We'd love to hear from you!  If you would like to send us a comment about SisterCreek Ranch or our website please fill out the form below.  We  might even post it right here!  To see what other people are saying about us take a look below the form.

Thank you!

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Comments:

 
Beth, Bruce or Trish

We had our wedding at Sister Creek Ranch and it couldn't have been a better experience. The setting was beautiful and the accommodations were comfortable. Sniffy's Saloon was a great meeting and dining space and provided many forms of entertainment. The cooks did a wonderful job keeping everyone fed with delicious meals. Above all, everyone at the ranch was very accommodating to our needs on our special weekend.

We can't wait to go back! Thanks Bruce, Beth and Trish and everyone else who made our stay so memorable.

-Kevin E.


 

Hi Bruce and Beth,

Thanks so much for allowing us to enjoy your piece of heaven and the wonderful hospitality! We will for sure be back.

Linda Garriott


 

Beth and Bruce,

It was great to meet you last week! Thanks for letting us in on no notice and the warm hospitality. Becky and I fell in love with Sister Creek and look forward to spending some time with you soon.

Attached are a few of the pictures of the sunset I took. These are un-retouched, except for the saloon picture, which needed some sharpening.

Given the urgency of the opportunity, I thought they came out pretty well.

Please let me know if you'd like to see the rest.

Again, it was truly wonderful to meet you. We'll be in touch soon to schedule a trip. Best wishes for a most enjoyable and successful 2006.

Best regards,

John Nowell

Hi Ann, Bob, Beth, and Bruce,

Just a note to let you all know I got home safely and to say a huge thank you for your warm hospitality and the opportunity to share in your beautiful dream for a few days. I am totally hooked on Tennessee Walkers. I assure you, Beth and Bruce, that if I decide to buy another horse, you will be the ones I will call.

Thanks to Ann for inviting me on the best 3-day vacation ever with my best friend ever, to Bob for reminding me to get my boarding pass coming and going, to Leslie for her general helpfulness, especially in getting my boarding pass, to Chris, Bruce, and Epi for the fabulous food, to Beth for the riding instruction, trail guidance, great conversation, laughs, and tip about Wild Divine, to the horses for their elegant, generous spirits, and to the dogs for lots of smiles and warm fuzzy feelings. You have made something wondrous and beautiful, and I know I will carry around that "peaceful, easy feeling" that Sister Creek Ranch and your cherished friendship generates for some time to come.

Love, Jeanie

 

Beth and Bruce: we had a wonderful time at Sister Creek Ranch. Thanks so much for inviting us up for the singing in the Saloon and for telling us about Luckenbach! What a blast! Your ranch is beautiful and relaxing; we just had a great time there. Beacher loved catching the bass out of the creek. It is so amazing--I was talking to my neighbor down the road telling him where we had been and he said that they were supposed to be at sister creek ranch that week but something had come up and they didn't get to go. His name is Roy White and his son lives in San Antonio. I told him that he would love it. He is a great guy too. Hopefully he can come in the near future. Again, I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our stay there and meeting both of you.

Come see us if you are ever near S. Arkansas! Sincerely, Debbie and Beacher Ferrell


 

Dear Beth and Bruce,

Thank you so much for opening your home, your land, and your hearts to people like us who want to experience the great Texas lifestyle. We so thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Sister Creek Ranch and where else but at Sniffy’s could you go, make a fool of yourself at karaoke and have such a good time while doing it! The riding was perfect for us, with such great views and the sound of the rushing water of the creek beside our trailer. You have it all and we wish you continued success. May our trails cross again?

Fondly,
Jim & Carol Griffiths
Rives Junction, MI


 

To SisterCreek Ranch,
I just wanted to drop a note to say what a great time my family had over Spring Break 2005. Andrew and Kelli Hall and Daughter Melissa trailer camped and had our most memorable horse camping trip yet! We are already making plans for this summer and next year. There were a variety of trails with views, challenges, streams, wild life and even a horse-sized labyrinth.

The facilities are unbelievable and located just outside of Luckenbach, TX, which brings a local flavor well worth spending one or two nights "downtown."
We met a couple that traveled all the way from Michigan and are planning to meet us back next year.

Take care and we look forward to our next trip!

Andrew Hall
Riesel, TX


 

Hi Beth & Bruce,

I just wanted to drop you a big Texas Thank-You for your hospitality at the ranch during our visit over the 4th July weekend.  We had a wonderful stay.  

