“Leaving camp, we rode down the power line that followed the road till we came to the ranch gate.” reports Garth Rumsmoke. Here’s the power line at sunset.

I wrote about traveling to south Texas and visiting Katie Porter’s ranch in Segovia. From there, Kathy and I headed south to the Big Bend Area of Texas. From the Porter Ranch just off Route 10, we headed west to exit 248 and south on 67. We hit 90 west to Alpine, then south on 118 to Study Butte.

Most folks think of this as the Terlingua area. The road we were looking for took us back east, just north of Study Butte, near the headquarters of Terlingua Ranch (www.terlingua.com), which is also a resort.

The Christmas Mountains

We headed to a few acres Katie owns that back up to the Christmas Mountains. It had a couple horse pens, a small building that held a refrigerator, and electrical hookups for the trailer. We were all set.

The building Katie mentioned was more like a very large storage shed. It had a front porch that gave us a place to hang a blue tarp. (I’m told that a blue tarp is the state flag for horsemen in Vermont. It must be true; we sure saw a lot of them there the last time we rode there.)

After we’d fed and watered the horses, closed the gates, rolled up the tarp, and put the wires in all the right places, we took a long look at our surroundings. In back of us were low foothills in a sweeping half circle. The other direction gave us a couple hundred miles to look at, if you had good eyesight. The two track we drove in on had taken us past a few homes and ended at a ranch gate not far from where we camped.

Walking around and looking at all the flowers in bloom, we figured that in the right weather, this could be a nice place to spend some time. But it was coming on summer very fast, and the high was 90 degrees — not something we really liked. The horses still hadn’t shed out from the winter back home, and we knew they weren’t that comfortable.

We planned an early morning ride. As the sun rose the next day, we were busy tacking up and looking forward to seeing new country. Leaving camp, we rode down the power line that followed the road till we came to the ranch gate. We followed the fence line back into the flats and made a huge circle. We planned on coming back on the road located on the other side of camp.

After about three hours, we found ourselves about where we thought we’d come out. There was lots of brush to twist around in, some dry wash beds to ride and explore, clean air to breathe, and, as I mentioned, lots of colorful blooms.

Into Town

Back at camp, we put the horses in the pens and had a bite to eat under the blue tarp, in the shade. We decided to take the truck to town to get a tire fixed, take a look around, and just be lazy. On the main road heading to Study Butte, we saw a sign for the Terlingua Ranch. Off the main road, we took a dirt two-track for a few miles and came to the main ranch. The ranch is also a resort area.

We talked to the folks in the office, picked up some paperwork, and got the directions to town. Back on the main road, we headed south to Terlingua. We found a few modern buildings, the gas station, a restaurant, and a place to get the tire fixed.

While we were waiting for the tire, we drove down the road to see what the country was like. Later, we found out if we’d gone just a little farther, we would’ve found the old ghost town of Terlingua. Famous for its mercury mines during the war, it’d slipped into the past as the need for mercury had faded. With the tire fixed, a lunch under our belt, and a short ride back to camp, we sat in the shade once again and planned the next day.

Time to Go

Early morning found us in the saddle and following the power line the other direction. It led us along the base of the Christmas Mountains’ last foothills. The heat started to make us lazy, and it was taking a toll on the horses. We cut our ride short and swept back to camp.

We decided to pack up; the moving trailer would be cooler for the horses, and we could make Van Horn by late afternoon. Packing up by now was simple. Within a half hour of our decision, we were headed back to Alpine. By nightfall, we were in the Van Horn KOA and much cooler air. The horses were settled in, and a shower relaxed our old bones.

This was the second time we missed riding the Big Bend; I know the next time will be a winner. Our next stop was Deming, New Mexico, and a ride with a woman we met at Katie Porter’s ranch. Then we went on to the Gilas, where we’d planned to ride. So, till next time, keep your cinch tight, and carry a good camera.