It’s hard for me to picture a dude ranch these days without having
Jack Palance spring to mind. His grizzled mug and menacing squint
have hung with me ever since I first saw City Slickers oh so many
years ago. Not that this has had a dissuading influence on whether I might some day visit a dude ranch – in fact, I
think I’d LIKE to – but when I think dude ranch, there’s Jack.
Travel and Leisure Magazine
run a piece about dude
ranches in Texas, where you can satisfy your every cow-punching whim (wait, hold that, they don’t let you punch
cows). Most of the dude ranches here offer the same fare: you get to hang with Texas longhorns, ride horses, square
dance to your heart’s delight, take part in cattle drives, watch rodeos, eat chuck wagon breakfasts, take riding and
roping lessons, have barbecues and picnics, bugger farm animals, go fishing, and participate in wild game hunts. (OK…I
added one of those…roping lessons…pshaw!)
The dude ranch thing can be pricey, but that can also mean that you’re going in style, with every care and concern
taken care of. If you go the expensive route, don’t expect Lonesome Dove. It’s more like Little Condo on the
Prairie.