I went on the Orderville Jeep Tour yesterday. It was a really fun and bumpy ride. The Unimog (German-made World War 2 vehicle) handled that rough trail like a beast though. Once we got down to the bottom, we went on a hike down to a seasonally running waterfall. That was a big drop off and I felt a little nervous looking down that far. It was a beautiful day for hiking and I think it will only get better and better as summer arrives. After we got back to the Unimog, we piled in and got dropped off a little farther down the road to see a tree that was struck by lightning and got the bottom of it blown out. The hole is huge and it was a really cool site of how even through the trials that this tree had faced it is still alive. This is an awesome tour at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

Mountain bike racer competes in Endurance Ride

The 50K bike course includes 2 (25K) loops, and there is an expanded 50K loop for the 100k, so each race is just two loops. Top endurance mountain bike racers from across the U.S competed in this event.

Congratulations to Todd and Eric for competing in this difficult event.

Children world-wide seek a life of hope.

This statement from the  God’s Marvelous Light web-site summarizes the gravity of the need to reach out to little children.  ”So many are without homes in the world. There are over a million little children homeless in this country of ours alone. There is much to be done for abused, abandoned, and failure to thrive little ones! Please, help me help so many who need your attention for a healthy life!” – Joy E. Garrido – Founder and CEO.  During this special season of the year we invite you to consider what you can do, to help those in need.

-

-

-

Zion National Park in the Autumn

Fireplace in a Cabin Suite

As the clouds descend lower and lower upon the neighboring mountain, we cant help but stop and stare at the mystical beauty.  Although the summer is amazing in its daily hustle and bustle, autumn is magic in its own sense.  The leaves change to a bouquet of reds and yellows, while the recent rain leaves a smell of freshness in the air.

But as beautiful as autumn is, it quickly changes on us.  Flakes of snow fall lightly upon the ground as a warning of what’s to come.  The air is turning frigid and the fire is crackling in the fireplace.  Hot chocolate and coffee sales grow, as do the jacket sales.  The foreshadowing of winter brings excitement for something new.

While October is just beginning, and there yet to be more weeks of warm days, filled with hiking and play, we look forward to the new season and the new adventures we will take, like opening a Bed and Breakfast and starting education seminars.  The weather is changing, and so are we.

Winter at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

The beautiful entrance to the gated community Zion Ridge

Exclusive Utah features Utah’s exclusive and unique properties and services.  They feature Ski/Mountain resorts, Dining/Nightlife, Exclusive Experiences, and Red Rock/Desert resorts.  Zion Ponderosa was lucky enough to be chosen by Exclusive Utah to be hosted on their website.  Zion Ridge is an important part of Zion Ponderosa and is the ultimate relaxation spot in the Zion National Park area.

Zion Ridge consists of our beautiful vacation homes.  Each home is unique and well-equipped for a splendid stay.  Whether your group consists of 3 people of 35 people, there is a home that will be perfect for your group.  Several homes overlook an expansive and breath-taking gulch with raising mesas and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in the distance.  Other homes are surrounded lush forests, perfect for adventure.  Each is different in architecture and décor, and there is an ideal home for each unique taste.

One of our beautiful vacation homes at night

Each guest in one of our beautiful mountain homes has open access to all of Zion Ponderosa’s amenities: recreation activities, two-tiered pool, volleyball and basketball courts, evening activities, exquisite massages at the Juniper Spa, and dining experiences, particularly the Blue Belly Grill.

Many of our exquisite amenities were featured in the video made by Exclusive Utah.  The fine dining at the Blue Belly Grill simply jumps off the screen and cries “Eat me”, the gravity-defying pool is ready for someone to make the first splash, and the hot tub beckons for someone to take a dip.  The homes each look splendid with gorgeous entry-ways, aerial views of the rooftops and deep gulch, personal hot tubs bubbling, kitchens stocked with supplies from our grocery shopping service, and elegant master bedrooms and bathrooms with lighted candles.

Exclusive Utah did a spectacular job with the video and we are truly honored to be featured on by them.  Learn more about Exclusive Utah by visiting their website.

If you’d like to know more call us toll free at (800) 293-5444 or visit our website Zion Ponderosa.

Guests dining at the Blue Belly Grill

Family reunion enjoy spending time together on our Sunset Jeep Tour

Family reunions that come to Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort always have a blast at our regular amenities; from the two-tiered pool to magnificent hikes, from the ping-pong and pool tables to the volleyball and basketball courts, each family makes their own fun.  However, there’s much more to do! The best days were when one small child was too scared to take the leap and shoot down the zipline and the parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and grandparents shouted words of encouragement from below – with enough support the child always jumped and raced back to go down again. These moments brought the families closer together and made memories that last forever.

Family reunions thoroughly enjoy themselves at Zion Ponderosa!

Besides the zipline, family reunion participants enjoyed horseback riding, ATV excursions, several types of jeep tours, mini-golfing, canyoneering, and the best – paintball games! All of these excellent recreation activities were perfect for families to spend time together and even battle each other! At the end of each long, exciting day many families piled into our large, white-canvas tent to enjoy a special meal prepared for just their family. Then, each member could mix and mingle while enjoying a savory meal.

We’re located next to Zion National Park and one of our best activities that let family reunions spend more time together and experience something new were our Dutch Oven Dinners + Wagon Rides. After an authentic Western wagon ride, families were met with the barbeque aroma and got to eat next to a beautiful ravine. So many enjoyed the slow-cooked meal they came back for seconds or even thirds. After their bellies were full and a good time was had by everyone, our General Manager, Michael Kane, would tell his thrilling story of seeing a mountain lion and our Customer Service Intern, Clarissa Thatcher, would tell exciting stories about Butch Cassidy. Each person left satisfied and in high spirits.

