GROWING THE FARMSTEAD AT SMITH FORK RANCH

Last night we enjoyed fresh radishes, yukina savoy, herbs, and other veggies picked from our garden - washed and prepared only thirty minutes prior to their arrival on my plate! It doesn't get much fresher than that. At SFR our Farmstead Garden is a very special part of our Ranch.

We never lose the thrill and exhilaration that comes with each new season here in our beautiful valley in the mountains. The SFR Garden focuses on the preservation and organic production of heirloom varietals. All visitors to Smith Fork Ranch are welcome to take part in the garden activities - wonder the rows with our gardener, learn about the seasons, techniques, and harvests, and pick a fresh, organic veg to snack on or add to the Chef's basket for the evening meal.

Our gardener Alma Roberts and our Chef Matthew Dusharme will welcome your participation in harvesting the perfect, fresh produce - with names like graffiti cauliflower, winsor fava beans, tavera, rainbow chard, dwarf grey sugar pea tendrils, and allstar gourmet lettuce - this is not your ordinary garden.

Have fun getting your hands dirty! It’s part of the pleasure and experience of Smith Fork Ranch.

Wilderness Whitewater Rafting!

Wilderness Whitewater Rafting is quite rare and special. At Smith Fork Ranch you have the opportunity to raft some of the greatest water in the West. We have a special relationship with a local authority on these waters and can offer first rate rafting trips through some of the incredible canyons and rivers this region has to offer. Here Owner of SFR Marley recounts his experiences on a typical rafting trip.

"First you have to get up early, grab a coffee and boxed breakfast from the ranch kitchen, and be on the road by 5:30AM. The driving part of the trip there takes about 2 hours. A third of the way there you change vehicles, and a guide takes the wheel of a really rough 4-wheeler because a normal SUV might not be able to handle the “road” ahead (it’s not really a road, but a trail that is wide enough for a tough vehicle). The next leg of the trip is basically a bumpy 7-mile, 1500’ descent from the high-country down to the startlingly beautiful Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The last part of the trip starts about 1000’ above the river. Everyone gets out and hikes the remaining mile or so (relatively easy) old Indian trail down to the river’s edge. The rafts, supplies and guides have been brought down the night before by pack mules. The guides (the best river guides in Colorado) inflate the rafts, pack in the gear, and sit everyone down to hear safety instructions. Of course “everyone” is just you and your party, the guides, and an occasional bighorn sheep or eagle looking down from above. There is no one else around."

"The whitewater trip down the river is a truly remarkable adventure. The 11 miles of rapids are wild, and thrilling and you will definitely get wet. The difference is that the river and it’s environment is so pristine, so wild, so empty of other humanity that you quickly realize that there are very few people who have ever had an experience like this."

"The first time I did this rafting trip I felt like I was Lewis and Clark. After rushing through 1000’ high narrow canyons and surging rapids for 11 miles, and pulling over to the shore for a relaxing lunch, the last three miles of the river trip is relaxing, through calm, easy water to the take-out area. In that 14 mile distance the landscape has suddenly changed. Now it’s barren, sagebrush covered prairie. But good news! The 40 minute ride back to the ranch is smooth and comfortable. You’ll be back in time for cocktails and dinner."

In addition to Wilderness Whitewater Rafting, we have a tremendous variety of activities to offer including guided horseback riding and lessons, guided fly fishing of our own private waters, guided hikes, archery, horse drawn wagon rides, massage therapy, yoga, vineyard tours, float trips, or even flying a bi-plane!
We hope you can join us this summer for one of these amazing adventures, an experience at Smith Fork Ranch is something you will never want to forget!

How about you? Are you interested in a wilderness whitewater rafting trip or have you been on one? Any memorable stories? We'd love to hear them!

-The Team at Smith Fork Ranch

Holy Cats! Look at that returning staff!

