Texas Tidbits : Small States or Ranches?

The most famous ranch in Texas is known to tens of millions of people around the world. However, its fame doesn't come from a history of cowboys and cattle drives. It is recognized as the Home of J.R. Ewing and the TV show "Dallas". And it's located in the shadows of  Downtown Dallas - The Southfork. The kind of ranch I'm writing about is a real-life cowboy-employin', cattle-raisin' head 'em up, move 'em out ranch - such as the World Famous King Ranch. Started in 1853 by a jeweler's apprentice from New York, the King Ranch today encompasses 825,000 acres and parts of six counties. Eight hundred. Twenty-five. Thousand. Acres. That's 50,000 more acres than the state of Rhode Island. The King Ranch is not alone in its jumbo-size status amongst Texas Ranches. The Briscoe Ranch, near Uvalde, owned by the late (I just now found out he died a couple of weeks ago) former Governor of Texas, Dolph Briscoe, measures a measly 640,000 acres and the Waggoner Ranch near Vernon rounds out the Top Three Biggest Texas Ranches at 524,000 acres. These three "small states" are but a trio of the many enormous ranches in The Lone Star State. Texas' place in the history of ranching is a long and proud one. A history that even ol' J.R. Ewing would be proud of.

Colorado Chronicles : Dude Ranches

As I was using my Google-Fu to get stuff for this post, I came across the website for Colorado Dude Ranch Association. Click the link and they will inform you way better than I can about the feeling of freedom and the appreciation of the beauty of  Mother Nature one gets when visiting a Dude Ranch.
I can think few places I'd rather be than 9 or 10 thousand feet up in the Rockies, on horseback looking for a secluded, hidden even, trout pond. After a  hard day's fishin', frying up the catch then sitting around a campfire telling stories until it was sack time.
Colorado boasts an impressive resume of Dude (or Guest, if you prefer) Ranches. From Grandby to Loveland to Yampa, a Colorado Rocky Mountain High is to be had at many locations throughout the state. Y'all come, podnuh. Or something like that.

The Official State Vacation Guide for Colorado is FREE  here.