Yee-haw! (Peaceful Valley Ranch)

Member Name: ermintrude

Product:	Peaceful Valley Ranch
Date:	06/06/01 (108 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful, peaceful setting, plenty to do, lovely accommodation

Disadvantages: price

"Guest ranch" is how Peaceful Valley describes itself. Hmm. If a cattle ranch herds cattle, should we expect to be lassoed and branded if we stay here? Happily not!

I attended Peaceful Valley as a conference/training course attendee, so my experience won't be that of the average holidaymaker, but a lot of the aspects are common to all guests. For a start, everyone benefits from the gorgeous location that gives the ranch its name. With only the Middle St Vrain river (a raging torrent when I was there, but apparently much more tranquil when the snowmelt is over) and the wildlife to make a sound, it's an incredibly refreshing and relaxing place to spend time, and if you're there to learn as I was, then it's good to be away from the distractions of a city location for a while.

The accommodation fits in well with the location, being in wooden cabins or cabin-style larger buildings. Some have balconies overlooking the river, others are more secluded in the woods. I had an enormous suite in one cabin to myself - two huge bedrooms, with a total of three double beds and one foldout, and a bathroom with a shower and a typically shallow American bath. There was loads of storage space, as you'd expect for a room that sleeps up to 7 or 8 people! The only fault I found was the lack of a bedside lamp. For one thing, it was pitch dark, and to struggle back to bed after turning off the main light inevitably resulted in stubbed toes; for another, there were plenty of strange noises to be heard as the cabin settled, people in the other suites moved around, and so on, and sometimes it's just nice to be able to flick on the light! But that really is the only thing I could complain about.

I found that the staff were always helpful and friendly, easily recognised in their ranch-logo denim shirts and, more often than not, cowboy hats. We only had to ask if we needed something, and if they could, they helped us out - internet acce
ss, franking international postcards, opening the gift shop, were all done with a smile. Activities such as horse riding were easy to arrange for those who wanted them, although I can't comment on that as I didn't partake (horses and I do not mix). Rooms were visited every day, the beds made, and bottled water provided for drinking as they were having a problem with runoff contaminating their spring (this was solved in a couple of days, with many apologies all round).

Food was perhaps (given the surroundings and the accommodation) rather average, although you couldn't accuse them of skimping! There was plenty for everyone. Typically, breakfast would offer cereal, fruit, bagels and sliced bread to toast, plus bacon, sausages, eggs, or some other hot concoction. Lunch was usually quite substantial, such as burgers and fries, or taco shells with meat and salad, and dinner would again be pretty filling with something like steak, vegetables and potatoes. There was a salad bar at every meal, including breakfast, with such delights as sliced pepper, chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower seeds, and beetroot among the more usual lettuce and tomato. This being the USA, there were more salad dressings than this Brit can name, let alone remember. Desserts were often available twice a day, but there were some strange concoctions, such as blueberry-coconut pie (a pie crust with, um, blueberries and shredded coconut, and nothing else). However, I heartily recommend the blueberry ice cream, and the cheesecake :o)

As well as organised activities such as horse riding, it's possible to make casual use of the ranch's facilities, including a gym (far too active for me), a pool and hot tub (more like it, and they're open until 11pm), and in the main hall, table tennis and some kind of counter-shoving game marked out on the floor. There's also a small bar in there (which closes disappointingly early), and a stage with a piano, giving a hint th
at it's occasionally used for square or line dancing (both of which would find me far, far away). The western frontier theme is continued in the high season (there were more conference than holiday guests when I was there in late May) with guest rodeos, cookouts, and other hokey stuff. If you're into all that, then great, but it would be the main thing putting me off taking an independent holiday there, It sounds like Butlin's, but in gingham.

If all this organised jollity is too much, you can also head out on your own - photocopies of local maps and hiking trail guides are available from reception, and there are a couple of really easy walks very close to the ranch. One takes you up to the ranch's own chapel, perched on a ridge above the valley, from where you can see distant snow-capped peaks. A road leads up to the chapel, so the 10-minute hike offers little challenge, and is a perfect after-dinner (or even before-breakfast!) walk. The other hike is a bit more strenuous, a good half hour up a zig-zag mountainside trail (sure feet and a head for heights needed) to Castle Rock, an imposing outcrop just along the valley. However, the view is worth it.

Conference/training facilities are as good as any I've seen. For a class of 24 people (each at a computer), we had a large, light room with plenty of space to spread out or stretch your legs, plus a balcony to get some fresh air. Although I'm sure they weren't designed for computer use, the chairs and tables were comfortable, even for long periods. Audio visual equipment was provided in the form of a whiteboard and pens, PA system, and a screen and projector. Finally, a small kitchen at the back held free soft drinks, assorted teas plus hot chocolate and coffee, bottled water, and fruit.

The only drawback is the price. I know that minimal profit was made from the course I was on, and that most of the $1400+ fee went on accommodation (all inclusive) for the four nig
hts/five days. This is definitely not a destination for the budget traveller.

So, there you have it. A beautiful, peaceful retreat, where you can get away from it all if you don't mind the occasional bit of cheesiness. Yee-haw indeed :)

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