When I was 16 my dad and uncle traded homestead property (now surrounded by subdivisions) in Utah for a beautiful ranch full of meadows and springs, beaver ponds and streams, cottonwoods and quaking aspen at 7,500′ elevation, in the foothills of the Uintah Mountains. It was kid heaven. A great place to learn to work and drive tractors and motorcycles, be independent, and irrigate with sticks of dynamite. (We didn’t have any sprinkler systems, nor did we want them). My folks have lived there since 2004, giving me something to do with my weekends and vacation days. I intend to retire there.
Here is my Ode to Cowboy Mentors (2016)