Mayor's Office

The continual rainfall this year wasn’t all bad and the dry weather came right when we needed it. The ranch was able to bale an amazing 96 tons of hay this year – up from only 18 tons last year. This will save the ranch about $10,000 dollars in hay that we won’t have to buy for this winter.

The September contest is simple and fun. If you are logged into the website, you will find an online poll in the Livery. The poll is a simple question, "What is your favorite ranch (or program) horse of all time. Everyone who responds to the survey will be entered in a random drawing for a free cap or T-shirt from the ranch store. If you don't see your horse listed, email the webmaster@myfxr.com and ask to have him added.

Also, the horses with the most votes will be featured in an article in October!

Riding around the ranch, you can see water running in places you have never seen it before this late in the year or in some places at all. The hillsides are greener than most have seen this late in the year, too, and the meadows are lush. So it would appear that we are having the wettest year in a long time. Is there some scientific evidence of this or do we just have short memories?

Len and Deb Verelli are the winners of the August contest. They have won their choice of an FXR T-Shirt or Ball Cap from the ranch store. Congratulations Len and Deb and thanks to all who have provided feedback.

Here is a sampling of what has been added or changed to the website as a result of your feedback and contributions:

*Added new photo galleries and many new photos.
*Added more information and instructions on the classifieds page.
*Added the bird sightings log.
*Added links to other useful websites.
*Added the Ranch Manager Report to the board documents downloads.
*Added the Plain English Menu.
*Added Q&A to the FAQ.
*Made changes to the ride reservations form.
*Detailed the use of Tags in the August Newsletter.

Update (08-28-2010): Cottonwood Canyon Road will be open Labor Day weekend!
The road is open for the weekend of Aug. 28-29 and will be closed again during the week Aug. 30 thru Sept. 3. It will be re-opened Sept. 4 permanently with some temporary closures during the following weeks.

The July contest winner is Lowell Wade. He has won his choice of a FXR T-Shirt or Ball Cap from the ranch store. Congratulations Lowell!

Due to the heavy snowfall this winter coupled with a wet spring, we have had road and culvert washouts with water springs coming up in unexpected areas on the ranch.

Many ranch roads at this time are in poor condition, Cottonwood road in particular, to the point that we cannot get heavy equipment close to the most affected areas. For these reasons Cottonwood road is closed and will be closed through the July 4th holiday. However, Cottonwood is great on horseback or for walking and you’ll see nature’s influence.

Management regrets this decision but in the interests of safety, damage to vehicles and further road degradation, we are left with no alternative.

I thank you all for your understanding.

John Rayne
President
Flying X Ranch

The June contest winner is Margaret Arp. She has won her choice of a FXR T-Shirt or Ball Cap from the ranch store. Congratulations Margaret!

Congratulations to Tom Tousignant who won the May contest. Enjoy your new cap or T-shirt, Tom!