Typical Day

You  wake up early at the crack of dawn to see and hear a pack of coyotes welcoming another sun. You  decide to take a backcountry horseback ride, riding on a very gentle, well-mannered, sturdy and strong horse. From atop cliffs you see a beautiful sunrise over the Sierra Madres. You traverse country that is wild, rugged and remote.  You are in awe of the sheer vastness, the unspoiled nature of protected wilderness, the unyielding reality of utter quietness. The roads and trails oftentimes looks down hundreds of feet into canyons, and the sheer scenery of the land has your camera working overtime. You see landscapes that are inspiring, breathe air that is pure and fresh, and all the while you glance at a natural wonder devoid of human activity or footprints. Riding up vertical sierras and down ravines into box canyons and dry-river beds, you are challenged, thrilled and entertained, at the same time enjoying some of the best riding in the world.

You realize you are seeing a land lost in time; the land truly seems like the last frontier. On your way you spot beautiful Coues deer and wild javelinas well as a vast assortment of diverse birds. You feel reenergized and rejuvenated; you feel alive. Your ride,  just you, your horse and guide, has been an intimate, private and thrilling experience. Riding in complete freedom has never felt better. The way riding should be. 

 After a delicious lunch, which you enjoy outdoors in a balcony overlooking peaks, rock formations, mountains and ridges, with a view out of an Old West movie,  you decide to explore the Bavispe River. On the way there, your guide and you have a great conversation about the region as you look at the stunning scenery that reminds you of a national park in the US, similar to Zion, Moab or Bryce Canyon. Your guide tells you that on more than a few occasions guests have compared the ranch to a mini-Copper Canyon. Once near the river, you hike through an amazing canyon with a tropical feel to it. You get your feet wet as you walk through a warm stream fed by natural spring water, maybe relaxing in one of the natural whirlpools in a section we call the "Hanging Gardens".

You trek further into the canyon and feel like you have entered something out of Indiana Jones, as the 500 feet high canyon walls narrow to about 10 feet apart, boulders strewn everywhere, the only path to the river being the comfortable flowing riverbed full of water that pours out of the canyon wall itself. Finally. you reach the river, admire its sheer beauty, and get into a kayak for an unforgettable 14 mile journey through stunning box canyon scenery.

If you have time you explore pristine Lake Angostura, a 20-mile long body of water that is devoid of humanity. There is not one boat or jet ski on the entire lake, no exhaust, no anything; indeed, there is no other person except you and the steady splash of bass jumping out of the water. Kayaking through placid waters, looking up at the Sierra Madre mountain range that was once host to Geronimo's last stronghold, you feel totally relaxed and energized as the waters of the lake combine with soft winds to lure you into a sense of deep peace.

Alternatively, after gourmet lunch, you and your guide take a jeep ecotour through some of the ranch's most beautiful areas.  Or, perhaps you decide to hike into El Cajon Canyon, a surreal box canyon where there is stunning beauty at every corner, a mecca for all five senses. You may hike all the way inside the canyon, seeing a family of coatimundi on the way to 2,000 year old pictographs painted on cave walls. You look up at 300 foot tall canyon walls, and you pass through a perpetual canopy tunnel of sycamore and cottonwood leaves as you walk through the flowing creek bed, most of which is running with year-round spring-fed water.

At a slot canyon, you jump from one massive boulder to the next, bouldering your way up through sections of the canyon until reaching Cueva del Guano, a spectacular cavern where few have dared venture. Only the sound of nature can be heard; gentle breezes, the songs of birds, the trickle of running water; oftentimes the sound of nothing is deafening, yet completely relaxing.

Once back at your lodge, you enjoy a great home cooked, mesquite -fed meal next to a warm and comforting fire, seeing the sky above as if it is burning in a raging inferno, just as the sun disappears over the western horizon. In time you are enveloped by pitch black darkness, yet up above you see hundreds of thousands of stars, looking at a haze that you later learn is not a cloud or haze at all, but the Milky Way itself. You see stars you have never laid eyes on, innumerable clusters and patterns you never knew existed. You discover that this region is perfect for stargazing, and you see that no human lights interfere with your ability to rediscover the stars.

Finally, you pass out, ready to reenergize and do it all over again tomorrow. You don't know who got more of a workout, you or your camera. As you fall into dream land, you realize you are staying in a land called the "lost frontier," "the land lost in time," "some of the wildest land you will ever see," and, naturally, Chamahua, "the land from which all things flow." You feel you are in your own, private National Park, without crowds, noise, civilization. You are right where you want to be. Somewhere, in the background, you doze off to the whooing sound of owls readying themselves for a night of hunting.

 In the morning, you decide, you will hike up Cat's Claw Cliffs, or possibly hike yet another stunning box canyon, after a great horseback ride, of course, possibly even soaking and immersing yourself in mineral rich warm springs, or you will go on yet another jeep tour, this time to parts unknown, amid beauty unsurpassed, in a land you will never forget.

Life could not be better. This adventure vacation is a trip of a lifetime. It is exactly what you wanted, and needed. Rancho Los Baños feels like home.