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 Participants Working at the Erosion Workshop Our erosion control workshop in October was another huge success. We built almost 30 new structures with our volunteer labor. These structures – media lunas, Zuni bowls, one-rock dams, and plunge pools – slow water flow and allow sediment to deposit instead of flowing into Eagle Creek. They benefit water quality, several threatened or endangered species, forage production for wildlife as well as cattle, and increase water infiltration and retain topsoil.
We couldn’t get this done without our partners and volunteers and funding from the Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) commissioners. Almost 40 workers volunteered and Craig Sponholtz of Dryland Solutions, Inc. taught the workshop. Stephen Tighe from AWPF even came from Phoenix and worked as a volunteer – that is dedication to your work! Other volunteers came from as far away as Los Angeles, Prescott, AZ., Cimarron, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, NM, even Chicago and New York by way of Tucson and California. We never cease to be amazed at how hard the volunteers for these workshops work all weekend. Plus, they are interesting people from varied backgrounds and always great fun to be around. Our cooks this time were old friends from California who do Dutch oven cooking – including bringing the family sourdough recipes with starter over 20 years old.
 Steven Tighe from AWPF at the Erosion Control Workshop We hope to keep putting these erosion control workshops on. I’ll post new dates on the programs page of our websites. If you are interested in attending one of these free workshops, sign up as soon as we get dates established – we always fill up early.
 Jan and Dustin Herding Texas Longhorn Cattle We had guests all the way from Switzerland this October. Jan and Dustin, father and 12-year-old son, came for a custom family ranch vacation and stayed a week here at Double Circle Ranch. They had been taking Western riding lessons in Switzerland – and we sure put the lessons to good use. They rode every day and herded Texas Longhorns daily. If they got saddle sore, neither one complained. They did a great job.
The cattle were on some steep hillsides and in brushy canyon bottoms. Our two Swiss cowboys scrambled up hills, slid down slopes, and fought their way through brush like pros. Dustin – being 12 – did take a couple of half days off to explore the ranch on our Kubota side-by-side 4 wheeler with our nephew Ryan. Dustin even got to drive the 4 wheeler when his father was with him. It is hard to tell if Dustin enjoyed the horses or the 4 wheeler the most – a close call. Jan, on the other hand, was definitely happier on horseback. He got to canter in open spaces for the first time. After that, I would see Jan cantering Poncho across the grasslands disappearing and remerging one hill after another. I think Poncho had as much fun as Jan did.
Speaking of fun, Doug, Ryan, and I had as much fun as Jan and Dustin did. They were good sports and great company. They plan on coming back next year – and we’re looking forward to their visit. Guess I had better make sure Flash and Poncho are legged up and ready to go. These Swiss cowboys sure can cover a lot of ground on horseback!
On the last day of his working ranch vacation, Karl gets to see some other areas of the ranch, take some photos, and has lunch before heading home.
My Time at Double Circle Ranch
by Karl Lentini
Day 7: Saturday Sept. 11 2010
 Cowboy Karl Riding Horseback On His Cattle Herding Vacation Doug took me photo shooting on the diesel-powered four wheeler. Got some good landscape shots. Got a shot of a mule deer standing on a ridge across a canyon. Got a shot of a rattlesnake slithering across the dirt road into the rocks. We tossed pebbles at the snake and he didn’t coil up or anything. Guess he had better things to do.
Had lunch at Jim and Clarice’s straw built house on Anchor Ranch. Jim made an announcement and gave me a hand-written note that said:
CERTIFICATION:
KARL LENTINI
LONGHORN STEER
TOP HAND
Attached to the note was a pair of beige work gloves, much more appropriate than the bicycle gloves I wore while riding. The gift was generous and touching, and a nice way to mark the last day of my visit to Double Circle Ranch.
“If you’re looking for an authentic cowboy experience, or just need to get out in nature, then take a look at this ranch.” – Karl Lentini
Come to the Double Circle Ranch where we’ll customize a ranch vacation to fit your idea of fun! Whether it’s herding cattle like Karl did, taking art or wildlife classes, or just relaxing in the great outdoors, we have something that will suit just about any outdoors lover! Write us now (no phones out here) to ask about a custom ranch vacation tailored for you! Or sign up now for one of our ranch programs, which are also customizable to your needs – just write us and ask!
