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  • Texas Highways Magazine

    THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

    Nov 26, 2020 7 minutes
    BY CLAYTON MAXWELL
    PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOM McCARTHY JR.

    I HAVE SIDESTEPPED PRICKLY PEAR and creosote to crest a rugged overlook, and my rewards are an endorphin surge and the sight of the turquoise Devils River cleaving the canyon below. While standing on the rocky crag overlooking the Hudspeth River Ranch just north of Comstock, I consider the words of Henry David Thoreau: “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” In wildness, I would add, is also the preservation of our sanity. For me, this ranch is a reprieve from a world grappling with a pandemic. Like the winds that carry the buzzards over the river canyon, the wildness here is a thermal uplift for the spirit.

    I’ve booked a night at Hudspeth River Ranch via Explore Ranches, an online platform that offers guests overnight stays at top-tier private ranches in Texas, California, Colorado, and New Mexico. This year, when so many are seeking the solace and freedom of the outdoors due to COVID-19, Explore Ranches has received nine times as many bookings as it did in 2019. Apparently, I’m not the only one craving a little wildness these days.

    “The mental and physical benefits of just being outdoors for days without connection to

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