Riding the Range in the Hill Country!

08-bohemian-cowboy-blues-1Yes, it’s true…I am a city girl at heart (even though I live on 3 acres in Wimberley, Tx). So how did this city girl end up spending her Sunday down in Bandera, Tx. in a pick-up truck with modern day rancher, Brian? (By the way, modern day ranchers may wear boots and jeans, but they also wear a “blue-tooth” headset over the ear!) Anyway, I happen to have a city client who wants to buy a ranch to run exotic animals…It is big business in Texas and Brian just happens to have his family ranch for sale down there outside Bandera,Tx. (located W of San Antonio). The viewshot is of downtown Bandera taken from one of the hills on the ranch.

And when a rancher shows you the ranch, they show you all 118 acres of it! Also, what they consider “a road” looks like something you should only attempt after making sure your will is in order and that you have left money and food for any children left behind at home! Actually, when I got over the sheer terror of the cliffs( Brian insisted we go over these as he was looking for his missing horse and donkey), the vistas were incredible….And I learned that a “tank” is not a metal enclosure but instead is a man-made formation dug out between two cliffs, so that rainwater collects at the bottom and then the cattle and wildlife (and missing horses) have water to drink. This particular ranch had something like seven tanks spread out over the 100+ acres….One of them was actually a very small tank that was spring fed by a big pipe that years ago, he and his dad had simply pushed into a huge hill that he said “was just full of springs because of the dampness and moss on the hill and all the green grass up there”. And yes, I personally saw the spring running and even took a picture of it! We even saw the elusive Axis deer on the big exotic ranch next door….It is a 2500 acre spread and( I am very relieved that my client is just needing 100 or so acres)! It took us about two hours to see the whole ranch land and for Brian to find the missing horse and donkey… Take a look at the photos and you will see why the Hill Country ranch life is an absolute must for those longing for a piece of history and some solitude…The land out here has an incredible, magical, irresistable draw that overcomes even city girls like me. The beauty is simply breath-taking. What an unexpected delightful day this ride to the ranch turned out to be in the Hill Country of Central Texas. By the way, the music above and on video below is by Austin’s own, Jimmy LaFave from his Blue Highway CD available through www.redhouserecords.com.

For more pictures of the ranch, click on the video here: riding-the-ranch-2

Note: “Way Cool” Ranch doggie, Libby, in the back of her owner’s pick-up (Baird, Tx. cattle rancher, Sam Diller III) riding the range  out west of Abilene…Isn’t she  a cutie?  A  special thank-you  to his daughter Andrea (www.MissBrittsPerfectFit.com) for  emailing me the photo to use…