Thanksgiving Message with a Twist

There's nothing twisted about the fact that we're thankful for so many blessings in our lives. A short
list includes our family, our friends and the guests who bring such interesting stories to the Clover
Cliff Ranch Bed and Breakfast. We're also extremely thankful for a growing number of energetic and
talented folks who are now helping us serve guests with style and grace.

Here's the twist: Our latest addition to the Flint Hills adventure is a disc golf course. For those of you
who know about the sport, you'll recognize that Emporia, Kansas is well known on the circuit.
Eric McCabe, an award-winning disc golf course designer with roots in Chase County, designed a
relatively new course in Cottonwood Falls - expanding the options for golfers who travel to the area.
As the story developed, Shawn Taylor, another course designer, convinced us that we had the perfect spot
for another disc golf course. He designed our course and we went to work! Shawn has a home in Strong City,
Kansas and another in the San Diego area. We're so happy that he chose to use his talents here.

We’ll spare you some details about how the first nine holes were completed and ready to go in
three weeks – two to be exact so that Eric McCabe – a national champion and the well known disc golf
course designer, and Shawn along with a team from Dynamic Discs could play a test run and suggest
tweaks. We wanted to be ready for the Veteran’s Day weekend tour that began in Cottonwood Falls
Saturday morning.

On a crisp autumn day, the group came for lunch at the Clover Cliff before playing the first nine holes.
We loved hosting this group of about 50 golfers and the volunteers who organized the event.

Let your imagination set the scene until you have a chance to see the course in person. There will be nine 
more holes ready by spring. The design requires at least two bridges as well as some major tree trimming.
The surrounding tall grass will also need to be manicured in spots.

Our Thanksgiving plans might be considered traditional with one more exception. We’re decorating the four
Clover Cliff houses for Christmas. We don’t advocate rushing the season, but our guests expect a festive
atmosphere and so do we! Creating that atmosphere takes time, as you might imagine. It also creates quite
a mess while it’s happening so we work on days that we aren’t entertaining guests. We may even post a few
photos – either of the process or the final product.