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Mrs. Voisie M. Horne
Mrs. Voisie M. Horne, 92, of Paris died Tuesday, July 12, 2005, in Paris. She was born Dec. 26, 1912, in Midway to Thomas Horn and Dora Lasiter Horn. She was a homemaker and a member of the Midway Assembly of God. Officiating the service will be the Rev. C.L. Haston and the Rev. Eldon Thomas.
Success story
Success begets success. There is probably no better example of that tried and true statement than the 2005 Texarkana College baseball team's sophomore class.
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But before we could focus on food, we were drawn into conversation with our new dinner companions. The couple next to us, Seth Talmon and Fawn McCullough, were to be married the next evening by candlelight in their cabin.
"So how will you spend tomorrow morning?" I asked the bride-to-be. Her answer summed up the go-getter personality that proved to be typical of guests at Vista Verde: "I think I'll go horseback riding."
A winter wonderland
It's not surprising that Vista Verde visitors tend to take part in every activity; they're the type of people that guest ranches have always attracted. The industry grew out of a late-19th-century impulse to cater to travelers--mostly Easterners--who craved the genuine experience of working the land out West.
Today you can still find true working ranches where it's mandatory to participate in chores such as roping (think City Slickers), but these days many of them are more like regular resorts that combine outdoorsy activities with great food and luxurious lodging. A newer trend is for ranches to remain open throughout the winter, offering snow-themed activities like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and sledding.
Setting the standard in that realm is Vista Verde, whose 500-acre wilderness setting makes it a stellar base for backcountry skiing, not to mention an irresistible place to hole up over the holidays. A working ranch since it was homesteaded in the 193 Os, Vista Verde retains its Western feel, with three lodge rooms and nine log cabins spaced amply apart from one another on a hillside framed by mountain views.
Our cabin was so cozy we could hardly bring ourselves to step outside. It was sheer bliss to wake up to the sight of snow drifting down like powdered sugar through a sieve. And it was even better to be able to prance just two steps through the snow to our private hot tub, where we could sit gazing up at sword-size icicles.
We quickly developed a daily routine: over a lavish breakfast of steaming omelets (no cowboy coffee and gravy-soaked biscuits here), a wrangler would help us plan our day. Among the options: cross-country skiing or snowshoeing around the ranch's 30-kilometer groomed trails, exploring the Routt National Forest and adjoining Mt. Zirkel Wilderness on backcountry skis, or taking a mellow ride in the saddle of a sure-footed pinto or mustang, or on the blanketed backseat of a horse-drawn sleigh.
Most mornings we opted for backcountry skiing along trails scented by pine and fir. Kicking and gliding through 3 feet of fresh snow at an elevation of 7,800 feet was no cakewalk; thankfully, the snow here is feather-light and dry-locals call it champagne powder-which makes it easier to navigate.
Because there were so many guides (the staff-to-guest ratio is about 2 to 1), it was easy for us to go our separate ways when we felt like it. One bright morning Jeremy--a fanatic angler--opted to spend the day fly-fishing for rainbow trout on the Yampa River with Trey Dail, a wrangler whose duties include fly-fishing excursions.
I took the opportunity to head out on skis to track wildlife with Pete Huber, a longtime Colorado resident with a great command of local ecology. He taught me how to distinguish the tracks of a weasel from those of a fox (a weasel's bring to mind Morse code: short, long, short long) and pointed out elk tooth marks in the trunk of an aspen. We skied to his favorite vista, a view of Hahn's Peak, which looked tantalizingly close in the clear air.
Then there was the pleasure of returning to braised vegetable cassoulet, two kinds of piping-hot soups, homemade bread, and cookies warm from the oven.
Chucking the chuck wagon
The food at Vista Verde is reason enough to visit. Chef Jonathon Gillespie, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and the ranch's executive chef for the past five years, has an endless supply of imaginative menus up his sleeve--and he's happy to share his ideas. He offers wine-tasting sessions and cooking seminars where you learn to make some of the ranch's most popular dishes, such as beef tenderloin marinated in bourbon, molasses, and balsamic vinegar (see "Colorado Holiday Feast," page 86).
One die-hard guest, Maria Johnson, who has visited no fewer than seven times, came this year specifically for Gillespie's progressive New Year's Eve Feast. "Last year the first course was oysters Rockefeller, served in the Homestead Cabin, then we had salmon tartare in mini ice-cream-cone-shaped flutes around a bonfire. We ended up with a huge sit-down meal in the lodge, and then a dessert buffet in Sweetheart's Parlor," she recalled. "We skied from place to place wearing miner's lights. It was unreal."
