June '10 Entertainment—Valley News Team Column

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Uniquely Utah—Tranquility And Pampering Where The Buffalo Roam At Zion Mountain Ranch

J
ust a couple of hours away from the frenetic pace of our fabulous city of Las Vegas lies an untouched area on the east side of Mt. Zion Park—it is called the Zion Mountain Ranch. This bucolic return to the days before modern life is owned and operated by the gracious gentleman, Kevin McLaws and his lovely wife, Stacey.

The ranch’s 81,000 acres, 18,000 of which are seeded, is the sylvan spot of this home of simple times and simple pleasures. Each cabin appears to be just a log cabin, but inside you are engulfed by a feeling of luxury in a Swiss-chalet type of accommodations. There are several types of cabin-styled homes that you and your families and friends can book for a few days or longer. Ours was a terrific place to relax and rejuvenate—it had two floors—both with master bedroom suites. The bedrooms each included a private porch with a swing—and lo! and behold!—right in our path of vision was the miraculous sight of grazing buffaloes (47 at last count) and their trip to the nearby watering hole. Interesting was the fact that a black and white-spotted cow accompanied them on their trek and was part of their herd. It was nature’s way of assimilation in bringing these two species together. Back indoors were more details of laid back rustic comforts. A claw-footed jetted tub was in each master suite—as were a separate fully tiled and spacious shower room with two heads for your special desires—one a rainfall and the other was a massage type of shower head.

On the lower level, there was also a rustically appointed kitchen with all modern and new appliances, full range of cutlery, cooking devices and dishes. The dining room area sported a comfortable table and chairs—large enough for a group of eight or more. The den/living room, exited unto another porch with cushioned swing for two or more—just beyond the leather couches and large flat screen television. Each of the bedrooms also had flat screen TV’s and ceiling fans. The décor—although very Southwestern—was plush and gave you a feeling of being back in the Old West of this great nation.

True to form, Kevin McLaws maintains an organic farm on these acres and acres of land. The dinner that is served at the Buffalo Grill has the vegetables from this large garden and all the food is organic and delicious. Chef Shon Foster is a master at his craft! He prepares buffalo meat, along with many other specialties of the house individually and as the patron orders their meal. His is a

quality-oriented meal—dedicated to taste, flavorings, fine ingredients, and caring, respectful service. Shon, you are quite the unsung secret person of the beauty of Mt. Carmel, Utah!

At our table in the Buffalo Grill, we watched the new—born baby colts frolic and play with their mama’s eyes closely guarding their young. It was wonderful seeing the McLaws family enjoy these new addition to the ranch and especially, seeing his sons help out with the chores and enjoy the total experience of the simpler life that is the true ambiance of our Utah experience at Mount Zion Ranch.

There was a nightly campfire for the guests to chat, share stories and get to know each other in an unpretentious atmosphere. Interestingly, the guests were not just from here, or the United States, the people who stay there come from Europe, the many places in the U.S., and from Asia, too. It is amazing how wonderful it is to learn new things about new people as you all gaze into the fire at sunset.

Your stay at the Zion Mountain Ranch places you in the outstanding, overwhelming and brilliant scenery of the nearby Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Lake Powell is a superb day trip for the guests to enjoy and relax. The guests have their own private lodge options with a staff of 27 who make sure your every whim is attended to in proper and fast form. Debbie, Raelene and the others who attended to our comforts in the cabin were lovely people who just wanted to make sure we were happy with everything. This is a true home away from home environment—your privacy is protected and your cabin is your own territory.

All the staffers are like extended family on this piece of heaven in Utah. The awesome mountains, forests and great lands that border your own private Walden is—and will remain—a permanent treasure home for environmentalists and those great buffalo!

According to Kevin, “I’m living the American dream!” His feedback from former guests has been their “enjoyment, for the most part, and mostly I am doing this project with my family…It is AAA approved.” He also said, “The buffalo came out of the plains. The man who sold me the ranch helped me acquire some more buffaloes. I started with a herd of 14 and now we have 47 buffaloes in our compound.” He is proud of his work on the ranch—developing it—being there with his family and growing organic fruits and vegetables that are served on premises. Kevin said, “Shon Foster, our chef, is from Kanab, Utah, he is a local man. Shon is passionate about food. He has been here for two years.” There is a new menu now. Shon said, “The buffalo filet is the most popular item on our offerings. This is followed by the red snapper that is crusted on site with hand made tortilla chips. It is served with chili verde risotto…My favorite dish is the Oishi (which means delicious in Japanese) and is made of imported buckwheat noodles, fresh stir fry with the locally grown vegetables topped with hamachi (Yellowtail) and yakiniku chicken, and a house teriyaki buffalo meat which is grilled to perfection.”

Both Kevin and Shon are a great team. Shon added, “I meet a lot of people from all over the world—the ranch has international popularity. People comment that they did not expect world-class cuisine in this really relaxed setting.”

Kevin McLaws had no prior experience and all of a sudden he had a family and wanted to establish a family-run business. “It gives the children an opportunity to work with me on the ranch. They enjoy it. I have guests from all parts of the world. They found out about ZMR via the Internet…AAA is one of our biggest sources of information for our guests.”

Although Kevin admits to being 42 years of age—he looks at least ten years younger. We attribute this to the good life on the ranch. “People come in the winter for a magical retreat,” said Kevin. “The other seasons they are here to participate in the beautiful wildlife—we get eagles, and condors (which were becoming extinct at one time). There’s stream fishing on Cedar Mountain.” If you like horseback riding, Kevin said, “You can’t find a better spot to quietly ride.”

Nate (who is Kevin’s 12-year-old son summed it all up very simply to us—he really said it all. Nate said, “I like it because it’s ‘more free.’” Nate and the rest of the family grew up in St. George but discovered this piece of paradise back in 1998. Kevin said, “The area here has a core value—a memorable experience with your family. This is an authentic and wholesome experience. That’s what we do!”

Kevin finished our interview up by saying “that the layout of the ranch was one of the factors for repeated guests and also events and weddings…There are 51 cabins right now. Nine are bigger—with 14 suites and kings—the largest will sleep ten people. There are no shared walls and this gives you a feeling of total privacy and community privacy with nature.”

The Zion Mountain Ranch is uniquely the ultimate Utah! For more information please visit their web site: www.zmr.com. Telephone is: (866) 648-2555. It is located in Mt. Carmel, Utah, just east of Zion National Park, on State Road 9.

Welcome to the unique reality of Utah!!!