We understand you all were at a horse show during our visit. Please know that Leslie, Wendell and your staff were so gracious to us and could not have treated us better.

The campsite was very nice and the view of the creek is so pretty. And what service! The gentleman who came by each morning to pick up the load for the spreader was a welcome sight.

The dam and creek were just perfect for a dip on a hot day. We have a 3 year old and the shallow water was perfect for him.
We really appreciated having the opportunity to ride, hike and explore your ranch as if we were your private guests. This was truly a privilege. While we rode, we were careful to look for and pick up pieces of wire. We checked fences and looked at the cattle each day. Every day I counted the same # of calves, but I guess it would have been helpful to know how many were supposed to be there!!

Sniffy’s was very fun… very informal and relaxing.

Thank you so much for opening your ranch to us. We will come stay again.

Best regards,

Andra Wisian
Co-Manager, Kendall County 4-H Horse Club

 

 

Hi Beth and Bruce,

We just wanted to thank you for a wonderful time on your beautiful ranch.
Shane and I get so caught up in our busy day to day life we never have time to relax. Staying at Sister Creek was a big stress relief for both of us and our horses. We appreciate the hospitality, the wonderful meals, and for trusting us enough to give us free rein on your facility. Please tell Jodie thank you for letting me ride Slick! The views and trails were beautiful and the falls at the river was a nice refreshment during the hot summer day.

We plan to be back in the fall!


Sincerely,

Cori and Shane Smith

 

 

Thank you for the wonderful time we had at Sister Creek Ranch! We absolutely loved it! You made us feel right at home. Your facilites are awsome and we really had a blast. Cant wait to come back soon!
Thanks again for the wonderful time.

Love your friend,

Laura
 

 

 

 

Dear Beth and Bruce.....We are Betty and Brian Baker-Bullen, we visited with our daughter, son and grandchildren on Wednesday last.....Both of us enjoyed the day and I really enjoyed the opportunity to participate in your "catch and release program" the fishing was outstanding!!!.....Betty and I were impressed with the ranch layout, the care taken to maintain the open space and blend a true western atmosphere with modern upgrades and the excellent construction. What a sensible idea! Many thanks for your hospitality and best wishes for the future. We hope to see you all again soon. Brian , Betty and Mozart the wonder dog ( who stayed at home this trip) PS: The kids arrived home this afternoon safely and very tired...They had wonderful time!!  Bri.

 

 

 

I just wanted to take a minute and let both of you know what a wonderful time we had staying with y'all in December.  You really made us feel like family! Your place is absolutely beautiful, and I am honestly lusting in my heart for that awesome barn of yours!

What a dream come true for both of you! All the hard work you've put into your place shows in every gleaming crevice. Our geldings really enjoyed having a nice warm bath in the middle of winter and then being treated like kings for the night. We so enjoyed seeing all the wildlife at your place, and the views are really beautiful. I still can't believe you got both of us to sing karaoke in Sniffy's, but we had so much fun! You guys are the BEST!!!

Thanks again,

Jerry and Raye
 

 

 
Dear Beth and Elisa,

Enclosed are the photos that my husband and Roland took at Sistercreek Ranch when they were up there. What a beautiful place!! I can’t wait to meet you all and to visit your lovely ranch. I know it is one of the best times Keith has had. From what he has told me, and from the short conversation I have had with you, you all seem like lovely people

Hope you enjoy the photo’s and I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Renee Smith

 



 


 

Taken from an article in the Luckenbach Moon

Everybody's Somebody
By Becky Crouch Barrales

Tales of Sisterdale, Now and Then
(Conversation with a cowboy guru, Ramond Kuhlmann)

Sisterdale, south of Luckenbach on FM 1376, has always held a nostalgic enchantment for me.  It is impressive knowing that the "Freethinker" Germans (Freier Verein) settled there in 1848, before Comfort.  It became known as a sanitarium for the sick, who healed by the fresh water cures written about by Dr. Kapp.  How worldly it is for its founder Nicholas Zink to have built roads in Greece from 1821 - 1829 before coming to Texas.  How interesting that curious Latin students trek to the cemetery where they can read headstones in Latin, proof that the intellectual Germans read and spoke the dead language of Latin.  And how hard it must have been for my grandmother, Dora Neunhoffer Stieler, to get her horse and buggy hitched by 4 am and travel from Stieler Hill in Comfort down to teach school in Sisterdale every day.  It was 1929 at Sisterdale that my grandfather Adolf Stieler worked sheep, goats, and cattle on his Block Creek Ranch (where brother Juan now lives).  Hondo and Raymond Kuhlmann were Adolf's working partners.  They also leased all the neighboring ranches, all the way to Blanco.  So at the Home Ranch in Comfort I always head names of leased ranches like the Wenzel, the Manchaca, the Section, the 320, the Franklin, the Esperanza.

