Our final push before the ranch opens is a combination of ironing out the details, finishing big projects and letting everyone know just what it means to be part of the Bar Lazy J family. It’s not just all hard work—there’s plenty of “play time” as well!       The Thursday before, our ranch once... (Read More)

      It’s amazing what three weeks, a LOT of working hands and some love can do. Every year we are amazed at how quickly the ranch is primped and made ready to welcome our friends for another season. Some people get all the fun jobs…     ….look at all that cookie dough! We are fortunate... (Read More)

       The 2013 pre-season is well under way and with so many of our new staff arriving early, we are getting a ton done and are plenty ahead of schedule. Not to mention the weather has been fantastic and all that lovely rain and snow has everything budding and green, green, green. What a gorgeous... (Read More)

          You’ll often hear people in these parts talk about the beauty of ALL the seasons in Colorado. Even I have said that we wish all of our guests could see both the subtle and dramatic differences each season brings: the wildflowers in the Spring, the star-filled skies at a campfire in the summer,... (Read More)

      It seems like just yesterday that we could take a little stroll up to “Parshall-town” and stop in and see Miss Dorothy. Then again—maybe she wouldn’t be there. Her hours were irregular and depended entirely on her family time and bowling schedule. Either way—no one minded. Like Dorothy, the locals who knew where to... (Read More)

      There’s a cowboy or cowgirl in just about everyone. If the call of the American West has you thinking about dusting off that cowboy hat, pulling on the boots and saddling up, a dude ranch experience just might be the trip for you. Be aware, though, that while it’s still possible to visit a... (Read More)

      The lands surrounding the ranch are a huge wintering ground for the deer and elk herds in our off-season. We see them by the hundreds. But yesterday we saw something we'd never seen before--here or anywhere else! A white mule deer! (Yes, we know it looks like a llama—but trust us—it’s a mule deer.)... (Read More)

     If you’ve been a guest of ours within the past 10 years, then chances are you’ll recognize this lovely bride. Nancy Short has been a part of our ranch family since 2003 when she moved to Colorado from Michigan and began with her position on our Crew staff. Her skills and work ethic quickly... (Read More)

      Well several people have asked about how we feed the horses in the winter. You know that during the summer, the ranch has a dozen feeders full all hay every day of the best stuff we can find.  But in the winter time, free-feeding like that can cause lots of problems with the local... (Read More)

      If you know horses, then you know that some of the most important parts to take care of are their feet. No feet—no horse! So here at the ranch, during the summer months, no horse goes on trail without a set of shoes to protect them from the rocks and rough terrain of the... (Read More)

      Well if you asked any local in these parts, they’d all tell you the same thing: this is the longest run of sub zero temperatures anyone can remember in a long, long time. And we’re people that know cold. It’s typical to get a few weeks of severe cold. And it’s not so rare... (Read More)

        What a year we had here at the ranch! Not only was it our 100th year anniversary, but there were tons of other memories along the way that made this year very special. We made improvements to the ranch, married off some of our staff, added a new zip line, celebrated the long life... (Read More)

        December started mild and dry. No snow to be found in our part of the county, but nights cold enough to start freezing the river. Pretty mild for this time of year here though typically. Usually the river is frozen over by Thanksgiving. Anyone for some fly fishing?? Gold panning? I think we’ll skip... (Read More)

      Grand County is a paradise for many reasons. Year-round it brings people from around the globe for the various seasonal activities offered here. Gorgeous hiking and riding trails in the summer, fly fishing almost year round, skiing and snowmobiling through the winter and in the Fall? Hunters come from across the country to get... (Read More)

The moisture when it falls… But that there is always a sunny day right behind it. Our summer guests, but also our winter guests…. We are thankful for the beauty that abounds here….                                                                    …even when no one is looking. Good food to eat. (The hay-- not the animals. We’re talking about their good food!)... (Read More)

Jerry and Cheri are proud of what this ranch has become to so many others. And they deserve to be. They never could have guessed when they purchased the Bar Lazy J in 1995, that it would come to mean as much to their guests as it did to them.  Although the ranch already had... (Read More)

Who knew even horses had relationship drama?? Ughh! We turned a few new horses into the big herd and immediately the “big man on campus” tried to sneak in and steal away the one mare. But her boyfriend wasn’t having it! We watched captivated for an hour as he tried different ways to get it... (Read More)

      It takes several weeks of collective hard work to bring the ranch back from her deep sleep in the Spring, but in the Fall? The task of tucking her in for a winter’s rest is done in more or less than a week. Still, it takes a great deal of elbow grease and tender... (Read More)

Bar Lazy J 2012—by Beverly VanDell        Many of our friends were fortunate to see this already, but in case you missed it (or like us—just want to watch it again!), here is a stunning compilation of photography from the talented Beverly VanDell. We were truly touched by her beautiful portrayal of the ranch through... (Read More)

     You may or may not know that at the close of our typical guest season, the past several years Bar Lazy J has been the host to an inspiring group of individuals who bring their own magic into an already enchanting place. It’s truly one profound combination. They don’t come for the horses. They... (Read More)

The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune 100 years gazing upon the same moon. 100 years striving to give us her best To welcome the weary and give them some rest. And now with a century under her belt She'll pause for a few months and watch the snow melt. Remembering the joy that... (Read More)

        At last! At last! Thanks for your patience while we were getting this here technological dilemma taken care of. There are still things not yet transferred from the old system, so apologies for some chronological disorder within the next few posts, but we’ll get ‘er all worked out here! Just loosen the reins and... (Read More)

     There aren’t many, to be honest. And when you think about the pros—like good friends just minutes away, NO traffic, the gorgeous scenery, public land in every direction for camping, hiking, and riding--they certainly outweigh any downsides you might find (well, for us anyways!)  But when it comes to things like finding someone to... (Read More)

….the pranks begin. First, you start finding unfamiliar pictures of yourself in random windowsills….                   Then, you start finding pictures of OTHERS perhaps randomly on your office desk….oh--and those others may also be posing in a porta-potty….the gift that keeps on giving….         Then, you may all show up wearing the same clothes….always awkward….... (Read More)

     Our Family Weeks have sadly come to an end, but what a great week we had to close it out! One for the books, that’s for sure! And we had such a large group of kids, we even pulled Miss Tammy out from her “kid wrangling” to do some old fashioned Kid Wrangling—which she... (Read More)