I Saw a Legend of Wild Ponies mentioned in some very old Ghost Town Tales one day in a Used Book Store near here. So I decided to do a little research at the Library. The Librarian was so extra helpful and when I said, "Why thank you very much Ma'am, you sure have been a big help." She smiled a really big smile, almost oddly large, "Anytime, my pleasure Cowboy", She replied sincerely sexy. The meaning of "pleasure Cowboy" went right past me. Shouldn't She have said, "Anytime Cowboy, my pleasure"? Hummm, maybe She likes me an wants to date?
I took the books over to a table and eagerly scanned through quickly, and a small article caught my eye. It seemed out of place and not tagged, anyway, I just read it. It was about a place called the Sunryze Ranch alright, just what I was lookin for.
It was a glimpse into another Time. Of Pioneers and Wild Horses and Way Stations in the Desert. But, much more I was soon to find out. It also mentioned mysterious mythological Equines of some sort, it didn't fully explain.
Now I was intrigued and re-doubled my efforts to get more maps and find where this place was. I got some USGS topos and some new Road maps, but needed the old Homestead maps and original Surveys.
After compiling these from County records, I went online to to a link She had printed on the check out slip. She said there was, "This Horsewoman who could tell me more, just Email Her".
I Emailed Her right away and we arranged to meet, it was convienent for me that Friday, between shootings of our latest Country Video. She said Friday could be good, but it might get windy. She said She knew it was high up on the hill somewhere not too far, just as it was left a long time ago, but it was "tricky" to find. I had no idea what that meant at the time, just a phrase.
We met and went to grab some salad as She wished. She said, "No one seems to write about it nor ever mention it much in the Media or Horse circles here. Was I here to document this? It's special", She assured and touched my hand, and "Perhaps the Ghosts of the Pioneers and Horses were guarding it?" She smiled that knowing smile.
I chuckled and She grinned wider, "Don't you believe in Ghosts or Ghost Riders?" Ok sure but the only way to find out was to go check it out right then that night. "No pictures or videos, just take a quick look for next time." She requested. She told me to follow Her up to the nearby barren badlands where only a few lights gave indication of at least some habitation but none in the higher haze beyond. "Ok, lets go!" I said.
As we approached the little Western Town across the valley the winds picked up pretty fierce and the nice orange desert sunset faded quickly into night. The winds were getting bad fast and it was like a whiteout snowstorm, but of sand, a sand blizzard that sweeps through here a few times a year. Just my night, just my luck...I just wanted to take a look.
We made it close to the top of the hill and took refuge in the last outpost, a small corral and bunkhouse. We looked around a minute and then tried the bunkhouse door, no answer, and unlocked. We pulled hard back on the door and it barely opened against the gale force sand flying at us. We needed to get out of that sand fast, it stung hard!
We jumped in without thinking and the door slammed shut behind us with a terrible crash and trapped us good! We pushed, but it was no use, it maybe wasn't stuck, but it sure wasn't going to open either, the wind was really howling now, much worse minute by minute. Debris was smashing and whiping into the building. What a racket! "Whew, we made it just barely in time!" I sighed. She said, "Yeah, perfect timing!" with a nuance of double meaning I missed. We clicked on the flashlight and the old place was filled with shadows of the past. Old tack hanging along one side, an old bunk and desk with sundry items, some old thumbed Loius L'amour Western books, between some Hand Carved Mythological Horse Head Bookends. There was some Farrier tools and an anvil beneath the workbench.
We sat down and looked at each other, wondering about spending the night cooped up here until morning or whenever these Devil Winds subside. She looked up and smiled, "Say look at all this tack, and these nice saddlebags". "Yea, and look at this great western saddle, like from Wyoming or somewhere deep in the heart of the Texas." I agreed. "It looks like it was made for some special Horses, maybe old Carriages?" She seemed to handle it like She knew how it was placed on a Horse.
