Ever wanted to be a Texas cowgirl?

Do you remember some of the definitive cowgirls of the Old West, like Dale Evans (and her horse, Buttermilk)? Annie Oakley? Or maybe even Cat Ballou? They could ride and rope. They were tops in marksmanship and could really handle a rifle and  six-shooter. They got to enjoy all sorts of adventures out on the trail. But they always looked really good — no dust or grit on them.  And of course, all the cowboys around them were truly handsome dudes with great “yes, ma’am, no ma’am, thank you ma’am” manners. (Well except for Kid Shelleen, the Lee Marvin character in Cat Ballou. But she cleaned him up!)

No Dude Ranch For Me. The life of a Texas TV or movie cowgirl looked pretty exciting. Did you ever want to be one? Well, you haven’t missed your chance. I’ve discovered Wildcatter Ranch up the road a piece from Ft. Worth that lets a wanna-be cowgirl and her friends live out their dream. It’s not a dude ranch in my view — because I associate a dude ranch with bare-bones bunkhouses, cold showers in a wooden outdoor stall and eating “grub” that some old grizzled cook (named Cookie) russled up. Maybe even washing up out in the water trough. In other words, to me a dude ranch is just too much ”roughing it” for a city girl who wants to try a little ranch life.

I’d Prefer Something Like the Ponderosa.  Wildcatter Ranch is a guest ranch — and you’re treated as a special guest. From the moment you arrive, you feel special. No roughing it here, but all the trappings of a 4,000-acre working ranch are there and you’re free to enjoy the ranch life as much as you’d like. And best of all, in my estimation, is that it’s a clean ranch; it’s not smelly; its horses are clean; its accommodations are immaculate. If you want a taste of ranch life, but are not high on “roughing” it, you’ll love Wildcatter Ranch. And, oh yes, the good looking cowboys with the “yes, ma’am” manners are all over the Wildcatter Ranch.

A Totally Different, Totally Fun Girlfriend Getaway. For this getaway, I invited a long-time cowgirl-type friend who loves horses and riding. Me? I learned English saddle riding after college, but never quite enjoyed western riding and have not been on a horse in years. Never had a desire to ride with the family when we visited Tucson, Sedona or the Denver area. I pretty much thought I really didn’t need to ride a horse anymore. That is, until I discovered Wildcatter Ranch and the prospect of a totally different, totally fun girlfriend getaway. So I packed my scrunchy department store fashion cowboy boots and headed West with Linda to step out of my everyday life and into a new and exciting experience. And believe me, it was fun. Stay tuned for my next post when I start into the details for you.

NEXT:  Linda (a/k/a Dale Evans) and I arrive at Wildcatter Ranch.

TIPS:
1) If you like horses and would like to reminisce about famous TV and movie horses, check out this link.
2) What about the photos on my blog? Can’t put in captions on WordPress (I don’t think I can, anyway.), but you can pause your mouse over each picture to read about the photo. All the photos on this post are of the Wildcatter Ranch.
3) Get the next post e-mailed to you. If you don’t want to miss my next post on Wildcatter Ranch, simply sign up for an e-mail alert.