The first morning out, the group pauses for a photo, then heads on to Miller Rock. Photo courtesy of Western Mule Magazine.

The Peaceful Valley Ranch & Conference Center near Lyons, Colorado, was the site of the Colorado Mule Riders 29th Annual Ride of the Aspens, held September 17 to 22, 2005. Peaceful Valley is one of Colorado’s oldest and largest guest ranches. It’s located just off Highway 72, a few miles southwest of Lyons and 25 minutes southwest of Estes Park.

Ranch accommodations — three separate lodges with 51 rooms (45 with cooking facilities) and 10 private cabins — are spacious and comfortable. The first-class experience is enhanced by an indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, game room, and riverside dining in the main lodge. The area has an abundance of rushing water, 13,000- and 14-000-foot peaks, and spectacular scenery.

The ranch is located on Middle St. Vrain Creek at an elevation of 8,500 feet, and borders the Roosevelt National Forest and Wilderness Area. A variety of trails in and around Roosevelt National Forest provide for interesting and scenic rides.

A Good Beginning

Ride activities kicked off Saturday night with a rib dinner and all the trimmings at the Al Kaly Mule Train Tack Room in Colorado Springs. After dinner, John Nelson, a cowboy poet, entertained the group.

Early Sunday morning, a convoy headed north to the Peaceful Valley, accompanied by beautiful weather and good fortune. The riding began on Sunday afternoon following lunch, with a ride on Bunce School Road to Castle Rock Overlook.

Monday morning was another beautiful day. The ride left the corrals at 9:00 a.m. and headed east on Chapel Road. The trail took us up past the chapel to the Pony Express Trail (the old stagecoach road), turned northeast, and continued to Three Bears Trails.

We rode past Miller Rock and stopped in a large meadow near PA PA Bear Rock for a group picture. From PA PA, we took the Jamestown Trail along St. Vrain Creek to Jamestown. On the creek bank, ranch staff served a lunch of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, with all the trimmings.

The return route was Jamestown Road to Peak to Peak Highway and Chapel Road. We got our first good view of the site selected for our ceremonies the next day: From the highway, Sawtooth Overlook and Buchanan Pass were clearly visible in the bright afternoon sunshine.

The Ceremonies Ride

The Ceremonies Ride began early Tuesday morning when riders left the ranch via South Shore Trail. The trail climbed steadily upward into the Roosevelt National Forest. An old logging road took us to Coney Flats, the site of a glacier-fed lake, applicably named Coney Lake.

At this point, the ride entered the Roosevelt Wilderness Area. Buchanan Pass Trail took us to the base of Buchanan Pass and Sawtooth Overlook. Sawtooth reaches an elevation of 12,200 feet and is the easternmost point on the Continental Divide.

Colorado Mule Riders president Dave Potts conducted the ceremonies in the shadow of the Sawtooth Overlook. We honored riders of the past and recognized our mavericks (nonmembers). As is our tradition, we buried a time capsule containing the names of all our empty saddles and this year’s riders beneath a pile of rocks near the Buchanan Pass Trail, at an elevation of 10,842 feet. Then we took a group photo, with the mavericks holding the Mule Riders banner and Old Glory snapping sharply in the wind.

Tuesday’s ride was a full day. According to our global positioning system, we traveled 16.1 miles. We were on the trail 8 hours, 45 minutes, and averaged 3.1 miles per hour while riding.

Short & Long Trails

After a break for Games Day on Wednesday, Thursday’s schedule was divided into two separate rides. The Short Ride left the ranch on the South Shore Trail, then took the Sourdough Trail southeast to the Beaver Reservoir Trail. The return trip was Beaver Reservoir to Coney Flats Trail, Sourdough, and South Shore Lake back to the ranch for a hot lunch.

The Long Ride left on the Camp Ground Trail and took Bunce School Road to Pony Pit Trail. Our first venture on Pony Pit took us northwest to the Ironclade Overlook Trail; the overlook was our lunch stop and provided a great view of the country to the north and east.

After lunch, we rode back down Ironclade to Pony Pit and took Park Creek Trail to Pony Lake Trail. A trip around Pony Lake and a short ride to Bunce School Road took us back to the ranch.

Thursday night, we enjoyed the traditional steak dinner poolside, and handed out appreciation plaques and attendance pins.

Saddle Up Your Longear!

The 2006 Ride of the Aspens was held September 16 to 21, 2006, at Wilderness Trails Ranch near Durango, Colorado. Bill Rossman was the guest rider as the Colorado Mule Riders celebrated its 30-year anniversary. Rossman is a past director of the National Western Stock Show held every January in Denver.

This is a mules-only ride; bring your own, or rent a good ride from a member. Members are guaranteed a spot for this ride; openings are available for nonmembers when members don’t fill out the 35 membership slots. If you want to ride in the high country of Colorado, this is the ticket.