November 8, 2010

If I had a Pony I'd Ride Him on My Boat

Maia and Jeeves
 We’re back aboard—painting, cleaning and catching up on work (for me). But occasionally the waves lapping the hulls sound a bit like hoof beats, and in the right light the mountains that rise up around Guaymas look like they have horse trails on them.
Me on Dusty--getting dusty
 All three of us were captivated (much more than anticipated) by our visit to the wild, wild west. It wasn’t simply that it’s darn fun to ride a horse through the desert—although it is. It’s that in many ways ranch life reminds me of the cruising life.

The night we arrived at the White Stallion Ranch near Tucson we began making new friends. Within minutes Maia and Kaia (both brown-eyed redheads with freckles and quick smiles) had everyone confused: Sisters? Old friends? Random chance?! Really?!

But our best friends? They are called Jeeves, Dusty and Buffalo—and by our second ride all of us understood that bond between a rider and her horse: So much like the bond between a sailor and her boat.

learning to pen cattle--a skill we'll no doubt need again sometime...
 Not all of our visit was a ride through the desert or songs around the camp fire. We went off ranch a bunch. Honestly considering how little we sometimes do in a day it astonishes me how much ground we covered: Old Tucson, downtown Tucson, Tombstone and Kartchner Caverns. But despite our packed schedule--or maybe because of it, we've come back to the boat relaxed and ready for the next adventure.


Our wonderful guides in Tombstone: the town historian and the Chamber of Commerce Prez...

No comments: