The Second Annual Run Wild 5K was a success! BackCountry families enjoyed a morning run on the South Rim trails right here in BackCountry. After the run everyone enjoyed a pancake breakfast from Flippin’ Flapjacks.
‘BackCountry Home & Garden’
Home Sweet Wilderness
Home Sweet Wilderness
Elk, deer, coyote, red-tailed hawk, and black bear—these are just a few of the neighbors quietly going about their business in the rugged wilderness adjacent to BackCountry™. For the lucky humans living next door, the 8,200-acre Backcountry Wilderness provides breathtaking views, mind-clearing bike rides, memorable family hikes, and easy access to a year-round roster of nature programs hosted by the Highlands Ranch Community Association.
Each program is thoughtfully designed to connect people to nature, while protecting the space for wildlife, which is “the primary goal,” explains Lindsey McKissick, Backcountry Wilderness Area Representative. Indeed, it’s a rare thing to find such a vast wildlife sanctuary in the middle of suburbia
“I think the greatest gift of living in BackCountry is having all the wonders of nature to explore directly in your backyard—without having to battle traffic on I-70 and the people once you get there,” says Lindsey. A nearby nature refuge can be especially meaningful to children. “We adults may remember playing in the creek in our neighborhood, but today’s kids have such a lack of time in nature,” Lindsey explains. “The Wilderness Area gives them the opportunity to engage their adventuresome spirits, to enjoy ‘free play’ in nature with no plans and no agenda.” They can even hang out with the draft horses, ponies, and chickens at the wilderness “base camp,” where most of the programs take place.
HRCA’s programs are open to the public, but Highlands Ranch residents enjoy discounted prices. The winter schedule is more modest, but on Jan. 21, families can enjoy a mini-campfire hike with a campfire, s’mores, and free play—there’s a giant log fort and sandpit with horseshoes and more—all for just $5. (Think of it as a Saturday morning alternative to the playground.) Also, private hayrides through the wilderness area are available year-round, allowing you to see places the public simply can’t. Some programs take place indoors this time of year, such as archery lessons and a Feb. 4 Pizza with Pokémon event. Held at the Southridge Rec Center, live animals akin to those in the beloved game will come for a fun, educational visit.
Warmer months bring back an abundance of outdoor events. Summer camps are a favorite, offering special focuses on art, adventure, horses, and leadership. Keep your eyes open for more about spring and summer programs in future blogs, but in the meantime, check out the many ways you can experience nature-in-the-suburbs on the HRCA website.
BackCountry’s Blues and Brews
Residents enjoyed the last concert of the season featuring Blues performed by Biff Gore & Friends at the amphitheater in BackCountry.
Get your A-game back at The Fitness Lab
BackCountry™ has a reputation for attracting active people. Panoramic mountain views, 467 acres of natural open space, and the 8,200-acre adjacent wilderness area have a way of tempting residents out on the trails to hike, bike, and revel in the serenity and fresh air.
However, life does have a way of throwing curveballs with illness, injury, or simply the effects of aging, which can sideline us from the activities we love—and that keep us healthy. At BackCountry, though, residents have an extremely helpful ally in The Fitness Lab, about five minutes away near the intersection of Wildcat Reserve Parkway and McArthur Ranch Road.
The Fitness Lab is a medical exercise training facility that helps people manage their health through movement. Some of the challenges clients face include arthritis, joint replacement, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and injury from accidents. The Fitness Lab bridges the gap between healthcare and fitness by designing effective exercise programs to help manage such conditions. (Often, because of insurance limitations, people can’t achieve relief from their regular medical professionals before their benefits end.)
The Fitness Lab’s Movement Coaches work with clients to regain muscular balance, increase endurance, improve flexibility, and restore the function and vitality needed for good quality of life.
Three kinds of assistance are available at The Fitness Lab.
Medical Exercise Training establishes an exercise program for clients with chronic conditions. Here, the goal is to support the management of their diagnosis and to improve or maintain the gains already made through medical care, physical therapy, or chiropractic rehabilitation.
Active Life Training focuses on training clients for a life of activity free from injury, pain, and movement restrictions. Corrective exercise and functional strength training address postural problems and muscular imbalances that produce pain and dysfunction.
Fitness Training, conducted by certified personal trainers, is available to identify and meet fitness goals either individually or in a group.
“There is always a solution in movement,” says Trevor Wicken, one of the business’s two Movement Coaches. “It is not okay that so many individuals believe they have to accept their medical condition, surrender to chronic pain, and settle for a life without the freedom to choose how to live.” Wicken has been a Medical Exercise Practitioner for the past 15 years and
is an AAHFRP Medical Exercise Specialist; NASM Corrective, Performance, and Elite Personal Trainer; Neurokinetic Therapist; and TRX Sports Medicine Practitioner. He has worked with Division I athletes, some of whom have been professionally drafted Olympic medalists while they were in training, and current and retired professional athletes.
