by Jill Haymaker
Thanks for having me, Karen. Today I’m going to talk about my Peaktop Dude Ranch series. The comment I get most often from readers of this series is “I want to vacation at Peaktop Dude Ranch. Is it a real place?”
peaktop dude ranch–Is it real?
The short answer is no. Sorry, but Peaktop Dude Ranch is not real. Neither is Peakview County where the ranch is located or the two nearby towns of Peakview and Aspen Ridge, which are other series I’ve written.
A little history
Having said that, Peaktop Dude Ranch is based on my extensive experiences of both staying as a guest and working on dude ranches in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. My love for dude ranches started when I was five years old, and my parents took our family to a Colorado dude ranch where I got my first experience of riding a horse.
I still remember that small, black and white horse named Little Joe (those of you who are old enough to remember “Bonanza” will understand the name). Anyway, we continued to vacation at a different dude ranch each summer until I was thirteen. That’s when we found Lost Valley Ranch near Deckers, Colorado. We loved it so much that we vacationed there as a family for the next six years, and later I worked there for three years. I always refer to it as “my happy place.”
In my adult life, I have spent many weekends in the spring and fall there with my kids and grandkids. Four generations of my family have now fallen in love with the dude ranch
The inspiration behind the ranch
Peaktop Dude Ranch is based on my personal experiences at Lost Valley and other dude ranches. You can be sure that when you read my books, they authentically portray a dude ranch. Several of the books in all three of my Colorado series have covers that were taken at Lost Valley Ranch. In my Peaktop Dude Ranch series, the corral in the background of Peaktop Dude Ranch Homecoming is the actual corral and some of the wranglers at Lost Valley.
the fires
In the fall of 2020, when Fort Collins, where I live, was blanketed in smoke and ash from the Cameron Peak wildfire, I was inspired to write a romance including a Colorado wildfire, so Peaktop Dude Ranch Aflame was born. Click on the title to check it out.
Lost Valley Ranch was actually in the middle of the Hayman Fire, one of the largest wildfires in Colorado history in 2002.
As a result of thousands of people praying for the ranch worldwide, a thirty foot wall of flames that roared through the canyon and came within a mile of the ranch shifted and went around the ranch, burning all the surrounding hillsides, but not a single building of the ranch. (If you ever doubt the power of prayer, all you have to do is look at the photos from after the fire).
The fire at Peaktop Dude Ranch is loosely based on that. The photo on the cover of the book is an actual photo taken by firefighters right outside of the Lost Valley ranch house after everyone had been evacuated.
If you read my series and want to vacation at a real dude ranch, you can go the Dude Ranch Association website and connect with hundreds of dude ranches spread throughout the western United States. It is a truly magical vacation if you want to ride horses and pretend to be a cowboy or cowgirl for a few days.
(c) 2022 Jill Haymaker
Currently she is busy writing a Montana Pines Series, set in western Montana. She also has had several short stories published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, the most recent in the book my Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog.
Jill Haymaker was born and raised in Indiana and Ohio. After high school, and college she moved to Fort Collins, Colorado. She practiced family law in Fort Collins for over 20 years before closing her law office to become a full-time author. She has three grown children, a son and two daughters. She also has six granddaughters and one grandson.
When not writing, Jill enjoys the Colorado mountains, horseback riding, gardening, long walks with her Toy Australian Shepherd, Merlin, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She enjoys their numerous sporting events. She is also an avid football and basketball fan and can be found on weekends cheering on her favorite teams. She has a passion for working with high school youth, she serves as a mentor to at-risk youth, is a youth group leader at her church, coaches a high school mock trial team, and is a volunteer at cross country and track meets. She loves to hear from readers. Feel free to email her at jillhaymaker@aol.com or follow her website and blog at www.jillhaymaker.com
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This was a fun and informative article. I can see how dude ranches are in your blood, Jill. Thanks to both of you for showing how fact influences fiction.
I found Jill’s article fun and informative as well! Thank you, Marilyn!