Dog friendly getaways are available at Spur of the Moment Ranch. This week  David and Katherine K. joined us with their 3 little beagles Ernie, Mocha, and friend ( forgot the name, I am getting old). They found it a great spot to get the Beagles out for a long 6 mile hike yesterday. Beagles do not miss a sniff in the forest, they love to put noses to the ground take in the world and all that lives in it. Beagles are great little dogs, I think the ranch was a perfect spot for them to relax and spend time as a family pack.

Some dogs are great off leash at the ranch, it is a good idea to keep Beagles on a leash as a good scent can lead them on a long chase through the forest. When Beagles are on the hunt for a scent not many of them can break away from the hunt to come when they are called. The temptation of the forest scents is huge. Thanks for spending a great dog friendly getaway with Spur of the Moment Ranch.

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There have been requests through time for Logo Denim Shirts for Spur of the Moment Ranch. Here they are ladies. Linda Z was kind enough to model them for the ranch. They have a great fit for the ladies; rugged wear Wrangler Shirts geared for the outdoors. Shirts are available at the ranch in Medium, Large, X-Large, and 2X.

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Spur of the Moment Ranch would like to assist you to have the adventure you have been waiting for, here it is ATV-UTV Rentals Information for our area at Powersports Rental Network  http://www.rentals-wisconsin.com/side-by-side-utv. If you prefer to contact them by phone call 920-428-4111. Powersports Rental Network is a rental retailer from Menasha, Wisconsin. Erik does provide both ATV and UTV rentals; and will also deliver machines to our location in Mountain, Wisconsin making your adventure plans stress-free and comfortable. It is your responsibility to contact the folks from Powersports Rental Network to set up your rental needs; dates; times; delivery, payment, etc. for this portion of your vacation but once that is done, hopefully, your ATV/UTV adventure at the ranch will go smoothly. This is a great opportunity for us to provide you with what many of you have been requesting. I am looking forward to a positive relationship with the folks at Powersports Rental Network.

Don’t forget to make your reservations at Spur of the Moment Ranch http://www.spurofthemomentranch.org/cabins/ for your stay while you are having the adventure of a lifetime. The ranch sits on the Nicolet Trail, this is your direct access to the Oconto County ATV/UTV trails with access into Forest, Florence, Marinette, and Langlade county trails. All of our trails are open at the this time; come on up, utilize our ATV-UTV Rentals Information to make your stay a memorable one.

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On Friday, the ladies enjoyed a quiet ride to the southern lookout; and then gathered at the Weatherwood Supper Club on HWY 32/64  in Mountain, Wisconsin for a good old Wisconsin Fish Fry. The Weatherwood is about 1 1/2 miles from Spur of the Moment Ranch; they have a great bar and cocktail area; as well as a spacious dining room. All of the entrees include a salad bar where you can create your own salad; enjoy cheese and crackers; and homemade soups. Sherry and Bill Wilhelm make their own mouth watering ribs; there are steaks; fish, chicken, shrimp available as well.

Horse back riders enjoy heading to the river crossing; exploring the southern lookout; and riding the old cross country ski trails. The forest is beautiful as it is waking up to spring. The last few days the sound of the frogs in the ponds that have formed from melting snow is a constant chorus as you ride through the forest. The rabbits and the squirrels and chipmunks are quite busy and can be seen almost anywhere. The ducks, geese, eagles, and sand hill cranes can be heard getting in on the chorus at various times during the day. It is certainly nice to see the world around come alive after a very long winter.

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After a very long winter,  finally ATV trails open May 10, 2013 in Oconto County. Everyone is excited to be back out on the trails. The trails in Oconto, Marinette, Forest, and Florence County are open to ATV and UTV machines. Pick up a new map at Spur of the Moment Ranch, check out the new route through Langlade County. Town roads in Townsend, Lakewood, Riverview, and Mountain are open to ATV/UTV traffic making it easier for our ATV/UTV guests to access local businesses.

