The 35-acre Dunbar Ranch is surrounded by 4,900 acres of hay meadow and ranchland in the heart of the Ohio Creek Valley. The neighboring forest is protected by a conservation easement, one of the largest in the valley. Herds of elk wander against the backdrop of Flat Top Mountain, Red Mountain, and Carbon Peak. Within walking distance is Ohio Creek and private fishing rights. Private hunting rights and private hiking and biking trails complete this rural lifestyle experience.
The 7,100 residence offers a main home, guest home, and barn at the end of the road in Eagle Ridge. Horses graze in the corral. With stone and reclaimed timber harkening back to the days of old log cabins, the home blends into the landscape with cultural ease. Inside, Margo Dunbar has focused on a ranch style design expressed through modern simplicity. Earth tones, dark trusses, and rough, antique timbers exude a cliché-defying mountain chic when combined with Vetrazzo recycled concrete and glass countertops, and floors that range from pebbles to clay tiles from France. Native American, Western, and indigenous art from the famous Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, punctuate throughout.
It is an absolutely stunning location to host the famous Michael Busse, chef and owner of Garlic Mike’s, and one of Tour de Fork’s most sought after veterans. It might be his gregarious personality and ear-to-ear grin. But it might also be his ability to prepare succulent Osso Buco Milanese and indulgent Oysters Rockefeller with an old world instinct inherited from his mother, mixed with new inspiration from recent voyages to the Umbria region of Italy, and backed by formal training at the Academy of Culinary Arts. Through over 20 years of showcasing his Italian cuisine at Garlic Mike’s, he has earned the Gunnison People’s Choice Awards for “Best Chef” and “Best Restaurant” for many years, and was the 2009 Chefs on the Edge Champion. Mike has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise” and “Spotlight America,” a national travel program, as well as programming in Grand Junction and Denver.
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Friday, June 29
Destination: D-Bar Ranch, Eagle Ridge Ranch of Ohio Creek
Arrival Time: 6:00 p.m.
Toll: $250
Tour Guides: Margo & Kent Dunbar
Chef: Chef / Owner Michael Busse, Garlic Mike’s (Gunnison, CO)