Cold Cold Cold!

Hello from freezing Colorado!  Normally, I would expect some sympathy from you but I think that most of you are experiencing worse weather than we are! The -10 degree weather has forced everyone here inside to do the jobs that we’ve been putting off for a rainy, or in this case, cold day.  At this moment the maintenance men are up on ladders cleaning the tops of the dining room fans, and the wranglers are cleaning the tack room.  Jacob, our new maintenance guy just told me that when they tried to clean the high windows in the dining room, the steaming hot water almost immediately froze on the inside!  This is one of the few days when everyone in the office is very thankful for an inside, desk job! 

I know you haven’t heard from us for a while, most of you know that the ranch goes into hibernation from Thanksgiving to mid February.  After receiving many questions as to what happens on the ranch during this time, I thought I’d give you a run down on what we’ve been up to.  So far we have replaced the staff room floor and also updated the master bath in Cliff Dwellers.  It received a face lift with new tile and fixtures and now has a stall shower instead of the bathtub/shower.    

Another much needed repair was the footbridge going into the corral.  The wranglers spent a day tearing up the top boards which were beginning to rot.  Now we won’t have to worry that a misplaced step might send the horse and rider into the creek for a swim. 

On Friday, the infamous spring cleaning begins!  All of the girls will begin going cabin by cabin and cleaning with a fine tooth comb…or in this case many, MANY, Q-tips!  We usually take two weeks to go through the cabins, cleaning light fixtures, washing down walls, and going over every inch of wood on the walls, ceilings, and all the furniture with Murphey’s Oil and Liquid Gold.  We’ll be hanging from ladders, scrubbing the tubs with Tilex, and polishing everything until it shines!  After the cabins, we’ll start on the lobby, round up room, and ranch house, finishing in time to welcome our first guests of the year into a clean and revitalized ranch! 

And boy are we ready for some guests around here! The restlessness reached an all time high in the office today when Jeremy choreographed and danced a lovely ribbon dance with ticker-tape involving a series of complicated leaps and twirls. Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds! As much as we have appreciated a few months off to rest and recuperate as a ranch and staff, by the end I find myself remembering why we exist, and that is for you!  Lost Valley is not Lost Valley without our guests.  You allow us to do what we love, and we’re anxious to see you again!  We hope that you are all well and can’t wait to see you soon!