This year the local ATV clubs have several activities ongoing this season. Dusty Trails ATV Club has a Scavenger Hunt that runs from May 10-June 15. Join any time; join more than once; one envelope per registration; cost to participate is $5 to enter with a 50% payout if found. Weekly clues will be posted by Saturday at event sponsors. 10 sealed envelopes will be hidden for you to find, only one will be a winner. All envelopes will remain unopened until you get to Suring Park; the club will open them. You can also mail them if you cannot attend. Sponsors include: The Schoolhouse Bar; Skinny Dave’s, Mountain Springs Motel; Twice Times, Sue’s Mountain Top, Firelite Lounge; Mountain Hardware, C-US-4 Wireless-Ceollcom, Spur of the Moment Ranch; Scoopers, Cool Twist, Rhodes Junction, Rhodes Oasis, Wheel Inn, Kittys Grill & Bar, Wichmans BP, Eagles Nest, Waters Edge, Pour Haus, Jaded, Suring Lanes Bar & Grill, Mulligan’s, Racer & Lana Rae’s.

The Dusty Trails Annual Spring Poker Run will held on June 15, 2013. Spur of the Moment Ranch will again be a stop on the Poker Run. The run begins at 9:00 AM-5:00 PM with a party to follow at Suring Park. Check www.dustytrailsatvclub.com for more details.

The 2013 Summer Long ATV Poker Run is hosted by the Crooked Trails ATV Club, Inc. and Dusty Trails ATV Club Inc. The Poker Run begins May 10th through September 28th. The end of the summer party is open to the public with food and refreshments available. There will be free music. It begins at 11:00 AM on September 28th at the Crooked Lake Sportsman’s Club, 15526 County Road  in Crooked Lake, WI. Books are available at Spur of the Moment Ranch as well as many of the other local businesses. Entrance fee is $5. Check the websites for more information www.crookedtrailsatvclub.com or www.dustytrailsatvclub.com.

Have a wonderful season, stay safe, check out Spur of the Moment Ranch http://www.spurofthemomentranch.org/atv-utv-trails-in-wisconsin/ as a place to stay with direct access to the trails. See you on the 10th.

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Spur of the Moment Ranch takes a natural by product – horse manure –  of our very special horse guests and turns it into natural compost. This process is an environmentally friendly way to recycle this by product and turn it into something nutritious for our gardens. Our guests at the ranch were fascinated by the process and husband Skip gave them a tour of our compost center here at Spur of the Moment Ranch in Mountain, Wisconsin.

Vermiculture, using worms to process compostible material, was selected as the method to handle an environmentally challenging waste product at the  Ranch because it could be easily contained. Our 5′ by 16′ EPM, inc flow through composter houses a 34″ Worm Bed” raw materials are fed in the top and finished Worm Castings harvested from the bottom. During the process we collect fresh manure from Manure Stanchions around the horse paddocks, each horse guest leaves us about 50 pounds for a weekend stay. this is moved to a pre-compost area and aerobically composted for 6-12 months and then used as the primary food source for our 250,000 Red African Wigglers. as surface feeders these worms consume about 200lbs per day. As the worms continue to feed and we harvest around 110 lbs. per days the worm casting move through the composter slowly developing a strong microbial content in addition to the natural fertilizer components of the casting. After the harvest, the castings and run through a sieve and mixer then bagged in biodegradable packaging for sale in our sister company Growth Spurt Compost, LLC  Visit our website at www.growthspurtcompost.com for more information or drop us an e-mail at skipm@growthspurtcompost.com .

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May 1^st Horse Trails Open! Oconto County has miles of equestrian trails in the Machickanee Forest, and May 1^st ATV Trails Open! Unfortunately, the opening of ATV trails has been postponed to May 10th due to an uncooperative Mother Nature. I am happy to report we seem to be moving into spring finally with temperatures in the high 60′s last weekend in April. Oconto County has miles of great trails.  Put your ATV on the trailer and hit the trails in the  Nicolet National Forest.  There are also overnight accommodations for you and your horse .http://www.spurofthemomentranch.org/about-the-ranch/.

May 1^st Labor Day Gillett Area Historical Society Museum is open for tours. Saturdays and Sundays from 1 PM – 4 PM or by appointments. For more information call 920-598-1910

May 4^th Opening Day of Fishing!! With over 300 lakes, about 50 trout streams, and the Bay of Green Bay, Oconto County has the fishing destination for you.  We have lots of public access to the waters of Oconto County.