Partner and fellow Movement Coach Matt Oster has been working in the health and fitness industry for more than six years. At the University of Colorado, Boulder, Matt studied psychology and slowly returned to sports after a debilitating football injury at the age of 14. His successful rehabilitation experience led him to earn a master’s degree in exercise science with a concentration in injury rehabilitation and performance enhancement.
Developing the right program for each client begins with a medical exercise assessment in which neurological, musculoskeletal, and functional movement is carefully evaluated. Hopefully, it’s just the first step to getting people stepping (or cycling) back on those BackCountry trails in no time.
BackCountry’s Tween Water Wizzard Pool Party
BackCountry tweens had all kinds of tween fun at the Tween Water Wizard Pool Party!
When Christmas is a wrap, where do you put it?
When it comes to the holidays—like so many things in life—the build-up is so much more fun than the take-down. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah at your BackCountry home, chances are there’s some stowing away in your immediate future. Below are a few ideas to help streamline the process and make next year’s holiday set-up even easier. Cue the holiday music and eggnog one last time.
Holiday lights are the nemesis of many otherwise happy revelers. It seems as if they spend their off-season wriggling themselves into nasty knots. The solution? Wrap them neatly around sheets of cardboard before tucking them away. Or around a coffee can, poking the plug into the can through an ‘X’ cut into the plastic top. When it comes to those heavy-duty exterior holiday lights, keep them on a portable hose reel. The wheels and handle make them easy to maneuver around the yard while you decorate.
Ornaments can be especially fragile (and chock-full of priceless memories), so storage that prevents jostling is crucial. Try an egg carton or apple box for your smaller round ornaments. Slip the larger flat ornaments into your stockings.
Real Christmas trees are (mercifully) tossed, but artificial trees occupy space in your basement all year long. Familyhandyman.com suggests sliding them neatly into sleek, 8” diameter concrete form tubes. So smart.
Décor, like wreaths, ribbons, and candles, needs a little creative TLC. While you can purchase specialty wreath boxes at places like the Container Store, you can tackle that one for free. Slip the wreath over the neck of a coat hanger, then cover with a plastic dry cleaning bag to prevent a year’s worth of dust build-up. The same is true for larger items, such as a menorah or those awkwardly sized lawn reindeer—just save the dry cleaning bags or garment bags from your new suits and dresses.
Keep your big fancy bows from getting crimped by plumping out the loops with cardboard tubes wrapped in paper towels. You can use more of those paper towel tubes for storing slim candles or knee-high stockings for their larger counterparts.
Post-holiday sales can be a great opportunity to stock up on half-price gift wrap and bags. But where to keep them all—preferably uncrushed? One simple idea is to stash your gift wrap rolls in a nice-looking trash bin like this one. Or store them behind a wire closet shelf installed sideways behind a door jamb. Try hanging your gift bags from hooks on a tension rod in some out-of-the-way nook. This will keep them pristine and easy to choose from.
And if you want to take wrapping organization to a whole new, Martha Stewart-like level, watch her short video on how to create a “wrap and ship station.” It’s just as wonderfully persnickety as you imagine.
Lastly, some overall tips from Real Simple magazine. Label and color-code your boxes—think blue lids for Hanukkah and orange for Halloween. Have an “open first” label for the boxed essentials you need to kick off each holiday. Consider keeping a detailed content list for each box on your computer. And give yourself permission to toss or give away those items that never make it out of the box, year after year. After all, less stuff to put away means more time for more important things. Like eggnog. And sharing it with the people you love.
Why the best parties happen at BackCountry.
Some might say BackCountry’s festive streak is simply a function of the fun, friendly people who tend to move there. Or the very active HOA that’s always cooking up special events to help neighbors get to know each other. All true, but there’s another factor involved: BackCountry offers perfect places for entertaining, both at the Sundial House and in residents’ own homes.
The Sundial House is an award-winning gathering place where residents not only meet for community events, but can host private parties. Several venues provide superb backdrops for gatherings large and small. In more temperate months, cocktails around the courtyard fire pit, looking out over thousands of acres of wilderness, makes for a pretty memorable get-together. You could also host a Broncos watch party at Pikes Pub and Lounge or a lively, interactive dinner party in the demonstration kitchen and dining room. The community room is large enough for a wedding, but with intimate conversation areas perfect for smaller gatherings. (Residents, find more information about reserving the Sundial House at www.backcountrylife.org or contact John Lyon at 303-346-2800 or jlyon@ccmcnet.com.)
That said, BackCountry homeowners have some amazing places to entertain right in their own homes. Visit any of the model homes and you may find yourself dreaming up the guest list for your housewarming party. Every Shea home is designed for great entertaining, both indoors and out, since the great outdoors is so breathtaking in BackCountry.
