Copper State Trail Riders
March Ride Report
By Jodie Franklin
O
ur destination this month was the Santa Rita
Mountains in southern Arizona. Grasslands cover
the rolling foothills dotted with giant oak, walnut
and alligator juniper trees. For those of us coming
from the Sonoran desert the landscaping is a delightful
change stirring the need to just get on your horse and
gallop over the hills.
The historic Kentucky Camp is located in this sky
island rich in mining history. You can easily spend
hours there going through all the buildings, taking
pictures and reading about the history.
On Thursday before the ride I arrived in Fish Canyon
to secure our campsite. The place chosen was a large
flat area with a giant oak tree guarding it. The late
afternoon sun came out a pleasant reprise from the
rain all week and held the promise of a weather perfect
weekend. Anxious to get out riding and explore the
area morning couldn’t come soon enough. Through
a friend of mine a local cowboy Bob Peterson aka
Poncho agreed to meet me in the morning for a
quick tour of the area. We rode out on my horses
covering a lot of ground in a single track/cross country
loop. From the top of a hill he pointed out Mexico
and named all the mountains around us, since I
ride a mustang my favorite had to be the Mustang
Mountains. I really got the lay of the land that morning
and saw there was so much more to ride. When we got
back to camp I was so thankful for Bob to have taken
the time to show me around when he had a ride of his
own he was off to.
That afternoon other riders started pulling
in, mostly southern Arizona people that
we don’t get to see very often. Ron and Deb
made the journey from the Verde Valley
otherwise we were an intimate group.
Saturday morning dawned a beautiful day
for riding. Horses saddled and lunches
packed we rode out taking a roundabout
loop to Kentucky Camp. One of the things I
really liked about riding this area was all the
cattle tanks with water for the horses, they
were everywhere you rode. The Arizona
Trail passes right through Kentucky Camp
so after some cross country riding we
hopped on to the AZT to go there. On our
way we got to see the “super” gates that were installed
on the trail. This was a delight and defiantly a Kodak
moment, as we had to take pictures of the gates that
our club raised the money for. After lots of picture
taking we rode into the camp where we could relax on
the grass give the horses more water and have lunch.
Then it was time to go exploring around the camp with
all the old buildings and of course lots more pictures.
The afternoon ride back to camp was pleasant, long
grass waved in the breeze across the hills making them
appear as if they were in motion rambling toward
the distant mountains. A lone steer stood silhouetted
against the sky like he was lord over all he could see.
Back at camp we prepared for our Italian themed
potluck. Aleta set a nice table for us with a tablecloth
and candles. We enjoyed our delicious Italian dishes
with wine “glamping style”! What a perfect way to top
off a wonderful day of riding.
Sunday morning we split up in three groups and
went riding and exploring all headed off in different
directions and we all ended up back at Kentucky
Camp! The route that Kathleen and I took went cross
country to the Arizona Trail. Riding cross country
here is easy and fun to do with lots of gulches running
between the hills that make for pathways. This section
of the Arizona Trail is beautiful to ride as it passes
through woods, drops down into a meadow and then
Boston Gulch where we pass through another one of
the fantastic “super” gates and into Kentucky Camp.
After a short break we rode back on the Arizona Trail
until we came into the meadow and turned onto a
18
May 2015
single track that lead us winding around the hills and
through the gulches as we made our way back to Fish
Canyon and camp.
One cannot go to wine country without getting a
bottle of wine. So Sunday afternoon those of us that
weren’t from southern Arizona decided to be tourists
and went into Sonoita the gateway community for
the Arizona Trail. We selected our local wine from a
market and discovered a mouth watering barbecue
from a food truck that is parked there every weekend.
Our tour as tourists would not be complete with a visit
to Empire Ranch. This vast ranch seeped in history
had our imaginations running with what it would have
been like there in its hay day. All the buildings were
open for us to wander through and see what life was
like then. We were there late in the afternoon and the
lighting was perfect for pictures. Thank goodness for
digital cameras because ours were busy clicking away.
It’s easy to get pulled back in time and spend hours
looking at everything and have fun trying your hand at
being a photographer. There are a lot of events that go
on there and a camping area and trails to ride. This is
definitely going to be on our ride schedule next year.
Monday morning we said goodbye to our southern
Arizona members. It was hard to go there is so much
more riding to do there. With that in mind next year
will see a lot more rides in the beautiful southern part
of our state.
To join us on one of our Arizona Trail adventures
email to; [email protected].
AZintheSaddle.com