Road Stories

I’m still groggy from a 13-hour, all-night drive from Colorado Springs back home. Many Western Horseman staff members left Sunday afternoon from a remarkable gathering and trail ride celebrating our 75th anniversary. It was a whirl-wind weekend of meeting new people, catching up with old friends and making plenty of memories. Here are my favorite moments from this past weekend.

10. Our national anthem.
Cowboy musician Michael Martin Murphey arrived in a stage coach Saturday morning and kicked off the trail ride with a guitar and a moving rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” With around 150 riders mounted, hats off and Pikes Peak in the background, it was a great setting for us to honor our country and the men and women who have fought to defend our freedom.

9. Rain and cool weather.
It has been hot and dry in Texas all summer, so a few days of cooler mountain air and afternoon rain showers was a nice break.

8. Cowboy church service.
Sunday morning we attended a cowboy church service at the Flying W Ranch. Pastor Scotty Vaughn delivered a great message on the joy of the Lord.

7. Caricatures by Kevin Cordtz.
Each month, Cordtz creates the cartoons that illustrate Baxter Black’s column on the back page of the magazine. Saturday night he was on hand to draw some hilarious caricatures of those attending the banquet.

6. Catching up with former staff members.
Past editors Pat Close and Gary Vorhes, and former editorial assistant Karan Miller joined us on the ride. It was also nice to catch up with former staffers such as Randy Witte and Kim Simhauser.

5. Western Horseman’s display at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
A new display at the “Hall” features several artifacts from the magazine, as well as a sketch of Dick Spencer and covers from January 1936 and January 2011.

4. The banter of famous horsemen.
WH book authors and respected horsemen attended the celebration. The group included Martin Black, Chris Cox, Bob Avila, Al Dunning, Mike Major, Craig Cameron, Marty Martin, Mike Kevil, Jack Brainard, Dr. Bob Miller and Curt Pate. They all said they had a great time and seemed to enjoy each others company. They didn’t hold back from razzing one other, either. When several of them opted to take the shorter route on the trail ride, Al Dunning acted incredulous. “We should make them t-shirts that say, ‘I DID NOT survive the Western Horseman ride,’” he said with a laugh.

3. Riding my gelding.
On photo shoots, I often ride someone else’s horse. This time I got the chance to bring my own. There’s nothing like riding your own horse. My 3-year-old roan gelding handled his first mountain experience very well.

2. Meeting readers.
This event was designed for our loyal readers. Many longtime subscribers had good things to say about the magazine, which is always nice to hear. I met a lot of neat people, including Reinhold and Isabel Pennekamp, who flew all the way from Germany to attend the ride.

1. Conversations with great horsemen.
This weekend gave me the chance to listen to conversations among the industry’s best horsemen. One evening I sat at a table with Brainard, Miller, Black and Pate as they discussed horsemanship. Fascinating.

Darryl Bennett and Craig Cameron.

If you study very many of Charlie Russell’s classic paintings, you’ll notice a familiar butte that often shows up in background. The distinguished land form, called Square Butte, is easy to see while riding on the Bell Cross Ranch. This ranch, located south of Great Falls, Montana, hosted the Cowboy Artists of America’s annual trail ride two weeks ago. The Cowboy Artists invited Western Horseman along for the ride, and I was honored to represent the magazine.
Chalie Russell country is the ideal location for a CAA trail ride. Several artists made comments about the colors and light in this area, and how it was reflected in Russell’s paintings.
I got a chance to visit the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls and meet several great artists on the ride who have been inspired by Russell (I think every CAA member has been inspired by Russell). Overall, it was a enjoyable time of riding, meeting new friends, sitting around the campfire, and getting out of the blistering Texas heat.
Below are several photos from the ride.

First photo: From left, Fred Fellows, Bruce Greene, Tim Cox and Bill Owen ride with Square Butte in the background.
Photo 2: Loren Entz (left) and Dave Powell help move cows and calves to a new pasture.
Photo 3: Bill Owen kills a rattlesnake as Tim Cox looks on.
Photo 4: Range tents, or cowboy tepees, line the campsite on the Bell Cross Ranch.

“So you photograph nature and people,” she said excitedly. The lady working behind the counter, named Melonie, continued chatting with me as she made arrangements for my overnight stay in a vintage Airstream travel trailer. “This is going to be an interesting place to sleep tonight,” I thought.

Paisley is a small, remote town in southern Oregon. Logging and ranching have been its main industries throughout its existence, but sadly the community is shrinking. That means no hotels, except for a tiny three-room lodge that was surprisingly booked full when I arrived. That’s what led me to the Airstream.

The Summer Lake Hot Springs is an RV park five miles north of town. It has plenty of RV hookups, hiking trails, cabins, public restrooms and, of course, an old sheet-metal barn that houses natural, warm, healing artesian springs. I pulled into the gravel drive, weary from a long trip. After driving past a few totem poles, I read a sign outside the office that said, “Respect this sacred land.” Inside, I was greeted by a painting of an oriental woman meditating in the lotus pose, a three-legged cat, and Melonie.

Melonie told me the cabins were already booked, but I could stay in one of the refurbished travel trailers. She added that a group of bikers thoroughly enjoyed hanging out in the Airstream whenever they rolled through the region. Despite the rave reviews, I had to inspect the mobile living quarters myself.

Now, I’ve stayed in a lot of different places in my travels besides the cushy confines of a Holiday Inn. I’ve slept in guest houses, living room couches, bedrolls, tepees, horse trailers, a bunk-bed (top level), and even the front seat of my pickup. But a chrome-colored trailer on the Oregon range was a first for me.

“You must have good karma to have dropped into such a healing place,” Melonie said.

I had a photo shoot scheduled in town that evening and didn’t get back till after dark. Another photo shoot had me stepping out of the Airstream at 4:30 a.m. I never had the time to soak in the hot springs. But I must say, my brief stint at Summer Lake Hot Springs was the best night’s sleep I got the whole trip. It was groovy.

On Thursday we drove from Fort Worth to Colorado Springs in the company truck and trailer. Friday was the last day that the historic Western Horseman building, built in 1949, would be used by the magazine, and we were there to close the building and pack up furniture, files, artwork, etc.

Upon arriving, associate publisher Ernie King said, “I still can’t believe after 61 years that tomorrow is the last day Western Horseman operates out of this building. That is as wrong as Pikes Peak is tall.”

Friday was a sad day. Staff members who had worked there for years came to pack up their belongings, say goodbyes, take photos and shed tears. Many of them stayed late helping the crew haul boxes and clean out offices. That’s the kind of work ethic Western Horseman staff are known for.

During the day, a man showed up with his big palomino gelding and led him into the office. The last horse to step inside the building. We took pictures, and the man talked about how his grandfather subscribed to the magazine. Visits like that are common and are what has made our building unique.

We will spend the rest of this weekend emptying the Springs office. And the artwork, furniture, files and equipment will be moved to Fort Worth in two large Uhauls and the company truck and trailer.

I’m confident that Western Horseman will continue to be a great magazine. The staff and I will do everything we can to ensure that. But no doubt, with our beloved building closed, things will never be the same.