited to guide guests of 4UR.

A.J. Kemsley has been fishing the lakes and streams of Michigan since he was in diapers. He looks forward to a summer on Goose Creek.

We welcome one new Wrangler this season:
Portia Corsetti hails from New Hampshire, where she is an Equine Science Major at UNH. She has been riding for more than ten years, is an EMT-B and a Wilderness First Responder, and she loves being out in the the mountains.

We have two new Ranch Hands at our Southern Colorado Dude Ranch this summer:
Preston Buntz loves spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, and hiking. His motto is “No opportunity wasted!”

Spencer Cooper was raised in a small farming and ranching community in central California. He once worked on a farming/sheep outfit in a town of 23 people, and he looks forward to meeting the guests of 4UR Guest Ranch.

We would be lost – and hungry – without our Kitchen staff:
Blake Bond is our new Sous Chef and a graduate of the Texas Culinary Academy Le Cordon Bleu in Austin. This is his first season with us, but his second season at a guest ranch.

Dean Parker is a Line Cook. He grew up surfing, diving, and fishing in Florida and fell in love with the mountains of Colorado in the ’90s. He will travel anywhere in order to surf and snowboard.

John Whitmore was raised down the street in Creede. He is excited to be working as a Line Cook under Chef Wray Warner this summer.

The food wouldn’t reach our tables without our fabulous Waitstaff:
Tess Almgren is a Team Leader. She is originally from western Massachusetts and grew up hiking, camping, fishing, and snowboarding throughout New England.

Josh Shumaker is a Team Leader. He is a  native of Bristol, TN, and hopes to eventually have a career in Washington, DC. He holds a deep appreciation for the outdoors and looks forward to a summer of exploration on the Colorado terrain.

Mary Charles Abbott was raised in a small town in middle Tennessee. She has a passion for music and dance and sports, and a strong desire to serve others.

Andi Carpenter is a Colorado native. She is passionate about the outdoors and is excited to share this beautiful state with you.

Michael Collins was born in West Virginia and raised outside of Philadelphia, PA. He is a recent college graduate and plans to apply to graduate school in the fall, after a great summer working and being outside at 4UR.

Aisling Daly is a university student from Ireland.  She is very excited to spend the summer at the 4UR Ranch, meeting new people and experiencing a totally different landscape and way of life.

Becky Ford grew up in NJ but is a country girl at heart. She fell in love with the guest ranch way of life this past winter, and is excited to spend the summer under the Colorado sky with the 4UR family!

Sarah Horn was born and raised right outside Denver, CO. She’ll be a junior at William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, where she studies Economics.  She enjoys running and any outside adventures.
Things would get pretty messy around here without our Housekeepers:
Heather Brower was raised on a sheep farm in Kennewick Washington. She loves being outdoors and working with animals, and is looking forward to spending the summer in Southwestern Colorado.

Brittney Deale recently graduated from college and has lived in Virginia her whole life. She loves to ride horses and is thrilled to be spending the summer at our Colorado Dude Ranch.

Danielle Johnson was raised in a small town in Maine. She is an avid athlete and enjoys hiking, biking, running, swimming, skiing, and yoga. Her summer at 4UR is part of a greater exploration of the country.

Korey Kimball is a senior in college and plans to become an elementary teacher. She looks forward to meeting the amazing guests of 4UR.

Kaydi Newborn comes from a tiny town in Georgia. She is a nursing student and looks forward to a great summer working at the ranch and being outside.

Sarah O’Neill is from Dublin, Ireland. She spent last summer working as a teaching assistant in Nairobi, Kenya, and is looking forward to working at 4UR Ranch this summer.

Georgia Ann Paul grew up in North Carolina. She loves to travel, play the piano, tell stories, and have great outdoor adventures. Ask her why roosters terrify her

Last but not least, our Massage Therapists keep us all relaxed and happy:
Chelsea Heersink looks forward to working at our Creede Colorado Dude Ranch.

Joanne Kaufman has traveled around the world doing service work, and now makes her home in Del Norte with her husband, Steve Brigham, and two small girls, Kaitlyn (4) and Brianna (4 months). She loves her “calling” of massage therapy.

Judith Penrose Mattingly graduated from the Boulder School of Massage Therapy in 1989 and has practicing Swedish Massage in private practice and at Mineral Hot Springs ever since. She has trained with Bruno Chikly in Lymphatic Drainage, and lives with her husband, a retired farmer, in Creede.

We’re excited for our guests to meet everyone this summer at our Dude Ranch South Fork Colorado!