On the sixth day of Karl Lentini’s cattle herding vacation, Karl rides a different horse – Flash – and learns that as unlikely as it seems, it’s easy to lose a massive Texas Longhorn steer or two or three.
My Time at Double Circle Ranch
by Karl Lentini
Day 6: Friday Sept. 10 2010
 Cowboy Karl Rides Horseback Rode Flash today, who turned out to be my favorite horse. He was obedient, didn’t put up a fight, never got ornery, and mostly did what I asked him to do. He responded well to the end of the day. He’s a heavy, powerful, muscular, and gentle horse. He tends to be poky as they say, so I was constantly catching up to the other riders this day.
When I trotted with Flash the first time, he broke out into a canter. We were in a flat field covered with sunflower plants. I saw a ditch up ahead and wanted to slow down, as I didn’t want to test my jumping-over-a-ditch skills just yet. Pulled back on the reins and Flash kept going! Realized the reins were too loose and tightened them up…then he slowed.
After that thrilling canter with Flash, I noticed that the canteen I had tied to the saddle horn was gone. Good thing I had more water on me…always take lots of water.
Learned that a horse has no nerve endings on his mane, so you can grab it and it won’t hurt him.
I have photos of Flash resting his nose on an old rusted flatbed. He went to sleep and snored. Good for him.
We herded what we thought were all the cattle into the Double Circle pasture, where we rode my first day here. Wilma asked if I checked for cattle in the dips and valleys since a hundred of them could easily hide in the tall grass. I rode out over the ridge and searched the flat area all the way to the fence line. I radioed Wilma saying I didn’t see any cattle and would head back. Not two minutes later I saw a steer staring at me through the tall grass, just as Wilma said. I got closer and saw his friend also staring at me. I moved them back to the herd, proud of my find and not so proud that I almost missed them.
We guided the entire herd near a creek, where it was crucial that we keep the cattle from going into the creek. I’m told the creek is snakey, and has a lot of thick brush.
I’m amazed that cattle are so easily influenced by smaller animals like dogs and people. A good cowdog will go right up to a steer and bark, and the steer will move in the other direction. I’m glad cattle don’t know their combined strength; if they wanted to they could obliterate any living thing.
On the fifth day of Karl Lentini’s cattle herding vacation, Karl rides Yellow again and learns more about riding horseback in cattle country.
My Time at Double Circle Ranch
by Karl Lentini
Day 5: Thursday Sept. 9 2010
 Cowboy Karl Searching for Strays in the Thicket Rode with Wilma and Forrest today. Forrest was also on a yellow horse named Doc. Rode up a terraced hill where, ages ago, someone piled up rocks in concentric circles, giving the ranch its name, Double Circle. An aerial view would give the best perspective. No one knows who built them or why, not even the Apaches. In fact, there is a fence that runs right through the circles of rock separating the ranch from the reservation.
After leaving the circles of rock Yellow started acting strangely. Wilma told me to get off of him immediately and I did. We found some old telephone wire caught on his foot. The ranch used to have phone lines, but not any longer. Most of the wire has been removed, however pieces of it still lie around and can tangle up a horse’s feet. I pulled the wire from Yellow’s foot and set it by a tree where no horse or human would step on it.
I’m too easy on the horses. A finished horse shouldn’t be able to get away with standing there when I want him to go. As Mike said, ask him nicely once, and if he still doesn’t go smack him on both shoulders with a rein. Can’t say I blame the horse. How would you like carrying a hundred forty-five pound creature on your back yanking at a piece of metal in your mouth, expecting you to stand, move, or run when you’d rather just eat grass?
It occurs to me how amazing it is that a horse can hold a bit in his mouth and eat, drink water, and neigh without dropping the bit from his mouth. Not even a human can do that. Bet you can’t hold a metal spike in your teeth, eat some food, and drink water without letting the spike out of your mouth. If you can, you must be a horse.