Sister Creek Ranch is a new neighbor to my brother's Block Creek now.  Beth and Bruce Johnson from Dallas bought 700 acres and within only one year realized their dream of building a horse center with boarding facilities, and rocky trail rides on smooth-stepping Tennessee Walkers.  Bruce and Beth are "Luckenbach Regulars", and in a short time have earned the membership of "the locals" as they love to gather often on the big log under the big oaks with other Regulars.  They lived out of an RV for a year while they built their little "town", Kickback Flats.  We were all amazed that they 1.) completed it and 2.) that everything is new.

On May 3rd they celebrated their grand opening.  The ticket into the gate was a bag of litter picked up off FM1376.  Part country club manicure and part natural landscape, tall sycamores quaked their leaves over man-made dams and rack waterfalls that even Disney would envy for a theme park.  Wide-open fields of coastal war edged by the tamed creek, no longer a trickle but a thigh high wading pool.  We were towed to headquarters by an air-conditioned tractor pulling a flatbed of hay bales.  Regulars Gordon, CW, and Butch climbed on board with Oscar and me, guitars in hand.  Four wranglers on horseback escorted us to the main station.  One, named Wayno (Bueno without the b), had a white horse and beard to match.  New white plastic panels fenced in horses.  No barbed wire here.

We were greeted by our hosts who, like all their helpers, were wearing blue bandanas and cream-colored Wrangler shirts with the embroidered ranch logo.  Our eyes pooped out at everything wonderful, the 100' x 250' arena floored with rubber chips, making it easy on horses' feet.  The impeccable new horse barn for four was crowned with Bruce and Beth's apartment.  The nest of buildings included a covered round pen, two bed and breakfast Guest Houses complete with Pottery Barn quilts, an office, and an air-conditioned bar - with pool tables and TV.

At 2:30 we all gathered around the arena to see the Guadalupe County True Women's drill team present the Colors.  Blacks, appaloosa, buckskin, chestnut sped around the arena sporting saddle blankets in hot colors, dittoed by their riders' wildrags.  I spotted 85-year-old Ramond Kuhlmann observing from his wheeled walker perch.  My mother had brought him from the nursing home for this event.  After all, this brand new stuff was on land he knew like the backs of his arthritic hands.  Time moves and things change.  But there sat a true cowboy guru who'd been through hard scrabbles.

From where Raymond sat you could see to the south of us the Block Creek's Thunder Mountain. It's the highest elevation in the whole area, nostalgic to both Juan and Raymond.  I wondered what Raymond was thinking.  Although he's lost his hearing he has a memory like a computer.  For example, during the 8 year drought of the Fifties he told me that on April 1, 1955, Henry Howel, weatherman for WOAL, reported no rain.  "Hondo and I walked our horses across a dry Big Sandy River.  When we returned with goats we had to swim them and our horses across."

How land is gained and lost holds intriguing stories.  If you want to stick with me, hang on.  It took Raymond and Juan 30 min6ttes to explain the politics of the land we were sitting on now.  It's my bad memory that will probably relay it in error.  In the Fifties Hondo and Raymond leased neighboring land to the Block Creek called the Wenzel and the Manchaca.  Years ago Manchaca, a Mexican laborer, came from Sierra Blanca, Texas to work on the Wenzel ranch.  Old man Wenzel had on daughter, Fina, paralyzed in a wheel chair.  Wenzel left his 3200-acre ranch to his crippled child.  Manchaca and Fina eventually married.  Emmie Wenzel and cousins claimed that when Manchaca died the land had to go back to Wenzel heirs.  But that was not true.

