Kerrville

The Y. O. Ranch Hotel (19 images)
After visiting Stonehenge II, we stopped in Kerrville for the night. One of the hotels in Kerrville that looked nice was called the Y.O.Ranch, and we stopped there. Turns out the hotel used to be affiliated with the Y. O. Ranch, an exotic animal hunting ranch that catered to the rich and famous such as John Wayne who was a client. A few years ago the hotel was sold and opened as a separate business although it kept the name Y. O. Ranch Hotel.

We didn't know what to expect of this hotel with a background of serving the wealthiest among us. We discovered a delightful place that seemed to promote privacy and comfort while decorating with a western, rustic bent.

Various stuffed animals graced the lobby, and the most disturbing of them all was the head of a female giraffe and her tiny infant. I assumed that they had been hunted and I was devastated. Upon asking about it, I was told that the female giraffe had died in childbirth and her tiny little giraffe baby had also died during the difficult birth. The giraffe had been almost a pet of the owners, and when she died, they decided to have her stuffed, so today her neck and head are to be found in the lobby along with her unborn baby.

Click a picture to see a larger view.

The Lobby