At Smith Fork Ranch, we pride ourselves on our staff. These gracious, kind, fun-loving people come from all over the country to work on our dude ranch for the summer, and help your family build the kind of memories that will last a lifetime. As Chief of Staff, I personally am very proud of the number of returning staff members we'll be seeing this summer season!

Who was your favorite staff member? I bet they'll be back!
Levi and I will be returning in expanded management roles, and we'd like to give a great big THANK YOU to those of you we'll be seeing in a month (for the second time!):
Connor Maguire- Kids' Program
Jason Ryburn- Outdoor Guide
Katie Schramm- Wrangler
Austin Crawshaw- Wrangler
Jessalin Newbury- Wrangler
Jon Marc Winchester- Outdoor Guide
Kyle Hartley- Cook last year, Outdoor Guide this year!
Matthew Dusharme- Sous Chef last year, Head Chef this year
Bethany Tunheim- Cabin Host
Johanna Reed- Cabin Host
Lindsey Rogers- Waitstaff & Cabin Host

Come on out to Smith Fork Ranch, and let our staff make your year!
Warm regards to our friends all over the world,
Ciara

Happy First Birthday, Jonah!

Our little foal is turning one year-old tomorrow! You might remember we adopted Gemini and her week-old foal from Spring Creek Horse Rescue in southern Colorado. Gemini had been dropped off at the auction barn with her day-old foal, and the two were tagged separately to be sold for slaughter.

Jonah is growing into a beautiful young horse! Jonah spent the winter at our dude ranch learning some valuable lessons on "being a horse" from Trixie and Blackjack, including not to bother Blackjack while he's eating, and how to reach your forelegs through the fence to reach any available leaves or weeds growing too near the pen from Trixie! She's a very trusting little girl, in contrast to her mama, which illustrates beautifully how good handling grows a good horse. Jonah leads quietly, backs easily, knows "whoa" and will happily speed up when you cluck to her. For a baby, she sure enjoys her pedicures! She's also eager to meet you at the gate each day for her special yearling feed.

As a yearling, Jonah will be going along on some of the spring trail rides while learning to be "ponied" from another horse. She won't be able to wear a saddle or carry a rider until she turns two, and even then, she'll only be ridden lightly until she turns three and her growing bones start to close up.

How is her mama, you ask? Gemini came to us about four hundred pounds underweight, obviously distrustful of humans, and unwilling to share with us the secrets of her past. She spent the summer gaining weight and taking care of her baby. Today she is around 1000 lbs, with a rich bay coat, healthy once again. We weaned Jonah in September, and Gemini seemed pleased to be a free woman again.

Gemini has proved to be an especially tough customer. She'd much rather be left to herself than make the choice to befriend a human again. Ciara has rehabilitated a number of abused horses over the past eight years, but Gemini is proving to be the toughest yet. While she will eat grain from a tub on your lap, or allow you to touch her with a four-foot training stick, she refuses to be approached or wear a halter. After several months of rest this winter, she's been progressing rapidly this spring, and the wrangler crew is dedicated to enlivening her trust in people again. Hopefully, all of our wonderful dude ranch guests can help us with that!

How is Jonah celebrating her first birthday? She's going to get a special grooming, a couple of treats, and have her hooves trimmed! It will be a special day for our special little girl on this Colorado ranch!

She's not just a cover model... she can ride, too!

Here at Smith Fork Ranch, we've got a wide variety of "characters" on staff-- one of us used to be a farm wife, driving big rigs during the harvest; one of us has built multi-million dollar log homes; one of us spent a season in Antarctica; one of us is now a cover model!

Joanne Kennedy's new book, Cowboy Trouble, might feature a familiar face for some of you: our very own Head Wrangler, Ciara Pares! Ciara has been a wrangler for seven years, but in a past life, often modeled for fashion designers, corporate marketing, events and conventions.

Ciara said the photo on the cover of the book was taken about three years ago, when she was working on a ranch in Montana and sidelining as a model for a photographer and videographer in Bozeman. "I knew there was a possibility of my photos showing up anywhere-- advertising, promotional materials, magazines. But a romance novel? I never expected that!"