When Hondo and Raymond tried to buy 300 acres from the Manchacas a Boerne judge advised them against it until the records got cleared up.  This bought time for Cadena, a security guard claiming to be a Texas Ranger, to try to lease the Manchaca.  However, he sneakily deeded the Section and the 320 to himself.  Manchaca, thinking it was a lease, signed the deeds.  Manchaca hired a lawyer, got his land back, but the lawyer charged him more than the land was worth.  So he hired lawyers to fight the lawyer.  Meanwhile, Emmie took her case to her case to the State Supreme Court and lost.  The land reverted back to the 4 Manchaca children who ended up with only 1700 acres after the lawyers were paid.  Part of what the Johnson's have now is the mere 170 acres the 2 Manchaca sisters ended up with.  In spite of coyotes, eagles, lawyers, and screwworm we've learned to survive.

We feasted on catfish and hush puppies at tables spread under shady trees.  Sitting at our table was Lee Roy Knueper, 85-year-old Sisterdale native.  I asked him when was the latest date he plowed his fields with horses.  He said 1946.  Raymond said they put up telephone lines at the Block Creek in 1955.  But every time there was lightning and thunder the lines died.  I enjoyed talking to these old timers who got to know intimately or cruelly every acre around here.  Although we were surrounded by luxury and pleasure, all things new and clean, good food, music, and company, Raymond's eerie story og the Mexican eagles haunted me.  At this moment it seemed to me that the rocky hardships of the past are now top-coated with the soft rubber chips of the present to ease and speed up our journey.

It was in the late Sixties at the Block Creek.  Raymond had just marked 250 kid goats.  Marked means castrating and cutting notches in their ears.  Muttons got a "half crop" on the right ear and nannies got a "swallow fork under bit" on the left.  Days later, crossing the Divide, he saw from a distance an eagle swoop down and come up with a kid goat.  At about 200 feet up the eagle would drop the goat to kill it and dive down again to retrieve it. Raymond followed.  Upon opening a gap he smelled something.  He followed his nose in 4 directions but couldn't find anything...until he looked up.  Draped on the bare limbs of the live oaks were 200 of his 250 kid goats with their eyes pecked out - all killed by the Mexican eagles.

"They only came in May and then return to Mexico," Raymond said.  I asked him if he'd ever killed any.  Only one he said.  He watched every night where one would land on a point, a bluff or ridge between canyons.  "I waited 'til midnight, took a dog and gun.  It was a clear night and you can see a form in a leafless tree.  They won't leave their tree at night.  That's the only way you can approach one."  the eagles are still here but they don't flock to one place due to lack of large herds of sheep and goats.  They feed on rabbits now, Raymond explained.  "I almost knocked one out of the claws of a heavy-laden eagle with my hand, but he dripped it right by my horse."

Well-watered and fed the crowd of about 200 guests were asked to move over to the Sister Creek Ranch bar where The Cosmic Dust Devils were stirring up some stormy Music.  Raymond rolled his walker over to the loud atmosphere and sat stoically with his hearing aid on overload.  Thunder Mountain loomed in the silent distance under the quiet haze over the Block Creek.

"I don't want my ashes put on Thunder Mountain anymore," "Raymond confided.  "Too much commotion.  I carry my memories with me.  I could get up the east side of Thunder Mountain with a 4-wheel drive.  But I liked the south side.  It's hard to get up it even on a horse."  Raymond concluded.

I'd top Thunder Mountain at 5:30am. I could see the whole world from up there.  All the neighbors - Hubert Smith, Eucker, Bill Whitworth, Manchaca.  Since you didn't talk to your neighbors much, about all I could do to check on them was to see when they got up in the morning by watching when the smoke came outa their chimneys.  Everyone cooked with wood back then." 

Becky Crouch Barrales
Writter

P.S. "Still is still movin' for me." - a song Willie Nelson sings

 

Click each picture to see and learn more.



Guest Houses


The two Texas sized Guest Houses are fabulous. The pictures speak for themselves.



Sniffy's Saloon


The saloon's name is Sniffy's and it wins the hearts of everyone.



Trails


There is no better way to see this ranch than on horseback.



Meetings and Private Parties


SisterCreek Ranch is available for Corporate Retreats, Meetings, Weddings and private parties.



Spa Services


Our new spa services will be just what you need at the end of the trail!



Horses for Sale


SisterCreek Ranch is one of Texas's finest facilities for training and breeding Tennessee Walker trail horses.
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Gallery & Guest Photos


Here are some photo's of our Ranch.
For Information please call 830-324-6525 or email info@sistercreekranch.com