Mystery Bike

The other day I walked in on Steve building a bike for someone very special to the ranch. Just for fun, I took a picture and posted it on our Facebook page asking people to guess for whom this bike is being built. I have a pretty strong feeling no one would guess. And I was right…which for me is unusual. 🙂


The answer pretty well sums up Vista Verde and how we somehow find a way to combine the Old West with the New West. The Old West is cowboys and horses, cattle and campfires. The New West is mountain biking and rock climbing, elegantly prepared Bison and hot tubs under the stars. So, picture a weathered cowboy who spends his days on horseback when not shoeing horses. His hat could tells stories, but he’s also realizing that his body needs a way to stay fit without taking such a beating. The answer? Orval Bedell. Yep, you read it right. For those of you who haven’t met Orval, he’s been involved at the ranch longer than I’ve been alive. Orval grew up in the area, skiing down Seedhouse Road to go to school. He’s trained horses, led clinics at the ranch and put shoes on every one of our horses. This spring Orval watched Steve testing out one of his new mountain bikes and next thing I saw was Steve giving Orval a biking lesson. And this week Art the UPS driver delivered Orval’s new bike. Old West and New West…..there is such a thing as a combination. This might just be the best one I have ever seen to date. Happy Trails Orval! Are you ready for your mountain biking vacation?