Kathy Rumsmoke, Lynn Galletly, and Lynn Habersstroh. Lynn Habersstroh is the former owner of Lope Along Ranch, where the Rumsmoke rode. Galletly is a ranch guest from England.

As you might recall from previous issues, Kathy and I stayed at Dick Beck’s place 12 miles south of Pearce, Arizona, during the winter of 2003/2004. Dick’s place is next to a huge ranch boarded by miles of Bureau of Land Management land. Just west of us rose the Dragoon Mountains.

There are so many places to ride in the Pearce area. We visited as many as we could. There’s something for everyone, from wilderness camping to catered camping. The Cochise Stronghold area offers a large wilderness-camping area and miles of trails. We enjoyed our ride there, even though we trailered in and just rode for the day. (No camping was allowed at the staging area.) This is a great spot if you’re a hardy adventurer.

We also went over to Ferrer’s Ranch (520/826-1520; www.ferrerranch.com), owned by Dick’s farrier, Bill Ferrer, and his wife, Claudia. They offer a bed-and-breakfast along with old-fashioned Western hospitality. The ranch is an easy reach from the main highway, State Route 191, which goes right through Pearce.

Kathy Rumsmoke (left) takes a break with local Phyllis Harrold, who guided Garth and Gathy through the Cochise Stronghold area near Pearce, Arizona. The Stronghold was home and hideaway of Chief Cochise.

Another good place to stop in Pearce is the Silver Spur Mobile Park (520/826-3205), where you can set up a place for your horse while you enjoy the comforts of a mobile-home park.

In the nearby town of Dragoon, we saw a most interesting sign: “And The Horse You Rode In On B&B.” We just had to stop to see what they had to offer the trail rider. We found a very nice setup, clean and neat, with riding in back, along the old Butterfield Stagecoach line. For information, call (520) 826-5410, or send an e-mail to info@horseyourodeinon.com.

Not to be outdone by catchy names, the Lope Along Ranch sits just outside of Pearce. We trailered over for a day ride. Mr. Murphy reared his ugly head when a truck tire went flat, but luck was also with us, as we were parked right at the ranch at the time. Mr. Murphy must have stayed around; not long after we left, a guest from England, Lynn Galletly, broke her wrist on a training horse. A week later, ranch owner Lynn Habersstroh fell off the same horse and broke her pelvis in four places. The ranch is now under new ownership, but not yet in business.

Jonathan Erickson and Elizabeth Henning, who own the Painted Gait Ranch, had invited us to ride with them if we were ever in the area. They were shocked when we called and told them where we were. We ended up enjoying a great ride to Fort Bowie National Historic Site (520/847-2200; www.nps.gov/fobo), tucked back in the Chiricahua Mountains. The fort was built in the 1860s to protect the Apache Pass, where wagon trains were often attacked by braves led by Chief Cochise and Chief Mangas. You can still see the fort’s preserved adobe ruins.

Garth and Kathy Rumsmoke at Fort Bowie, a historic site tucked back into the Chiricahua, where they spent the winter.

From a trailhead near the fort, we enjoyed a ride on the Butterfield Trail, which follows the old stagecoach line. The trail led us up to the ruins of the Chiricahua Indian Agency and past the famous Apache Spring, a rare source of water in the area and the site of intense conflicts between the military and Chief Cochise.

A nearby hill provided us with a great view of Fort Bowie. At the ranger station, there’s a photo taken from the same vantage spot in 1894.

Next time, I’ll tell you about our ride to the gold-mining area of Kentucky Camp and our short visit to Lonesome Oak Ranch. Till then, carry a good camera, stay on top, and remember the gift of The Trail Rider for a friend.

Garth and Kathy Rumsmoke, The Coast to Coast Ramblers, 67 Stewart Rd., Horseheads, NY 14845; (607) 594-2191; grumsmoke@aol.com; www.garthandkathy.com.