How are things going at The Hideout?
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I was going to write that at The Hideout in Shell, we have enjoyed a rare warm Fall and early Winter. That we had some frost during the night, but beautiful sunny days with temperatures even reaching 60F. Very exceptional for this time of the year.
An interesting season…
Gosh! There is so much one could write about during these challenging but interesting times. Much as there is so much to read and reflect on.
I could write about all the worries when Covid-19 hit the world, about the preparations and processes we put in place to ensure guest, staff and community safety, about the financial challenges of operating a small business in the hospitality industry, about management transitions, about staff stepping up to the plate in unexpected ways as a show of loyalty and commitment, about many guests reaching out to offer support, about long term repeat guests booking twice this year to help us out. And how that is almost impossible, since we are limiting our weeks to around 15 guests this season, about half of last year’s, most weeks are already fully booked.
Hello everybody,
I hope this message finds you all safe, healthy and hopefully enjoying some nice spring weather wherever you may be. In Shell, after several weeks of warm weather which spoiled us, on Easter Sunday we went back to winter with snow and cold temperatures. It was not very welcome! However, in April the cold weather never lasts long, and we are back to sunshine and warmth for a while.
Changing Weather in Wyoming – One day Winter….
This Sunday, April 5, would have been the day we greet guests for the first week of our 2020 season. Of course, that is not happening, which leaves all of us at The Hideout very sad.
We have had to cancel the first few weeks of our season and reschedule our guests to later dates. The way it looks now, we don’t anticipate guests visiting the ranch soon, and are taking it week by week as this COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. We are carefully watching travel bans as well as our federal, state and local regulations……and of course are using our common sense!
Though we have a tremendous amount of lost revenue, this communication is not about complaining. We are fortunate to live and work in a very beautiful and remote location. There is plenty of work outside and inside for all of us to stay busy. We keep our distance and follow all the rules. But the thing we regret the most is not being able to share all this beauty and our horses with our guests and riding buddies.
Looking for Social Distancing
We had a bit of snow this past weekend and it turned the world into a beautiful winter wonderland.
Let’s be honest – most folks come to The Hideout to ride all day, every day.
There are, however, some supportive family members and friends who might tag along on one horse-lover’s vacation but have interests that lie in other places. Perhaps they want to spend a week reading and relaxing on the spacious front porch of their cabin. Maybe they prefer to do a half-day ride and then trap shoot or fly fish in the afternoon, or perhaps they are most interested in seeing Wyoming back country while being toured around the Big Horn Mountains in our famous “Red Dragon” SUV to an adventurous or romantic picnic lunch destination. Some folks might even want to spend an afternoon in downtown historic Cody before heading to the Cody Nite Rodeo! We also have mountain bikes available at the lodge as well as staff who are knowledgeable about local hiking trails if you prefer outdoor adventure on foot.
Fortunately, the possibilities at The Hideout are endless when it comes to activities – what do you want to do during your time in or out of the saddle?
Fly fishing at The Hideout!When we posted a quick photo of this beautiful dessert to The Hideout Facebook Page on Tuesday, we had lots of recipe requests! After some kind words to the kitchen, the ladies have passed their knowledge on to the rest of us… enjoy!
Apple Berry Cobbler from the Hideout
Never been to a rodeo? Well, here’s your chance! In addition to the countless other opportunities and activities we offer to our guests, our wranglers take interested folks in to see the Cody Nite Rodeo each week. The excursion kicks off with an afternoon stroll through historic downtown Cody where you can watch staged gunfights, shop at the local boutiques (the Custom Cowboy Shop is a Hideout favorite) and perhaps even set aside a few hours to tour the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.
After you’ve seen the sights and maybe purchased that perfect new pair of boots or hat, you can mosey on over to a delicious Western dinner at The Proud Cut Saloon where they serve up their “kick-ass cowboy cuisine.” Surrounded by four walls of vintage rodeo photographs and several hunting trophies, you can enjoy an authentic Wyoming dinner in style while swapping stories from your week with wranglers and other guests.
The nightly rodeo show starts at 8:00pm and features local cowboys and cowgirls trying to beat the clock in all of the classic rodeo events like bareback riding, tie down roping, team roping, bull riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding and barrel racing.
Bull riding at the Cody Nite RodeoFor those of you who haven’t been to a rodeo before, this is definitely a great way to experience the town of Cody while taking part in a true Western tradition! After the fun has ended, our wranglers have you home before midnight so you can be up and ready for another day of riding and adventure on the range here at The Hideout. Read more ›
Hello to our friends and guests,
Although the 2011-12 Wyoming winter was not as long as the previous one, like every other season we areeagerly looking forward to welcoming more of our 2012 “early season” Hideout Guests.
We work through the entire winter to ensure that we are ready for our guests, and let us be honest…we don’t see that many people living in a town of 83 souls on the West slope of the Big Horns (with the nearest sizable town dozens of miles away.) The route that traverses The Big Horn Mountains at 9,000 feet is often closed for traffic due to snowfall, cutting us off from the Eastern side of the range.
Needless to say, in addition to being eager to do what is imbedded in our deepest soul (pampering and taking care of guests and ensuring that they have a great vacation experience,) we are thrilled to have the opportunity to strike up new conversations, exchange experiences and exercise our speech again now that guests have started to regularly arrive here at The Hideout. Read more ›
Here at The Hideout, we have a special sort of announcement this week; our good friend and guest, Mr. Dean Ross, has penned and published the fictional novel West of Sheridan. This honest chronicle of two men traveling through northern Wyoming after a solar event destroys the nation’s population and access to modern technology, basically landing them in the modern day/future version of the “Old Wild West.”
The back cover explains, “West of Sheridan is fast-paced, adventurous, and captivating, while embodying humor, romance and inspiration. Above all, it is a literary illustration of character and moral fiber; a compelling look inside the heads of two very distinctive, contradictory men and what drives them.”
What’s so special to us, other than Ross’ success as an author, is that this exciting story takes place in our neck of the woods with familiar landscapes, towns and general geography. Mr. Ross tells us that he gained much of his inspiration for the setting of West of Sheridan from his time spent here at The Hideout as a repeat guest.
Mr. Ross was kind enough to send us a few boxes with signed copies of the novel to stock in our gift shop – the handwritten inscription in each title page reads, “The Hideout is where this adventure started for me. Hope your adventure is the same.” Well, shucks, Mr. Ross – we’re so glad we could help your creative flow from our little corner of Shell, Wyo!
We were also extremely honored to find a very special “thank you” from Mr. Ross in the afterword of West of Sheridan:
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