This winter was a great time of relaxing after the 2012 season, visiting many family and friends and of course gearing up for the 2013 dude ranch season.  Our staff this year has already proved to be well worth their keep and we are looking forward to working hard and having a lot of fun with them this summer.

It is always a lot of fun for us as a family and owners to see our family dude ranch wake up after much of the buildings and facilities have been closed for the winter.  The pool is uncovered and sparkling blue once again, the volleyball net is back up, the dance floor is shining and ready for the Boot Scootin’ Boogie, the kitchen is clean and ready for that delicious ranch home cooking and the horses are feeling good and ready to hit the trails!  This is definitely always a fun time of year!

Have you made summer family vacation plans yet?  We invite you to experience the fun and adventure of the West as lived out every day at Tarryall River Ranch!  This is one family dude ranch vacation you will not want to leave.  Don’t worry though, we would love to have you come back and visit us at our “little slice of heaven” every summer!

Thanks for reading and be sure to leave us a comment so we know you stopped by!

Happy trails,

Kody Tesch

Tarryall River Ranch

Colorado Family Dude Ranch Has All “Excellent” Reviews On TripAdvisor

Lake George, CO  May 2, 2013

Colorado Family dude ranch Tarryall River Ranch has received a total of fifty-nine “excellent” reviews on the popular travel site TripAdvisor.

To quote from their site, “TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers” and goes on to say that it is “Unbiased hotel reviews, photos and travel advice for hotels…” Travelers are encouraged to review restaurants, hotels, motels, lodging and anything travel related by going to the main website and submitting their comments. Business owners are able to respond to comments, but cannot change or edit them, making it a trustworthy method to seek traveling advice and tips. Reviewers are able to rate properties from one (terrible) to five (excellent) in addition to their comments on the main Trip Advisor website.

Dude ranches do not fall under the typical hotel categories with large numbers of reviews, but guests at the Tarryall River Ranch have posted a total of fifty-nine reviews since August 2010 and the ranch was awarded as a winner in the “Top 25 Bargain Hotels in the United States” by TripAdvisor in its 2012 Travelers’ Choice® awards.

Excerpts from Trip Advisor reviews of the ranch range from “It’s difficult to put into words just what an amazing week I have had at Tarryall River Ranch. Everything about it from the cabins, food, horses, staff, to the scenery and activities was brilliant. I will be going back as soon as I can,” to ” We would thoroughly recommend anyone treat themselves to staying at this ranch, there is so much to do a in a beautiful setting; we really want to come back as soon as possible,” to ” We will definitely put this on our ‘must do again’ list,” and “one of the best vacations we have ever experienced!”

About Tarryall River Ranch -
Tarryall River Ranch is a family owned dude ranch in excellent standing with both the state and national dude ranching associations, and exclusively “excellent” reviews on Trip Advisor. The ranch has a long tradition of providing superb western hospitality for families, couples, groups and singles looking for an adventure vacation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado near Pike’s Peak. Inquiries can be made to 800.408.8407 or the website.

Thank you for reading everyone!  Leave us a comment so we know you stopped by and have a great week!

Happy trails,

Kody

Tarryall River Ranch

Unplug and Unwind in a ‘Throwback’ Vacation – by Maria Smith – HERwriter/blogger

With everything in life getting faster and more advanced, from technology to food to the many ways of communication, there is a segment of the population looking to slow things down. They want to unplug and unwind, and many are finding that they are able to do so in a “throwback” or retro-style vacation.

“Throwback” vacations are the ones most people “of a certain age” (say over 40) remember from their childhood. These holidays involved car rides, probably with the windows down, lots of outdoor time, and nothing that needed plugs, chargers, or batteries.

Today, vacationers are seeking out these tech-free vacations in a variety of ways. Here are three “throwback” vacations that can keep an entire 21st century family happy while making sure things stay simple and stress free.

Dude Ranch

The term “dude ranch” usually brings to mind images of cowboys and cattle drives, and for good reason. They are all about chaps and spurs, but many are now including wellness experiences.

The Dude Ranchers’ Association has accredited more than 100 ranches in the United States (and two in Canada). Many offer a variety of rejuvenating activities and services in a lush oasis environment. Their goal is to give visitors a whole body relief from the stress of modern life.

Dude Ranches will have plenty of horseback riding, but there may also be a yoga class with the desert sunset in the background, or maybe a spa escape complete with an untouched Rocky Mountain backdrop. Read more…

Thanks for reading!  Happy trails all!

Kody Tesch

Tarryall River Ranch

Have you made plans to spend a week at our “little slice of heaven” this summer to live the West like cowboys and cowgirls? We may be a little bias but we have been on many family vacations, including dude ranch vacations before we were at Tarryall, and can honestly say there is no better family vacation that we have ever experienced! Sure, there are no massages or pedicures here but if you are looking for a destination to truly have the time of your life with your family and friends then TRR is the place! The memories we have as a family from our dude ranch vacations are some of the best memories we have together! We still love reliving those trips while laughing and reminiscing together about the fun we had!

If you have been to TRR before make plans to come see us again and treat your family to another vacation they will not soon forget! If you have not been to TRR then you must experience what makes a dude ranch vacation in our corner of the West a truly magical adventure for the whole family!

