Excursion Around Enchanted Springs Ranch

Hi there! This is Gator, just back from our trip to the Enchanted Springs Ranch in San Antonio!

We drove down to San Antonio, to check out set locations for The Widow's Might. Of course, this led us to the Enchanted Springs Ranch.



Five of us drove together; Derek Moreland, David Heustis, Johnny Reighard, Me, Jeff Moreland (off camera) and my older brother John (behind the camera). Come to think of it, that's six of us.

We were all very excited to see the western village. After 5 hours in the car, we were eager just to get out and stretch our legs!!

The first building we saw in the western village, was the sheriff's office. It looks a lot like what I had pictured when I read John's script!

Derek Moreland used John's HV2o to capture location video for documentary purposes. We'll try to get some online for you later...

Although it looks like I'm in jail, I'm actually just looking in. Doesn't look like a place I would want to be!! I read a story about Charles Spurgeon leading a group of men to repentance in a jail cell, the day before their execution.

What is that evil beast standing behind Derek?

It's a Llama! I can't believe such wild creatures are allowed on these public streets.

Duel of the cameras!

The center of town... This would be a great spot for an epic gunfight, and as you can see by our shadows, it's only slightly past 'high noon'.

Ah, the six gun saloon. Many a good man has been led astray in such a place as this!

The most important place in a western town; at the opposite end of the town square from the saloon; the church meeting house.

Jeff Moreland chats with Steve, the owner of the ranch, about the construction and arrangement of the set. Steve is a great guy, and gave us a personal tour of his ranch.

I loved the big blue sky and the fresh air of the old west!

Johhny Reighard, visual designer and storyboard artist for The Widow's Might, carefully surveyed the set looking for visual themes to use with the movie. He thinks a nice desaturated 'dusty' look will work well.

I know it's just a western set, but even this tombstone reminds us of men who gave their lives to defend justice.



I bet I'll be courageous enough to do the same if necessary.

The buildings all look very authentic to me!

We looked out this way to find a building suitable for the Widow's home.

I'm glad Thomas Edison kept trying, even after failing thousands of times!

David Heustis and Mr. Moreland hear stories of famous gunfights, and also get valuable advise about filming on this ranch.

This looks more like a mining shack than the widow's home... John can't make up his mind about using it. What do you think?

John grabbed the HV20 for a few clips... He likes being a director.

There was a nice breeze when we were there... but we'll be filming on the western set in August! I hope the breeze is still there, or we might just evaporate!

Another angle of the Saloon. The saloon in our town serves milk, water, juice, and sandwiches. We don't want the film crew to get drunk in the middle of the project. The actors wouldn't be able to walk straight!

In the middle of our excursion around the ranch, we were joined by friends from the set of Heartstrings; Juan and Daniel Rivera! They joined us on set and helped us take pictures of the whole thing.

Mr. Rivera loaned me his hat!

Hmm. A perfect fit. I'll have to make sure John gets me one just like this for The Widow's Might.

A wagon. I wonder how many miles per gallon this one gets?

This place was really neat! I can't wait to back in August!

See how happy I am to be there?

Walking through the streets, I met this fellow. A former prospector, he is now the county sheriff, and fastest gun in town.

I wasn't the only one enjoying the set, the whole crew absolutely loved it!

We walked through the barren streets, hoping to spot a bank robbery or something else exciting, so we could have a shootout!

But, the only shooting that takes place here is shooting movies and shooting pictures.

Derek liked the windmill. Too bad there wasn't more wind...

Here's a pretty fancy hotel... Maybe we can stay there during the shoot! Johnny looks awful tall in this picture!

But here he is, standing in the same place. Be careful that you don't believe everything you see!

Johnny and Juan. (John and John).

I loved the old fashioned stuff all over the ranch. For a whole day, I felt like a cowboy!

David got himself locked up for not following the rules. We'll have to pick him up when we go back in August.

And we're back in the center of town.

Mr. Moreland decided to take it easy for a minute, relaxing in the ambiance of 1880.

Mr. Rivera loaned him a hat too... How many hats does Mr. Rivera have?

Uh oh. The tax assessor's office. This is the guy who should be in jail. Mr. Moreland decided to swap the tax assessor for David Heustis.

While we busted David out of Jail, Mr. Rivera kept watch.

Then we all hopped aboard this wagon thingie, and rode out of town as fast as our horse would tow us!

Mr. Moreland watches to make sure the posse isn't following us. Uh oh! He spotted something!

Oh, just a herd of cattle. And deer. They don't pose a threat at this point.

YES! We're free! Juan rejoices that we lost the posse way back in town.

So does Mr. Moreland!



"Hey... That building looks familiar."

"It's the gunsmith's shop. Isn't that back in town?"

"Hey! Look who's driving this thing!"



It's Steve, the owner of the ranch!

So we jumped out of the wagon, and hopped the wall.

We made it out of town alive, and Derek took some good video.

All in all, it was a really great day, and John says the town will look great on Mr. Burgess's RED camera.


David will just have to disguise himself in August, because we'll be back there filming The Widow's Might, and the producer can't be in jail while we're filming!

If you want, you can join us on the scene of the shoot! If you're in San Antonio in August, be sure to let us know when and where! Email my older brother: John@EveryFrameCaptive.com

Also, be sure to stay updated on our progress as we make this film by subscribing to updates on WidowsMightTheMovie.com .


Until then, thanks for reading!

~ In Christ, Gator.