May 4^th Spring Opener Fish-O-Ree in Mountain, Noon till 4 PM Live trout pond for kids up to the age of 12.  2 for $1.00.  Live music, raffles, refreshments, food, and bouncies for the kids.  For more information call Karen at 715-276-6248 Held at the Bill Lazansky Town of Mountain Community Center in the pavilion.

May 4^th Oconto Girls Scout Troop 4408 will be holding the 5K Run-Walk.  The route will start and end at the Oconto Elementary School.  (Benefits Troop 4408 & the Rainbow House)

For Registration Form Mail:

1341 McDonald Street

Oconto, WI 54153

OR

May 24^th-27^th Oconto Falls Memorial Weekend Celebration! Softball & volleyball tournaments with carnival, fireworks, parade, car & truck show, ping-pong drop, food, refreshments, and truck pulls.  Held at Memorial Field in Oconto Falls.  Contact Mike at 920-846-3850

May 25^th – August 31^st Old Log House Museum in Mountain! Open on Saturdays through September 3^rd. The Old Log House Museum is located in Fireman’s Park in Mountain.  It’s open from noon till 4 PM courtesy of the Mountain Historic Society.  Tours are available by appointment please contact Myra 715-276-6858

May 26^th Crooked Lake Fire Department Auction! Sponsored by the Crooked Lake Fire Department.  Held at the Sportsman’s Club in Crooked Lake.  11 AM view items, Noon auction.  Contact Wally Remic 715-276-7777

May 26^th McCaslin Lioness Club Faire in Lakewood! It’s the 14^th Annual Faire! 10 AM till 3 PM at Lakewood Town Hall and Pavilion.  Great food, beverages, pies, book sale, silent auction, spin-the-wheel, children’s games, including a bouncer, and a variety of crafters.  Lots of family fun to kick-off the summer in the Northwoods.  Contact Linda Ziegler at 715-850-2210

May 27^th Memorial Day Parade in Mountain! Starts at Noon.  Coming from Cty W West to Hwy 32, down 32 to Sparky’s Lane.  Live music by “Nite Shift”, refreshments, and raffles.  Call Sarge at 715-276-9957

If you are making a trip to Oconto County to horse back ride; ATV; fish or just relax, check out the other activities available in the area on our May Events Calendar in Oconto County Wisconsin, updated monthly throughout the year.

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Spur of the Moment Ranch is in the process of adopting some of the favorite horse trails in the area. There will be a sign up sheet for folks willing to voluteer to help maintain and these trails once the adoption process is completed. This will eventually make our horse trails official; with official maps and signage. It will also allow riders and horses unfamiliar with the area to be more confident in their adventures.  The process is ongoing and there is no firm timetable for completion but it is time to look for folks to call on when our goal is in sight. Thank you in advance for your consideration to help.

For more information on Midwest Horse Fair, check out their website at www.midwesthorsefair.com. As always there is much to see and do, check it out ahead of time so you do not miss anything. See you at the Fair.

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Here are some thoughts about our stay…( Thoughts from Greg)

We received an opportunity through Living Social to visit the ranch during our spring break.  Before even getting to the ranch, we felt warmly welcomed by Ann and eagerly anticipated our arrival, including our pet chihuahua-Penny.  Once we arrived at the ranch we were very impressed with our cabin, the Spruce.  It was clean and nicely decorated and we were also welcomed by the two resident canines, who were so friendly and respectful.  There were plenty of bathroom towels and kitchen essentials, which was very much appreciated.  We slept very comfortably, enjoyed the beautiful gas fireplace, and appreciated the Dish TV.  We loved visiting the donkey’s, horses, and guinea hens and got some great family pictures.  The welcome book included some “fun-to-read” history about how the ranch became what it is today as well as the great attractions in the area…our favorite being “Sweet Memories”, the local candy shop where we could reminisce about our childhood.  I enjoyed hiking around the Nicolet forest and the wonderful views all around. While hiking the snowmobile trail one morning, I had the pleasure of hearing two owls communicating with each other (on either side of me) as it echoed through the dense pines! We can’t wait for our next opportunity to return to the ranch.  Thank you, Ann and Skip, for making our trip a memorable one!

Ann…please let us know of any upcoming specials that we might be able to enjoy.  We really appreciated your hospitality and look forward to seeing you again in the future. It was an added bonus to leave feeling like we gained a new friend. 

Kindest regards,

Greg, Jen, & Rory

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