It also occurs to me how amazing it is that a human can fit perfectly onto a horse’s back. Imagine how useful horses have been for us — hunting, warfare, agriculture, transportation, sport…coincidence or God’s plan? You decide and let me know.
Nearly got yanked off Yellow. Wilma, riding Flash ahead of me, skillfully negotiated her way down a narrow pathway inches away from a tree with thick branches. Now, why Yellow chose that particular moment not to follow Flash, when he was following Flash so closely the last two days, I’ll never know. Yellow went right under the thick branches and I dodged out of the way as usual. But then he stopped and wouldn’t go forward. I wondered what was happening, then Wilma noticed that one of the reins got stuck on a tree limb and was holding Yellow back. I untangled the rein and we continued on our way.
I should have made sure that Yellow followed Flash instead of getting us stuck under a tree. Good thing he didn’t spook. Yellow, as with all horses, doesn’t pay attention to whether his rider can make it through whatever branches he’s going under. That’s the rider’s problem, not his.
On the fourth day of Karl Lentini’s cattle herding vacation, Karl rides “Yellow.”
My Time at Double Circle Ranch
by Karl Lentini
Day 4: Wednesday Sept. 8 2010
 Herding Cattle on the Double Circle Ranch Rode Yellow today. He got his name from everybody saying, “Go get that yellow horse.” He’s smaller and thinner than Odie and generally more responsive, or perhaps my horsemanship was getting better. Very comfortable to sit on.
Yellow tends to lag behind other horses and I found myself continuously making him catch up. After a day of this I think he got the message as he would catch up on his own without me prompting him. How’s that for horse sense. I later learn that Yellow might have security issues. I guess he’s not the dominant male in the herd.
No matter where we went Yellow would manage to get right behind Flash, the horse Wilma was riding. But when we rode back to the barn at the end of the day, Yellow rode out ahead of Flash. Go figure.
Yellow has a curious way of communicating with his rider. As I was about to lead him down one particularly steep hill, he looked at me like, “What do you think you’re doing?”
I’m no expert, but I can see that when you’re moving cattle you sometimes have to stop your horse from getting too close, lest you spook the cattle. And I noticed that every time I stopped Yellow from walking into a steer, he would angle his head towards me as if to say “Can we go now…? How about now?”
At one point Yellow turned his head back and bit the tip of my right boot. Don’t know what that was about.
Learning some ranching terms: dirt bank, water gap, bluffs, flats, poky, bucky, spooky, draft horse, gelding, stallion, stud, drive bys, a finished horse, starting a horse, withers, lope, martingale.
On the third day of Karl Lentini’s cattle herding vacation, we got caught in a storm about four hours from the headquarters. The wind blew so hard that our slickers billowed out like sailboat sails. We had to hold our cowboy hats as best we could since the hats would have blown to the next county in the wind. It poured rain- no visibility at all. Then the lightning and thunder started. Karl had the very Western experience of being in a real life cattle stampede with lightning bouncing all around us. Karl writes about the experience here.
My Time at Double Circle Ranch
by Karl Lentini
Day 3: Tuesday Sept. 7 2010
 Karl Riding Odie in the Rain Longest riding day yet. Moved cattle with Wilma and Mike. Took rain slickers in case of rain. Rode Odie again. Odie became very lazy when I tried to move cattle at Split Tank; he just wouldn’t go If I were only wearing spurs…
Odie made me nervous when he took to violently shaking his head. I thought he was annoyed at me but later learned he was trying to shake off bot flies, which aggravate horses in hard-to-scratch places. I nearly called Wilma for help, but just kept on.
As we were riding down a mountain it got very windy, so much that we had to hold our hats on our heads. A storm moved in from the east and hit us as we rode. We put on our rain slickers except for Mike, who didn’t have his. Poor guy got soaked The sky treated us to thunder claps and lightning flashes. I wondered if the armor that medieval knights wore on their horses acted as a lightning rod. It stopped raining and Wilma and I rode downhill to wait for Mike to drive some cattle our way. The goal was to drive them through an open gate in a flat field.
