I am Definately the Worst Pool Player in the World --It's Official

Well, I used to be pretty good at Snooker but Pool---i'm hopeless as I proved against Richard in the Dog House Bar last night.

Actually very apt name for this particular bar on the Tanque Verde Ranch, cause that's what I was in this morning due to getting home rather drunk and then trying to send the world an email---if you got something from me then just delete it cause it will be gobbledy gook.

That fact may also be part of the reason why I was so crap at Pool---couldn't even hit the white ball properly.

Never mind, nothing quite like a ride on a great bit 17 hands horse at 07.15,  to remove any hangover.

Great breakfast ride in the morning up to the old homestead yesterday---

If Rod and Ann see this they will see it as Deja Vue we were in the same seats with them several years ago for the breakfast ride. These great folk are Richard and Shirley from Chester le Street.

 
Shame about the Van -- takes away the authenticity a bit.

Horses stored---

This is Barbara from Scotsdale, the other side of Phoenix who did the nature walk up to Breakfast. Below is her husband , Walter who due to leg issues has to rely on something a lot less energetic but still doing a great impression of Burl Ives-- Walter would have been a big boss, even if he had been in the Big Country.

 Below is Lynda's horse, Chester or Billy No-mates as we now call him.

Here is Lynda on Chester and me on Zepha--only the bluddy van spoiling the photo.

 Lynda found a hair dresser to get her hair done--not sure about that place--Lynda was the youngest by about 20 years and that included the hairdressers.

It hammered with rain for about an hour and the road to TV was flooded--the car got covered in muddy water so doesn't look too great plus we have a cracked windscreen so gonna have to change the car in the next day or so.

This picture is of the 7 of us-- Walter, Barbara and their son John  + Richard and Shirley on the night of the cook out --food was better than the cook out at RTR--great ribs and chicken.

 This was our entertainment-- a bit smarter than Mr Dust at the Dixie Dude-- but definitely  dyes his hair

We had a great afternoon around Walter and Barbara's with Richard and Shirley for late afternoon drinks and canapés which didn't help with the amount of alcohol consumed .

Just for the record on todays ride we saw 2 rattlers, 2 jack rabbits, a road runner, a Chipmunk and some ducks, so keeping up with seeing lots of critters on this trip.

Ok so last day today at TV--tomorrow we push off to go to Phoenix--not far and meeting up with John Dunn and his wife for dinner.

Have really enjoyed being back at TV and it has been a really good week.

Happy trails

Mad dogs and English Folk--

The idea that it is just us brits that are daft enough to go out in the midday sun when its over a hundred degrees was never truer than yesterday when there was a group of 5 of us brits together,

That would have melted the inside of  a red hot chilli.

Here is Lynda on her horse yesterday--

 Also had a guy and his wife on the ride who live in Perth , come from Sheffield and he is a big England cricket fan--not going too well in the 5th test today.

Didn't see any rattlers around but did see a deer and plenty of little critters. Oh and also had a road runner outside our veranda yesterday morning -- they really exist now that I have seen one first hand--and boy do they run.

So first ride yesterday-- it was on a giant called King. It seems that Hercules is fit and well but they are only keeping him for the kids so no having big fat lads like me on him-- so I will go pay him a visit tomorrow morning.

The day went well except that when around the pool in the afternoon the dark clouds came over and there was a real thunder and lighting show with no real rain.

Lots of magnificence in the Saguaro Park--

 

This silver roofed house is next to the Ranch and is owned by Paul McCartney and bought when Linda was still alive--I think they bred horses--maybe Arabians.

 

Lots of colour bursting through in temps of 105 degrees

Here above is also a magnificent specimen of mine---

 
Here is the ranch and out place is the low section at the front

 And this sunset is to die for.

We have made friends with a couple from Scottsdale Walter and Barbara and their 40 year old son John and another couple--Richard and Shirley from North East England so we had a very pleasant evening dinner even though the meal was not up to scratch.

Not too late last night as we were on the 7.15 am pre-breakfast ride this morning which was great and I had another giant called Merlin.

After breakfast Lynda and I went fishing at their lake and I caught a few little blue fin but the catches of the day were first Lynda with the amazing catfish below---

But I managed to just top that off with this little beauty--

And I my top ready for the match which I was able to get on NBC Sport on the big screen at lunch today--- you made flipping hard work of it again lads---still good 3 point.

Swimming this afternoon and not to a Bar B Q so later everyone.

Come on the Chels

Hercules Fit and Well and Living in Tucson

So we are back at the Tanque Verde Ranch for a week of riding, a bit of fishing and lots of R&R.

