John, Tricia, and I were just out in the dining room talking about new tile. We've gone through several renditions on our plan: starting with tile, moving through cork and marmoleum, and ending up back at tile. It'll be really nice, and I'm excited to do an improvement that is actually something fun when it's done. Or at least, visible.

Over the past few years, we've ended up spending hundreds of thousands on some really, really, unbelievably boring improvement projects. New septic (sewage) system, (Eeww, but you really don't want that stuff coming back...) New underground electrical infrastructure. Woo Hoo. That one sure gets a lot of compliments from our guests. Not! Of course, again, people like electricity in their cabins. A new roof on the lodge. There is a fun one! OK, I guess the added insulation helps, and no leaks is a good thing. A new stove in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the one that we had to replace a couple years ago because of the electrical re-do was the newer one. Something about three phase and single phase power, whatever that means. A new well pump. Gotta have water, right? Heater for the pool, compressor for the walk-in...

They're all sort of like getting new brakes in your car. I hate spending money on new brakes, or new tires. Obviously, the alternative is not so pretty, either. But it ranks right up there with a root canal. Or the time the dogs got into some rat poison. Let's just throw some c-notes out the window while we're driving. At least then, someone would find them and be excited.

Enough rant. We do have some fun things going on. We've cut a hole for a door in Meadowview cabin, from the living room of room 1 into room 3. This makes a nice two bedroom with a living room. Room 2 is still not connected, although we'd like to figure that one out, too. We're replacing beds and some furniture out there, getting rid of a couple of queens and twins and putting in new king beds.

The old stove in the kitchen died, I think that one was circa 1940. It's pretty amazing it lasted as long as it did. When maintenance pulled it out, they disassembled it. It looked like a nightmare inside there. The old wires and grease that had made it through the seams in the metal - gross. Thank God it never caught on fire. And, another fabulous money pit!

John finished the new recycling center project, finally. For as much flack as he got over that one, it did turn out very nicely. You'd think there was nothing cool about a new place for the trash and cardboard dumpsters, recycling bins, and bottle sorting space, and really, there isn't. Except that the dishwasher sorting the stuff can stand under a roof and the trash guy does not have to blow an artery when the wheel of the dumpster breaks through the old plywood floor. But, moving it opens up the whole south end of the lodge. We can put a couple of picnic tables in the shade there, and you can see the pond and the rocks now as you drive in the driveway. And best of all, no more walking past the dumpster on your way to lunch on a hot summer day, either! (Yes, it was screened, so you couldn't see it, but the garbage company will only switch it out for a clean one once a month or so... nicely.)

Steven is working on putting together a better dining area down by the fire pit. He'd like to serve a dinner down there, which would be super fun. We'd set it up a lot like the breakfast ride site. Tricia and Heather are working on new bedding for the rooms. They have new sheets in the rooms already, which are very nice, and are working on the rest of it.

Otherwise, at this point, we just have a little more re-landscaping to do; where the dumpster and recycling used to be, by Meadowview, and by cabins 5 & 6. If any other major projects come up, I'll keep you posted here. Some really fun stuff, like a new furnace or something...

I just about had a heart attack yesterday. I don't have much time to "surf" online, and just came across a scathing review of us on Yahoo Travel that was left last summer. We've never had a bad review online before, and this one was about as bad as could be.

When I started breathing again, I looked at the date, the group size, and the one incident they mentioned that I remember well. I am fairly sure the family reunion group it came from, and which sister likely wrote it.

Before she arrived, she and her husband sent us a letter stating that their children would not be participating in the youth program and none of them would be riding or participating in any equestrian activities. Well, OK- they were coming with a large group, and sometimes it is tough to pick a reunion venue where everyone is overjoyed about everything. We would do our best to take care of them.

Once they were here, they were yelling at their children in the dining room and their children were livid that they were not allowed to eat with their cousins because they were eating with the youth counselors. They left property each morning and came back just in time for dinner. They participated in nothing.

There have been three other times I remember that we have had guests here that were really a bad fit for the experience here and who were obviously unhappy. The other three times, we offered to give them back their deposit if they wanted to leave and finish their vacation elsewhere. (Bend has a lot of options.) Twice in the last 20 years guests have chosen to do so, and the other time the family was so surprized by it they stopped complaining and ended up having a good time. This time, we were assured by the rest of the family that it was just them, and their father was paying for it anyway.

So, yesterday I am reading this angry, bitter review of us and questioning what we are doing here. There is nothing like a direct public attack to fuel self doubt. I e-mailed the woman who planned the reuinion to follow up and find out if there was anything we might have done differently, but have not heard back from her. Then I pulled a dozen or so e-mail addresses of our guests and told them about it.

The response from those I e-mailed was overwhelming. Some responded to me directly and several posted reviews of their own, telling of the wonderful experiences they have had here. It brought me to tears last night to read what they said (and again right now as I write this.) That yes, it is a very special place and experience here at Rock Springs Guest Ranch.  That although there are much easier ways John and I could make a living, (and a lot more money) what we are doing is providing an experience for people that touches their souls.

There are people who do long for an experience that is uncontrived, natural, and human. Maybe not everyone. Large crowds of people still want to go where they can be seen, to stay where the designer's focus while planning spaces was how they would look rather than how they would facilitate conversation, and to have synthetic experiences. To stay where image is more important than relationships. But there are others, a smaller group perhaps, who do want for the unaffected and genuine.

