Find your inner Cowboy
June 2008

Find your Cowboy within at Price Canyon!

 A working ranch with guest accommodation

Ever fancied being a cowboy or indeed a cowgirl, ever wanted to ride the range, round up cattle strays, participate in a cattle drive?, The idea conjures up images of the wide open range , rolling grasslands stretching as far as the eye can see, the eagle and the hawk and perhaps the occasional vulture. And then,

the quiet solitude of the night under starry skies.

Most of us get our images of the Wild West from Hollywood, and by and large they paint a fairly accurate picture.

 For those of us who grew up on a heady diet of great western movies, William Wylers The Big Country had it all. A great story line, a super cast, and set on a working ranch on the open range of the Wild West.

Although on a much smaller scale than the movie, Price Canyon Ranch in Southern Arizona nevertheless evokes the same feeling of the great outdoors, of wide open spaces where horse and rider have become an inseparable part of the landscape. It is one of the few remaining working ranches to have guest accommodation.

The ranch which is close to the Mexican border,is set among the 500,000 acres of the Coronado National Forest, with thousands of acres of waving grassland stretching to the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains. The ranch is blessed with natural springs which they will tell you, produces the purest drinking water to be found in the USA. This was probably one of the reasons why the legendary Apache Chief, Geronimo, spent his last nights here before surrendering to the US Army at nearby Skeleton Canyon in 1886.

Indeed when they took him to Mount Vernon Barracks in Alabama, Geronimo often complained about the quality of the air and the water there , and longed to get back to his beloved mountains in Arizona.

Geronimo was not his real name, but one given to him by Mexican soldiers who invoked the name of St Jerome as a form of protection as the Apache descended upon them in battle.

The ranch

 Price Canyon is a working ranch, complete with its ranch house, horse corral, stables ,Texas longhorns, outdoor hot tub,  swimming pool and of course its cowboys. It also has the remains of an old Mexican church. Arizona was part of Mexico for many years.

 The ranch can accommodate up to 20 guests which allows everyone to get to know each other over the period of their stay.

The Ranch house

The ranch house at Price Canyon consists of the main lodge, where all dining takes place, and a series of guest rooms attached. The rooms have been gently upgraded to allow for a more comfortable experience for its guests. So, expect more four posters and fewer bunk beds. The rooms offer a variety of sleeping arrangements each with its own private bath –aw shucks! There are no telephones or TV’s in the rooms; however these facilities are available in the lodge.

Working the ranch

Guests enjoy a real western lifestyle experience and are welcome and encouraged to participate in day to day ranch activities such as checking on cattle and water holes, or patrolling ranch boundaries on horseback.

Special activities include working cattle at branding and weaning times, as well as numerous cattle drives throughout the year. Cattle need moving to new pastures and to new watering holes on a regular basis.

You do not have to be an expert rider to take part in any of these activities.

The ranch cowboys are on hand to supervise and assist with all activities and will pick out the most placid horse in the corral for you. Not being the mad adventurous type, this suited me perfectly. So they set me up with a horse called Strawberry, which was fine until he/she decided suddenly to stop and eat grass. This had the effect of propelling me on to the horse’s neck which I managed to cling to with commendable agility.

 Riding lessons are also available.

For those who like to keep their feet on the ground at all times, there are many walking trails through the Coronado Forest which are a joy to explore.

Working Day

A typical day begins in the lodge dining room where guests and ranch hands gather to have breakfast and discuss plans for the day.

There are usually two organised rides each day ranging over the activities referred to above.

Lunch is served at about 1:30pm after which there is time for a short siesta before embarking on the afternoon activity.

Chilling out  

After a day of riding activities or indeed hiking, there is nothing better than to ease those saddle sores and feet with a long soak in the hot tub or a refreshing swim in the ranch pool.

At about 6:30 the welcome sound of the cook rattling the triangle, calls everyone to dinner.

Dining at Price Canyon is an inclusive affair. Again, guests and ranch hands sit down to dinner together at the lodge dining table. The experiences of the day are retold and plans for tomorrow discussed

The lodge is a large kitchen cum dining room cum lounge area that has one large dining table and some smaller ones. It is typically western with polished wooden floors, leather and cowhide furnishings, and wild animal rugs, and in winter, a roaring fire in the grate. There is also a pool table.

The food is all locally produced including the T boned steaks sizzling on the grill.

The ranch does not sell alcohol so if you enjoy a cold beer or are partial to a nice bottle of wine you simply bring it with you. Guests like to share their favourite tipple, so come prepared.

All meals are included in the guest package

After dinner it is likely that some of the cowboys will take down the old guitar or fiddle and settle in for the evening, the rest is up to you!

Night Sky

Because of its location away from any major towns, there is no intruding light to compete with natural light of the moon and stars.

The night sky here is pure magic and the stars appear to be much closer.

 Perhaps now is the time to find that cowboy within.

Price Canyon is unique place, for those with a love of the natural environment, with a zest for living, and for a life style that is fast disappearing.

 The minute you leave it you want to come back!

Price Canyon Ranch

PO Box 1065

Douglas

Arizona 85608

www.pricecanyon.com

How to get there

 Fly via Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport and then about a four hour drive.

Fly via Tucson Airport and then about a two and a half hour drive. The route from both Phoenix and Tucson takes you through historic Tombstone and the delightful town of Bisbee (worth an overnight)

It is also possible to fly to Douglas and then about a one hour drive.

For full details check out www.pricecanyon.com

For a more personal flavour  call Oliver at 087 2478012

Ends.