Chef Don Belveal

Friends and family of the ranch gathered in the cookhouse Saturday night to enjoy Don Belveal’s amazing barbecue.  Known to many folks as the highly entertaining host of the Westcliffe bluegrass festival, Don is also quite the BBQ master.  He brought his smoker to the ranch early on Saturday morning and spent the whole day smoking Maytag GrassFed beef for the party in the evening to enjoy.

Don and Jeannie

Don's amazing BBQ beef

Over 30 guests brought a huge array of potluck dishes and desserts to share, covering the counters and bar of the Lodge kitchen with a tasty spread. Ranch owners have been out to enjoy the Cookhouse Lodge’s amenities often this year, with quiet gatherings enjoying a good fire while sipping wine in the comfortable leather couches, and others pushing together seating in the dining rooms to hold many people at one table.  Marshmallow roasts have been common all summer long on the cookhouse beach, as it is hard to beat a good fire with good friends while watching the deer and elk emerge from the trees into the tall grass of the pastures surrounding the main ranch compound.

The Stroupe family and friends on a ride across the ranch

The labor day holiday was a fantastic weekend on the ranch.  Ranch owners, friends and neighbors made full use of the ranch’s amenities to enjoy the beautiful September weather.  The horses not only toted riders across the ranch trails, but also took our more experienced ranch owners up into the mountians on the nearby rainbow trail to ride through the beautiful pine trees and aspen that are alredy beginning to change color.   The views that the rainbow trail affords are breathtaking, and taking a lunch break in the middle of an open meadow on the side of a mountain, looking out over the Wet Mountain valley, couldn’t be any better. 

Aspen leaves turning gold

Kevin roping the practice steer

Kevin and Cricket both took on the challenge of learning to ride this weekend with our youth riding program, earning their Maytag Mountain Ranch Greenhorn patches. They worked very hard to learn the rules for working around horses, the parts of the horse, how to safely lead a horse, how to adjust their rein length, how to perform circles and changes of direction at the walk, and how to execute a one-handed stop.

Reynolds learning about ranch equipment

Russ and Austin practicing with the roping cattle

Lots of fly fishing this weekend produced excellent results, with the lateral ponds yielding some beautiful fish as well as the Cookhouse and Price ponds. The roping cattle got a workout with Russ and ranch neighbor Austin, while the kids hopped on horses and practiced their barrel racing skills.  The weekend ended with a beautiful campfire and marshmallow roast at the cookhouse lodge beach, where owners new and old were able to relax and catch up with one another.  

Larry and Latigo at the Great Sand Dunes via Mosca Pass

The weather has been perfect for trail riding in the Sangre de Cristos.  Jen has been out hiking and riding some of the nearby trails with her horse Maggie, certifying that trails are safe for our horses and the MMR riders who have proven their horsemanship skills in the arena and on the ranch trails. 

Lakes of the Clouds

The beautiful weather of August made an impressive scene for the wedding of Adam and Jennifer, long time friends of the ranch.  The wedding was held outside of the cookhouse on the shore of the main compound’s pond, a setting that couldn’t have been more beautiful.  The bride and groom had everything organized to perfection including the flowers, caterers, and guest seating.  It was a very memorable event that showcased how well the main compound buildings can work for a variety of events, from seminars to parties to weddings, depending on each individual owner’s wants and desires.

The 2009 Maytag Mountain Ranch Branding was a succcess for all involved, both human and animal.  The organization and effectiveness of our ranch team this year, including staff, owners, family, and friends, was outstanding.  This year’s event showcased the way that a ranching community like we have here can truly come together and work for the good of both the ranch and the animals.   Thank you to the King family for their outstanding photos. Above: Russ Maytag ropes a calf. Above: Jamie, an MMR owner, herds the cows and calves to the corrals. Above: Cattle manager Montana Canterbury hands out jobs and responsibilities during the pre-branding huddle. Above: Russ and Kenny, a neighboring ranch cowboy, sorting calves from cows.

Above: Friends and neighbors of the ranch donate their time to rope some calves.

Summer has been treating the ranch well with good amounts of moisture to grow lush grass, perfect weather for riding, fishing, and hiking, and lots of owners and guests out to enjoy summertime on the ranch.  The fat cattle are currently being shipped and delivered to our beef customers and the initial reviews of our first crop of USDA organic certified cattle have been excellent.

