Wide Open Spaces

Welcome to my new blog! Let me begin by saying that I chose the name because sunshine and fresh air are the two things that make everything better. Stressed out? Go outside! Broken heart? Take a walk! Stubbed your toe? Limp out that door!

I had the chance to spend my summer working on a cattle ranch in the beautiful mountains of Colorado and Wyoming. The ranch sat on the border of the two states, so we lived in Colorado and worked in Wyoming when we moved cattle. There's something about riding a horse in the Colorado sunshine and breathing in the fresh mountain air that just soothes the soul. Then you kick the horse into a lope and as the wind blows through your hair and you feel the rhythm of the horse moving, you just know that there's no place you'd rather be. Even now, as I type this sitting on the couch in my apartment back in the city, I can still feel the warmth of the sunshine on my back and hear the birds chirping and the noisy cicadas going by.

One thing I've discovered is that while I fell in love with the mountains and the view, I still love the prairie. Living here in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, I miss the wide open spaces of my home state, South Dakota. I miss the pine trees and the grass, even though it was usually deadish grass. I miss the Colorado sage brush as well, and the river rushing by. I thought I wouldn't miss the constant wind from Wyoming, but I actually do. Even in Colorado, it would've been too quiet if it weren't for the river.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is I love the country. The Salt Lake valley here makes me wish that I could see what it was like before there were buildings and houses everywhere. The beauty of the mountains is almost cut off because of all the marks that people have made on the land, with the roads and power lines. It makes me want to move to Montana, or Wyoming, or Arizona. I've had the hankering lately to go to Arizona. I'm not sure what's in Arizona, but I want to see the desert and the red rock.

Being young and unattached anywhere, I can do that. I can pack up and go where I want to, and enjoy the experiences that I'm able to have before settling down somewhere. It's exciting what the future has in store for me. Maybe I'll go to Texas next summer.