Dozens of Western dude ranch vacations are...

Dozens of Western dude ranch vacations are listed in a couple of new guides. Both upscale, country club-type ranches and rustic, down-home-style accommodations. For a copy of the “1990 West Dude Ranch Vacations Catalogue,” write to American Wilderness Experience, P.O. Box 1486, Boulder, Colo. 80306, or telephone toll-free (800) 444-3833. A wide range of choices, including the popular Paradise Ranch at Buffalo, Wyo. (set in Big Horn National Forest). Others in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana.

The second guide deals exclusively with Colorado (38 ranches). We’ve visited the C. Lazy U and Drowsy Waters at Granby, Colorado Trails at Durango, the Home Ranch and Vista Verde near Steamboat Springs and the San Juan Guest Ranch outside Ouray. All good choices. For a catalogue describing the 38 ranches, write to the Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Assn., P.O. Box 300, Tabernash, Colo. 80478, or call toll-free (800) 441-6060.

Coincidentally, in this week’s mail we received a note from Scott MacTiernan of the San Juan Guest Ranch who says prices will remain the same this year at the San Juan ($700 per week, including lodging, meals, riding, fishing, Jeep tours). This little ranch (nine guest rooms) is small, intimate. Magnificent scenery. San Juan Guest Ranch: 2882 County Road 23, Ridgway, Colo. 81432. Call (303) 626-5360.

Covered Wagons: Other Western-style vacations are being planned again this year by Wagons West of Wyoming. These are covered wagon trips into the wilderness regions of Wyoming/Utah/Arizona. Passengers explore the Tetons and Red Rock country near Zion National Park/Grand Canyon. Opportunities to ride, fish, hike, photograph wildlife (deer, elk, moose, coyotes, eagles). Wagons form a circle at night, with meals served chuck wagon-style. Passengers sleep aboard or else in a tent or outside in a sleeping bag under the stars. Rates from $205 (two days) to $570 (six days).

Wagons West, Afton, Wyo. 83110. Call toll-free (800) 433-1595.

Yosemite: Because big crowds are expected at Yosemite this year, accommodations will be at a premium. If you can’t get a reservation in the park, try Yosemite West Cottages. These are vacation rentals near Chinquapin and Wawona. A choice of homes, cottages, cabins, town houses, apartments. Prices from $45 for a studio with TV, bath/shower, kitchen. A home near Yosemite West rents for $200 (sauna, Jacuzzi, three fireplaces, TV, a king-size bedroom). Other accommodations near the Badger Pass/Yosemite Park ski area. Openings year-round.

Yosemite West Cottages, P.O. Box 36, Yosemite National Park, Calif. 95389. For information and reservations, call (209) 642-2211 (weekdays).

Natchez Celebration: Starting March 10, one of the Deep South’s biggest events of the year gets under way in Natchez, Miss., with daily tours of 30 pre-Civil War homes--antebellum mansions that escaped destruction by Union forces in this oldest settlement along the Mississippi River. Daily tours through April 8. Massive columns support such grand old mansions as Rosalie, The Elms, The Briars, Cherokee, Elms Court, Elgin, Fair Oaks, Gloucester, Dunleith, D’Evereaux, Auburn and Longwood. Rosalie (headquarters of Union troops during the occupation of Natchez) serves today as the state shrine of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

In Natchez, Spanish moss drips from gnarled old oaks. Gas lamps glow. It’s a scene. Contact Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, P.O. Box 347, Natchez, Miss. 39121, toll-free (800) 647-6742.

Freighters: A note from Mary LeBlanc of Freighter World Cruises tells about new around-the-world service by Bank Line Freighters of Britain. Eight passengers per ship, age limit 82. Journeys lasting up to 130 days. Freighters sail from Belgium to Le Havre before crossing the Atlantic to transit the Panama Canal. Visits to Tahiti, Western Samoa, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Australia, Singapore. After crossing the Indian Ocean, the ships will pass through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean. All outside cabins with private baths, TV, VCRs, refrigerators. Swimming pools aboard each freighter.

Contact Freighter World Cruises, 180 S. Lake Ave., Suite 335, Pasadena 91101. Telephone (818) 449-3106.

Fiord Cruise: If you’re weary of ordinary cruising, Bergen Line of Norway carries passengers on 12-day coastal express ships beyond the Arctic Circle from Bergen. Vessels call at 36 ports, towns, fishing villages. This has been described as the “most scenic shoreline in the world.” A highlight is Trondheim with its magnificent fiord. Prices from $885, April 1/Oct. 31.

Your travel agent or Bergen Line, 505 Fifth Ave., New York 10017-4983.

Grand Canyon by Rail: Last fall the 1901 Grand Canyon Railway introduced day-trips between Williams, Ariz., and the Grand Canyon. A smash hit. Took off like a runaway locomotive. As a result, the railroad will operate two steam trains this year. Passengers ride in restored 1920s coach cars across northern Arizona’s plains and forested countryside to the South Rim of Grand Canyon. Morning departures from Williams Depot with a return to Williams in early evening. Fares ($47 for adults, $23 for children) include refreshments, entertainment.

Reservations by calling toll-free (800) 843-8724. For lodging, contact the Williams Chamber of Commerce at (602) 635-4061.

Singapore: Free city tours are being offered to airline passengers transiting through Singapore’s Changi Airport. The two-hour trips take in major sites from Chinatown and the Empress Palace to Little India and the shopping/entertainment strip of Orchard Road. In-transit passengers boarding buses at the airport are delivered back to Changi to board their on-going flights. The two daily tours (2:30/4:30 p.m.) are free for all in-transit airline passengers. For details, call the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board in Los Angeles at (213) 852-1901.

Hawaii Calls: Vacationers can book rooms with Hawaii’s Classic Small Hotels group for as little as $55 a night. A choice of three properties--the Waikiki Grand, Waikiki Royal Suites and the Waikiki Phoenix. At the Phoenix, guests are served complimentary breakfast/cocktails daily. The Grand (with room rates starting at $55 double) is the bargain of the bunch. Classic also is promoting honeymoon packages starting at $299 per couple for three nights. Includes either a car or a Jeep. Another package ($75 a day) gets you a car for two days when booking a room for seven nights or longer.

Contact your travel agent or call Waikiki’s Classic Small Hotels at toll-free (800) 942-7722.

California--Lana Primosch, Irvine: “An ocean-front two-bedroom apartment in Laguna Beach for $135 a night. Hospitality Homes of Laguna found it for us. They feature a collection of homes available when local residents take their own vacations. Write to Hospitality Homes, 31061 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, Calif. 92677.”

Maine--John and Kathryn Begosh: “The Pentagoet Inn, P.O. Box 4, Castine, Me. 04421, was recipient of a ’10 Best Inns of the Year’ Award. We were guests in the fall of 1988. Our room with bath, including dinner and breakfast, was $135. For current rates, write to the owners.”

Greece--Sylvia Steinberg, Los Angeles: Enjoyed a trip to Greece with OTA Tours, 9345 Glory Ave. Tujunga, Calif. 91042. “The experience of a lifetime.”

For the Record: For those readers we may have confused last week, the telephone number to call for the Hawaii Visitors Bureau’s free hotel accommodations guide is (800) 385-5301. For information on B&Bs; in Hawaii, call Bed & Breakfast Honolulu & Statewide at (800) 288-4666.

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