London Daily Telegraph
Home on the Ranch
Along with her two boys and husband, British Journalist, Joanna Symons visited Smith Fork Ranch and tells why "the America we see in westerns still exists".
We headed to Smith Fork Ranch, swapping the red rock canyons for the pines and mountain streams of Colorado state and the Rocky Mountains. In between was a dreary drive through grey featureless scrub. Things looked up as we began to climb into the mountains, and by the time we reached the little town of Crawford (population 350) - where a rocking chair stood invitingly on the porch of the village store - the air was blissfully cool and pine scented.
From there we followed a long dirt track, then another to the ranch. Set at more than 7,000ft, just above the Smith Fork River (a tributary of the Gunnison), it has been a guest ranch since the 1930s, but fell on hard times until the Hodgson family rescued it a few years ago. They renovated the pretty log-built guest quarters and hunting lodge, later adding a handful of extra cabins (it now takes 24 guests) and an open-air dining balcony with uninterrupted views to the West Elk Mountains and Gunnison National Forest.
Surrounded by lawns and flowers (and beyond that mile after mile of forest and wilderness), its cosy rooms are decorated with a mix of Shaker antiques, native American Indian artefacts and East Coast chic (the Hodgsons are from Connecticut). It is, without doubt, one of the most peaceful, welcoming and thoughtfully run places I’ve ever stayed - and the children were equally impressed. ?It’s brilliant because there’s always something to do,? was their verdict as we rode among aspen groves and high mountain meadows (again, there are horses for all levels of rider), hiked along the river and through the surrounding wilderness. This is also prime fly-fishing country, and we were given fly-tying and casting lessons by the resident fishing experts. (The ranch has seven fishing ponds - as well as a two-mile private stretch of the lovely Smith Fork River.)
In between, we played pool or cards, table tennis or board games in the converted hunting lodge - now a snug bar. The children spent a night out (well, most of it) in a tepee in the grounds, and played rugby-cum-American football with the staff on the lawn. There are no children’s clubs here - and Smith Fork is best suited to children aged from eight upwards - but there is a flexible programme of organised activities for children and adults if you want to be busy. (And if you don’t, you can slip off to the open-air hot tub or disappear into a hammock by the fishing pond.)
Both boys made firm friends with the staff, most of whom were in their early to mid-20s, some on their summer vacation from college. As well as being expert fishermen or wranglers, they were by turns enthusiastic hosts, teachers, barmen and waiters. Since we were miles from anywhere, we were at the mercy of the ranch restaurant, but the food turned out to be a highlight of the stay - local fish, game, fruit and vegetables cooked with the surest of touches. There was also an impressive wine list.
On the advice of our fellow guests (a large family of three generations from San Francisco) we drove the few miles from the ranch to the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison - America’s newest national park. Sheer cliffs plunged more than 2,700ft to a thundering river. Ravens floated on the thermals. It was like a mini version of the Grand Canyon, but without the crowds. In a more well-known tourist area, this park would have been packed with RVs; here we were almost the only visitors.
It took a huge effort of will to leave Smith Fork - and more than an hour of fond goodbyes from the children, who still write to Garrett, their favourite fisherman. But perhaps it was just as well we didn’t stay longer. After four days of patient instruction, what felt like a million casts and several near misses, I had failed to reel in a single trout. My husband, annoyingly, had had two strokes of fluky luck and was well on the way to becoming a serious fishing bore.
* Joanna Symons and family travelled with Abercrombie & Kent Private Travel (020 7190 7750, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk). Five nights at Smith Fork Ranch costs from £1,175 per adult, £899 per child, including all meals, instruction, activities and use of equipment
* Smith Fork Ranch is within easy driving distance of Grand Junction airport, which has connections to most major US cities; A & K can also organise flights and car hire.
May 2004
