Unofficial Ohlson Mountain Shooting Range stirs up neighbors
20.07.11
At the end of Ohlson Mountain Road past the Lookout Mountain Ski Trails, a reindeer farm and the Kachemak Ski Club Rope Tow, landowners can find a bit of the old Alaska. Rugged roads that turn to mud at breakup, wide open fields and glorious views of Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet offer a retreat that might not be true wilderness, but is as good as it gets in road-accessible rural Alaska. Follow the road up to the top of the flat mountain dominating the rolling hills north of Homer, and in gravel pits owned by the state of Alaska and the Gordon Hayes Trust, area firearms enthusiasts have set up an unofficial shooting range. Overturned, burned trucks lie against gravel berms, tires melted off, windows shot out and bullet holes piercing the metal. And then there's Ohlson Mountain itself. One hot water tank has been shot up so much it is more holes than metal. The gravel pits look like Helmand Province in Afghanistan after a firefight between U. S. Marines and Taliban insurgents. From stuffed toys to Four Loko drink cans, shooters have had a field day.
Source: Homer News
Home on the range: Classic Texas traditions stand test of time at Bowen Ranch
10.07.11
›› Photo gallery: Bowen Ranch Even as his open range shrinks, Jimmy Bowen - El Paso's most recognizable working cowboy - still believes there is a place for cowboys in this city. As the owner of Bowen Ranch, an 88,000-acre stretch of land in Northeast El Paso spanning three counties and two states, he knows the city is quickly approaching his property. "The city is going to grow and the ranch is going to decrease," Bowen said. Today, Bowen Ranch is down to 88,000 acres. He understands the inevitable, as new developments are already popping up next door to his ranch, and the city is trying to develop an industrial park within a half-mile of his Edge of Texas restaurant. "And that's OK. " The ranch was once more than 150,000 acres, nearly half of it leased from the Public Service Board.
Source: El Paso Times
Mill Hill Kit Reindeer Ranch (2001) 
: $12.50 
