Heat is no obstacle for dedicated lopers riding in the desert

How does the old saying go--”Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun?” Add two fanatical cowgirl-wannabes--my 17-year-old daughter, Julia, and me--to the list. Eager to take advantage of the nearly 20% discount on rates from May 1 to Sept. 30 at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, near Tucson, we recently set off to have a last fling at horseback riding and mother-and-daughter bonding before Julia graduated from high school and left for college. Fans of dude-ranch vacations, we had been to Tanque Verde six years ago and enjoyed it. But we had gone there at Christmastime, the Sonoran Desert was refreshingly cool. Going this time in mid-May, we knew we were in for some brutally hot weather.

“It’s gonna be over 100 tomorrow,” John, the burly ranch hand, said with a note of pride in his voice when he picked us up at the Tucson airport for the half-hour drive to the ranch. “But don’t worry; out here it’s dry heat.” John was right; it was very hot but very dry. Which meant that when we stepped out of the air-conditioned airport terminal, we felt more like we were entering a sauna than a steam bath.

I was happy to find that the ranch hasn’t changed much since we were here last. Dramatically situated in the foothills of the Rincon Mountains bordering Saguaro National Park the 390-acre Tanque Verde (green pool) was originally a cattle ranch dating back over 125 years. A dude ranch since 1928, it still retains much of its authentic Arizona-desert style: The 60 guest rooms and suites are set in pink-stucco casitas set around a handsome lodge that has massive adobe walls, saguaro-ribbed ceilings and pine-log frames. In addition to an indoor and outdoor pool, there are five tennis courts, a nature center and the largest guest riding stable in Arizona, according to the ranch. Our $225-a day standard room (prices include three meals daily, riding and all activities), was situated in the original ranch house, and was small compared to the newer room we’d stayed in on our last visit. But since there were just two of us this time (my husband and son had declined to come along, saying we were crazy to go horseback riding in this heat), Julia and I were content.

We arrived in time for the Friday night cookout, held in a grove of cottonwood trees. In addition to a bountiful salad buffet, there was a mesquite grill where cooks were barbecuing steaks and chicken. Among the hundred or so guests--many of whom were dressed in cowboy boots and colorful Western wear--were Germans, Swiss and, yes, Englishmen. John had told us that every year, more than one-third of Tanque Verde’s guests are from Europe and Asia. They come for an Old West experience, often on their way to the Grand Canyon or Las Vegas, and most come in the blistering-hot summer.

The next morning, when we set off for a breakfast ride, the young man on the horse behind me, a Sean Penn look-alike, was speaking Italian with his companion. From the number of times I heard them exclaim, “Extradorinario!” I could tell they appreciated the desert scenery. In fact, the Sonoran Desert here is far more lush than other deserts I’ve seen, the sand all but obscured by green trunked palo verde trees, yellow-blossoming mesquite, spindly ocotillo and creosote bushes, not to mention the prickly pear, barrel and jumping-cholo cacti. And rising above them were stately saguaro cacti, their skyward-reaching arms crowned with sea anemone-like polyps, which opened to reveal delicate white flowers.

Though Julia and I were exhilarated by the breathtaking scenery, we weren’t delighted to be stuck on a slow, walking-only ride. We’d come here to lope (canter) across the desert, like real cowboys. Because of the obvious insurance considerations, however, the ranch requires that all potential fast riders pass a lope check, which was scheduled for after breakfast. Since I hadn’t been horseback riding in several years, I was as nervous as I’d been before my first driving test. All the fresh biscuits, scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes (flipped by friendly ranch owner/host Bob Cote himself) couldn’t take my mind off the upcoming lope check.

When the time came, six riders lined up their horses in the corral. Stephanie, a perky but no-nonsense wrangler, told us she would be looking for control and balance as, one by one, we loped on our horses. I was mounted on Whiskey, a horse whose dark brown coat was lightened by a fine layer of desert dust. Though far from the most spirited horse I’ve ever ridden, Whiskey was adequately responsive and came through. So did Julia’s horse, Cisco, a former rodeo mount. To our surprise, Julia and I were the only riders who passed the lope check that day. Triumphant, we slathered our skin with SPF-50 sunscreen, gulped down a couple of glasses of water each, pressed our cowboy hats on tight and attached water bottles to our fanny packs. At 10:30 a.m., it was 97 degrees in the shade, but we were ready to ride.

Out in Saguaro National Park, where Robin, our wrangler, took the eight of us, it was at least 10 degrees hotter. But the rush of adrenaline I felt when we launched into our first lope made me forget all about the heat. This is what I’d come for. Over the next hour-and-a-half, we loped a half-dozen times, on trails that skirted cacti and mesquite trees, and through dry river beds. Loping on the soft, thick sand of the washes, Whiskey had a gait as smooth as a rocking horse’s.

Had Julia and I had our fill? We were just warming up. After lunch from the lavish buffet in the air-conditioned dining room, and a quick nap (we flopped down on our beds with everything on but our boots and conked out), we sauntered back to the stables. At 2:30 p.m., the temperature was pushing 104 in the shade, and an 11-year-old girl from Florida was the only other guest who showed up. Robin told us that this was the last afternoon loping ride scheduled until it cools down in November.

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The wrangler showed us how to dampen our bandannas and wear them up over our noses, bandit-style, to cool us and ward off the dust. Then he led us through mesquite-tree groves that provided a bit of shade and down pillow-soft river washes. In between bursts of loping, we saw several deer, long-eared jack rabbits that were bigger than our cat (and our cat is enormous, as cats go), and we stopped to watch a coyote pounce on a three-foot-long bull snake. Julia and I agreed that riding in the heat of the day conjured up all of the western cliches: We felt at one with nature . . . that we were braving the elements . . . as if we were experiencing the myth of the Old West. At the very least, we were enjoying an intense sensory experience of sweat and dust and heat and horse. At 5:30 p.m., when the sun had finally become less brutal, we cooled off in the swimming pool. Never has a swim felt so refreshing.

Dinner was chicken Kiev and blackened whitefish--not exactly authentic ranch house fare but quite good nonetheless. We skipped the evening’s line-dancing lessons so Julia could study for an upcoming French test. But back in our room, Julia was so bone-weary that she quickly fell asleep, French book in hand.

On Sunday morning, the first loping ride left the corral at 7 a.m. As pleasant as the temperature was at that hour, however, the ride was a big yawn, for we were only allowed to lope a few times. Larry, our wrangler, confided afterward that he had held us back because he felt one of the male riders, from Germany, wasn’t adequately in control of his horse. Eager for more loping action, Julia and I showed up for the 10:30 ride. Several of the dozen riders had just passed the lope check, including a French woman and her 10-year-old son who spoke little English and had never ridden western saddles before. Julia and I volunteered to ride behind them, to help them out if need be. Larry gratefully appointed us assistant wranglers.

As we rode off, Julia explained to the French guests--in French--about the desert flora and fauna, and imparted to them some of the Old West lore that she had learned here. The experience more than made up for her having missed studying French the night before. Since we were riding at the end of the line, we ate the dust of all the horses in front of us. But we got in half a dozen exhilarating lopes and had new friends with which to share the thrill. That made our last ride the best one of all.

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Budget for Two

Two nights Tanque Verde Ranch (three meals a day, riding, tax, 15% gratuities & $30 round-trip airport transfer included): $579.00

Southwest Airlines round-trips: 176.00

FINAL TAB: $755

* Tanque Verde Ranch, 14301 E. Speedway, Tucson, AZ 85748; telephone. (800) 234-DUDE or (602) 296-6275.