North Fork is on the national roster of Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing lodges, and with the vigorous North Fork of the South Platte River zooming smack through it, there's plenty of opportunity to throw a line in with the ranch's full-time fish-hatchery manager and guide of 23 years, Kevin Gregory, who before letting guests loose on the catch-and-release river lets them work the stocked pond.

Fishing not your thing? Each day during the week-long adventure -- you can stay for as few as three days, but most people don't -- still brings another chance to hop on a horse, whether for a champagne brunch ride to 9,000 feet or a languorous lunch ride. Hiking opportunities are endless, and there are other short-term ways to occupy one's time here: trap-shooting, swimming in the pool, petting the critters in the petting zoo, playing horseshoes or, if you must be inside, playing pingpong or billiards in the rec center.

CHOW TIME

Whatever you choose, it's a good idea to pick something that will work up an appetite. Meals are staggeringly filling, and it's hard to pass anything up -- always appetizers first, and then traditional cowboy fare of brand-your-own steaks or barbecued chicken cooked on the open grill one night and a full-on Mexican feast the next -- with desserts such as fresh-fruit cobblers and hot-fudge-topped brownie sundaes to finish. Not to mention fresh-baked cookies tucked into jars all over the place for the munchies anytime.

As the sun goes down, cowboy singer Will Dudley might show up for an evening of tunes around the campfire, complete with hot chocolate and a few jokes; he sounds like Willie Nelson, and he makes the kids feel special. On other nights, a mountain man appears out of nowhere and shares tales of carving out a hardscrabble life, or there could be a hayride or a square dance.

''To us, this is just the perfect vacation,'' Beyer said. ``You get exercise, you get to relax, and they make you feel like family.''

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