Within the Shadow Walk Collection, the Somerset plan is made for entertaining. Guests can easily mingle in thoughtfully connected spaces, such as the formal dining room, morning room, great room, and this kitchen, with a rounded island and breakfast bar.
A grand vaulted entrance welcomes guests to the Northern Sky model in the Water Dance Collection.
Once the party gets going, everyone will find themselves gravitating toward this gourmet kitchen, where the spacious morning room easily seats eight and extends out into a covered outdoor dining terrace. The formal dining room and butler’s pantry complete the space, which is perfect for your more traditional holiday gatherings.
Also within the Water Dance Collection, the Solstice model offers a special twist for get-togethers. A spacious hearth room connects to the great room, kitchen, and dining area. With a dramatic fireplace as its focal point, the hearth room is an inviting place to break off from the crowd for an intimate conversation.
Those looking for ranch homes and low-maintenance living (more time for parties!) should peek into the Alize model in the Whispering Wind Collection.
This plan has a large great room with fireplace and a morning room that accesses a covered dining terrace, which is perfect for Sunday brunch with friends. Evening might inspire parties downstairs in the finished basement that comes standard—a perfect place to share movies and popcorn or a game of pool.
Parties at the Sundial House, parties at home…BackCountry offers several places to entertain guests. Discover your own party headquarters here.
A little help around the house
Buying a high-quality new home can be a smart move for those with busy lives. Or really, anyone with more imaginative plans for the weekend than, say, updating electrical wiring or replacing old rain gutters. When you buy a new home at BackCountry, you’re free to focus on the fun parts of homeownership—such as personalizing a brand new home to your taste and lifestyle.
Basically, you get to be the boss of your home instead of it being the boss of you.
If you’re a homeowner—prospective, new, or experienced—you’ll find lots of inspiring ideas on Shea’s Home Hints Pinterest board. It’s chock-full of tips for home and yard maintenance, cleaning, décor, and home improvement projects to get everything just so. Below are some highlights.
Organizing
There’s no better time to get good organizational systems in place than when you first move into a home. Setting up your new kitchen can be the most time-intensive project, so check out this pin’s 20 ways to organize your kitchen. One example: use your dusty old CD storage rack to line up your Tupperware lids. Smart, right? Or, turn the side of a kitchen cabinet into a command center for paying bills and scheduling activities.
Garages are another place to start off orderly, as they can quickly become an anxiety-producing catch-all. Try this easy-on-the-eyes system with “four steps to storage”: shelving, drawers, labeling, and containers.
These Three Organizing Tips You Haven’t Tried offer a why-didn’t-I-think-of-that system of folding clothes and an even larger lesson from decluttering and organizational sensation Marie Kondo. Author of the worldwide best-seller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Kondo advocates asking of every item in your home, “does this item bring me joy?” If the answer is no, then express gratitude for the purpose the object once served and let it go.
Maintenance and cleaning
Built with state-of-the-art materials and processes, a new BackCountry home requires much less maintenance than an older home. But just like cars, all homes need regular maintenance for a long life. This handy list for monthly and seasonal “honey-dos” will keep your home in shape.
With the passing of time and repeated exposure to water, bathtub caulking will inevitably need a touch-up. Running a strip of blue painter’s tape on both sides of the caulking line beforehand ensures a straight line and minimizes the mess.
When it comes to keeping your nice new home clean, these 31 cleaning tips offer many unexpected suggestions. For example, cruddy showerheads get a makeover with white vinegar and a plastic baggy. If you’ve ever had a mildew odor emanating from your washing machine, you’ll want to read this. And while we’re on the topic of expert cleaning practices, note this list of 32 things you should be cleaning but aren’t (think sink stoppers and dust-coated bathroom exhaust fans).
Lawn and landscaping
If your new home has a lawn, you’ll want to know the best ways to get your yard ready for the snow and cold of winter. Fall is the time to fill in bare patches, get a handle on weeds, and fertilize. While it’s okay to prune out a few dead tree branches year-round, save your serious pruning until February or March. Get detailed instructions here. And this winter, start sketching out your plan for spring landscaping—if you’d like to add to your initial plan. This pin lists the five best low-maintenance plants.
Want more handy homeowner information? Dig into an archive of BackCountry’s Home & Garden blog posts here.
Set the stage (and table) for Thanksgiving
For many, Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. Free from the pressure of gift-giving, it is simply a joyful gathering of friends and family. Great food and conversation, and maybe a college football game to aid the digestion. Priceless.
Because Thanksgiving is such a lovely, all-day indoor affair, why not add to the ambiance with fall-inspired home décor? We invite you to peruse the BackCountry Autumn Pinterest board to get ideas for a festive table and beyond. To kickstart your creativity, we’re sharing some of our favorite ways to prep for the big day.
