CHISWICK, WEST LONDON – Our mission in London is almost finished. My mother appointed me to be the executor of her will. I’ve done all the work now except selling her house and her things. I still don’t know what to do about these, so we’re doing nothing for now. Maybe we’ll get a different perspective being on the road again? I expect we will.
There’s nothing like a long drive across the American West to bring things into focus…
We took a long drive around America last year, for example. We left Florida in May. For five months we made our way north and west, traveling on America’s back roads by day and camping in driveways (catch up here and here), backyards, horse pastures, parking lots, and campgrounds (catch up here and here) by night, often upon the kind invitations of Postcards readers.
I took these pics a year ago, about halfway through the trip…
We were camping near Salida, Colorado, when I got a message from a kind stranger named Bert.
“I live in Texas,” said Bert, “but my non-profit, ‘The Serengeti Foundation,’ runs an incredible Mustang sanctuary about three hours east of where you are. If you want to camp somewhere very special, and remote, I cordially invite you!”
We love horses in this family, so we immediately accepted the invitation and angled east…
Special Mustang Sanctuary
First, we drove down long, hot, desolate highways to landscapes that stretched into landscapes…
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A long, desolate highway to the Mustang Ranch
Then, we found the ranch next to a town called Trinchera, once a stop for cowboys driving Texas Longhorn on the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail between Texas and Wyoming. Today, Trinchera has one church, one post office, a few old fallen houses, and a very busy railroad track coming through town, pulling giant coal trains…
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The church and worn-out buildings in Trinchera, Texas
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The track that the coal trains take through town
This is the Mustang Ranch… and a herd of wild mustangs.
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A herd of wild Mustangs at The Serengeti Foundation’s ranch
These are the landscapes I crave. I hope they help us figure out what to do with this mansion in Chiswick. We return to the U.S. in October…
– Tom Dyson
P.S. We stayed at the Mustang Ranch for three nights and the ranch manager gave us an in-depth tour of the project. Here are more pictures from our time there…
The ranch is now the permanent home to more than 140 rewilded mustangs and burros, adopted animals, and grassland-rehabilitation projects. We loved it there… and someday we hope to return and volunteer at The Serengeti Foundation…
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On the porch at the Mustang Ranch
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Cowboy graffiti, dated June 9, 1905
FROM THE MAILBAG
Criticism from one reader about Tom’s analysis on the price of silver…
Reader comment: C’mon, Tom, using that one insane price spike in 1980 to argue that silver hasn’t gone up at all is just silly. That’s when the Hunt brothers were trying to corner the market, as I’m sure you’re aware, and it only lasted for a very short time. Why not compare it to 1976? Or 1996? Using the 1980 peak is cheating.
Other readers catch up on the Dyson family’s travels and compliment Tom for his “healthier, simpler, and low-cost lifestyle”…
Reader comment: Somehow, I lost track of you. Last I heard you couldn’t get into Canada and decided to winter in Driggs, Idaho. Did that work out well? We are leaving soon on another road trip and are going to check it out. Our condolences on the loss of your mother.
Reader comment: I love your Postcards and appreciate the healthier, simpler, low-cost lifestyle they reflect. You may have mentioned this before, but what provision do you make for medical expenses? Seems like just one of those, if you happen to be in the wrong place when it’s incurred, could jeopardize the entire plan. Thanks again for everything.
Tom’s response: As always, thanks for writing in! Please keep your messages coming at [email protected], and I’ll try to answer as many questions as I can in a future Friday mailbag edition.