Montana Ranch Life
“I don’t think you grow wild from just being in wilderness, you grow wild from being in solitude.”
There’s nothing quite like heading West on a 1800 mile road trip just a couple days into a new year. That’s why everyone associates new beginnings with a new year— new goals, a clean slate, a fresh start. I had booked a 10-week house/pet sit gig (trusted housesitters referral link) in Montana because I was looking for long term sits near a ski resort where I could work and get a free ski pass. Then I had to quickly find a new vehicle to replace camperolla who wasn’t up for the long trip. I bought a used minivan and converted it into a mini campervan complete with a platform bed for the trip. On the drive I stopped in Denver to visit friends and ski, and where I also encountered my lowest temperature car camping to date-3 degrees. I made it to my housesit in Southern Montana, about an hour from Billings, in early January. The 100 acre ranch was home to 5 dogs that I was there to take care of, but there was also about 20 horses and 4 cows that a neighbor took care of. I settled in for the long haul.
I was immediately disappointed because I didn’t get the job at the ski resort because they didn’t have any openings. I figured I had plenty of other projects (like writing my memoir and video editing) to spend my time on. However, the first couple of weeks were rough and the lack of social interaction and barely leaving the ranch due to the distance to get to towns took a toll. I could only focus on what was missing, specifically a partner to share the experience with. But after a couple of weeks I got into a routine, writing, taking the dogs out on walks around the ranch, reading, and so forth. I went into the city about once a week. There was a distinct shift when I let go of unrealistic fantasies and focused on what I did have. I find that helps to view my life as a movie, in this movie the protagonist is living on a Montana ranch during the winter, cuddling with dogs, iceskating on a frozen pond, and writing a memoir. With this perspective I was able to feel and express gratitude. It’s so easy to dwell on what’s missing instead of focusing on all that we have.
I was bummed because I wasn’t going to get to ski as much as I had hoped, and since skiing is my favorite thing to do I was disappointed. I would be limited in going to the nearby ski resort due to the costs. But I figured I could still snowshoe and cross country ski whenever we got snow at the ranch…which we hardly got more than a few inches. After a month I finally made my way to the ski town to go skiing and snowshoeing and after that I was hyped to do it more, I would just have to travel further. I also bought some ice skates at a thrift store and realized a dream of ice skating on a frozen body of water, since I had only skated on rinks before. The days when I would ice skate became my favorite days. I would take all the dogs in the 4x4 and drive to the small pond, play music on my bluetooth speaker and go back and forth spinning. The pond wasn’t big enough to do laps or go fast due to the uneven surface so I just spun. And it was neat to see visible improvement of the course of a few weeks. By the end I was able to spin fairly well (without any proper training).
The dogs also helped with companionship. I started to have favorites and enjoyed cuddling with the little ones in my lap. They were my constant companions and provided me with endless entertainment and love.
Before I knew it my time was coming to a close and my friend Shayla came to visit for a few days. We went cross country skiing at the nearby Nordic center and checked out ski joring races, which I had seriously contemplated entering…maybe next time.
Overall, I had an amazing time on the ranch. The solitude was oppressive at times, but since I live a fairly solitary independent lifestyle it wasn’t that difficult for me to adjust. I also enjoyed being able to recognize the distinct perspective shift once I focused on what I did have rather than what was missing. Gratitude is always the key to finding contentment. I am absolutely grateful for my time on the ranch, and almost left with one of the dogs ;)
