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Working cattle ranch doubles as dude ranchSISTERS, Ore. (AP)--Fixing fences, branding cattle, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting and riding horses are all activities guests at Long Hollow Ranch can participate in during their stay at the quiet 600-acre expanse of land. Dick and Shirley Bloomfeldt, both 71, are the operators and major shareholders of the property that opened as a dude ranch in 2000. Long Hollow Ranch, located 13 miles northeast of Sisters, is a working cattle ranch and leases land for hay production, which contributes an authentic Western feel for guests. "The idea is for them to come and get the flavor of what it's like to live on a ranch,'' Shirley Bloomfeldt said about visitors. The land was originally homesteaded in the late 1800s, according to the Bloomfeldts. The Black Butte Land and Livestock Co., established the area as a ranch in the early 1900s and built one of the company's stations, the current guesthouse on the property, in 1905. After the company broke up in 1918, various private parties owned the ranch until the Bloomfeldts purchased it in the mid-1980s, when it was in foreclosure. Many things have stayed the same at the ranch, such as the cattle drives and the practical dress the cowboys wear. "The ranch side of the business is pretty traditional, pretty much the same,'' Shirley Bloomfeldt said. "It would just be updated with modern methods of doing things.'' Long Hollow runs as a dude ranch from mid-May to mid-October. It's open as a bed and breakfast in the fall and spring and is closed for three months during the winter. Guests can stay in five rooms at the main house or in a cottage that previously served as a stagecoach stop and post office. The old homestead and bunkhouse now houses a gift shop. During the summer, guests can participate in a cattle branding event and three cattle drives that occur during the season. Dude ranch packages which include lodging, meals, trail rides, a whitewater rafting trip and fly-fishing in the property's ponds are available for three- and six-day stays. It's important to stay for at least three days in order to build relationships and get a feeling for the ranch, according to the Bloomfeldts. Guests can decide to participate in as many or as few activities as they choose. "It's primarily horseback riding,'' Dick Bloomfeldt said. "That's what people come here for.'' Currently, Long Hollow Ranch is the only dude ranch in Oregon that is a member of The Dude Ranchers' Association, established in 1926 in Wyoming. When Long Hollow Ranch first opened to guests in 2000, there were two other Oregon dude ranches that were members of the association. The concept of dude ranches originated after railroads were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, according to Shirley Bloomfeldt. Travelers needed a place to stay, and the ranches along the rail line opened their doors for lodgers. Dude ranches in the mountainous states, such as Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, are sometimes more intensive because they are farther from town and have a shorter season due to higher elevation, according to Shirley Bloomfeldt. "The common denominator is horseback riding, and where it goes from there depends on who owns the place and what they decide to do with it,'' she said about the varying costs and offerings at dude ranches. Guests visit Long Hollow Ranch from around the world. About 25 percent of visitors are from other countries; 15 percent to 20 percent are from the United Kingdom, according to Dick Bloomfeldt. International guests are often surprised at the size of the ranch. "Europeans don't really have a feel for how big it is,'' Dick Bloomfeldt said.
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