Travel: Fulfill a Fantasy

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When we're young, we live our heroes' lives. As adults, we let these dreams fade. Yet we can still do some extraordinary things in faraway places--on vacation.

WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM

Who has not dreamed of riding a horse through high country, driving thousands of head of cattle, eating from the chuck wagon, sleeping under a starry sky and, yes, wearing those terrific clothes--chaps, and boots with spurs--every day? Sure, quitting your day job and becoming a full-time cowboy is probably out of the question. But it is possible to try your hand at tossing a perfectly circled rope through the air over the head of a 1,000-lb. cow. At the Cowboy School, based in Pearce, Ariz., Bob King teaches novice cowboys (O.K., cowpersons) old-time roping techniques, plus how to handle cattle, transform a horse into a partner and manage land and water resources. A week ($1,250) includes lodging in an authentic bunkhouse and three squares a day of hearty grub. The week may be spent at the vast Three Sisters Ranch in the Arizona desert (October through May) or the Powder River Experience on the Wyoming plains (June through September). King, his wife Betty and other family members welcome men and women who aspire to the cowboy life. Many are from abroad; many are well past age 50. Some have recently bought horses--or even a ranch--without knowing much about either. When Ken Jelden retired at 70 after a long career with Calavo Growers in California, his wife gave him a surprise retirement gift: a week at the ranch. He mastered new roping skills, learned to ride again and particularly enjoyed "taking the cattle out to the pasture, which was very quiet and near the Cochise stronghold where the chief held out against the U.S. Cavalry for several months." Always fond of Western music and life, Jelden is grateful for his wife's gift: "I did get to live out a fantasy."

WORKING ON THE RAILROAD

There you are--hand on the throttle of a full-size, 100-ton steam engine hauling eight graceful coaches from Worcestershire to Shropshire on a track that follows the Severn River as it meanders through unspoiled English countryside. No need for a time machine to fulfill this dream. Adults healthy enough to shovel piles of coal need only register at the Severn Valley Railway school, based in Bewdley, Worcestershire. In the introductory session, they learn safety guidelines and how a locomotive works. They also put in time on the footplate--where the fireman and driver stand, stoking the boiler, firing up the engine and managing the controls. In follow-up courses, groups of four students strive to acquire enough skill to drive the locomotive. This involves learning to clean, oil and light up the engine, shunt tracks, couple and uncouple cars--and brake, no easy task. John Sinclair, 54, technical director of a Bedfordshire computer firm, was "quite frightened" during an intermediate course with Severn Valley Railway because even at 25 m.p.h., the locomotive rattles and shakes. So pleased was he by the "big high" he experienced that he plans to spend $975 to take an advanced course.

ARCTIC GETAWAY