As I waited in my designated spot, Odie suddenly became a whole new horse — his ears went straight up, his massive neck muscles tensed, and his eyes opened wide. He neighed once, twice, and a third time.
Then I saw them…
About a dozen stampeding longhorns, charging right at me.
Most folks would panic about now. Remember, I’ve never done this before. But I just trusted that Odie would know what to do, like run away if we had to. He already had my trust by that point. And I trusted Wilma, that she would never put me in a situation where I might be trampled by stampeding cattle.
At least that’s what I hoped.
I watched, stood guard, and evidently deterred the cattle from running right past the open gate. Saw Forrest and Doug on foot in the pouring rain waving their arms at the steers. Group after group of stampeding cattle came down the hill. It was definitely a sight to see! We managed to herd all the cattle into the gate. Saw Mike come down the hill after them. Something must have spooked them — thunder, lightning, who knows. No one wanted a stampede.
After that thrilling experience we rode back to the barn in the rain. Very rustic. I liked seeing the steam rise up off the wet horses as we took their saddles off in the barn.
Learned that Odie was trained for roping wild cattle, which would explain his utter lack of interest when the cattle were just walking along. I suppose the stampeding steers brought him back to that wild place, where perhaps he expected me to ride him up and rope a steer. Not today, and not this rider.
I understand Odie now, he saves his energy.
Karl Lentini from Los Angeles came to the Double Circle for a cattle herding vacation. Karl sent us the daily notes he wrote about his experience on the ranch. Below is the entry for his second day at the Double Circle Ranch.
My Time at Double Circle Ranch
by Karl Lentini
Day 2: Monday Sept. 6 2010
 Cowboy Karl Riding Through Prairie and Thickets Woke up before my alarm at 5:30 a.m. daybreak. It’s Labor Day. On the ranch, that means a day to labor. Met Jim and Clarice, who were making breakfast. Hot coffee, eggs, good company…no better way to start your day.
Rode Odie again. Rode up a steep hill after Wilma and her horse. The fact that she rode up the hill and the fact that Odie was so confident encouraged me to go up the hill, which we did. Going down it was very narrow. And rocky. Wilma rode ahead of me, and said “Make him go.” I was nervous and almost said, “I can’t do this.” But I trusted Odie and went down step by step, feeling rocks shifting under his feet. I felt I could have closed my eyes and he would have taken me safely down.
Drove my first cattle today. I didn’t know that they will hide behind a tree hoping you won’t see them. Funny thing is sometimes you don’t.
Went through lots of branches while riding the horse. Used my hat as a shield. One “branch” was sticking out like a knife pointing at my ribs. I tried to move it, thinking it would give way. It was no branch — it was a limb and I had to dodge it. It would have impaled me had the horse been running. I see how functional the cowboy hat is — it protects your head from the sun and branches. My new cowboy hat is now broken in with freshly carved scratches.
Lost the radio that Wilma gave me. It was in my front pocket and must have jumped out when I went under the branches. Wilma tells me, “Things lost out here usually stay lost.”
Drove out to the horse pasture with Mike in his car. He played a great song about Nevada sung by Pedro Marquez. Amazed how the horses came up to us at the pasture fence as if posing for my camera.
Everyone but Wilma had runny noses from allergic reactions to pollen, sunflower plants, daisies, dust, God knows what else. Whatever you’re allergic to they probably got it here.
Double Circle Ranch prides itself in offering custom ranch vacations for small groups. We cater to our guests’ interests and skill level. This is an account of one of our recent guest’s visit. Karl Lentini from Los Angeles came to the Double Circle for a cattle herding vacation. He spent a week riding and herding Texas Longhorns. He chose this ranch because he didn’t want to go to a regular dude ranch with lots of people and nice wine lists with dinner. He wanted an authentic Western Experience on an historic Arizona ranch.
Karl sent us the daily notes he wrote about his ranch vacation. Below is the entry for his first day at the Double Circle.
