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Fly-in Ranches: Saddle Up For 12 Ranch Retreats
by Carrie Miner
At the end of the day, the ranch's gourmet cuisine  breaks away from the chuck wagon chow, opting instead for an impressive gourmet buffet set out three times a day. However, if you have a hankering to dine under a starry sky, you're in luck. Just sign up for the outdoorbarbecues in Cottonwood Grove or for a breakfast ride to the ranch's Old Homestead.
True Grit
Like Arizona, New Mexico has its share of cattle ranches including the famous 64,000-acre LC Ranch located in the southwestern part of the state.
Today, more than 100 years after being founded, a portion of the historic cattle ranch survives in this enchanting territory that was once populated with such infamous characters as Geronimo, Billy the Kid, Ben Lilly, Judge Roy Bean and "Dangerous" Dan Tucker.
After landing at either Whiskey Creek Airport [94E] or Grant County Airport [KSVC] (pickup services are available at both airports), get geared up for a blast from the past at the historic Double E Ranch.
Located 30 miles northwest of historic Silver City, the 30,000-acre ranch offers all of the scenic beauty of the Gila Wilderness combined with the an up-close look at ranching life.
 However, don't expect to lounge around the pool with a frothy fruit drink. Getting down and dirty is part of the fun at this working horse and cattle ranch.
Working side-by-side with real-life cowboys, you'll fill your days grooming and tacking horses, feeding livestock, conditioning and training horses, roping during round ups and learning pen techniques.
Ranch owners Debbie and Alan Eggleston whip up even more things to do with competitive gymkhana games scheduled in the arena and exciting explorations of the ranch's wide open spaces. Gymkhana is a series of competitive games carried out on horseback; activities include a variety of timed speed events such as barrel racing, keyhole, keg racing.
You may not come back with a perfect tan, but you'll know how to lasso with the best of them.
Texas Gold
Since the oil industry boom in the 1920s, the Lone Star State has been known for its production of black gold. Oil prospectors or "wildcatters" drilled wells throughout Texas territory in search of unknown oil fields, giving rise to boomtowns that followed the ebb and flow of these subterranean riches.
The relatively new Wildcatter Ranch and Resort, which is named after those enterprising speculators and is owned by the owners of one of the most prolific wells in north-central Texas, can be reached just minutes after landing at the Graham Municipal Airport [KRPH].
Located in historic Young County—the setting for several films including the TV movie series Lonesome Dove and the John Wayne classic The Sons of Katie Elder—Wildcatter Ranch sits smack dab in the middle of the Texas territory once populated with such colorful characters as William Tecumseh Sherman, the Marlow Brother, Oliver Loving, Charles Goodnight and Sam Bass.
This rich frontier history is reflected in the ranch's themed rooms chronicling everything from Indian occupation to the oil industry.
The stories of Indian raids, cattle drives, armed robberies, public hangings and oil strikes come to life each night around the campfire—the stage light of choice of the cowboy.
While cowboys and cowgirls can saddle up for three daily trail rides, this vacation destination also offers a wide variety of other ranch activities including roping clinics, chuck wagon camp-outs, hay rides and cattle drives.
Other entertaining options include cooking classes, photography clinics, skeet shooting, therapeutic massage, wildlife watching, archery, hunting and fishing, canoeing and hiking.
And if all of the activity makes you work up an appetite, don't worry. Chef Bob Bratcher whips up a hearty evening menu filled with such delectable dishes as grilled pork tenderloin served with apple chutney, smoked poblanos and jalapeño jelly. The finishing touch to the day is a serving of Chef Bratcher's buttermilk pound cake—made from his Texas mother's recipe—leaving one to wonder if oil really is the richest thing in the state after all.
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