As I look out my office window the snow is falling but summer is just around the corner! We can’t wait to open up the cabins and share our “Old West” lifestyle with many familiar and new faces from around the world!

This is where you are able to unplug and enjoy quality time with those you care about most!  We hope to see you this summer!

Happy trails til’ then,

Kody Tesch

Tarryall River Ranch

It has been warmer across the country this fall and the weather out at our Colorado dude ranch has been no exception. The days at our dude ranch have been in the 50’s and 60’s and absolutely beautiful! We love this warm weather but realize we also need some serious moisture, which typically comes in the form of snow this time of year. As we work in the office and prepare for next summer the thought often crosses our minds that it is so beautiful that we could have guests at the ranch and offer our dude ranch vacations right now! The horses in our dude ranch herd are sure enjoying the unseasonably warm weather too!

A couple days ago a bunch of us were out in the pasture working on fence and the irrigation.  The horses were nearby checking out what we were doing and burning off a little energy.  The horses were sure having fun running around and playing together.  Click here to check out this short video of Poncho and Takoda playing.

Duke, our Australian Shepherd and newest addition at the ranch must have been feeling good too because he was having a great time playing with Takoda, or more accurately, being a nuisance to Takoda.  Click here to check out this short video of Duke trying to get Takoda to play.  I didn’t capture this in the video but after a few minutes of Duke’s pestering, Takoda would take off after Duke and chase him around the pasture.  This was very entertaining and gave all of us a good laugh.  Serves Duke right I guess!

The warm weather at our Colorado dude ranch has been wonderful, but we are praying for much needed snow.  Plus, Christmas is just around the corner and what is Christmas in Colorado without snow?!

Thank you for following our blog!  Please leave us a comment so we know you stopped by!

Happy trails,

Kody Tesch

Harlie getting the ranch ready for our Thanksgiving guests!

Howdy guests and friends of Tarryall River Ranch! Did you all have a good Thanksgiving? We had a wonderful day at our Colorado dude ranch with a packed dining room of folks from near and far!  It is always a lot of fun having guests join us for our family dude ranch vacations during the summers but there is something extra special about having families and friends join our family for a big turkey Thanksgiving dinner at our dude ranch!

The festivities started around noon with Bridget’s delicious Hot Apple Cider at the picnic tables.  It was such a gorgeous day that everyone gathered outside by the picnic tables with their Hot Apple Cider.  The setting was picturesque with the warming sunshine and fantastic views of the Tarryall Mountains towering high in the distance.  A lot of our guests for Thanksgiving this year also joined us at our dude ranch last year, so it was a treat to catch up with all of them.

Full dining room!

After cider, we headed into the dining room for a mouthwatering home-cooked Thanksgiving feast.  Dinner was nothing short of Bridget’s typical extraordinary cuisine! All 60+ of us piled our plates high with juicy turkey, homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn and more!  Oh, I am starting to get really hungry just thinking about it!

Everyone was so stuffed that we couldn’t just jump right into dessert, so we headed outside.  A game of kick ball was started along with horseshoes and a lot of laughing and running around at the playground.  Plus, we hitched up Bonnie and Blanche for three hayrides.  After all this activity, everyone was ready for fresh homemade pumpkin pies and cheesecakes!  Ok, I’m getting hungry again…

Having fun on the hay ride with Bonnie and Blanche!

It was truly a very happy Thanksgiving at our dude ranch and also reminded us once again how much fun it is to open our corner of the West to family and friends. We are already getting excited for the 2013 dude ranch season and to offer family dude ranch vacations to guests from around the world once again!

What did you do for Thanksgiving? We would love for you to share your stories with us!

Happy trails,

Kody

Talk about a fun and enjoyable group of people, these dude ranch owners have it down.  Everyone is always so congenial and fun.  Stories and laughter are shared along with genuine care and concern for each other.  I don’t know of many other industries where the competitors are also close friends!

Below is a link to a video of my mom having a great time participating in some of the evening entertainment at the dude rancher’s convention.  Leave us a comment on what you think of her performance.  The entertainer said mom has some good rhythm.  What do you think?  Is she missing out on her true calling in life?

We received a phone call a couple weeks ago from a very nice lady in Colorado Springs who had a dog she felt she just shouldn’t keep.  This lady has a full-time job, which means her dog has to stay in the house 20 hours a day.   She just didn’t feel right about this because she knew this dog longed to be outside and was bred to be out herding animals.  This lady found our guest ranch online and immediately fell in love with the place and knew this is where her dog belonged.  She happened to give us a call a couple days after we were discussing the possibility of another dog on the ranch.  We thought that was quite a coincidence so we immediately asked the lady to bring her dog out for a trial run.

Duke has been at our dude ranch for about a week and has already transformed from jumping all over everyone to sitting next to my rocking chair on the porch.  He has a lot of help from Billy and Snickers, our other beloved dude ranch dogs, on how things work out at the ranch.  Duke loves helping feed pasture and will be great at herding the horses when he gets a bit older.

Come visit our corner of the West this summer and meet Duke!  He is sure to be loved by all the kids and adults too!  Until then, make sure to keep following our blog and leaving us comments!  We love to hear from you all and stay in touch!

Happy trails,

Kody Tesch