It's not just the holiday meals that are memorable. Halfway through dinner on our last night, a young wrangler with a winning smile stood up to announce that, a few minutes after dessert, there would be a full-moon cross-country outing to the Homestead Cabin. About 12 of us proved to be up for the apres-meal adventure. We met in the ski hut, strapped on skis, and took off.
After a couple minutes of struggling to keep up, I let everyone pass and gave myself over to the profound silence of the cold, perfectly clear winter night. The moon hung low in the sky, behind a thick stand of pines, but cast its silvery light so brightly that the hoarfrost covering the brambly bushes around me glittered like bits of broken mirrors.
By the time I arrived at the Homestead, a fire was burning in the woodstove and brandy glasses were being handed out. I squeezed in between two people and let my fingers and toes thaw out. As the conversation flowed and the fire started dying down, I felt a pang of nostalgia for the summer camp vacations of my childhood. This easy camaraderie felt so familiar, and yet so rare.
That warm glow lingered with me all the way back to the airport in Denver. Driving past one lonely ranch, smoke curling from its chimney, I thought about what real ranch life must be like--very different, no doubt, from what I had just experienced. After all, we didn't herd cattle or do chores. But it didn't really matter. Even in winter--maybe especially in winter--the spirit of the Western ranch is still very much alive.
RELATED ARTICLE: Winter ranch escapes
From British Columbia to Arizona, you'll find a range of guest ranches with winter programs; a few of our favorites are listed below. While prices may seem steep for some, most meals and activities are included. Most require a minimum stay; ask about packages and seasonal discounts.
For detailed listings, read Ranch Vacations, by Gene Kilgore (Avalon Travel, Emeryville, CA, 2001; $23), available at .com or in bookstores.
NEAR SOLVANG, CALIFORNIA
Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort
WHAT: Families enjoy the ranch's low-key approach. The 73 units include studios and suites in ranch-style cottages, most with wood-burning fireplaces. The holiday menu includes free-range turkey with sweet sausage stuffing.
ACTIVITIES: Hiking, horseback riding, fly-fishing, two golf courses, tennis, pool.
COST: From $395 per day (double occupancy); breakfast and dinner included.
CONTACT:
(800) 425-4725.
Matthew Jaffe
NEAR MENDOCINO, CALIFORNIA
Highland Guest Ranch
WHAT: Relaxation is key: ride or hike into the redwoods, or stake out a chair in the ranch house. Each of the eight cabins is comfortably rustic with a deck, rocking chairs, and fireplace. A typical December dinner: Dungeness crab, roasted vegetables, and apple tarts.
ACTIVITIES: Hiking, horseback riding, fishing, tennis, shooting.
COST: $285 per person per day, $190 ages 11 and under; meals and activities included. FYI: Rainy in winter.
CONTACT:
(707) 895-3600.
Lora J. Finnegan
NEAR SASABE, ARIZONA
Rancho de la Osa
WHAT: Step outside fire-warmed rooms in this tastefully restored adobe hacienda, and you'll see steam rising from longhorn cattle in the corral. While most guests focus on horseback riding, many make time to hike, mountain bike, and view wildlife. All this is fueled by tasty meals ranging from tortilla soup at lunch to beef Wellington for dinner.
ACTIVITIES: Riding, hiking, pool, and hot tub.
COST: From $320 per day (double occupancy); meals and horseback riding included.
FYI: Snow possible; ask about special programs.
CONTACT:
(800) 872-6240.
Jeff Phillips
NEAR 100 MILE HOUSE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
The Hills Health & Guest Ranch
WHAT: The agenda here is simple: first a massage and a facial, then a delicious low-fat meal. Finally a sleigh ride, or the blissful solitude of a three-bedroom chalet or a room in a log lodge. The scent of the Christmas tree in the main hall is holiday aromatherapy.
ACTIVITIES: Cross-country and downhill skiing, snowmobiling, dogsledding, ice-skating, exercise classes. COST: Lodge rooms from $31 . per day (double occupancy), including breakfast; chalets from $69 .
CONTACT:
(250) 791-5225.
Steven R. Lorton
NEAR STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO
Vista Verde Ranch
COST: Dec 20-Jan 4: from $1,575 per person for five-night package, including meals. Jan 5- Mar 23: from $855 for three-night package.
CONTACT:
(800) 526-7433.
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