Family reunions love to bond at the Dutch Oven Dinner + Wagon Ride!

Many family reunions enjoyed our evening activities, planned by our Event Planning Intern, Megan Bird. With activities ranging from bonfires to barn dances, from night games to stargazing parties, and from rodeos to night hikes, there was always and activity that added a little extra adventure to the family reunion.  Adventure awaited each family reunion and each group made their own memories – we were glad to be there to help make them!

If you’d like to know more call us toll free at (800) 293-5444 or visit our website Zion Ponderosa.

Our cardboard recycling bin for our Green conservation effort next to Zion National Park.

Cardboard and cooking oil are two products that we go through in a big-way here at Zion Ponderosa.    It took some research to identify just how much we were using, but once we got a handle on it, we also devised a plan for disposing of it more effectively.   Read more about our efforts here.

Cardboard stands inside our recycle bin ready to be delivered to recycling company.

At Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, we wanted to enhance our ability to be more environmentally friendly ( Go Green ), and to reduce our carbon footprint.   To accomplish this our General Manager, Michael Kane, hired a Masters student from the University of Utah as an intern, to analyze our entire conservation effort and to develop a more robust plan.   See what we accomplished by reading our Going Green – Press Release.

Our Organic Garden at Zion Ponderosa is just getting started but will become a great resource.

We also established an organic garden to decrease on the amount of food that is delivered to our resort, thus decreasing the carbon footprint of delivery vehicles.   Our future plans also include greater efforts to recycle plastic, aluminum and other resources. Read more.

Our GM Michael and some staff - very wet after the zipline.

Thanks to all who came out and gave a hand at our Make-A-Wish fundraising event this past Friday!! It turned out being a great success. From 6:30 in the morning to 10:00 at night, there was always something going.

We had a great turn out for our 5k race in the morning, with Yanni Gullagher from Kanab coming in as the winner in 24 minutes, 51 seconds. He beat out a family reunion and two of his long-distance track friends. The first three to cross the red ribbon each won a prize; all participants joined us for a light breakfast of fruit and donuts.

Our amazing 5k contestants!

We also had a lot of fun at our carnival with face painting, a silent auction, chair massages, and many other fun events. An art student volunteered her time to come and run our face painting; our massage therapists came to offer chair massages and finger painting. Various staff members helped with balloon tying, go-fish, the slip and slide, and more.

Our BBQ was delicious and our general manager, Michael Kane, got soaked as we threw water balloons at him during his first ever zip line ride. Staff and guests all bought balloons to throw. At the end, the spare balloons were used for the noble purpose of an all-out water fight. The Muddyboot Band was fantastic and we had a lot of fun dancing to their great music. They were generous enough to donate their time and skill to our barn dance. Line dancing, country swing, and party dancing were all thoroughly enjoyed.

Through the day’s events and generous contributions from local businesses, we were able to donate $1,260 to the Utah Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This will help Utah kids and their families make it through many difficult medical issues and have wonderful memorable experiences. We are so grateful to all those who donated time and supplies to our event and to those guests who came and participated in the activities.

Most popular by far was the slip-and-slide. Rigged up with plastic sheeting on the front lawn of our lodge, guests of all ages joined us in the fun. From a little, two-year-old girl in a pink and white bathing suit to a grandfather who impersonated Elvis, all who came to slide were happily entertained and thoroughly soaked.

United we Stand

Two contests also kept active minds – and mouths – entertained. Our watermelon eating contest, with staff and guests both competing, resulted in many sticky faces. Each contestant was asked to eat a quarter of a large watermelon as quickly as possible. No pink was to be left on the rind at the completion of the contest. For the young man who proved he could really put it away waited the reward of a gift card to the Blue Belly Grill. The race for first was extraordinarily close. Our winner, Aaron, barely beat out his brother. Both boys were able to polish off their watermelon quarters in under five minutes.

The patriotic poetry contest ended our day with fitting remembrance of the purpose of Independence Day. John, a young guest in one of our homes, entered the winning poem. Especially considering that he only wrote it that day, the poem is beautifully crafted and deeply meaningful. It isn’t long, but the poignancy of feeling is honest and heartfelt.

The Price of Freedom

The smell of franks fills the air
As they get ready to go to the fireworks fair.

As they sit down to dinner
Their family bond is not thinner
there is one empty seat, Ryan’s tall and strong.
Why couldn’t his life be long?

There is one question I ask myself
And so does everyone else,
Why couldn’t he be there?

John’s poem points out with succinct clarity the reason we can celebrate our country. The reason any man can celebrate his country. Every country in the world has dedicated citizens who are willing in times of need and danger to defend their countrymen. This week we celebrated the freedoms, safeties, and opportunities that we as Americans are blessed with. Our country has a long history with many times of strength and many times of sorrow. But every moment of our country’s life was paid for by the blood of men and women who fight to defend us.

Whatever your political stance, whatever your country of origin, remember those who have fought for your life. Many of them never came home, but many others did. Take time to thank someone who risked all they had to protect you and your lifestyle. Take time to thank a soldier.

5K Fun Run and Events - July 15, 2011

Entertainment by Muddy Boot Band

7:00 -10:00 p.m. – Muddyboot Band