Our summer improvement projects that include staining the ranch amenity buildings and constructing new fence lines are nearing completion thanks to the efforts of staff and owners working together.  We have had many new horsemen and women out to learn the secrets of working with horses; helping a new rider transition from a timid passenger to a confident rider in a safe and secure setting is what our riding program is all about.

The MMR chicken flock is producing well, and all owners, guests and visitors are able to enjoy a breakfast made form our fresh, free-range eggs.  If you are out and about on the ranch and you’d like a fresh egg or six,  look no further than the far side of the horse arena where the chickens are on bug control duty for the central compound.        

The wildlife have been beyond plentiful lately and have taken up late summer grazing in our alfalfa field.  Each evening you can find herds of 20-50 deer and elk grazing across the lush feed of the alfalfa field.  Our easy winter and wetter summer have provided the wildlife with incredibly high-quality forage for the past year, and the quantity and quality of wildlife we are seeing thus far as a result of these weather patterns is outstanding.

The 2009 High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival was a huge success.  The festival earned a record-setting amount for the Wet Mountain Valley Health Clinic and Montana’s unparalleled salesmanship at our sponsor booth generated a lot of serious interest in our first crop of USDA certified organic cattle.  At the MMR booth we sold raffle tickets for a quarter of our grass-finished beef at $1 a chance; this year we collected over $230 to donate to the clinic.  Our winner was actually clinic director John Wallestad, pictured with cattle manager Montana Canterbury,  who will receive his

beef this August.  We did get some rain during the festival, but the weather could not take away from the spectacular scenery of the Sangres or the beautiful sunsets each evening. Even the performers, who have been traveling all over the U.S. this summer playing at various events, couldn’t help but comment on how the site for this event is truly a piece of heaven on Earth. 

Back on the ranch summer has reached full swing.  The daily temperature has been in the 80s-90s with those perfect cool evenings just perfect for sleeping.  Our first cutting of alfalfa is baled and stacked and the grass hay is already mowed and raked.  The cookhouse has been re-stained and looks beautiful; if the rain continues to just move through we will be able to complete the manager’s homes as well.

The garden is having its most productive year to date.  The annual bed is bursting with lettuce, radishes, spinach, potatoes, zucchini and more while the herb bed has crossed over its borders and filled itself and most of the paths with an incredible variety of cooking and medicinal herbs.  The hollyhocks are just now blooming, and their huge blossoms add a goregeous splash of color to the garden.  The strawberries have finished producing but have been replaced by the cherry trees.  We have three tart cherry trees that are producing gallons upon gallons of cherries ripe for the picking, and the numerous currant and goosberries bushes are doing their best to out-produce each other.   The grape arbor has turned into a dark green tunnel, a perfect entrance into the garden, and the neighboring raspberry bushes are already putting out their first few sun-ripened fruits.  It is a beautiful and tasty time to visit the MMR permaculture garden and take home some produce to share with friends and neighbors.

For the second year Maytag Mountain Ranch Grass-Fed beef is sponsoring the High Mountain Hayfever Bluegrass Festival held in nearby Westcliffe.  Proceeds from the festival go towards supporting the Custer County Medical Clinic. This year the festival runs from July 9-12 and will host a number of national and local acts including:

Host band Dry Branch Fire Squad with very special guest, the legendary George Shuffler (Fri-Sat-Sun)
Host band Sons and Brothers (Fri-Sat-Sun)
Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen (Fri-Sat-Sun)
Leroy Troy (Fri-Sat-Sun)
Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers (Fri-Sat)
The Sullivan Family (Fri-Sat-Sun)
The Larry Gillis Hard Driving Bluegrass Band (Fri-Sat-Sun)
The Moron Brothers (Fri-Sat-Sun)
Jett’s Creek (Fri-Sat-Sun)
Heidi Clare & Lonesome Cowboy Hobo Wyoming Slim (Sat-Sun)
Blue Canyon Boys (Thu + a set over the weekend)
Loose Cannon Bluegrass Band (Thu)
Steel Pennies (Thu)
Finders & Youngberg (Thu)

From the festival website at http://www.highmountainhayfever.org: “The festival site is at the west end of Main Street in Westcliffe, on a bluff directly overlooking the spectacular Wet Mountain Valley and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We think you won’t find a more inspiring site for a festival.” Visit their site for a complete festival schedule, ticket information, and performer times and dates. We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on the ranch’s local area and events visit http://www.cliffhangersguide.com

The fourth was a fun-filled holiday on the ranch, with BBQs, fantastic lunches, and roping practice.  Montana and Sarah hosted a huge holiday BBQ for friends and family of the ranch with incredible food (even homemade ice cream), and Deanne fixed a beautiful celebratory lunch earlier in the week for ranch staff to enjoy.  Our roping cattle arrived last week, so the Maytag and Martin families were able to spend a sunny holiday afternoon enjoying some team roping practice with Jimmy and Quincy the Quarter Horses.