First stop is a pin that’s all about gratitude. After all, nothing sets a more positive tone for a Thanksgiving dinner than guests expressing gratitude. Clever ways to inspire sharing include kraft paper placemats with an “I am thankful for…” writing prompt that your guests can complete. Another idea is a big pumpkin spray-painted white on which all can write their messages of gratitude. Or, have your guests jot down what they are grateful for on small slips of paper, which you then roll up and bake in crescent rolls. Like a fortune cookie, everyone can open one up and guess who wrote it.
Maybe you love the idea of creating a showstopper centerpiece, but the only time you venture into a craft store is to buy poster board for your kid’s science project. Find help with this pin, where you’ll see several beautiful arrangements using only small pumpkins, leaves, and succulents you may already have around the house. Natural, pretty, and no crafty gene required.
If you do know your way around a can of spray paint, try this all-gold tablescape. Just spray paint real and/or fake pumpkins, pinecones, and Christmas garland. Add gold votive candles and you’re done. Or nestle candles in a glass container filled with popcorn kernels or other seasonal goodies.
If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, try turning pumpkins and gourds into elegant serving dishes. Topped with silver serving pieces, pale gray and green pumpkins add interesting height and color to your buffet. And why limit the charming conversation pieces to your table? On your porch, you could welcome guests with pumpkins etched with your house numbers. Or floating mini-pumpkin votives on a table in your foyer. Just insert tea lights into small pumpkins and float them in a charming rustic container with leaves and sprigs of herbs.
Enjoy exploring our Pinterest boards. With thousands of acres of open space as its backdrop, BackCountry can be a wonderful place to host a Thanksgiving dinner—and then walk it off on miles and miles of trails.
Is BackCountry right for you? Three questions to ask yourself.
No man is an island, they say, and neither is a home. It’s critical that your “perfect home” be in a community that’s equally in sync with your tastes and lifestyle. Because, after all, you do have to go outside sometime.
If you’re considering BackCountry for your future home, ask yourself these three questions. They’ll help clarify what’s unique about the community and if it’s right for you.
1. How important is the outdoors to you?
If you moved to Colorado for its natural beauty and endless outdoor activities, then go ahead and skip to question #2. In other words, run, do not walk, to BackCountry—you were made for each other. Otherwise, let’s explore this idea a bit. First of all, depending on how it’s situated, your home can offer magnificent sunset vistas of the mountains and foothills, which are easily accessed thanks to BackCountry’s southwest metro location near C-470. Also, within South Rim, the community’s private wilderness of 467 acres, you can walk, run, or ride bikes and spot all kinds of wildlife. Keep going and you’ll head straight into the Backcountry Wilderness Area, home to 26 miles of trails, more critters such as deer, elk, and wild turkey, as well as regular Highlands Ranch-organized activities such as archery, horseback riding, hikes, camping, and hunting. And if you just want a nice and easy after-dinner walk, stroll on one of the many winding trails within the neighborhood or visit one of the six parks.
On the other hand, if the Discovery Channel gives you all the nature you want, consider Question 2.
2. Do you like to know your neighbors?
Like anyone else, hermits are welcome to live in BackCountry—but they sure will miss out on a lot of fun. BackCountry is a gated community, which helps to create an exceptional sense of friendliness. (In other words, why not talk to strangers? They’re all your neighbors.) Residents are quick to tell you how warm and welcoming people are here. Amenities such as a resort-style pool, the Sundial House community center with its pub and lounge, and the outdoor amphitheatre and network of trails, promote easy, frequent connections between residents. And an active HOA is always cooking up community-wide events, such as summer concerts, golf tournaments, art shows, and holiday parties, as well as more intimate gatherings such as book club meetings and empty nester potlucks.
3. How do you like your architecture?
Chances are, you didn’t answer that with “corner-cutting and cookie-cutter.” That’s good, because you just won’t find that in BackCountry, which was conceived of as a community with exceptionally high standards. Architecturally, the community feels cohesive with a Colorado-inspired emphasis on stone, stucco, and other natural materials that complement the area’s natural beauty. Varied neighborhoods, and within those, multiple floor plans and elevations, keep streetscapes as interesting as they are beautiful. And by being selective with builders, the community aims to keep quality (and home values) high. Our current builders include Shea Homes, whose homes range in price from the $500s to $700s, and Paragon Homes, which offers semi-custom living priced from $1 million. Additionally, seven builders offer custom homes at varying price points.
So now that you’ve mulled over the possibility of living at BackCountry, maybe it’s time for a visit. Seeing the place—with its natural beauty, strong sense of community and high-quality homes—is the best way to definitively answer these questions, and any others you still have.
