Campfires and Peeps...

It is the time of the year again that everybodies attention is once again being focused on "WHEN CAN WE START CAMPING"!!! Well people are migrating down to the ranch and setting up camp and starting to enjoy the longer days and cooler nights. It is also SPRING and Easter will be around the corner. Spring brings camping and campfires and Easter brings PEEPS.

I never understood the fascination with Peeps, until I became an owner at Cloud 9 Ranch Club. Roasting Peeps over a campfire is a common occurrence this time of the year at Cloud 9 Ranch. On any given evening you will be able to walk up to any campfire and enjoy a Peep with whoever is there.

I have asked the roasting peep experts regarding the art of roasting peeps and this is what they have told me...

1. You want to expose the peeps to air. So open them up and let them get a little body to them. Apparently they are easier to roast. I am also going to take this suggestion into consideration when marshmallow roasting season starts!!!

2. Put two of your favorite peeps on a BBQ Skewer or Roasting fork (using a stick may not work because Peeps are thin). Put them over a low camp fire or some hot coals.

3. Roasting Peeps require adult supervision, because the sugar hitting the hot coals will cause a slight spark and as the Peeps roast they can be difficult to keep on the roasting fork.

The Roasting of Peeps are not only fun, but the caramelized sugar and melted marshmallow is a combination not to be missed.

So Spring has sprung and it is time to get out and about and enjoy the great outdoors. I hope that everybody can make it down to Cloud 9 Ranch Club and enjoy the 6600 acres that encompass the ranch, the friendly people and while you are down there, make sure you sit down around a campfire and enjoy a Peep or two!!!

See you at the ranch and don't forget to bring a couple of packages of PEEPS with you!!!

Concrete vs Grass - James Phillips

Before we were owners of Cloud 9 Ranch we were roller coaster fanatics We did the Six Flags thing almost every vacation, now mind you my wonderful wife and I were married in 1990.

We always go everywhere together on vacation. We would go to places that had concrete and very little grass or trees and we would stand in the lines for hours for 60 seconds of adrenaline rush just to walk and stand in another line only to listen to young kids talking language that would make a sailor blush,our feet would be sore and for what, it was more work than it was play.

Fast forward to 2005:

I was always an outdoor enthusiast doing the fishing and hunting thing regularly gone a lot of weekends looking for that whopper of a fish or that perfect buck. My kids would sit in front of the TV in game land looking for that perfect flawless game score of all time, my wife she would read her books or do housework, before the game system the kids went with me, but as they got older I was not as interesting as I used to be.

Now mind you I could not get my wife to camp or fish, she detested it, she despised baiting a hook and getting dirty. I took her fishing at Wolf Creek State Park in Shelbyville Il, and I baited her hooks, she caught a boat load of fish and was enjoying fishing for once, she even had a smile when other tournament fisherman were upset that a woman had out fished them. I mean the nerve that a woman could catch more fish than the pro.

A few years later my wife and I were invited to Cloud 9 by my in-laws so we decided to go down and visit, WOW we had a good time! By the time we left I could not believe my ears when the kids and my wife were left begging for more. I had to look over and look at the woman sitting next to me when she proclaimed she wanted to camp more often, I thought my real wife was abducted by aliens!

Well we found ourselves going back for each holiday weekend and a weeks worth of the Cloud 9 experience in July. Stephanie was hooked, I found ourselves by my devising a little plan of visiting the local motorsports shop buying a couple of Atv’s, I then started to see a glimmer in her eye I had never seen, she loved the Atv she loved getting filthy dirty. Now mind you most women want diamonds or flowers for their anniversary, I soon found out my wife wanted pure power and the feeling of mud and dirt.

So again by a plan of my devising I bought her very own ATV, I had to have a his and hers machine RIGHT? Next thing I know we bought a camper and traded in the kiddie ATV for two more ATV’s every member of our family had their own ATV now.

The best thing about Cloud 9 is it fits our needs, it has camping fishing and Atving, but better than that it allows you to get to know your family again and knowing there is actually grass under your feet.

Living in the city desensitizes you, you find yourself not knowing how a deer inhabits the earth or seeing animals you would never see in the city. Living in the city you see no streams or timber, you really never experience the power of a fish when it’s on the end of your line, or the feeling you get when you bag that buck of a lifetime. You never experience what God has really put on earth. Living in the city there is no adventure, no adrenaline rush from trailing on your ATV all day long. Living in the city you find yourself in a rut longing for adventure and thrills of the outdoors.

Camping at Cloud 9 you find yourself with never a dull moment, always surrounded by new friends enjoying the stars realizing your family just needed something that every member of it could relate to and partake in something together, the outdoors trees and grass.

Cloud 9 has brought our family together and we always have something to talk about, my wife and I are proud owners of our Ranch. We are proud that we are part of something that has a meaning and that meaning is family. Now when I look at my family, I see James Michael my oldest the horse enthusiast and then I see Austin Cody my youngest the Atv/dirt bike enthusiast. I see Stephanie my wife the Atv/camping fanatic, and I see me the proud father and husband of such an interesting family.

Enjoy each day your family has at the Ranch and take it all in and you will be the better for it. Toss the game system in the trash and live your life to the fullest.

I have a motto in my life, I want to live not just exist!

I still live in the city but I am and always have been a country boy. We travel six and a half hours to Cloud 9 and love every mile it takes us to get there because the end result is worth it.

Get off the couch load the truck and head to the outdoors. Forget the sidewalk, forget work and really get to know your family.