This ranch is situated on the edge of the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona and we had forgotten just how amazing this place is, from the location to the accommodation, the food and the overall feeling that this is a special place.

This is not to say that what I said before about Rainbow Trout Ranch has changed--for me that is my favourite ranch, and has a far greater emphasis on family and a deep involvement from the family which there is not the same here, but TV is very much a boutique type ranch where it does things like conferences and weddings, which RTR don't do.

Lynda was her usual self of busying around the place , getting organised with clothes and getting prepared for what we can put away for the remainder of the holiday after the end of this week. BTW, we bought another new suitcase yesterday, so that is now 4-- ok so the 2 we have bought here are not huge but even so  -- we think that maybe we bought too many clothes with us, many of which will definitely not get worn. If your reading this Jonathan, we now have the 2 of us plus 4 cases--I think a taxi is gonna be needed when we get back, a Minibus type taxi.

So here is a little taster of the accommodation---

 At 104 degrees this fire will not be getting lit this visit

The only thing in Arizona that you need to take care of being on the edge of the national park is that you keep the screen shut as there are plenty of critters that would come in the room for the cool of the place,

The Ranch itself has a whole lot of other features such as the following gives a brief look at---

Sorry about the fat boy getting in the way

 Hot tub area

This is the bar.

The wranglers accommodation

 This the Nature area, for the hikers and the mountain bikers

Down by the corral with the old chuck wagon

 Beautifully laid out but always got to watch the cactus--

Outside the bar.

Met up with a couple from Tyneside at dinner--well a bit North of that --who are here for 2 weeks and it is their 5th or 6th time as was the other American couple from Scottsdale who all know each other well. We have seen that at all the ranches that we have stayed at where people from all over, meet annually at the ranch for a week or two.

So it is going to be a steady day today with a Mosey around 10am and hopefully the weather will be kind to us this afternoon by the pool.

Tomorrow the plan is to go riding at 0715, breakfast at 0900 and we are planning on fishing in their lake at 10.00 - apparently they have carp and bass and catfish so we will see if we can add to the trout that we caught at RTR. then we only have the issue of where I can get to see the Match, well at least it is on at 12 noon here.

So that's it , all settled in here, and --oh yes, you wanna know about the title of this post-- well it's like this---when we first came here to TV, for the whole week I rode a horse called Hercules. When Lynda and I came back again about 4 years ago, Herc was injured and they were only gonna use him for carrying little children.
So it was a great surprise when we mentioned this to find out that he is good now and I can have him as my horse this week---

That's him, just taken one look at me and turned away in anguish knowing he has to carry me today, sorry mate.

So looking forward to a good day and will report out next time

A Sunday Jaunt--inside a Mountain

Got a real flea in my ear--- quite rightly-- when I hinted that we should get our stuff and go sit beside the pool at the hotel. Well , I just thought that we were gonna relax. The proposal was that we should do something in the late morning early afternoon and THEN lay beside the pool.

OK, go the message---so we trawled through local brochures and decided to go to Colossal Caves, in the mountain around Tucson.

 

I don't intend to put loads of cave photos on here , just one or two select ones but will put all of our cave photo's onto the Full Profile as a group.

I am not sure how others feel about going into caves--personally , I have always been fascinated by them and providing you have the appropriate gear with you---lighting being the most important--and water, --then the marvels of what has happened over millenniums to the rock formation and in producing the marvellous stalactites and stalagmites and of course you cannot have a set of caves without a story.

 

We are told that in the period around 1880, there was a gold robbery by 4 men who went and hid in these caves. The sheriff sat guard to wait them out outside the entrance without realising there was another exit.

The robbers were celebrating in the town when the Sherriff caught them--killing 3 and capturing 1. The one he caught would not tell where the gold was and got 18 years. at the end it is said that at some time he went back and recovered the gold, and I guess lived happily ever after.

 

These caves have been a tourist spot since the early 1900's and put into proper care when Frank Schmitt took over and he had the only local hotel so worked the 2 together.

 

 The above is the routes that the tour takes, about 350 steps as well as ramps etc.

 The photos do not do it real justice, but we hope you can get the flavour

 

This is three clock checking station that the guys monitor daily--temperature would be around 70 degrees at all times, they check Humidity at around 50 %  and-------B--ger, I forgot the third one---oh I think it is any vibration.

 

It was a really interesting couple of 3 hours, albeit with a tour guide that is in between school classes and who needs to do a bit more studying on the place but we will forgive him for his age.

 

So that was yesterday---we came back to the hotel for around 3pm and even though it was around 100+ degrees the clouds came over--there are a few storms around this week--hope that they don't spook the horses.

 

Breakfast done so time to get finger out--- :-)