Johnny Ringo’s Carefree Adventures bring Old West to life

Choice of four tours accommodates everyone

 

The Old West of the 1800s, especially in Arizona, was full of legendary and colorful characters. There are the Earps in Tombstone, Doc Holliday, the Clantons, Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo, to name a few of the more notorious players.

In the Desert Foothills, a modern‑day Johnny Ringo has dedicated himself to the preservation of the history and legacy of that wild and woolly era. His fondest desire is for everyone to learn the history of the area and the struggles and hardships the settlers had to endure to pave the way for 21st century Arizona.

Ringo is the owner/operator of Johnny Ringo’s Carefree Adventures, a Jeep‑tour service that provides exciting and informative excursions to significant historical sites.

He and his crew like nothing more than sharing their vast knowledge of the Sonoran Desert. And believe it, one trip will leave you, your family and friends wishing the tour could be extended a while longer. It’s just that much fun.

A New Jersey transplant, Ringo left a lucrative corporate job in the East years ago to pursue every young boy’s dream–he wanted to be a cowboy.

“I was a successful executive,” he says. “I drove nice cars and lived in a big house, but all I did was work. I finally decided to change my life. My dream, ever since I was five years old, was to live in the West, become a cowboy, and ride a black and white horse. Now I’m living my dream. I’ve never looked back.”

That dream is reflected in his tours. Ringo and his guides wear authentic Western duds, replete with spurs and real six‑shooters.

 Tours are available year round, and Ringo accommodates large groups upon request. You can take your choice of four different destinations. Most tours take from four to six hours–and the time just flies by.

You might like to try the Desert Oasis Experience, a trip north though high desert terrain to beautiful Camp Creek and on to an ancient Hohokam Indian village.

In season, the Indian Springs Trail tour takes you deep into the Tonto National Forest.

Or, how about The Above All tour which takes you up–way up–to where the Sonoran Desert ends and you begin to see piñon pine and juniper trees. Your ride will take you to the top of Humboldt Mountain and to Fort Worth mine, a reconstructed 1880s gold mine.

The longest and most adventurous trip is the Four Peaks Adventure. Experience 18 miles of high desert and forest terrain to the 6,000‑foot‑plus elevation of the mountain Native Americans call Four Peaks. Ringo and his guides take you on a nature walk and stop at Mud Springs, where clear water flows throughout the year. Then it’s up to the top of the world and a magnificent view where you can see forever.

“I’m intrigued with how the desert is replenishing itself after the (2005) fires,” Ringo says. “I love to watch the desert coming back to life.

There’s just so much to see and do in the Desert Foothills. A lot of residents around here don’t know what’s in their own back yard.”

On a recent tour, a group of Thanksgiving visitors took The Above All tour to the top of Humboldt Mountain, where brothers Cliff and Charles Underwood, along with their wives, Ginger and Deborah, live and operate a hand‑tooled leather goods business. The brothers have also partially restored the Fort Worth gold mine and give regular tours.