Summer News from the Hideout

In the heat of the summer and with the guest season running smooth as “a good cattle drive”, we might have just forgotten to report to you all back at home!

Despite the recession we are doing well. We have seen more dudes return to The Hideout then ever before and more of our guests come several times during the summer and stay for 2 or 3 weeks. Many guests that visited The Hideout years ago are also returning. We are very proud to share this evolution.

Paula and David are having more fun than ever driving around together in their blue Model A. Check out the new website for a great picture with Chris sitting in the back of the Model A in full chef uniform!

Back to school for the Hideout and Ranch kids …..

After a great summer full of activities, the De Cabooter, the Flitner and the Ranch/Hideout kids are back off to school, and most of them were not too happy about that. One exception is Ramon and Maricella’s kids who could not wait to hurry back to school.

Coming soon…a sister for Sariah

Stewart and Sarah’s daughter Sariah is excited and looking forward to the birth of her new sister due this upcoming December!

Our Weekly Team Roping Events at the Hideout Arena

Buster, Jim, Jared, Stewart, Morgan and several local team ropers put on demonstrations for our guests every week in The Hideout arena in the evening. We don’t know who has more fun, the guests or the ropers.

Natural Horsemanship Demonstrations at the Hideout

Every Monday evening, Shawn is demonstrating basic natural horsemanship techniques, using some of our new 2-year-old horses. This proves to be very successful based on the amount of guests that save up the energy to stay up and attend this clinic instead of crashing into their beds after a long day of working cattle or trail riding.

Shawn’s demonstrations in combination with Ramon’s training sessions in the arena with Flitner Ranch bred Quarter Horses (Ramon is preparing for the 2009 Production Sale) draws a lot of attention and is very interesting!

Samantha Brown with the Travel Channel

Great news is that The Hideout was featured on the popular television show: Passports to Great Weekends, (The Travel Channel) on August 14 as the favorite ranch in the Cody area. We must say that Samantha and her crew, were the nicest people, very respectful and low profile.

Another big draw for the fly-fishermen is the ponds below The Hideout, where the big trout are “eager to eat the flies”. Some of them have grown to become real monster fish. There are thousands of little fish in the ponds, so they must like their habitat. One of our longtime repeat guests has bought the property next to The Hideout. We are studying how we can connect the two properties into one big fly fishing and bird area.

Brand New Hideout Website, Web Brochure and DVD

We have a new website! It is up and running (as you can see). We are quite proud of our new website as we have put alot of time and energy into the process of completing it. We love feedback - so please feel free to forward them to Peter or to Ashley.

Jon May of HorseFlicks came out last month to shoot footage for our new Hideout DVD. They produced our previous one, but it needed updating.

Marco, Junior and Chris have been installing a fire pit and a horseshoe pit at The Hideout. At the Upper Hideout these 2 games have been a big draw and we have talked about installing them also at The Hideout for several years.

Edward and Victor donated their ping-pong table to The Hideout - we can report that the ping-pong table in front of the lodge has become the most popular place for the young crowd to hang out and play!

Last year we installed a brand new, very nice hot tub at Snowshoe Lodge. As we are selling this lodge and the current hot tub needed some work, Marco and Junior will bring the SSL hot tub down and it will be up and running at The Hideout in the coming weeks. The advantage of this hot tub is that it is more powerful, comfortable and easier to use.

Natural Horsemanship Training for The Hideout Staff

We believe in investing and educating our staff so they always have something new to offer to our guests and repeat guests. Last year, both The Hideout and Flitner Ranch staff and management attended the Bud Williams Stockmanship clinic to learn more about Low Stress Stock handling. Stockmanship theory is comparable to Natural Horsemanship theory, but of course, the animal of study is a cattle.

 This coming November, four Hideout crew members will attend a 2 week training course at the Parelli Center in Ocala, Florida. Additional training with other trainers has been planned for this season and for next season.

Stockmanship and Natural Horsemanship at The Hideout

As part of your off season stay, we will offer for those who are interested the above classes and clinics included and as part of your Off Season stay at The Hideout. We have finalized a 3-day Stockmanship clinic based on the principles of Bud Williams; the worldwide mentor and specialist in this area. This clinic includes both classroom and arena training. And of course The Hideout being a real working cattle ranch, you will go out and practice with the cowboy your learning’s in real live on the range.

The 2009 Pricing & Packages

Our 2009 Pricing & Packages will offer a great variety then previous years based on your comments and feedback.

You will be pleased to read that despite rising cost, expenses, fuel, cost of living, maintenance, etc. we will NOT increase our pricing for 2009.

However we will make some of the activities optional at an extra fee for new guests. For example The Hideout Overnight stay will be charged. The good news is that Repeat Guests, including the 2008 first time guests will be grandfathered / mothered in.

So for those who have stayed already at The Hideout, the Upper Hideout Overnight Stay will remain included as part of your package. We believe this was the right thing to do in finding a balance in serving our loyal guests, while at the same time not loosing sight of today’s business environment and challenges.

Real Estate news

For those interested in Real Estate, the Smith Place (the big house next to the Wranglers Bunk house) was sold recently with 35 acres of land.

The Shell Home Sub-Division got the green light from the Planning & Zoning Commission, which means that we have one of those elegant homes for sale and we are able to sell Fractional Ownerships / Time Shares in the other house instead of Private Residence Club Membership without transaction of ownership.

The beautiful (7 lots of approx. 40 acres) lots at the White Creek Ranch at the entrance of the Shell Canyon, surrounded by BLM and National Forest land are ready for sale. We have the lots plotted out and are finalizing the covenants.

Dining at Trapper during your Off Season stay

More and more guests are discovering that the Off Season at The Hideout Packages offer some special treats.

As part of the Off Season package our guests will dine on a regular basis at the elegant Trapper Creek Lodge and Supper Club. Chris, The Hideout Chef will team up with Robb, The Trapper Supper Club Chef for some specials.

Because exceptional early rain and snow prevented the last week of the high season to go for the overnight stay at the Upper Hideout, we rented out The Trapper Creek Lodge exclusively for The Hideout guests. Chris and Robb spoiled our 20 guests with a very special 6 course wine dinner. Stewart and Jared closed the evening with some of their great life music.

Belgian Chocolate at The Hideout and Trapper Creek Lodge

Geert De Coster, one of Belgium’s leading artisan chocolate makers flies in for 2 weeks arriving in Shell October 4th to work with our chefs on some serious chocolate making. During that period we will present The Hideout Guests and The Trapper Creek Lodge guests with chocolate tasting, chocolate deserts and chocolate information. Nothing better then some good chocolate after hard days ride. Only at The Hideout !

www.centho-chocolates.com (click on the English Flag for translation to English)

Western Photography

During October we will also host some very well known photographers at The Hideout. Bobbie Goodrich will organize a Photoshop clinic combined with outdoor Cowboy and Horse shoots. Bobbie Goodrich is famous for her art pictures that look like paintings and a pro working with Photoshop. www.bobbiegoodrich.com

The Swiss Italian photographer Daisy Gillardini will call The Hideout home during October for horseback riding / fall western shoots. Daisy lives with her friend 6 months of the year on an icebreaker and is world famous for her Polar Bear, Arctic and extreme Wildlife photography of which she will do a presentation to our guests during her stay. www.daisygilardini.com

More exciting news to come….!

Stay tuned on communication from The Hideout. We will inform you about the launch of our new DVD. Also take the effort to visit and read the new on-line brochure in this website. You can download the PDF File.

As we continue our 2008 drive and round-ups, we wish to thank you all for your loyalty to your and our The Hideout at Flitner Ranch.

For you from us in Shell !