Announcing Steltzner Wine Dinner June 16!

To our wine aficionados:
Smith Fork Ranch was founded on the principle of offering a western dude ranch vacation the whole family will love, while not sacrificing the finest in food and wine. In that proud tradition, we are delighted to host our second annual Steltzner Wine Dinner!
Guests of the Smith Fork Ranch will enjoy a five-course, gourmet dinner paired with selected vintages of Steltzner wines. Dick Steltzner, founder and wine maker, and his daughter Allison will attend to discuss the wine pairings.

Best of all, Smith Fork Ranch is offering three-night to seven-night stays at special off-peak rates! Treat yourself to an early summer getaway in one of our Colorado log cabins before the Aspen Food and Wine Fest, or stay the week and immerse yourself in the beautiful Colorado mountains. You'll experience the best of our dude ranch, and the best of Napa Valley's wine, all in a week!

Steltzner Vineyards has produced world-class wines from the Stags Leap District in Napa Valley since 1965. Famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon, Steltzner Vineards also produces a great range of wines including Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Call to reserve your Colorado log cabin today: 970-921-3454.
www.smithforkranch.com

EXTREME MAKEOVER At Smith Fork Ranch!

The ranch has a long, proud history dating back to the initial homestead of the 1890s, the Ferrier's Bar X Bar Ranch from the 1930s-1980, and then the not-so-glamourous days of abandon and decay under the moniker "Saddle Mountain Guest Ranch." It's been ten successful years since Linda and Marley Hodgson purchased the beautiful property and carefully refurbished every salvageable building, log-by-log. After ten years, even the whitest paint needs a refresher. The managers all chipped in this week to tear up the flooring, re-paint the walls, and beautifully recarpet the main offices in time for our celebratory TENTH season! Want to see pictures of the final result? Book a reservation, and come see all our hard work in person! www.smithforkranch.com

The Hazards of Living in the Country

Driving to Grand Junction the other day I came across a huge herd of cows and their newborn calves standing in the road. Cattle drives down the highway are a fairly common sight, but this one wasn't really a "cattle drive"-- it was more of a "cattle hazard" as none of the cows were moving. The calves were all very busy playing in the barrow ditch. A man stood next to his ATV, holding the gate open as though the cows might be magnetically attracted to him and thus pass through the gate. A woman and a teenage boy rode horseback through the herd, slapping their reins across bony black hides, but the cattle parted like wheat and closed back around them again.

They must've been standing there for some time, as the lady was getting quite impatient. She thumped her elderly mount in the ribs with increasing rapidity, but the old cow horse just continued moving quietly among the Angus. The lady got wilder-- she flailed her arms! She pedaled and swung her legs! She thwacked and slapped at the cows! She shouted and flailed and wriggled! The calves continued playing, the mamas continued standing stolidly on the asphalt, chewing their cuds. (The only one who she seemed to have an effect on was me, who began giggling inappropriately for the situation!)

Flinging her arms about and kicking her legs, the lady encourage the cows, beat them, berated them, snarled at them! So violently did she spasm, I was afraid she was going to fall off her horse! But he just stood good-naturedly, as unpreturbable as the mama cows. Finally, her act reaching its crescendo, the lady had enough. As if I weren't laughing hard enough, she threw herself off her horse, and in a fury, began twisting tails and grabbing ears, kicking calves toward the pasture gate as all the mamas slowly got the picture and filed through. So infuriated was our cattle queen, that in her fit of twisting and slapping and kicking, she left her old black horse ground-tied right on the dotted yellow line down the middle of the highway. As our heroine whirled away like the proverbial dervish, her cool-blooded equine simply hung his head for a nap...blocking both lanes of traffic.

