Growing up in coastal California did not cause me to be immune to the lure of the American West. And for the past 15 years, I have gone east to discover the American West. I have been a guest a number of "Dude Ranches" or Guest Ranches in Arizona and Wyoming and I have visited countless ghost towns and National Parks along the way. But my recent venture, in the Fall of 2023, brought me to a working cattle ranch. And it is there that I feel like I saw the slow rhythm and allure of the West that so many talk about. While I would love to go back and made mention that I would love to visit again, I wasn't really welcomed back: I was told I could come visit, but just for 3 days. While with the huge influx of Californians moving to other western states leads me to understand this restricted welcome of sorts, I also felt that the my window to see this part of the American West may be getting smaller. But with that, I also feel a huge sense of gratitude that I did get to experience this amazing cattle ranch in the beautiful White Mountains of Arizona - at least I know what I will be missing.