The Fabulous 4UR Staff

May 11th, 2011 by Gail

May is always an exciting time for those of us who live and work at 4UR year round. New and returning staff arrive throughout the month, to help open our Creede Colorado Dude Ranch for the season. The first guests are scheduled to arrive on June 5, 2011. We can’t wait!

Our Fishing Guides are getting ready to help you have the experience of a lifetime.

This year, we have quite a few returning seasonal staff. If you vacationed at our family dude ranch last year, we’re sure you’ll be happy to see the following folks:

Kali Alger comes from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she is the oldest of five. She is an Early Childhood Education Major and is pleased that she’ll be working as a Kids’ Counselor last year (although she did enjoy being Waitstaff last year).

Lindsay Gilbert grew up in Rhode Island and recently completed an internship at Roger Williams Park Zoo. She had a great time working as a Housekeeper here last year, and looks forward to spending this summer on horseback as a Wrangler.

Spencer Johnson graduates from college this year, which means he’ll have more time to train horses. He was a Wrangler at 4UR last year, and returns as Wrangler in 2011.

Jesse Robbins spent his childhood angling in rural Maine. He has fished his way around the globe, and looks forward to another season as Fishing Guide at our Colorado Fly Fishing Ranch.

Les Vance was raised in North Carolina, but he’s fallen in love with the mountains of the west. He was a Fishing Guide in 2007 & 2009, and he returns as a Fishing Guide in 2011.

Hannah Whitney came to us last year from Charleston, SC. She brings energy and enthusiasm to her work as a Housekeeper, and is thrilled to be back at 4UR as a Nanny to Cole, Kylee, Luke and Laci Christensen.

Garrett Cobarr learned the art of pastry making at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley, and has honed his skills in restaurants as diverse as five star resorts and small town steak houses. He is very pleased to be back at 4UR for another year as Pastry Chef.
We wouldn’t be able to function without our full-timers: office manager Kathy Adelman, ranch managers Aaron and Robin Christensen, Head Wrangler Damon Gibbons, our Properties Foreman Kyle Michaels, and of course, Executive Chef Wray Warner. We also depend heavily on our semi-full-timers: Kathy’s husband Jimmy Adelman leads Lost Lakes trips each summer; Kate Michaels was a housekeeper for several seasons and now Supervises Housekeeping; and Frances Kolisch creates fabulous flower arrangements for us each summer.
Next week we’ll introduce the new staff of our Creede Colorado Family Dude Ranch.

Changing Seasons

September 27th, 2010 by 4ur admin

Our summer season is over. Fall is here. We’ll spend the next several weeks tidying up at our Colorado vacation ranch and preparing for the winter.

Thanks to all who visited our Family Dude Ranch this past summer. We miss you, and will spend the winter remembering great moments at the ranch: fly fishing alone by the river, horseback riding high into the mountains with friends, and laughter at mealtimes. We look forward to seeing you again in 2011.

Signs of changing seasons outside of Creede, Colorado.

Why Fly Fish?

July 19th, 2010 by 4ur admin

The fly fishing at our Colorado guest ranch is catch and release, so we’re not fishing for food. Why, then, do we fish? Why do people come to our Guest Ranch in Colorado with dreams fly rods in their heads? Why indeed.

Fly fishing is an art.

The first mention of fly fishing in recorded history is said to be by the Roman Claudius Aelianus, in the second century. He had heard of Macedonians luring fish to the surface with colorful imitation flies attached to a line and rod. They apparently took the idea from watching fish surface to consume strange flies that hovered over the water. Undoubtedly they did so for food, as people have been doing for thousands of years.

In the Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle, written at the end of the 15th century, the author firmly states the fishing with an angle is the best form of sport – the least uncomfortable and the most pleasurable (when compared with hunting, hawking and trapping). The author goes on to discuss crafting the ideal rods, hooks, floats and lines for various waters and fish.

Fly fishing may not be too taxing, but it certainly requires skill and knowledge, from creating the proper equipment to understanding the fish and fishing conditions in each location. This, perhaps, is why it appeals to so many. Each minute spent on the water with rod in hand is a chance to better oneself. Each cast is a new start.

The guides at our guest ranch, lead by Andy Lee, know the waters and the fish that dwell in them well. They are expert teachers, adept in the art of bringing forth the angler in every man and woman. That said, fly fishing is ultimately a private sport. Only you can catch the fish.

We think that’s why people come here to fish. They want to stand in a gloriously beautiful setting and rise to the challenge of each minute. They feel that somehow, no matter the outcome, just being here and trying their best makes them a little bit better.

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