Of course, it was probably beneficial she'd forgotten her horse. Watching her gymnastics had me laughing so hard my eyes were positively blurry! When she finally remembered to stomp back to the center line and claim her drowsy mount, I'd just had time to catch my breath and wipe the tears away. Just another day in Crawford country...

Dude Ranch Employees of the Four-Legged Variety

Cherokee is a wild child!

Yosemite enjoys a mud bath.

Dollar wonders, what the heck is in here?

Tulsa shows off his rain bonnet-- he hates getting his mane wet.

Cutie demands assistance. How undignified! She's gotten her legs stuck through the fence!
Smith Fork Ranch is lucky to have such a wonderful herd of horses... and so full of personality! Vacationing at our dude ranch means you'll be partnered up with one of these sweet souls for your week of trail riding, cattle work, lessons, and fun on the trail obstacle course!

September Weddings at Smith Fork Ranch

Smith Fork Ranch features a unique, elegant western atmosphere to compliment any couples' special event. As always, you'll find us flexible when it comes to your Colorado wedding! Do you want a full bar with a five-course, seated dinner for both rehearsal and a reception? A wine bar with hors doeuvres? A BBQ at the rehearsal and a buffet at the reception? Music or no music, lodging for one night or a week, the entire ranch will be yours! We have hosted beautiful weddings of over 200 people, to an intimate gathering of six, who rode to the top of Cocktail Ride, were married in the view of Needle Rock, and rode back down again. We'd be happy to help you design the wedding of your dreams! For more information, contact Courtney at courtney@smithforkranch.com or see our website, at www.smithforkranch.com

When was the last time you indulged your inner cowgirl?

You’re a tough girl. Yes, I mean you. Look at everything you handle on a daily basis! You confront the world with grit, grace, and determination. Have you reminded yourself lately what a cowgirl you truly are?

Join the cowboys and cowgirls of Smith Fork Ranch for the kind of reminder you deserve. Announcing our 2010 Cowgirls’ Retreat! Join us September 8-12 for four days designed to bring out the best in your inner cowgirl. Our Colorado dude ranch will host you in deluxe log cabin accommodations, and open your eyes to a real adventure vacation!

The schedule this year includes clinics on roping and cattle work, equine massage, Cowgirl Yoga, and even a harness driving clinic! Special western trail rides will feature the Smith Fork Valley’s incredible scenery, wildlife, and rugged terrain. Of course, there will be time for everyone to enjoy all the activities the ranch has to offer, indulge in a massage, go for a swim, or even try a glassblowing lessons with our friends Jared and Nicole Davis at North Rim Glass.

This is a weekend for women, whether you’re an experienced equestrienne or a novice, to enjoy themselves and let the horses bring out the best in everyone. For more information, you can contact me anytime, at Ciara@smithforkranch.com. I’d love for you to join me in embracing that cowgirl within!

For information on accommodations, visit www.smithforkranch.com.

An Uncommon Chicken

Henny Penny passed away unexpectedly March 6. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Smith Fork Ranch, to be used in the construction of a luxury coop in Henny’s memory. She is survived by her nemeses the cats, the half-tame fawn, and the five misfit ponies she called her friends.

Henny Penny was never one to follow convention. When Henny and her three sisters arrived on the ranch, they immediately deemed their coop “uninhabitable.” Henny, shucking familial obligation, perched precariously on a top-floor saddle rack, far above her sisters on the floor. After a raccoon intruder brutally murdered one sister, the remaining two sisters refused to roost near the scene of the tragedy. Both disappeared shortly afterward. Although deeply affected by the deaths, Henny’s greater IQ prevailed, and she continued her customary habitation high above the reaches of potential predators.

When lonely, she would find a ranch hand to follow around, fall asleep on a lap, or peck away at the phone in the office. But Henny wasn’t often lonely. She spent the majority of her days expanding her horizons, trying new and gourmet foods, and assimilating flawlessly with the animals on the ranch.

