Big ranches encompass probably millions of acres between Yarnell and Prescott, Arizona, many of them owned by Rex Maughan.
A couple weeks ago Mike and I took a ride out Wagner Road…
…which cuts through the TK Bar Ranch.
The TK started off as a mining claim in the early 1900s…
…became a guest ranch in 1947…
…and today is a working cattle ranch.
The road also curves through the Z-Triangle Ranch…
…where Appaloosa horses are trained for pleasure riding.
Just before we turned around after a 15-mile slow and scenic ride we encountered the Gold Bar Ranch, seemingly not part of the Maughan empire. Located on the Hassayampa River this working cattle ranch doubles as a Bed & Breakfast offering opportunities to view wildlife and birds, learn to rope a cow, and take guided ATV or horseback rides to nearby Indian ruins, ghost towns and abandoned gold mines.
We enjoyed a semi-sunny day with only a few sprinkles which brought a faint rainbow.
Before we returned to the main highway home.
6 comments:
It's amazing to me that so many huge ranches exist.
Up in Idaho up the canyon from my Aunt and Uncle's ranch a Dupont heir has a huge ranch with a full time staff. He shows up for a week once a year to hunt praire grouse with his falcons.
He didn't like the sound of the electric generator so he paid Utah Power and Light several million dollars to build a substation and lay about 15 miles of line to his ranch.
I've met him, real nice guy, but a total trust fund dude.
Very generous though, he has a couple snowcats and donates there use to ranchers who have to feed their cows during blizzards.
I wanted to check it out, was stumped initially but finally figured out its Wagoner road, looks like a road trip I'll have to explore!
It was a sweet ride... The bridge was really cool
Thanks for the ride...I thoroughly enjoyed these mega-ranches, which I didn't realize still existed. I'm now going to check out Rex.
If you ever pass Orme Ranch on the way to Prescott (it's in Mayer as you get off I-17), wave for me! I worked there for a couple summers and Prescott was the closest "city" so we'd do our Wal-Mart/supply runs there.
That is some unbelievably gorgeous country.
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