Countdown to P-town

If this picture doesn't scream Wyoming, then beats me. Forgive the writing in this post. I am currently recovering from too much to drink. Last night was a celebration. A celebration of the people I've met, our time on the ranch, and of PBR. I've been going on a lot of solo walks lately. Walking to the top of ridges to watch the sun set while candy-colored clouds roll in. Walks by the river where I can sit and contemplate the time I've spent here on the ranch. Walks where I can soak up the beauty and the quiet of this place. I do truly believe I will miss these things. However, the pictures in this post tell a different story. This is the story of nights on the ranch. It's amazing how similar life on the ranch has become to life in the city. Instead of sitting in bar stools, I sit under the stars in the back of a pick up. Instead of worrying in my head about walking by the wrong, threatening drug addict, I sit searching the tall grass with my eyes-wary of the mountain lion that might have stalked me.

It hardly feels like I've been here at all now, and yet when I had more than a week, it felt like I had been here for ages. It took me 3 months to adjust to being here and now that those 3 months are up, I'm leaving and it's somewhat bittersweet. What matters most though is that I can safely say I am leaving here with no regrets and to make sure this feeling remains, I am going to live up every second of my time on the ranch, whether that means basking in the beauty of the raw wilderness, or consuming too much alcohol with my new found friends, it doesn't matter. It's all the same. I've appreciated it all for it's all contributed to this experience that I will most likely never forget.

So. Who misses my filming skills?!?

Cause it's your lucky day! A miracle occurred and I accidentally made a video today. I am rating it PG for some slight language. Watch at your own risk.

Well played Wyoming

So, since my last post, I have been camping in Montana with some of the family, the ranch had the first staff/guest cookout of the season, and I met a new horse friend, Abraham. The consistent vein throughout these past couple weeks has been the sheer enjoyment of nature. Being out of the city and surrounded by the silence of breezes through the trees and the constant rush of rivers running from here to there. I took a nap on the first day of our camping trip at the Sloway campsite just off Clark Fork river west of Missoula, MT. The sun beat mercilessly down into the tent, but there was something so inherently pleasant in feeling my bare legs stick to the sleeping bags that surrounded me and hearing the buzzing of various insects trying to infiltrate my temporary bed. Even though sweaty naps are somewhat miserable, this one just felt SO good.

Of course, now that I am just getting used to life in Wyoming, it is almost time for me to leave. I am going to miss the emptiness that pervades this state. The way life leeches along at a snails pace because there simply isn't a whole lot going on. Everyone seems to make time to stand in rivers fishing out a fresh catch for dinner. They know how they would survive if they found themselves lost in the woods and eat meat at every single gosh darn meal. Meat they probably shot and killed and skinned themselves (keeping the bones and furs for gory decoration of course). There is a basic elemental feel to this state where everyone resorts to gun-toting animalism and also a fond appreciation for nature. It has sort of scared me since my arrival, but now I find it also somewhat appeals to me....not sure what that says about me, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find it all immensely intriguing. Real life mountain men, dead animals gracing every wall, and an unnatural obsession with rodeos and cheap beer - maybe I should have pursued anthropology. But as it is, I would just as soon sit in awe of it all.

Barring Northern Minnesota, I have never enjoyed the beauty of a place so much in all my life. I can appreciate scenic sights, but there is something different about spending a significant amount of time in a place so that you experience all the temperments of a season and become familiar with the way life conincides with the natural world. Overall, the last couple of weeks have just felt right. The camping, the horseback riding, the cookouts - this is what I came to Wyoming for and I couldn't be happier that I have finally found my stride as well as my appreciation for this experience. In order to help you understand what I mean, allow me to present you with some photos.