My Time at Double Circle Ranch
by Karl Lentini
 Karl Lentini Writes About His Cattle Herding Vacation Experience After returning home from Double Circle I found myself spending a lot of time organizing my ranch photos, talking about my experiences to anyone who would listen, and keeping in touch with folks at the ranch. I guess that says it all. I wanted to ride horses and herd cattle, and that’s exactly what I did at Double Circle. I had ridden Western only a couple of times, and recently had seven English lessons. If you’re looking for an authentic cowboy experience, or just need to get out in nature, then take a look at this ranch.
Here are my notes from my time there:
Day 1: Sunday Sept. 5 2010
As I drove up the 191, a twisty, two lane highway with no barrier or shoulder, I noticed what I thought were bushes at the side of the road. Looking closer, I realized the “bushes” were really the tops of trees. I didn’t want to find out where the bottoms of the trees were… You really do have to drive attentively on 191 as one miscalculation would send you off the side of a mountain. I wouldn’t drive it at night, so give yourself plenty of daytime to get to where you’re going.
I turned left on Upper Eagle Creek Road, which I discover is a dirt road. I turned left at the appropriate driveway and went down an even dirtier road. I got to a dried up creek and wondered if my rented Camry would make it over the concrete blocks… I figured someone could haul my vehicle if it got stuck. Luckily the car made it through and I parked in front of a house next to a sedan.
I wondered if I was in the right place as I saw no horses or people. A small black dog sat in the yard guarding the walkway to the front door. I cautiously approached the walkway. The dog started to growl and I started going back to the car. I got to the ranch just before my planned arrival time of 1 p.m. so I figured someone would greet me at any moment. A couple of minutes later a young lady identifying herself as Crystal came out of the house. She welcomed me to the ranch and kindly offered me water. Soon after, I met Wilma, Doug, Mike the cowboy, and Forrest. Haven’t seen any cattle yet.
Rode Odie today, a gelding. Very good horse. Very comfortable on the rocks going up and down inclines. Rode to the Double Circle pasture with old wooden structures, pens, and a water tank. Lots of history here — even graves of people who died here years ago. If I could ever build a house on this ranch it would be right here. There’s something very comforting about this area — a cabin on a hill surrounded by flat fields, woods, and mountains in the distance.
Saw an entrance way with a cattle guard to the San Carlos Apache Reservation. I’ve been reading about Apaches and would like to visit the reservation some day.
After the ride I went back to my tent and found a hummingbird buzzing inside! Tried to shoo it out of the tent but it kept smacking into the wall. I went to dinner and told them of my dilemma. Someone said good thing it wasn’t a skunk… When I came back to the tent after dinner the hummingbird was sitting quietly on the wall of the tent. I figured if it were dead it would be lying on the floor. So I gathered up a shirt, stood on a wooden box, and grabbed the hummingbird with my shirt. It either didn’t see me coming or was too tired to care. It chirped as I held it, not too tight of course. Briefly thought of photographing it, but figured it was night and the flash would burn its eyes out. Took it outside the tent and let it fly away. Not ten minutes later I saw another hummingbird, maybe the same one, buzzing outside the tent — was there a nest on the tent somewhere?
Got some sniffly allergic reaction, to what I don’t know. I’ve never been allergic to animals. Will take a Benadryl every night to clear me out and help me sleep.
Wished I could bring friends out here with me. Maybe next time. Coordinating schedules isn’t easy.
 Jerry Deverse Painting Western Art We have set our 2011 dates for our Summer Western Art Painting Class with Jerry Deverse. It will be August 18-21. This is a wonderful chance to draw or paint the Great American West complete with cowboys, Indians, and Texas Longhorns. Double Circle Ranch is still pretty much like it was 100 years ago – no electric lines or telephone lines and only a few dirt roads to get in the way of your painting.
Jerry is an excellent instructor as well as an award-winning western artist. He works in all mediums and with all levels of art experience. Grab your camera and art supplies and head to the Double Circle Ranch for a unique learning vacation in this remote corner of Arizona. See the Western Art Painting Class in our programs area for more details and to sign up. This is a bargain AND a real wild west experience.
 Where There's A Will There's A Way - Cowboy Art by Jerry Deverse
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