Reads

Deep in southeastern Ohio, waterfalls drop into sandstone gorges, caves open into forest light and the landscape feels closer to another world than a weekend drive.

In far West Texas, the roads stretch farther, the nights get darker and silence becomes part of the landscape.

A century ago, travelers from the East started showing up out West looking for something they couldn’t find at home. Fresh air. Open land. Horses. Maybe a little adventure. Ranchers, many of whom were already scraping out a living in tough country, realized they could offer visitors a place to stay and a taste of life under wide western skies. Before long, “dude ranching” became its own kind of American escape.