How the West was once

Our art director, a cowgirl at heart, goes to a dude ranch in Arizona and finds it’s just like being on the set of a cowboys-and-Indians movie. Words & photos: Yolanta Woldendorp; web -exclusive images at the end of the article.

AFTER A DAY in the saddle trekking through the Wild West, I lie in the bath in my casita (private cabin) overlooking the valley and mountains where the Chiricahua Apache once roamed. I’m relishing the hot water and imagining how it must have felt to be an outlaw/cowboy 100 years ago – riding into town for a bath and then on to the saloon bar for a drink and some company. In my case the saloon is the bar at the Grapevine Canyon Ranch. Swinging open the doors I order “a Rattlesnake beer and make it fast!” Wanda, the barmaid, understands that I’ve been claiming “I feel like I’m in the movies” ever since I arrived.

I’ve never been to the United States before and only seen this part of South Arizona in much-loved Westerns. I know I’ve hit the jackpot when Eve Searle, owner of the ranch, talks about the area’s history. Originally plentifully supplied with water, the canyon was full of wild grapevines and home to native Indians who grew crops and made pottery. It’s thought that either drought or the Apache drove them out in the 15th century. The area was settled next by the Chiricahua Apache. An uneasy peace with white settlers was followed by years of war until the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 saw the last of the tribe transported to reservations in the east.

In spite of three hip replacements, 74-year-old Eve still rides her own horses. Turns out her late husband Gerry is featured in the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma as a stunt rider in various movies and the TV series The High Chaparral. Grapevine Ranch is not without its own drama. A fire destroyed the main building in 2007 and only the adjoining Buffalo room and store were saved. The charring is still visible on the verandas hung with cow skulls.

Asked how she found the strength to rebuild and start again, Eve’s answer is in typical country style: “I didn’t want to let the staff down, or the horses for that matter; they’re all like family.” She has 17 staff and 74 horses and also runs about 300 head of cattle on her 4000 hectares. Visitors would have been relieved too since a good percentage of them keeps coming back to this dude ranch year after year. Michael from Scotland was visiting for the sixth time in three years. I asked him why he kept returning. “The big open spaces and the people – such a contrast to home.”

So, just like in a movie, we saddle up and ride back into history. Feeling safe on our large Percheron-cross horses (mine is named Mouse), chosen to suit our riding abilities, and accompanied by Butch, our guide and wrangler for the day, we enter the Chiricahua National Monument, Land of Standing-up Rocks. We climb 2978m through sycamore, juniper and oak trees to reach breathtaking views over the Chiricahua ranges and distant plains. Strange rock formations, like giant stacks of pancakes, rise hundreds of metres above us.

On the way down again a rattle of leaves and an unpleasant smell tell us we’ve disturbed a skunk. The park is filled with wildlife and Butch is full of information. The tap of woodpeckers, coo of pigeons and whistle of Mexican jays greet our return to the valley floor. Driving in the horse trailer back to Grapevine Ranch we pass the town of Pearce where Johnny Pearce found the gold nugget that emptied Tombstone. Johnny sold his claim for the then-unheard-of sum of $230,000 and the mine went on to produce $30 million worth of gold over the next 20 years. Now there’s just the odd tumbleweed to see.

The next day starts after a good cowgirl breakfast of eggs, bacon, beans, toast and coffee. I ride out with Russ, our guide for the day, and grandmother, mother and daughter Pat, Dee Dee and Kim from North California who’ve been here before and couldn’t wait to get back to their home on the range. Today our eight-hour trek takes us up through the Grapevine Canyon behind the ranch and into the Dragoons.

Riding through the canyons I feel as if the Apache, who widely inhabited this range, are watching us from above or a director is going to say “cut – do that again”. The rocky, mountainous terrain is hard going for the horses which pick their way deep into this hostile landscape. On every top we are cut off at the pass by howling winds. There is no sign of life for miles. That’s why the Apache regarded this valley as their stronghold, where the landscape made pursuit by white men virtually impossible. It was home to Chief Cochise, the greatest Apache leader in this area, who befriended the agent Tom Jeffords and became his blood brother. The movie Broken Arrow was inspired by this friendship.

Russ is carrying a bone-handled pistol in a saddle holster. “First bullet is for rattlesnakes,” he tells us as we stop for lunch by a water-hole. “The others are for the two-legged kind.” He flips open the revolver to reveal one bullet with a clear blue casing housing hundreds of little pellets. Obviously he won’t need a second shot with that spray of shrapnel. The rest of the barrel is filled with fat bronze bullets. What two-legged snakes did he need these for, I wondered. “Well, deary, the Mexican border is just over yonder; ya never know who ya might bump into.”

Lights, camera, action … we’re off again, heading through another valley and homeward bound. The change to straw-like tussock and cacti makes the going faster. We’re obviously on the home range as Russ says: “There’s Eve’s cattle. Only another couple of hours to go.” I’m surprised at how comfortable I feel in the saddle after all these hours of riding. Those big, well-used Western saddles have made the trip almost effortless: no bandy legs or saddle sores for me … yee haa! Nevertheless I’m glad to peel myself off my steed at the end of a long day, knowing a Rattlesnake has my name on it down the road at some saloon.

Because guests at Grapevine Canyon Ranch can customize their days, I decide to take the third one a little easier. A few hours’ ride around the ranch and some downtime in the library sound perfect. Annie, wrangler boss, saddles me a different horse to give Mouse a rest. Like the other wranglers, she seems like a character out of a Wild West movie. You’re invited to join any of them during their daily work on the ranch, including mustering, branding and roping cattle.

Sitting by the fire on my last night, listening to Danny St-Clair’s beautiful country voice as he sings and strums his 12-string guitar, I feel part of this family, lucky enough to be invited into their out-of-the-way homestead. Eve comes to bid me farewell. I’m sad to leave but promise “I’ll be back!”

NOTEBOOK

How to get there: Fly to Los Angeles then on to Tucson. The ranch is 85 miles from the airport. Hire a car or take the airport-to-door round trip for US$350 for up to four people.

When to go: Grapevine Canyon Ranch is open all year. In the summer months, May to September, expect temperatures from 30° to 35°C. October to March is the busiest time and July/August sees monsoon rains.

Cost: US$258 plus tax/service fee per person per night staying in a casita (minimum stay three nights) covers all meals and horse riding except the Chiricahua trek which costs US$60 per person.

What else to see: Visit Tombstone, “the most lawless place in the West”, Fort Bowie, Pearce and Bisbee for history and cinematic backdrops.

Book online at www.gcranch.com

Find more dude ranch options around the United States on www.ranchweb.com