Henny laid her last egg in February, in her heated nesting box, just before deciding to move house. In typical Henny fashion, she bypassed the standard roosts for the relative luxury of a restored 1964 Land Rover, parked in the barn for the winter. This final home has been draped in black since her disappearance.

Although we are sad to have lost a friend, here was a chicken who lived life courageously, who knew no enemies, and who enjoyed every seed she pecked up to the fullest. Yes, Henny Penny knew the comfort of a heat lamp above her nest, but she also knew the excitement of challenging the ranch cats (and the half-tame fawn, the horses, and any innocent bystanders) for control of the food supply. While most chickens find themselves content behind wire fences, Henny pushed the boundaries of her existence daily. True to her explorer roots, her disappearance in a blizzard, though tragic, is a fitting end to the life of this unconventional chicken. We’ll miss you, Henny Penny.

What could be more exciting that a dude ranch vacation at Smith Fork Ranch?

Why, nothing! But a Smith Fork Ranch Patagonia Fleece jacket might come close! Congratulations to Kathleen Schramm, winner of our "Refer A Friend, Win A Fleece" contest! Want your own SFR Patagonia Fleece? Give us a call and let the Smith Fork Ranch Roundup Store set you up in style!

www.smithforkranch.com

The Palomino Mare Chooses Her Name...

Ciara: "How about Flicka?" 

Palomino Mare: "Yeah, that one's pretty good!"

Ciara: "Do you like the name Bo?"

Palomino Mare: "Ugh!"

Ciara: "I meant like Bo Derek."

Palomino Mare: "Hmmm. Well, I am a bombshell blonde."

Ciara: "How about Wheat?"

Palomino Mare: "How could you compare me to a mere grain used to make bread?! My golden glow deserves a name glorious in sound, and unique in meaning! Don't insult me with your common choices. Give me something good!"

Ciara: "What do you think of Tosca?"

Palomino Mare: "Hey! I think you've finally got the picture! That sounds Italian. My supermodel good-looks could almost be Italian, couldn't they?"

THANK YOU to everyone who submitted names for our very choosy, very particular palomino mare! With over 80 suggestions on the list, she had plenty to choose from. Congratulations to Sarah Sult for choosing the winning name: Tosca!

February Blizzard

Pistol, the nameless palomino mare, and Sparkplug graze on a foggy February morning at winter pasture.

Frankly, we've been concerned for months by the lack of snowfall! While it's great for the horses and for our work outdoors, without adequate snow there will be less water in the river this summer, and less green grass for the horses. Everyone has been saying, "don't worry about it-- we'll get slammed come March." It's nearly March... and we woke up to 16" of fresh powder today! Hooray! 

www.smithforkranch.com

Name That Horse!

This beautiful palomino mare is going to be a great addition to our ranch herd this year, except for one important thing: She needs a name! Besides being a dappled golden beauty with a white mane and tail, she is voice-trained, sensitive under saddle, and has a great big appetite for chasing cows! Post your name suggestions here, on our facebook page, or email them to: ciara@smithforkranch.com. 

www.smithforkranch.com

Welcome new horses!

Lucky for the ranch, we've added two wonderful horses to our herd: Pistol and Sparkplug! 

Pistol is a tall half-Quarter Horse, half-Saddlebred, retired show jumper. He is an experienced lesson horse, and has blended amicably with his new herd-mates, Gemini, Blackjack and Trixie. He bears an uncanny resemblance to Black Beauty, which I'm sure will make him popular among the girls this summer!

Sparkplug is a young Paint, full of energy and intelligence. Sparkplug is still early-on in his training, but is very gentle and has proven to be playful and have excellent recall. If you leave a halter or bottle or training stick lying around, be sure that Sparkplug will be galloping around with it in his teeth! He and Jonah (now 9 months old!) have been fast friends, and whinny to one another whenever they're apart. 

I hope you are all excited to meet these characters this summer! I know that with their sweetheart personalities they'll be the new favorites in the herd. 

Happy Trails!

-Ciara