A Simply "Majestic" Week

It was a short drive from the Durango train station to the Majestic Dude Ranch in Mancos, CO. The Majestic was much more than a traditional dude ranch- it was like someone asked Matt to list off some of his favorite things to do and they said "We have everything but the snowboarding. Oh, and, you should try the horses, too." Daytime was filled with mountain bike riding (Theresa got to try an electric bike- fun!), ATVs, swimming, fishing, a trip to Mesa Verde, a SUPER fun and very wet white-water rafting trip with many of the other guests down the Animus River, and, of course, trail rides and even a fun round of horse games and some cow herding. Evenings we played baseball and paintball, practiced archery or batting (pitching machine/ batting cage) and wound everything down with some fun social's like s'mores, line dancing, karaoke, and movie nights by the teepees. There was just so much to do, there was no way to do it all! While it was much smaller (about 60 guests) and so couldn't have the formal kids programs that the family camp we normally go to (Tyler Place), there were great kid counselors that kept all the kids on their radar- making sure they had supervision at all times- giving us all the opportunity to do activities together or do our own things as we liked. For example, Ana spent more time on a horse than Matt or I could possibly bear so we were glad to turn her over to others, haha. Meanwhile, Josie met some good new friends and they opened a "store" and sold things to raise money as tips for the wranglers. As you can imagine, everyone appreciated that!

Like every camp, the people you're with can make or break the experience. We felt lucky to be with some really terrific people- we all made new friends! There were two large families of three generations celebrating the grandparents 50th and 55th wedding anniversaries who warmly welcomed us into their worlds (Denise/ Bob... dude ranch for your 55th?, haha) and, of course, there were a handful of other families who, like us, were just looking for a little adventure in Colorado and we really bonded with. All the games, activities and evening silliness helped the big group form a nice bond and now we have new places to visit and folks for our Christmas card list. (St Pat's Day in Chicago, anyone? :) )

Lastly, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention how great the Majestic "family" was- The owners were always available- often leading the charge on the fun (and one time bandaging a boo-boo)- but we were also so impressed by the experience and hospitality of everyone- the bike tech who rode from Anchorage to Flagstaff, the wrangler who trained race horses for 30+ years, the kitchen staff who graciously served delicious food including terrific plated dinners and who kept the bottomless cookie jar full (no easy task!), the many counselors and wranglers who are truly passionate about kids, teaching or horses (usually all three) and the ranch manager who, not only was the "glue" of the operation, but also made a point to invest in and really care for the guests- including very kindly insisting on taking us to the clinic for Josie, even though we could've gone by ourselves. (FYI- Josie is fine. She has a small ankle sprain that started as muscle cramp in in Grand Canyon but got a little worse as she became more active. She was still able to do everything except trampoline and running the bases in baseball.)

THE GOLDEN HORSE SHOE AWARDS: Awards the counselors gave the kids at the end of the week:

-Ana: "Book Worm" for participating in tons of activities but still managed to finish FOUR books!

-Josie: "Dancing Queen" for learning the "real" waltz and being really into it on line dancing night.

ANA SAYS:

Majestic was really fun, it had lots of animals but still, I loved horse-back riding the best. We met tons of friends and we had lots of fun participating in the activities. My favorite counselor activity was the water balloon and water-gun fight- it was really fun. I also enjoyed white-water rafting but it was also bit scary because I thought I almost was going to fall out of the boat. It was amazing how how cold the water was! When it wasn't that cold outside at all. It was really cool to experience what the dude ranchers do. My favorite horse was Windy but I couldn't ride her because I was too small. So instead, I rode Cactus because I loved her and she was gentle like a Flower. Though Mason (the alpaca) was exasperating, I still loved him.

My favorite horse-back ride was a four hour ride. It was very fun. We went up to a beautiful meadow; it was literally "nature valley". It was called Ash Meadow- it had flowers, meadow, trees, a pond and even a bull. Ash Meadow was literally "peace on earth" because it was so quiet and peaceful... only the birds were chirping. And the horses looked like they were in harmony with how much food their was! I really enjoyed Majestic.

JOSIE SAYS:

Majestic was super fun! There were trampolines, horses and even an alpaca named Mason, When we first met Mason, the counselors sounded talked about him like he was mean but he was super nice- super friendly and loved eating the fresh grass. We fed him on wood boards. We also got to groom the miniature ponies- that was really fun. Sadly, I sprained my ankle so I couldn't do the trampoline the rest rest of the week. But with or without the trampoline, it was fun! My favorite horse was Rocket. He wasn't a trotting horse, so he did a fast walk but it was super smooth. Also, it was nice to finally be in a place with a lot of trees and greenery! (All the national parks are red rock and you kind of get sick of that after a while.) One of the best things about Majestic was there were FREE cookies all the time! Majestic was yummy and fun!

MATT SAYS: Who would known that I would enjoy a dude ranch? It may have helped that the dude ranch included baseball, Razor 4-wheelers, great mountain biking, and of course some nice social time. Going to Phil's World for mountain biking was a blast and because of this experience, I will probably try doing it again in VT this summer. (Thanks Derek!!) As for horse back riding, no worries I am not going to try to be a rancher anytime soon. Do not get me wrong the wranglers did a nice job teaching me how to trail ride, but I am a long way from feeling super comfortable on a horse. Maybe next time I should try a private riding lesson. (Houston age 20 something made riding look fun, but I am sure that is because he grew up on a horse)

As for the fishing, 4 wheeling, baseball, white water rafting, paint ball, social activities, and the team obstacle course with the kids. They were all great activities that just made the week a lot of fun for both me and the family. It was great week and I am glad that we took the time off the road to experience the dude ranch 1st hand. Looking forward to going to St. Patty's day in Chicago!!

THERESA SAYS:

The Majestic came at the perfect time in our trip! After 3 weeks together, it was great to branch out and meet other people, hear their stories and make new friends. Six nights was also the longest stay in any one location so that really helped us settle in and relax... well, we were actually too busy to relax, haha- but it was nice to not have to move for a while. We really enjoyed all the Majestic had to offer and the staff was great at helping me with my little fear of horses. I felt comfortable on a horse for the first time ever while riding a horse named Hammer who was super mellow and smooth and very handsome. It turns out he was a movie horse but suffered from some PTSD when a (fake) movie explosion came too close... he's now a Majestic favorite. I also rode another horse named Mojito. It's funny, we didn't like each other much at first (he seemed to be under the Ricky Bobby theory of "if you're not first, you're last") but -and this may sound crazy to non-horse people- at some point he seemed to realize I was scared and he changed- it almost felt like he was protecting me. I rode him again on our last ride and it was a really good experience. I'm never going to love riding horses (although I think that "successfully not falling off" (what I do) really isn't riding a horse, is it?) but I have a new appreciation for horses in general and can really understand why those that love horses do. :)

FAVORITE THINGS WE DID AT MAJESTIC:

-ANA: Half-day horse back ride, cow herding

-JOSIE: Too many, I can't pick one!

-MATT: Mountain Biking in Phil's World. The terrain was great and hope to find something like this close to home.

-THERESA: White water rafting on the Animus River and the baseball game. I also had fun participating in the the rodeo games-> my favorite was the Carrot and Cracker race where you and a competitor have to ride your horses to a barrel, eat a (very dry) cracker while your horse eats a carrot, show your finished and then race (on horse) back. First one to cross line wins!

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