It’s amazing. Ski slopes are open just one month after we’ve closed our Colorado Family Guest Ranchfor the season.

It's only a matter of time before our Colorado Family Guest Ranch looks like this.

A few weeks ago, some of our guests were standing knee deep in Goose Creek with fly rods in hand. Others were embarking on trail rides in the Colorado mountains. Were they here this weekend, they could drive 33 miles south of here to Wolf Creek Ski Area, where they could downhill ski, snowboard, and cross country ski.

Wolf Creek is not yet open during the week. It’s scheduled to fully open for the season in early November. Yet with 21 inches of snow at the summit, they are able to open about a quarter of the mountain. The skiers among us are thrilled.

Throughout much of the Colorado Rockies, life revolves around the seasons. A Fly Fishing Ranch and Family Dude Ranch, 4UR operates from the beginning of June to the end of September. By the time we finish tidying up at the end of the season, ski areas are beginning to open. They’ll start closing as we make ready to open in the spring.

We like participating in this harmonious cycle. We feel connected to nature and her whims.