"Riding High"

By Carl Hulse New York Times Regional Newspapers

In the classic 1962 film "Ride the High Country," Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott portray aging gun hands dispatched into the Sierras to bring down gold from a rough-and-tumble mining camp.

Directed by Sam Peckinpah before he discovered slow-motion violence, the film is notable not only for its cast and literate style but for the lush scenery as the men ride into the rocky hills, cross crystal-clear streams and climb craggy ridges and brush-covered slopes on their push toward the timberline.

As a western-watching youth in small-town Illinois, the movie was among my favorites, though even in my cowboy dreams I never imagined following in the hoof prints of McCrea and Scott. But during a weeklong stay at the historic Bar Lazy J guest ranch outside tiny Parshall, Colo., I got my chance to ride the high country, and I can attest it was far better than a Saturday matinee.

One of the scores of dude ranches from the Texas hill country to the Dakota badlands, the Bar Lazy J (elevation 7500 feet) is set in a lush valley along the Colorado River near its headwaters about 100 winding miles northwest of Denver. The ranch, perhaps the oldest continuously operating in Colorado, features horseback riding in the surrounding sagebrush hills, outstanding fly fishing and a variety of other Western-themed activities.

My wife, Kim, and I, along with her parents, Sue and Walter Hamer of Tampa, Fla., settled on the Bar Lazy J after an Internet search supplemented by a few telephone calls. We picked it because of its emphasis on children's activities. We are making the trek west from Washington, D.C., with our two young boys, 5-year-old Nicholas and 2 1/2-year-old Benjamin, and wanted as kid-friendly an atmosphere as possible. Ranches vary widely in their acceptance of children and need to be gauged individually.

Operated since 1995 by transplanted Michigan residents Jerry and Cheri Helmicki, the Bar Lazy J is very family-oriented with daily supervised children's activities, though it caters to "adults only" in September. Eighteen of the 41 guests during our week were 14 or younger.

Under the supervision of counselors, the kids spend the day learning the care and grooming of horses, riding, swimming in the heated pool, hiking and just playing. Youngsters are broken into groups of ages 3-7 and 8-12, with the older group allowed on daily trail rides while the young ones are limited to the ring. Baby-sitting is available for kids under 3, but from our experience, parents would be wise to hold off on a trip until their budding wranglers are at least that age.

In many respects, the Bar lazy J is a typical dude ranch, offering daily rides, three filling meals a day in a group setting and an assortment of other activities all for one inclusive price. A substantial gratuity shared by the staff is also typically paid when settling up.

All guest ranches have their distinguishing characteristics, and one of the Bar Lazy J's unique features is the proximity of the river and the exceptional fishing. The ranch, opened in 1912 to cater to the state's elite, sits on its own three-quarter-mile, "gold medal" stretch of the Colorado, featuring some of the best catch-and release trout fishing anywhere. The cabins, quirkily named for fishing flies, snuggle along the bank, allowing guests to sleep and awaken to the comforting sound of a rushing stream.

Nicholas and his grandfather spent considerable time fishing. On one visit to the ranch's stocked trout pond, they returned with three nice-size rainbow that the kitchen crew cleaned and pan-fried for supper that evening. But the main attraction remains horseback riding. The ranch offers two rides a day at different skill levels on a well-cared for and well-trained string of about 60 horses. The Helmickis take pride in the caliber of their mounts and they expect the guests to treat the animals with care and respect.

Riders are assigned their horse for the week, a system that allows a bond to develop. After a Monday orientation session, visitors can saddle up for the morning and afternoon rides at a walking, medium or fast past.

The trails through the surrounding hills take riders into some unforgettable scenery, high on ridge lines, across the Colorado and nearby Williams Fork rivers, along a somewhat nerve-wracking cliff trail that leads to a spectacular gorge. There is plenty of room to roam as the ranch is surrounded by protected state land and the Arapaho National Forest.

One morning, my group was thrilled as a pair of golden eagles circled directly overhead. Moments later, a few deer disappeared into the forest in front of us, a stand of timber that we later found ourselves carefully picking through on horseback. Coyotes and grouse were spotted and an array of birds and blooming mountain wildflowers were an everyday treat.

On the more adventurous rides, the wranglers let us lope our horses for long stretches, extending the cantering as we became more comfortable in the saddle.

For those not so eager to ride every day, there is mountain biking, hiking, even jeep tours into the surrounding mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park is nearby. We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the night-time entertainment and eagerly had our boots stamped with the Bar Lazy J brand at a campfire one evening. We never ventured too far during our stay though we did take in the entertaining Saturday night Rodeo in Fraser about 45 minutes away.

Our fellow visitors were predominantly from the East and Midwest, but the Bar Lazy J hosts folks from all over. We were the first to visit from the District of Columbia, and the Helmickis told us we completed the U.S. map for them.

By week's end, everyone was the best of friends, and the farewell Sunday morning breakfast was spent exchanging home and e-mail addresses. A few families immediately reserved a week for the following year. We won't return quite that soon but we intend to be back.

(Carl Hulse is Washington Bureau Chief for the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. The Hulse family has returned to the Bar Lazy J twice since this article was written.)