Just got back from spending the end of Spring Brea...

Just got back from spending the end of Spring Break on the Ranch (our first time there). We (46 male, 39 female, 15 female) all loved it. To sum up the stay/experience: 1) the horse rides go out about every hour, but sometimes lag for unknown reasons (weather?). The rides are fantastic (at least, for first-time riders like us). The horses move at an easy pace and the trails are beautiful. I went out 3 times and each time we rode along a different trail (all Cortez land, not the state park). 2) Larry (Cortez) is a joy. He's got a great demeanor, friendly with the kids, always in charge, and has great stories and jokes/jabs to share. He is constantly at work, too, making sure there is always an activity for everyone if they want to join in. 3) The rooms are clean and quaint with basic necessities (this is a ranch, not a Hyatt). Although they are listed as cabins, there is no fridge in the rooms. 4) The nightly campfire is toasty and bright and there are plenty of songs, stories, and smores to go around. 5) The covered hot tub is nice and hot. 6) The walking trail around the back of the camp is short but beautiful, with some obstacle course structures about half-way. 7) The included meals are your basic comfort food, nothing fancy. You get what they serve; it's not like a buffet. They offer tea and coffee throughout the day, and orange juice in the morning. You can buy a can of soda for $1 from the office fridge. 8) There is a small amount of livestock (plenty of horses, a couple of dogs, a few goats, and we saw one longhorn in a field, from a fair distance. No milk cows, or chickens around for the kids to play with. 9) There is a game room (in a converted barn), but you have to get things from the office to use most of the equipment (pool table, ping-pong). The TV didn't seem to pick up much of anything, and most of the rest of it (games, musical instruments) had been destroyed by former guests (there were a few destructive tykes running amok while we were there, too). 10) Bandera is only about 10-15 minutes away and has a few good places to eat (fantastic malts in the general store), and lots of places to shop. A beautiful state park is right next door to the ranch (for about $6 per person). 11) There is an indoor and outdoor pool. The office mentioned that the indoor pool was kept at about 78 degrees, but we tried it out and it was more like 62, at best. It was too cold for us. The outdoor pool is tiny, maybe room for 4 kids to play around in. We didn't use the fitness room, but there is one. 12) And finally, keep in mind that the office generates a billing slip with a "TIP" line on it, so be prepared for that extra cost and think about it before you show up to check out, otherwise you may feel like you're on the spot when they hand you the slip for your signature. (Oh, and forget about free wi-fi. We couldn't get a signal on any of our phones, cell or wi-fi.)