Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-07-09
DUDES FROM THE EAST WITH
SCHOLARS AND ARTISTS FOR
BALLAST, MAKE UP VACATION

To folks like the editorial us
whose business is other peoples
business and whose working mate
/ rails are people themselves, logi.
cal vacation jaunt would be to
where the personal equation is re-
duced to the minimum. With this
in mind the Rito de los Frijoles was
selected as being furthest awaj-
from the civilized world and near
est the ancient civilization which
once flourished in these parts.
But the world has made beaten
path to the brink of the Rito, even
as to the door of the house in the
heart of the forest, and there was
no escape from folks. Uninha bited
Icliff dwellings are far from enliven-
ling without even the anticipated
Ivacationers are very unlike their
work-aday selves, their company
was quite acceptable.
The Rito is reached by automo-
bile from Santa Fe or from Buck
imam, and by horseback or hiking +
one is feeling strong. 1t has been
done, but most usually by the ten
lderfoot. who is thereafter much
more so. But trail hike of near
~ a mile from the top of the mesa
to the ranch at the bottom of the
canyon is inevitable, however the
trip out is made. After that a drink
from the singing Rito and dinner
are the most vital things in thu
Lpnrl1 ~ ~, tha l., tot a.,
cave dwellings is only revived after
a rest about the hospitable table of
I"Uncle John" Boyd of Ell Rito
ranch.
The fasteners found at the
ranch are a serious species, serious
labout their chaps, their sombreros-
their saddles and their horses, fire.
Iquently purchased for private use
Iduring their stay in the west. They
get tremendously burned and wild
and woody looking, but their Bos-
ton and Philadelphia accents give
them away. Their solicitude for
their caballos comfort is also tell
tale. One little girl dude from
East Orange, N. j., so tiny that she
must stand on a soap box to bride
her pony, spent ten minutes gently
trying to persuade her precious
Fairy" to take the bit.
There are always of course, a
comfortable share of westerners, by
birth or adoption, who seek out the
Rito for sheer rest and diversion,
and who usually stay much longer
than they anticipate. One FL Paso
woman who came for a weekend
heightened it to three whole weeks
land used great quantities of adhe-
siVe tape repairing her riding
|breeches which were not intended
to endure any such extensive vaca-
Itioning. Among the other "regu-
lars" was a congenial Smith college
girl whom Joseph Hergesheimer,
the novelist had tried to engage as
private secretary while at Bishops
lodge, and whom, incidentally, we
inveigled into doing review for
the Book Corner. The guests VINO
remain at the ranch are seated a.
the table In order of length of resi-
dence, the oldest timers having
places at the head near Uncle
John" and being called by their
first names.
The nighttime seclusion of the
ranch, when sleep in the stone cot
tages under the big pines is worth n
dollar an hour, is broken each day
by the advent of tourist parties
from Santa Fe. These furnish end
less diversion to the regular board
ers at the ranch. Wearing every
thing from Kansas khaki to New.
IrOrt flannels they trail down from
the mesa top, swapping pictures of
the ruins and cliff dwellings, the
Indian attendants, and asking a
thousand questions.
The more serious minded tourist
spends a night in the Rito, the bet
ter to absorb al of the romance and
history of the deserted Indian city.
Among these are such men as the
curator of the Leland Stanford mu-
scum who eagerly sketched designs
from priceless prehistoric Indian
pottery in the possession of Mr..
Boyd, an alert, learned little Chi
nese who delivered dinner Table
lecture on the similarity of the Chi
nese and Indian types and their
possible relation. professors of his
tory with thick glasses from east