So I thank you, our guests who responded, from the bottom of my heart. You are why Rock Springs is still operating, the reason we are still here.

If you are interested in reading the yahoo reviews, good and bad, the link is: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-7035052-prod-hotel-action-read-ratings_and_reviews-i;_ylt=AmgsO0ppHmnOV.fJkSOkNBkJ8b8F

Wow- I had the most wonderful mini-trip with my book club girl friends this weekend. We spent the night at the new Five Pines Lodge in Sisters, which is a beautifully appointed new facility. Regretfully, I was not able to work in any time at the spa, although my friends loved it.

The highlight of the weekend was snowshoeing on the McKenzie Pass road. In winter, the snow on this older highway over the mountains makes it unpassable, and the route is closed for the season. Or rather, closed to vehicles using tires. A few snowmobiles passed us, although most of the way the silence was disturbed only by our own laughter and the crunch of the snowshoes on the crusty snow.

One of my favorite things in the world is the green of the trees contrasted with the blue of the sky. On a sunny winter day here, the blue is unbelievable. The ponderosa pines take on a shimmer this time of year, as well.  Add in a little (or a lot) of snow, and the combination is stunning. Yesterday was one of those magical days that remind me of why I live in central Oregon.

Hi guys! It is me again. I know I was just on here yesterday but I want to keep all of you interested readers in the KNOW! I am planning to stay here at Rock Springs until the end of July. John and I have decided that it would be a great thing if I am here to bring our new Head Wrangler up to speed. I am excited to be of service and to help the ranch get off to a great start in 2008! I am thrilled to be a part of the hiring and preparations once again.  Do be in touch with us and if you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to email me at heather@rocksprings.com   In Love and Joy, Heather Barklow

IS CHANGE. Well, I must say that Eva's blog yesterday on my upcoming changes was really heart warming. I appreciate her, John and Rock Springs very deeply. It has truly been an amazing experience to work here and make so many great memories with our guests and staff. I feel that life just keeps getting better and that I am stepping into a new phase of life.

I would love to give all of you a little update on our plans...

Garrett Gregory and I were married on the 21st of December at our house in Tumalo. Tricia Maxson and Mike Paul were our witness and minister. It was a great ceremony and we plan to have a reception in the middle of August in Glide, Or, where I grew up. With our new commitment, Garrett and I have decided that we want to take a few years to travel and move around. I am thinking more about what I want out of life and how I want to support myself financially. I love working with horses and people but I have come to realize that I want horses as a hobby again.

I am very interested in the healing arts and am looking into a career in Massage and energy work. There is a holistic Massage school in Sedona that I am checking out and I feel that this may be my next venture. I like the idea of helping others as I have been guided through the healing arts of massage, craniosacral, and acupuncture work. I also am thinking of the fact that we are going to want a family eventually and I want an occupation that supports flexibility. :-) 

Like Eva said, I will be leaving sometime before July and I will be around Bend through Aug. so I will come visit. I know that the New Head Wrangler will be an amazing fit. I am sure that he or she will bring in new insight and freshness to our horse program. As far as I know we will have 3-4 returning wranglers and 3-4 new folks as well. It will be an exciting year for the barn.

Once again, I want to thank each guest, staff, friend, employee and especially horse :-) for making my time at Rock Springs a magical experience. I know that there will never be a time in my life again like this one. I appreciate that and anxiously look forward to the next adventure. I find that no matter how great my life is I am always eager for a new adventure and expansion. Love and Joy, Heather

We received some bittersweet news from Heather Barklow the other day. She and Garrett tied the knot in December, and with marraige comes changes for them. They are planning a move to Sedona, where she will learn acupuncture. After finishing, they plan to live abroad and travel, as this is the time in their lives for those adventures: no mortgage or children. I am sure she will tell you more about it with a few more entries before she leaves. We don't have a final date yet, although it will be sometime between now and July. 

Heather has been such a wonderful fit for the ranch, and we will miss her tremendously. We have the beautiful opportunity here to watch some remarkable young people "grow up" and move out into the world. Some start for us in high school, many in their college years, like Heather. We are able to share that time of discovery with them, when they explore the world beyond childhood, but before settling into their own time and space where they will spend the bulk of their adulthood. Even so, as beautiful as that experience is, we go through the pangs of separation as they fly the nest and head out for greater adventures.

I know that a part of Heather will always be here, echos imbedded in the collective memories of Rock Springs Guest Ranch. And, too, that her experiences here have become a part of her. To provide a place that can influence the direction of so many truely outstanding people is a huge part of the magic here for John and me.

So, as she leaves, we know that the magic of this place will bring us a new head wrangler. Someone with their own qualities and strengths to add to the experience of all of us here, staff and guests alike. Because turnover is so unusual here, we all face change with both hope and angst. Before the departure of Heather and Hud over this year, our average department head had been here for over eight years. After we replace Heather, it will drop to only six and a half years. Not often enough to really become accustomed to it, but with enough frequency to trust that with change comes new ideas and fresh insight.

And, with all my heart, I wish all the best opportunities and most amazing adventures to Heather and Garrett.