Sitting Back and Giving Thanks at the 4UR Ranch

 

Fall has arrived at the 4UR Ranch and, as the seasons change, the San Juan Mountains surrounding 4UR Ranch turn golden and become even more beautiful. With fall comes a time of reflection, a time to look back on the 2016 season and all of the things that made it great, and a time for giving thanks after an amazing summer. 

This year we are exceptionally grateful for the full-time staff that make up the 4UR Family. Having such wonderful and hardworking people makes 4UR Ranch one of the best places in the world to work.

What’s Happening this Fall

Our General Managers, Aaron and Robin Christensen have just completed their 18th year at the Ranch. This fall they’re busy wrapping up their kids “Little Britches” rodeo season and looking forward to Aaron coaching girls basketball for Sangre de Cristo Middle School.

Kathy Adelman has just wrapped up her 24th season as Office Manager and she and her husband Jimmy (who leads our guests on great trips to fishing the alpine “Lost Lakes”) just welcomed their third granddaughter, Sydney Louise on November 6th.

Chef Wray and Sarah Warner and family (horses, dogs, and Grandma included)  are busy relocating their winter home from North Carolina to their new home in Virginia. We’ll look forward to hearing about their adventures next summer.

Blake Bond, our Sous Chef, (who, by the way, is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Austin) just returned from visiting family in Texas and will work for the Wolf Creek Ski area through the winter.

Brady Gibbons, our Property Manager and master elk shed finder is spending extra time this fall helping his wife Amanda (who is the Mineral County Prevention Services Coordinator) heal her broken collarbone (Ouch, mountain bike won!).

Hannah Pepper, who came to the ranch as young guest and now is an invaluable part of the team,  will stay the winter in Creede and continues being a master of many talents as she helps us with social media, recruitment, and website continuity to name but a few of her talents. This fall we’re excited as well, because Hannah’s younger sister, Claire, (who helped in the dining room this season) will be staying on as roommate and working for The Creede America Group as an architectural intern.

At the Barn

Foreman Damon Gibbons, wife Kiera (Yoga Instructor extraordinaire!) and family have just returned from a much deserved warm weather vacation in Tulum, Mexico where Kiera continued to perfect her Yoga training. Damon continues his community involvement by sitting on the Mineral County School Board.

Nick DeRienzis has been busy buying new horses for the herd and helping AnnKate Sledd make her, transition from wonderful 4UR wrangler to the new Director of Creede Parks and Recreation. We look forward to sharing our new 4UR horses with you next season! 

Grateful for our Guests

And all of us here at 4UR Ranch are giving thanks for all of our amazing guests, who have been sharing their lives with us for generations. This past 2016 season we were blessed to see so many of our returning families welcome newborns and bring them along for their first 4UR summer vacation.

We were also fortunate to welcome several new guests to the 4UR this year, who came for their first Colorado fly fishing experience. Being able to see this magic valley through the eyes of new families is always refreshing and reminds us to continue to strive to see the ranch through their eyes.

Year after year each guest week is a reunion among friends. While there were more memories made than we could ever recount, we are forever grateful for the relationships that our 4UR family experiences with our guests and friends, past and new.

This Thanksgiving we give thanks for all of you! We’ll look forward to hearing from everyone through the holidays and welcoming you all again next summer season.