James Phillips

VOLUNTEER CLEANUP OF ICE STORM DAMAGE

It was snowing at 9:00 a.m. on February 28th. Several members had arrived and were gathering at the assigned location in front of the School House for a scheduled day of ice storm damage cleanup by members who had volunteered to do their part. We had asked the Ranch Manager, Greg Watts, for some suggestions on where our volunteers help was most needed. He suggested Melody Lane and Trailer Row, and along Spring Road down the hill. Earlier smaller volunteers had worked in Fogey, Wilder and Lonesome on clearer days. Because this group was supposedly going to be larger, because I am living on the Ranch I was “unofficially” put in charge of the workday. When I say “unofficially” I mean just that. As it turned out, this group didn’t need a leader, only an organizer, and I had agreed to take on the organization process for the rest of the helpers. This wasn’t the first day that volunteers had showed up to work, but this was the first larger “organized” event and the largest since the ice storm ravaged our beautiful landscape.

At 9:05, I was a little discouraged in that we only had 7 or 8 of us gathered together. Larry Armstrong suggested that they go ahead and get on over to Melody Lane and begin working. Keep in mind, it was already snowing, but our hopes was that it would pass and we’d get a break from Mother Nature. So, I waved them on and stayed for a few minutes longer in case others showed up. Within a few minutes, 8 others showed up, then within an hour 6 more had arrived. In all, we had 22 dedicated members who showed up in the snow, all dressed in warm clothing, several layers, and were doing their part to rid the Ranch of the devastation caused by January’s deluge of ice.

Mother Nature didn’t give us a break. Within an hour, the snow was coming down so hard we could barely see each other. But that didn’t stop anyone. We just kept wiping our glasses and hauling that wood. We were working so hard that many of us were wanting to rid ourselves of a couple of layers of clothing. The outer layers were getting wet and heavy and the inner layers were collecting perspiration as quickly as the outer layers were collecting snow. But that didn’t stop anyone!!

Having a Ranch deed means a lot of things to different people. Some owners only show up to have fun, which is fine - that’s what the Ranch is for. Some owners complain about everything - that’s fine, too, as there is a lot that needs to be done. Some owners have their own agenda - which I’m not sure is okay, but they have that right. Some owners understand the term “undivided interest,” and they are the backbone of Cloud 9 Ranch Club, Inc. Not all of these owners that showed up to lend a hand live close by. Rick Carter drove from around St. Louis; Frank Gauthier came from Poplar Bluff; James and Stephanie Phillips drove down from Decatur, IL; the Payne families came from the Wheatland, MO area. They all came, they worked, and not one complaint from anyone was heard. Aside from helping the Ranch as a whole, we were able to meet and talk to each other; and that’s what being a Ranch owner should be - getting to know each other and working together as a team.

And the day wasn’t all work and no play. The group had a lot of fun with what I chose as our radio call code. VCM 1 and VCM 2 stood for Volunteer Crew Member. During the day VCM was translated to several different things: Some of the cleaner interpretations were “Volunteer Chainsaw Master” - “Volunteer Chainsaw Masacre” - “Very Cold Member” - “Violent Crazy Member” - just to name a few!! And, oh, yes, I did take time out to plot my big old butt down in that beautiful new fallen snow and make a snow angel. If you ever want to know just how much weight you’ve gained, that’s a good test. My goodness, that was one big angel! Thank goodness no one was close by with the camera.

Standing in the snow at 3:00 p.m., this group of workers were not complaining about how cold we really were, how the snow had been relentless, how our fingers and toes were stinging. No, we were all standing around in the snow discussing when we could get together again and do more. There were about six ladies working and we called ourselves, “Team Estrogen.” Team Estrogen told Team Testosterone that were finished for the day. Six hours of hauling limbs and firewood was about all this old lady could do, and the others agreed with me. Some of Team Testosterone were talking about heading for the trails, but I did not organize that! Yes, I came home, put on dry clothes and got in bed for an hour or two. Yes, I was extremely sore for two days. But the first time I drove past Melody Lane and Trailer Row, I had to stop and take a deep breath. After the snow melted, you could see just how much we did that snowy day. It was so evident that a group of people hung tough, we worked through the bad weather and kept the course. Few times in my life have I been able to say that I was so proud of a group effort like this one. Yes, I am proud of dedicated members who put the best interest of the Ranch ownership before their own comforts. You should be very proud of the members listed below, as they did all Cloud 9 Ranch owners a great service one snowy day in February. Because of members like these, you will have a clean campground!
Volunteers:
Larry & Deanna Armstrong
Mel & Cherie Hedrick
Adam Vandyke
Frank Gauthier
Rick Carter
James & Stephanie Phillips
Tracy Phillips (guest)
Cody Phillips
Bill & Dottie Phillips
Wendell & Kadye Ward
Wilbur & Willa Payne
Chris Payne
Curtis Payne
Carmen Huffmaster
Eric Jones
Cliff Webb

In closing, I want to say that snowy day was not the only day that volunteers have come to the Ranch to help with the ice storm cleanup. I’m sure there have been many limbs and sticks cut and picked up over the last few weeks. I do know of a few that I feel need mentioning. On a previous work day, Mary Ann Greig and Steve Horn drove down from Rolla. Larry and Deanna Armstrong and Mel and Cherie Hedrick live in close proximity to the Ranch, along with Adam VanDyke and Ed Horton. They all have worked many hours, not just one day. They don’t need organization or a leader, because they see what needs to be done and they do it.

There will be more work days scheduled over the next few weeks. Hopefully, it won't be snowing on those days. If you have some time available to help, please let any of the above names know or go to the member-owned Discussion Forum under Big Top section at http://www.cloud9ranch.net/ (not an official Ranch website) for dates of "organized" cleanups when you can be here and what you plan to do. Greg Watts has asked that we turn in all manhours worked on the ice storm damage cleanup to him. Make sure if you do some work on your own, that you notify the office or give a Ranger a note to give the office if you're here over a weekend.