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But having lived in Maine for a few years now, I know that I have to plan a getaway for February school vacation. It gives me something to live for in the dark days of January.
This year we have returned to the Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson. It's our third visit here, so that should tell you something. It's a dude ranch, for us dudes who like to play at being cowgirls and cowboys.There's trail riding, mountain biking*, hiking in Saguaro National Park, swimming, tennis and...food. Lots of food.
This morning, I swung up into the saddle on a horse called Jaeger.We took a ride up to the Homestead where a hearty breakfast was being cooked up on a fire-fueled grill by Bob Cote, owner of the Ranch. There was enormous blueberry pancakes, smoky bacon, ranch eggs with chiles and cheese cooked in a huge cast-iron skillet, hash browns, biscuits and coffee. Doesn't breakfast always taste better outside?
Afterward, we walked the horses back to the corral, fat and happy (us, not the horses - they're discouraged from eating on the trail). And guess what? Only 2 hours until lunch!
* True story: Two years ago when we were here, I thought a little mountain biking amongst the cactus would be fun and good exercise. Five minutes into the adventure, I skidded on a sharp left turn and fell smack into a prickly pear cactus. Cut to Bob pulling cactus points out of my derriere (that's French, just like mignardise) for over an hour. Then it took another hour for me to remove the thorns from more delicate areas. I will not be biking amongst the cactus EVER again.
