Summer is almost over; the 11th Annual Wet Mountain Western Days celebration in nearby Westcliffe that is held over Labor Day weekend is in full swing. This year’s festival includes a parade down Main Street, a chuck wagon dinner, arts and crafts, dancing to the tunes of cowboy bands, cowboy poetry, pony rides, and gold panning. This Labor Day weekend festival draws a large crowd of locals and out-of-towners in a family-friendly environment.

Here at Maytag Mountain Ranch, we look forward to the end of Summer. Fall is a favorite time of year. As the aspen trees turn their beautiful golden yellow color, activities at the Ranch start winding down. Summer is always so busy with chores that include tending to all the new born calves, branding weekend, and managing our haying operation. This year, aided by an abundant amount of moisture, our hay crop is outstanding and should allow us to feed our red angus cattle and our horses well through the winter. Once again, we are pleased to announce that we received our annual Organic Ranch certification. This program takes much planning and execution by the Ranch staff, but we feel it is well worth the effort as our crops and cattle exist in an ecologically safe, pesticide-free environment

In the Fall, we finish the final harvesting of the Garden. Fall crops include many fruits, melons, pumpkins, an abundance of flowers, and berries.

Here at the Ranch, owners and guests relax at their homesite or in a Ranch guest cabin and enjoy the beautiful morning sunrises and the glorious sunsets over the mountains. They can watch the elk, and the deer, and the antelope as they wander over the Ranch landscape. They can fish in our pond or streams; or enjoy some of the best fly-fishing in the nation at the nearby Arkansas River. They can wander the Ranch on foot or on horseback; or enjoy a mountain-biking experience on the Ranch or on the nearby Rainbow Trail. Fall is certainly a great time to enjoy the Ranch.