Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association - TRR Article

Our horses quietly work their way around large boulders as they pick their way up the trail. Only the occasional bird call and the sound of water tumbling over rocks breaks the silence of the morning. Tumbling water, quaking aspen, and nickering horses - if there are any more relaxing sounds than these, I want to here them. The tumbling river to our right this fine summer morning is called Geneva Creek and it is the namesake for Tumbling River ranch on the Geneva Pass road between Grant and historic Georgetown, Colorado.

This day, five of us are slowly climbing out of the valley ranch headquarters towards a breakfast brunch rendezvous in a high mountain meadow about an hour's riding away. For now we are content to let the horses do the work as we quietly converse about where we are from and how relaxing this all is. For twenty-five years, Jim and Mary Dale Gordon have opened up Tumbling River Ranch in the spring for a summer of riding, hiking, fishing, swimming, rafting, and just plain relaxing. Now they are passing the dude ranch tradition on to their daughter Megan and her husband Scott Dugan. Family run dude ranches are a 125-year tradition in Colorado and the Gordons and Dugans have darn near perfected the art of pampering guests in the high country.

Slowly, the tall pines thin out a bit into groves of aspen and alder and small meadows of wildflowers as the horses gain elevation. The trail is steep, but our mounts are sure footed and have no problem carrying us toward the blue Colorado sky. After a short break for photos, we round a gentle bend and in one breathtaking moment the entire view opens before us. The Continental Divide, the backbone of the Rockies, and miles of snowcapped peaks can be seen in one turn of the head. As if on cue, our conversations stop. The only sounds are our horses' slow breathing and the gentle creak of leather as we stand in our stirrups to gain an inch more perspective of the sweeping alpine panorama in front of us.

We are four folks from around the United States and one from Great Britain and five mountain horses. Between us, we have traveled many countries and seen many sites. But the almost perfect scene in front of us now can only be appreciated in silence. What finally breaks the spell is the realization that the earthy alpine smells of the mountains have been replaced by the sweet scent of warm cinnamon rolls.

Whoa horse, cinnamon rolls at 10,050 feet? Just ahead of us a large Forest Service corral is filling with horses and laughing children and excited adults. The five of us had come to this spot after a short, two-hour ride from the ranch. But other guests were half way through an all-day ride. Others were on their way to high mountain lakes to fish, and the kids were finishing up a morning ride at this same spot.

Off in the aspen trees, in grass so green a leprechaun would be jealous; Scott and Megan were cooking a spectacular breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and sausage. And yes, they had brought cinnamon rolls prepared that morning back at the ranch that were now staying warm near the fire. Everyone quickly dug into the fresh bowls of fruit arranged on a large rock as the exchanged stores of their morning. One group had spied cow elk with new calves, while the kids were more interested in the jokes their wrangler told on their ride.

Soon everyone had his or her plates full. And as soon as they were half empty, Scott or one of the other wrangler/cooks would come buy offering steaming refills. My grandmother, a lover of mountains and good cooking, always said food tasted better outdoors, and mountain eating was the best outdoors of all. Tumbling River cooks proved her right that morning.

After our trailside brunch, the all day riders quickly remounted to continue their trip. Several vans had arrived at the trailhead to take any of the children who elected to go on over the pass to Georgetown to a real 1880s-style candy store whose wares were made while the kids watched. Of course sampling was allowed. Several adults elected to accompany the children so they could all ride the narrow train at Georgetown after the candy store visit. A third group headed from several lakes above timberline for an afternoon of fishing.

"You go ahead a fish," a wrangler told parents of a child that wanted to go with the other kids. "We will watch the kids for you." Our group decided that a good book on one of the many cabin or lodge porches was about as adventuresome as we cared to be this day. So we headed back to the ranch to relax.

Tumbling River is a collection of lodges, cabins, and one pueblo-style lodge scattered among the trees along Geneva Creek. Reunion groups (18 or so) and large families like the pueblo because they can all lodge together and still be part of the ranch. And it has it's own open Spanish-tile kitchen where they can prepare snacks or watch the ranch cook prepare meals.

"I can think of no better way to reunion and celebrate my parents 45th wedding anniversary than staying in the pueblo house at Tumbling River," a guest told me. "All of us are at one table for breakfast and we are having so much fun."

Complete comfort is assured with fireplaces and private baths in your rooms with daily maid service, a heated pool, sauna, game rooms, and lounge (bring your own alcoholic beverages is the rule).

Although this day was devoted to the brunch and relaxing, there is no shortage of activities at Tumbling River to fill the rest of our week. White water rafting is offered one day and is an overnight pack trip as are jeep trips to old gold and silver mine sites over original stage roads and abandoned narrow gauge railroad rights-of-way. Fishing at Tumbling River ranges from ranch-stocked ponds to world-class fly-fishing on the nearby South Platte River. Equipment and instruction are available at the ranch.

Trap shooting, a ranch rodeo, a steak cook-out followed by a Hootenanny, and square dancing or western dancing are all offered during the week. One night during the week, ranch counselors keep the kids fed and entertained while adults enjoy a relaxing candlelight dinner.

Kids will especially enjoy their stay at Tumbling River. After breakfast each day, counselors are ready with exciting programs for children three years and over. There are separate activities for those 3 to 5, 6 to 11, and for teens. The programs are entirely optional, but they're a lot of fun and enable parents to have fun on their own, too.

Finally, maybe what amazes me most about a Colorado dude ranch vacation is that Tumbling River and other ranches have found the perfect balance between relaxing and still having plenty to do. By the second day everyone seem in tune with the rhythm of the ranch. Maybe it's the absence of cell phones, car pools, and emails. Or maybe my grandmother was right - everything's just better in the mountains.

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