A True Western Experience

I came to Colorado from the east coast for college and immediately fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. After studying engineering and then business, I worked in several different states for a few years but longed to return to Colorado. My opportunity came with a management position for a small ski area, and I’ve never moved away from the mountains since then. A few years later, while teaching business and economics for a small college in the Denver area, I moved into the role as manager of a larger guest ranch about 40 miles east of Latigo. While there, I met and worked with the delightful woman who would later become my wife. Serving dude ranch guests has been my life’s work for 37 years.

Michigan was home until I followed my love for mountains to Colorado.  We have gorgeous views of peaks and meadows from every room in our house, but my favorite view is what I see around our dining room table on family dinners.  On a special day, we have our oldest son David, his wife April, their two daughters, Sage and Paisley, Spencer and Amanda, Hannah, my parents Mim and Dave Shannon, and my sister Patty.  Twelve people who love each other and love the privilege of living and working at Latigo.  David and his family live in Oklahoma where he trains performance horses, but the rest of us are the core operational team of the ranch.

The guest ranch lifestyle has been a wonderful platform to teach our kids a solid work ethic and a love for serving others.  We all work together at the ranch, so there is great camaraderie in our family as we strive to create for you an amazing vacation experience.

Latigo has been my home for my entire life. I grew up running through the woods with my two older brothers, riding, swimming, training mustangs, and enjoying every benefit life at Latigo has to offer growing kids during the summer; in the winter, it was skiing, sledding, and school. In 2013 I got my Liberal Arts BA in English and Psychology, primarily through distance learning. I have a deep love of reading and writing, and I started penning novels when I was thirteen. Latigo fosters creativity and inspiration like no other place on earth. I hope to seek publication in the next few years.

My other hobbies include digital art, painting, drawing, photography, laying ceramic tile, sewing, quilting, and the occasional bit of needlework. I started helping in the Latigo kitchen when I was small enough to sit in the sink while doing dishes, but I’ve been cooking professionally for the ranch since I was sixteen.

My life is filled with beautiful stories, wonderful family, and some of the best food in the world. I couldn’t ask for more!

Spencer grew up at Latigo Ranch and has worked here in numerous capacities over the years. He has a deep love for Colorado, the mountains, and the family business. For the past seven years, he has been one of the ranch's chefs and has taken the cuisine to a gourmet level. He derives great pleasure from the creative challenge of cooking, both as a form of technical and artistic achievement and also as a way to serve others. His hobbies are numerous and varied: photography, videography, woodworking, leatherworking, saddle-making, and metal work all vie for his free time.

Amanda's earliest memories are of the high mountain deserts of Nevada, so arriving at Latigo felt like coming home during her first summer in 2014. One of her chief joys is the written word, and she has been writing novels of various genres since the age of seven. She was published as a teen, and writing is still one of her passions. She loves genealogy, baking, glassblowing, bookbinding, and calligraphy. She loves serving, and has been the dining room manager for three years; she also acts as the beverage manager and runs all the ranch social media accounts.

 They were married in November 2016.