We currently have 88 calves on the ground, with only a few more due later this week.  The cows and calves are looking very well; watching them graze and play out in the lush grass we have been blessed with this year is a picture-perfect scene.   Our 2009 organic inspection of the ranch, cattle, and garden will be in the next couple of weeks.  The managers put a lot of time and effort into obtaining and maintaining the ranch’s USDA Certified Organic status, so a good inspection and being awarded certification for another year will be a fulfilling reward after so much hard work.

Our first crop of USDA organic-certified grass-fat cattle are finishing quickly on the lush pasture and will begin shipping this week.  Beef sales are in full swing so call the office at 719-942-4860 or email Montana at canterbury@maytagmountainranch.com to get your order in as soon as possible.  The garden is doing very well; items available right now include cherries, currants, gooseberries, a variety of lettuce and salad green mixes, radishes, and many herbs including dill, fennel, rosemary, coriander, cilantro, and much more.

The weather has been perfect lately and the arrival of afternoon clouds had made for for breath-taking sunsets lately.  The moon has been particularly gorgeous as it reaches full – watching it rise over the wet mountains is a show in itself every evening.  The yucca have reached full bloom and trail rides across the ranch reveal the changes in the wildflower species throughout the season.  Mowing began in the alfalfa field Monday and will continue for the next two weeks until all of the alfalfa and grass hay is cut, dried, and baled.

As calving moves forward we already have 70 new calves on the ground.  They are all looking good, and the weather has grown us some fantastic grass.  Our fat cattle are looking incredible and the first will be headed for processing on June 26th; get your orders for friends and family in as soon as possible to ensure availability as our sales are going well.  Our grass and alfalfa hay should be ready to cut and bale by the beginning to middle of July – with continual good weather we should be in excellent shape to carry a growing herd through the winter this year.

The garden is beautiful to walk through right now and the strawberry plants have been yielding bucketfuls of fruit.  The asparagus has still been producing well, and the herbs that have returned from last year are already full grown.  We have plenty of comfrey available for everyone to use and the currants and gooseberries will be available for picking within the next week or two.  When out at the ranch feel free to stop by and ask our resident gardener Joe for a tour.

With summer entering full swing we have had many owners and guests taking advantage of the ranch’s fly fishing, riding and driving horses, and trails.  Our Percheron horses, Steve and Stetson, have been working hard giving wagon rides across the ranch – being able to visit with such large horses gives many kids and adults a new sense of respect for our four legged friends.

Guests have had a lot of luck fishing the private waters of the Ranch around the community buildings and out in the creeks and ponds.  The rainbow trout are giant right now!  There are always a lot of activities to keep everyone from the oldest to the youngest busy, and it is never too early to start learning how to rope.  Our new roping cattle for 2009 should arrive soon, and learning how to work, rope, and pen these cattle in the arena will help every aspiring cowboy and cowgirl to perfect their horsemanship and stockmanship skills.

Calving has continued with no problems, and the 51 calves we now have are all looking well.  The rain has continued a bit each day, and the moisture has turned our land into a flower-filled sea of emerald grass.  Our flood irrigation is going extremely well and we will be turning the pivot back on the alfalfa for the third time this week.

We were lucky enough to have the King family visit for the last week with their friends, children, and grandchildren.  Shakes the horse showed much patience as he hauled around children and adults in the arena, teaching them the finer points of riding in figure eights at the walk and jog, the posting trot, and even flying lead changes.  The ranch horses covered a lot of trail miles and moved the yearling cattle across the ranch to better grass.  After much hard work on their riding skills, the Kings were able to make their first trip up to the Rainbow Trail for their introduction to off-ranch trail riding in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.  Everyone had a beautiful time and the ranch horses conquered the water, log, stream, and bridge crossings with excellent manners.  We finished off their week with a dinner and bonfire, where many marshmallows were consumed and stories were shared.