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October 20, 2008
Hello from Ten Sleep!
Quiet has descended on our little corner of Wyoming, our last summer guests left last week, and the season of family visitations has not yet begun. We have are in the middle of a wonderful fall with blazing gold and red colors on the Aspen and Cottonwood trees, bugling elk and scads of deer and antelope both on the mountain and in our alfalfa fields.
While our Guest season may be winding down, our corporate retreat season is underway with a local bank, a 4 day Western riding clinic for 18 participants featuring Martin Black, and a party for 20 to celebrate a 50th birthday. Monthly events are also planned through the winter, beginning with a New Year’s weekend of riding, football, and celebrating.
We have been in a great rush to get our winter feed stores of alfalfa in before it is eaten by wildlife. The elk herds have descended from the high ground into our neighbor’s field, but soon will look to invade our fields. Extraordinarily good fall weather has allowed us to harvest our second cutting and meet our projected winter needs, but the cool spring and early summer made limited growth and we were only able to get two cuttings instead of three, leaving us short of the optimum quantities of hay, so we will have nothing to sell this year when prices are at historically high levels. Our cattle have done well this summer on excellent forage. The steer calves will make the 550 shipping weight, after falling short the last tow years. The good news in cattle prices collapsed with the economic uncertainty and we will realize the lowest dollar value since we have been on the Ranch, about $550 a head or $100 less than last year. It must be the lifestyle that keeps Ranchers in this game …..!
Some of the items on our list: A 3 - 4 day horse riding clinic for intermediate and advanced Western/Ranch riders, expansion of our tack shop/gift shop with more Red Reflet and Western items from our region.
Our early elk hunting season began with Laurence harvesting a cow elk on the upper pastures. We enjoyed fresh tenderloins and were happy to begin replenishing our depleted stores of wild game. Bob followed up with another cow elk, ambushed coming in to the North Pivot just before sunset. Laurence was on hand to help with the necessary field dressing chores. The elk supply is rising so we can offer our friends a taste of nature’s finest red meat….oops, after Ranch Beef of course!
Our quiet time on the Ranch gives us an opportunity to update the web site, contact various schools for interns, and finalize our plans for next year. Our 2009 rates are done and will soon be posted on the site. With all of the economic uncertainty, the National Elections, and the mortgage and banking crisis, it is hard for all of us to focus on next summer, but as sure as dawn follows night it will soon be here. We would like to offer our 2008 rates to all early booking folks (until 12/31/08) so those ready or even thinking about a great Western Guest Ranch vacation will be able to lock in rates and dates. The way things are going, a really good vacation may be what we all need in 2009! A schedule of Ranch and local activities is attached to help you choose when best to come to Ten Sleep.
We are planning a list of new things for 2009, not that anyone ever told us in 2008 there was no enough to do on the Red Reflet, but because we want to always have a few nice surprises for our returning guests. Some of the items on our list: new riding trails for horses only, others for ATV’s only, new maps for guests almost guaranteed not to allow anyone to get lost, more trail markers for those inclined to get lost, a bubble tent for the pool for spring and fall use, a “permanent” tent camp for those wanting to sleep under the stars, family weeks with special prices for kids, adult weeks with special prices for two or three couples traveling together, flying lessons, new ATV’s for kids (under 100 lbs) that are easier to operate (age limit set by parents), more horses in the barn, and more trail rides into the nearby National Forest and Wilderness areas for scenic and fishing excursions.
RANCH ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS
Red Reflet Guest Ranch always features Resort amenities with Western Hospitality, the finest of Horse Facilities, and our own horses, trained and permanently on the Ranch.
JANUARY: New Year’s Weekend; all month: Arena riding, snowmobiles, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, swimming in the solar heated, bubble tented pool. Hard core cattle drive.
FEBRUARY: Valentine’s Day Weekend; Arena riding, snowmobiles, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, swimming in the solar heated, bubble tented pool. Hard core cattle drive.
MARCH: Spring Fling Weekend; hiking, riding trails, heifer calving, cattle work.
APRIL: Calving of main herd, Branding #1, first spring flowers @ lower Ranch with Indian Paintbrush show, adventure fishing, trail riding.
MAY: Full force Spring green up and flowers, Branding #2, first mountain flowers, ADULT WEEKS, fishing before Spring runoff.
JUNE: Whitewater Rafting reserved, cattle drives, full mountain wild flowers, all the Ranch open for all activities, but fishing shuts down for high water runoff.
JULY: Ten Sleep 2 day July 4 Rodeo with parade & fireworks, last of wildflowers, fishing improves. Dinausor dig.
AUGUST: Family weeks (special pricing for kids), cookouts and campouts and great fishing on private streams. Riding Clinic.
SEPTEMBER: Fall colors begin mid month, wonderful fishing on river floating (limited space), bow elk hunting season, ADULT WEEKS, bugling elk, Corporate Retreats
OCTOBER: Cattle drives, fall colors, but open only for first eight days of the month.
NOVEMBER: Still great riding and hiking! And no crowds, we never have crowds!
DECEMBER: Enjoy early winters in Wyoming and our hard core cattle drives, snow mobiles, Christmas tree cutting.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Bob and Laurence Kaplan
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View our 2009 Calendar of Events Here
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