Cabin #3 located at Vicker's Ranch was situated next to a river and two stocked fishing ponds. Kids fishing only in the ponds. I am not much of a fisherman, but the kids wanted to try so we purchased a Zebco 33 at the Wal-mart in Durango and did some casting each day in the early evening hours. They became quite proficient at the casting, but we caught no fish which seemed to be no big deal. They enjoyed the weather and the scenery and throwing rocks into the lake while their sibling was doing the casting. The exploding of the small boulders in the vicinity of the pond in which we were "fishing" might have had something to do with the lack of fish catching.

On Friday nights, the Vickers host a complimentary meal for all of the people staying at their ranch. At 7:00, all gather in the barn appropriately decorated with animal heads, mounted fish, picnic tables, old juke box, pictures of great memories, a fireplace, and a food serving bar made of gigantic trees. Through conversation it became apparent that many of the people there that night have been regulars at the ranch for years. Several rent a cabin for weeks, months, and one lady said they usually rent one for a year. We met a couple from Texas who asked how we had heard of Lake City, and we explained. It seems that, while they are not suspicious of new comers, they are interested in how their hamlet came to anyone's attention.

The meal that night consisted of hamburgers and hotdogs cooked on a very large outdoor grill with young cowboys in slickers and cowboy hats operating as cooks. On the bar when we arrived, there were beans, cole slaw, jalapeno peppers, some other very good salad like items, green beans with Feta cheese and walnuts (tasty), onions, and a dessert table where many of the regulars brought their best dish. It was bring your own drinks though they had water coolers available.

Sometime past 7:00, Larry Vickers, who seems to be the head man now and the man who I spoke to about arrangements, walked out of the kitchen banging a spoon on a metal pan. He walks to a piano straight out of Gunsmoke, and people gather around instinctively. He welcomed all and said that they had been doing this for quite some time and that everyone had to gather and sing two verses of Amazing Grace before eating. He started it. A lady accompanied him on the piano. The first and last verse. Then people gathered up their plates walked out to the cowboy cooks and pointed to what they wanted.

There was plenty. All was good.

We walked back for some fishing/rock throwing and then played a game with dominoes called ChickenFoot by the fire built with Aspen Wood. After that, the game was Greenie Weenie. Erin was the Greenie Wienie. You might be able to decipher from the name that one might not want to be the Wienie.

About the arrangements with Larry. On our first day, I walked in and introduced myself. We shook hands. He told me we were in #3, and their was no key. "Have a great time."

The next post = The Alpine Loop.