"Its really nice old stuff, do you like it?" She asked. "Yea, it's great, but I don't know much about tack, especially old timer stuff. Yea they sure knew how to handle Wild Horses"! I gave a quick thought about what that might have been like, the big sturdy wooden corral outside still standing over 6 feet tall and imposing. My imagination was beginning to kick in, "Just how wild are Wild Horses for them to have had to build it so tall and strong?" "Yea, they really knew what they were doing back then", She added.
The wind was howling now like crazy and we could hardly talk and it was dusty and gettin in our eyes and throats. We needed water and there were these old desert waterbags, ya know, like Grandad used to hang on the front grill of the Buick Roadmaster crossing the desert, dripping full and fed drop by drop from an old pipe that must be from some little secret spring on the hill further up.
We were coughing now and it was kinda scary to gag like that. We thought about that old water, "Geez, no way, I'd rather die than drink that," I said. She smiled and said, "Can't be any worse than that apple in Eden?" She grinned as She pulled the old cork and gluped it down and then guzzled it, "Its good!" "Hey, leave some for me", I reached out for it and She hesitated for a second, searching my eyes to verify I really wanted that drink now bad. She handed it to me, "Ok you asked for it, I'm not responsible if it doesn't agree with you like Bottled Water."
She smiled and sat down. I drank the rest and felt relieved for only a few moments. I looked over at Her and rubbed my eyes, She was smiling a big toothed filled grin. Huh, I tried to ask, and felt strange noise come from my sore throat. I tried to clear my throat and a loud sort of unfamiliar rough sound came out. She smiled and Her eyes widened huge and rolled back and She started to faint and slide down off the bed onto the floor.
I reached down to help but felt my knees buckling. My heart was pounding, my breathing deep and labored, my chest expanding harder, but I couldn't get up. She leaned over to me and put Her head next to my chest. It felt comforting but I was worried. Something was happening to us, it felt sublime and seductively pleasantly peaceful.
We collapsed onto the floor into each other, too far gone to even embrace, we passed out completely. Don't know how long, but the winds had died down and I could hear some pigeons on the roof. It was almost dawn, and I felt itchy, dusty and strangely wildhaired like I'd been camping a week.
I looked down and over at Her in the hazy Sunryze and couldn't believe my eyes, a Pony! Huh, I'm a Pony too? Oh my Lord! It can't be! But It is! We sure had found a lot more than we bargained for, the secret of the old lost Sunryze Ranch. We skidded and helped each other up, but it was hard, and stumbling badly, we pushed the door open and jumped out. We were Equines! Good Lord, have mercy please!
She looked unsurprized and unafraid, almost like She had been here before and been through this already. I felt some token of reassurance that this was probably transitory, yea with emphasis on the "Trans" part! ...but unbale to speak. That was for Her to know, and me to find out. She was graceful, elegant and at ease and started to place some tack on and reached over to help me with mine. It fit like a glove. Like it was made for Human Ponies. Yes exactly! Those old timers had known all about this but never told, but strange night sightings of Wild Ponies led to the legend.
I followed Her over to the Stable and some clean hay that had survived the sandstorm with a rug thrown over it. She pawed it back with a garceful prance of Her white fetlock and hard downward pointed hoof. It was refreshing and we drank some more Ranch Spring Water dripping into the old Steel Stable waterer. The sand had settled out, but a whole new sensation was settling in with each gulp.
"Ok, lead the way, my Pony Friend, show me the Ranch," I thought I was saying, but all that came out was a loud ***Whinny*** What had She done to me? She led me here knowing exactly what would happen. Yea, only on a dark windy night could we be trapped, and perfect timing. Yea, it was a plan, and I bet that innocent looking Librarian is in on this secret too!
She led me around back towards a big dark object, it was a tank, a huge water tank, but it didn't appear connected and it rang empty with a little hoof kick. She nuzzled up to me while looking at the tank and back up to me with that look. I know that look, its that, "Honey Do Look" my married friends get on weekends when we are trying to get out to the game.
I knew I had to help Her set up Her tank, imagine thousands of gallons of this stuff? She smiled, knowing I had caught on to Her wishes. Imagine our friends coming here and tryin this out? I'd have to find out a lot more first, but now its time to just run wild and free with...