(EMAILWIRE.COM, March 10, 2009 ) CODY, Wyo.—“A real experience with real value is who and what we are and always have been.” These words were written recently by Russell True, President of the *Dude Ranchers’ Association, in an open letter to membership. True reminds ranchers that although these times are “uncertain” their industry hasn’t survived for more than a century by backing down in the face of adversity. Ranchers are a resilient breed. Many are owned and operated by the third, fourth even fifth generation of the same family! Their survival throughout the stormiest chapters of history is is testimony to the hardiness of ranchers as well as the appeal of the guest ranch. Why do so many families opt for a dude ranch vacation year after year? Value tops the list. No other segment of the adventure travel industry even comes close in this respect.
True to form, DRA member ranches are bucking up to meet current tough times, by adding even more value to the quintessential Western vacation. From the Alberta Rockies to the Arkansas Ozarks, ranchers are extending incredible travel deals and packages. As True puts it, “Cabins in spectacular locations, horseback riding, three meals daily, activities and entertainment all in one, the value quickly becomes obvious…giving (families) time and memories, without constantly reaching into their pocket until its empty.”
The DRA website provides all the delicious details of Recession Busting Ranch deals. (Best not to delay. Some require reservations be made and confirmed by specific dates coming up quickly.) Some ranches are offering a free night. Others are slashing the rates 10-20 % for the entire season. There’s “Work & Play” package in which guests work like a cowboy for one week and play like one another week and only pay for one. How about bringing along the toddlers along with the nanny and not paying a cent for any of them? Another will take $200 dollars off the top of each guests’ bill. And some are rewarding guests with a farewell gift of a pair of cowboy boots and hat.
Value seekers have numerous choices at a variety of Western dude ranches. Some are working ranches, and others fall in the resort ranch category. Besides being places to ride and wrangle horses, each ranch offers amusements of their own. Some provide rock climbing, river rafting, swapping stories at saloons, soaking in hot springs or luxuriating in soothing spa treatments. Yet, in one way, theyÂ’re all the same. Each comes with the spectacular beauty found in the rugged West, free from the distractions and often frenzied tempo of the modern world.
True sums up the unending appeal of the dude ranch this way, “Families also knew then and know today that the uncomplicated, uninterrupted realness of time on the ranch gives them what they need so much, time together sharing authentic experiences that bring them closer, creating a lifetime of memories to draw from forever.”
*To read DRA President, Russell TrueÂ’s entire letter, click here.
(The Dude Ranchers' Association or DRA was founded in1926 to preserve and promote western ranch vacations and build a strong working relationship with government agencies preserving public lands. Not all ranches are DRA members. Strict by-laws must be followed to become (and remain) a member ranch. More than100 members in 12 states and two Canadian provinces offer guests a traditional Western experience centering on horsemanship and its own menu of additional activities and amenities.)
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