STAY: A guest cabin on a ranch in Colorado

When I was young some of my favorite books were the Marguerite Henry series of horse books - Misty of Chincoteague, Sea Star, Stormy and Misty's Twilight. I became a bit horse obsessed and always thought it would be so cool to own one - even though I'm sure the work is way more than I ever imagined it to be. Mr. UR even bought me riding lessons for my 30th birthday - which, by the way, was one of his best gift ideas ever. So while planning a trip to Colorado about 10 years ago - even before my oldest moved there - I came upon a cabin on a horse ranch outside of Durango and immediately decided I had to go there. But, of course, as life happens I didn't go on that particular trip. I did, however, bookmark the cabin and when I found that we would be heading to southwestern Colorado this past summer I decided I had to stay there. Please let it be available!






The H&D Ranch is located in Hesperus, Colorado.( H&D stands for horses and black and tan coonhounds) They rent out their one bedroom with loft and hot tub guest cabin on VRBO. After finding the bookmark, I checked the rental cabin schedule and contacted the renter for a particular weekend. After a bit of phone tag, I sent the deposit as soon as we had confirmation that it was available. 




















We drove from Telluride to Hesperus using directions from the owner. It is in a very isolated area - but I knew right away that it was worth the drive. Unfortunately, the owner was out of town when we were there but the ranch foreman helped out with anything we needed. We stayed for 3 nights touring Colorado by day and sitting on the back deck watching the horses and sunset in the evening. When darkness fell, it was time to stargaze and one night, watch a far away lightning storm from the hot tub.











We also were visited by the resident hound dogs - the owner leaves treats in your cabin that you can feed them when they come by - which was a treat for us also.






One morning Mr. UR and I drove around the ranch and visited with the horses - which made me happy. Most of them didn't pay much attention to us. And one evening my son's girlfriend fed them a few carrots - which made the horses happy.















This cabin was a dream stay for me. It fulfilled my expectations - and even though we didn't ride any of the horses it was fantastic to sit out on the back deck at sunset in the peace and quiet with just the sounds from the ranch around us. Utter delight.










How about you? Have you ever stayed somewhere at the top of your wish list? Did it meet your expectations?


This post is a link-up with: Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Albom Adventures, Photo Friday at Pierced Wonderings and Weekend Wanderlust Travel Blog Party!











Comments

  1. Beautiful pictures!! Getting way out of town seems so nice! I remember the stars being beautiful last time I saw them from rural CO. Thanks for posting this getaway idea!

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    1. Thanks! And rural Colorado does have beautiful star gazing!Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  2. Wow! It has to be amazing to stay in a cabin like this. I have seen a lot of this type of cabins in Sunset Magazine. I wouldn't mind staying in one in the Sierra or on Northern California. I would like to stay in a yurt too. #TPThursday

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    1. We almost stayed in a yurt recently near Yosemite but there wasn't any heat source so we opted out. Would love to do that one day also!Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road, Ruth!

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  3. I don't ride, but I think staying at a ranch would be a cool thing to do in the USA. When I was young....many many years ago....I read quite a few stories for girls based around ranches. Happy travels. I am joining you today over on Travel Photo Thursday.

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    1. Thanks Jill - and thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  4. Those hounds! Too much! Looks very peaceful (and a lot like my Oregon!) Cheers from Copenhagen for now, Erin #WeekendWanderlust

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    1. The hounds were fantastic - and my only complaint was that we didn't get to visit with them enough. Thanks for visiting, Erin!

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  5. Looks like a lovely rustic retreat, I can tell you had a great time.

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    1. I did have a great time - and would love to go back! Very peaceful. Thanks for stopping by, Rhonda!

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  6. What a great place to stay, a cabin in the boondocks really fits the bill sometimes! I would love soaking in the hot tub under the stars. Thanks for joining us at Weekend Travel Inspiration! #wkendtravelinspiration

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    1. Definitely fit the bill for me - though I'm not sure I could live there, it sure was a fantastic visit. Thanks for visiting, Jim!

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  7. Looks gorgeous! I've never stayed at a ranch before although I'd love to do it in Montana in the late summer. #weekendwanderlust

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    1. Montana would be great, too - I've been there but never been to Big Sky Country or Glacier so it looks like I have some visiting to do. Thanks for stopping by, Andrea!

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  8. I'm happy that you got to live the dream. Can you ride the horses there if you want to? What a great idea to provide treats for when the hounds visit.

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    1. I'm not sure if you can ride - the ranch foreman's daughters were riding one day but it's not clear whether visitors can. And I loved the treats idea also - the dogs were such an added bonus for our visit. Thanks for visiting, Jan!

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  9. What a perfect Colorado experience. I'm glad that you finally got your dream stay, even if you had to wait a few years to finally do it. It looks so relaxing.

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    1. It was worth the wait - and was very relaxing. So glad I finally made it to that area of Colorado, too. It's pretty magnificent. Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road, Michele!

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  10. That cabin looks really lovely. Nice combination of rustic and comfortable. I think I would need a bit more to do though. Staying on a ranch and not riding horses would seem a bit of a tease. #wkendtravelinspiration

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    1. I didn't see it that way at the time but yes, I guess it would be a bit of a tease. We did spend most of the days there away from the cabin and touring Ouray, Durango and Telluride - but our nights were pretty calm. Peaceful would be a good description of the ranch. Thanks for visiting, Eileen!

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