Last August, Jose and I went to an amazing dude ranch to ride horses. Our stay there was so amazing. It's a family-run ranch and you feel like you're part of a family by the time you leave. The ranch backs onto the Mojave Desert and you're grouped according to skill. We stayed there 5 nights and enjoyed it so much that we went back last month for 7 nights.
Some might think, 'Big deal, it's just a desert.' But there are so many treasures to discover there.
When miners want to dig for gold, turquoise, or anything else, they have to apply with the government for a 'plot' of land they're interested in (for lack of a better word). They put a post in the ground and on every corner of their plot, and attach the approval notice to it when received.
In this picture, an approval was never received. The post is painted white and there's a can on top of it.
We were taken to a real mine. It was a turquoise mine, nothing there now except for this rusty can with nails inside.
We did come upon a small hole with turquoise in and around it. We think they were looking for gold and took perhaps the best of the turquoise, leaving some beautiful rocks behind.
A desert wouldn't be a desert, I suppose, without a broken-down truck in it. :)
We went on some challenging rides, I was on Wildfire all week again (like last trip). She's a sweetheart. The horses are truly amazing. The terrain is rocky much of the time, and yet we'd climb steep hills then have to go back down them and the horses never hesitated. They are so sure-footed.
Riding at the dude ranch reminded me of how much I love horses. They are beautiful, intelligent, strong animals and nothing else seems to matter when riding one.
Happy Trails!!!