Last Friday, just after closing the ranch for the season, we hosted a group of kids from the Steamboat Boys and Girls Club. Mary and Shannan led the crew for a day of riding and hiking. Luckily the weather co-operated and they were able to have a picnic lunch out at the Homestead cabin.
Due to our back to back weeks in the summer season, we don’t often get the chance to involve the local community in the ranch activities. So when this opportunity arose, we jumped on it. Mary and Shannan love working with kids, and especially enjoyed the middle school aged group who came up for the day. They got a kick out of how hearty and unflappable Routt County kids are, and were giving them a hard time and laughing up a storm right away. The kids got their helmets and boots, and were handed their horses to head out for an introduction to horsemanship. Following that they went for a trail ride, and then swapped their cowboy boots for walking shoes and headed out for a short hike and lunch. We’re thankful that Mary and Shannan jumped on the opportunity to host this event, as it just wouldn’t have been as much fun for the kids with anyone else!
In other local news, back in late-September we had another unique local event when about 20 artists who were part of the Steamboat Art Museum Plein Air Festival came to paint at the ranch for the day. It was wild to see artists scattered all over the ranch, and so much fun to walk around and see what they were painting. We later went to the museum to see the top picks from the event and were excited to see so many Vista Verde paintings lining the exhibit walls.
Now it’s a bit more quiet around the ranch with the exception of the noise Nathan and his crew are making expanding the staff room dining area. The horses are on vacation, many of the staff have headed home, and we’re all hunkered down getting projects wrapped up and preparing for the winter season.
Note: Everyone had masks on just prior to and following taking this photo.