Hold on to your reins The sangre de cristo mountains northeast of taos were the stomping grounds of such colorful old west characters as kit carson and buffalo bill cody.But i had cody's buddy and business associate annie oakley on my mind as i grabbed the reins of my chestnut gelding, blazer, for what was only my second time on horseback(Pony rides excluded).This time we were testing our mettle on a cowgirl weekend in the high country of the southwest, where the grasslands meet the mountains.So we saddled up at cimarroncita, a ranch camp for girls established by minnette thompson in 1931, before new mexico had marked even 20 years of statehood.Cimarroncita translates as"Wild girl,"And we hoped to live up to it. My friend priscilla grew up riding horses in southern california, and patti is a horse lover from kentucky bluegrass coun try.My other friends are less seasoned, but it was quickly clear that i was the urban tenderfoot. Nancy burch, who leads the horseback programs at cimarroncita, offered her reassurance. "I grew up on long island,"She said,"But i always wanted to come to the west.I thought my life would be more fun here as a cowgirl. " For our first outing, burch paired horses Clips and riders with the skill of a practiced matchmaker and showed us how to groom our mounts as a way of fostering a bond. "I want you to feel that you're in control,"She said. "We're in the wilderness.You have to be a little bit on your toes. " After confirming that we all had grasped basic riding commands, burch led us out into the low hills.We climbed gradually on a dirt trail, passing along the perimeter of a small reservoir that serves the ranch, until we reached a high meadow.Somewhere along the way, i relaxed.So did blazer, who, as designated mount for the greenest of greenhorns, was remarkably patient.Annie oakley i wasn't, but i could do this. Cimarroncita has a history of making frontier women out of mere girls, which is what had attracted us in the first place.With its emphasis on riding and hiking, the oldtime ranch camp was designed, in the words of a 1932 brochure, to teach a girl"Habits of action and thought.That make her vigorous, able to work hard and joyously. " It must have worked. "Two bond girls, molly ivins, and three texas justices"Were all campers, according to minnette burges, namesake and distant relative of cimarroncita's founder.The girls' camp closed in 1995, but burges is restoring the ranch as an adult retreat that retains its frontier character. "This really is a vintage property,"Burges said as we took an early morning walk around the camp buildings that nestle on the flats between the cimarron river and the foothills.She stopped to point out the cimarroncita brand the letter c and its mirror image interlinked worked in wrought iron and hanging on an adobe wall. "That's been the cimarroncita horse brand since at least the 1930s,"She said. "But people always confuse it with chanel. " The irony doesn't escape her.When thompson founded the ranch camp, fashion was probably the furthest thing from her mind.Yet the property has acquired the kind of old west patina that ralph lauren tries so hard to emulate.A late1800s adobe jail that once held cattle rustlers is now the camp's trading post, while ute park's original oneroom schoolhouse once served as an infirmary.Eight rustic cabins built in the 1930s await restoration.Cimarroncita is a work in progress, best suited for travelers willing to rough it a bit for the sake of historic resonance. When we were in camp, we spent most of our time in two low, white, refurbished buildings constructed for tourists in the early 1900s by the st.Louis, rocky mountain pacific railway.At frijoles, we relaxed on missionstyle furniture in the lounge before we headed into the dining room to eat at big wooden tables surrounded by wild west murals from the '30s.After dinner, we repaired to the screened porch at laguna lodge, where we could sit back in adirondack chairs and watch millions of stars wink on, one by one, in the midnight blue sky. (The lodge has four single rooms, two bunk rooms, and four shared baths. ) Before we went out for our most ambitious ride, burch encouraged us to get to know our horses better.I ralph lauren outlet learned how to put on blazer's bit and bridle, and he and i practiced our paces in the corral.I had the longest legs in our group, and my special skill was mounting a horse.Although blazer and i were beginning to work as a team, i didn't quite have the confidence of my alabama friend verna.When her horse was spooked and reared with her aboard, she said,"I just held on and let out a rebel yell! " On our final ride, we ascended the mountains to a picnic spot in a piney grove.Deadfalls from summer storms obscured the trail in places, but our horses carefully picked their way as we climbed through a mixed forest of cedars, douglas fir, and scraggly pi and ponderosa pines.The ranch dogs tagging along flushed out some wild turkeys and a few elk, reminders of the region's bygone centuries as hunting grounds. Suddenly the trail opened into a mountain meadow with long vistas of distant peaks, gleaming like gold in the afternoon light. When we returned to camp late in the day, burch turned to me as we dismounted. "You've come a long way, pat,"She said. "And i wouldn't just say that. " We couldn't leave the ranch without a proper campfire, so before sunset, we boarded a horsedrawn wagon for a short trip down to the banks of the cimarron, legendary for its trout fishing.We escaped the chilly night air in the warmth of a crackling fire and passed the wine bottles. Burges told us about the old days when dancers from taos pueblo would come out to the camp to perform by firelight.Burch spoke of the area's deep history and some of its legendary ghosts.Verna openly contemplated a career as a bronco rider. Maybe it's true:Cowgirls do have more fun. 8 Ways to Give Your Child a Safer DietMedway doctor allegedly wrote bogus prescriptions, shared the drugs with woman Target Launches New Bridal CollectionFor Philadelphia bicyclist, a cat is his copilotObscure University of New Hampshire math professor takes major step toward elusive proofPublic invited on comment to eliminate cash tolling on Tobin Bridge;Officials say electronic tolling will reduce congestion, save funds free things to do around boston
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