We Arrived as Guests, We Left as Friends
Journal Entry #36
July 20,2022
I am not a horse person. I am a proud, liberal, urban, east-coaster on an adventure in a van. If you were commissioned to design the polar opposite of my background and environment, you would start with a big, square shaped state full of mountains and wide prairies; the political climate would lean red and cattle would outnumber people. It would look alot like Wyoming.
With just just under 600,000 residents, Wyoming is the second most sparsely populated state in the nation with nearly six square miles of land per person. (Alaska, as you can probably imagine is the most sparsely populated!) This is quite a contrast from our existence back in New Jersey, which is the most densely populated state in the US (actually the District of Columbia tops NJ - but I’ll take liberties as it isn’t one of the 50 states…)
Other things we knew about Wyoming? Not much, really. We knew it was the home of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We knew it was BIG. Tom remembered summers backpacking in the Wind River Range with his Dad as a boy. As for me, I had actually never set foot in the state. It had always been a place that I flew over; the state at the very end of the alphabet.
As we made plans to move north and west from Ft. Collins, Colorado to the Snowy Mountain Range, we picked our next overnight spot based on the criteria that it was at about the halfway point of our route and it had availability. We found a Harvest Host that fit the bill; the Davissa Ranch, a small family ranch about 20 miles west of Cheyenne. It was the perfect “on the way” stopover.
But what started out as a stay driven primarily by convenience became a truly special experience.
As we drove down the long dirt road leading to the Davissa Ranch, the owners, David and his wife Mel came out to greet us. Again, if you had wanted to fashion a person who, on the surface, looked like the polar opposite of me, it was David; a broad shouldered, burly man, sporting a white cowboy hat, denim shirt and on his belt, his holstered side arm.
David and Mel greeted us warmly and began to share the story of how they came to be on the land; a horse ranch situated on this high prairie plateau. David was a retired law enforcement officer and Mel a hospital administrator. Their last home had been in Bradenton Florida. A few years back, they decided it was time to pursue their dream and embarked on a grand adventure to find a place to live that appealed to their love of space and solitude and their pioneering spirit. They wanted be part of a community of people who would be equal parts tough individualists and kind, generous friends. They found this ranch and also found their calling — to care for horses that were being retired, whether from age or injury, that were at risk of being put down and to give them love and a safe place to live out their days.
Our conversation with David and Mel was instantly easy and lively. Though it would seem that we were cut from very different cloth, in fact, we had plenty in common. We commented that we were all in our 50’s and we both, as couples, had come to a similar sort of crossroads. We were seeking something — a meaningful adventure and a new way to frame the second half of our lives.
We also all agreed that having the right partner on the journey was important. David chuckled and explained that he couldn’t do what he does without Mel, who holds down the fort with her full time work at the hospital in Cheyenne and stalwart commitment to the horses and the ranch in her spare time. “She’s in charge, I tell ya! And it’s the same for many of these family ranches. The grit and drive of the women out here is amazing.”
David shared that one of the things he loved most about Wyoming was its trailblazing history with regard to women and suffrage. He noted that in 1869, Wyoming became the first state/territory in the nation to grant suffrage to women on equal footing with men. This was piece of history neither of us had been aware of.
As for their work with the horses, both David and Mel were essentially self taught, diving in deep to learn everything they could about horses and how to care for them, much like our deep dive into van conversion and van life! David had a wealth of information and was an engaging story teller; he seemed to be the kind of person that thirsts for knowledge and had done his research, whether it was about horse anatomy or the history of his ranch, or his understanding of the cowboy code, and he was eager to share what he knew with us. I completely with identified this aspect of David. I am a history buff and a bit of an “interesting-and-little-known-fact” geek myself.
David and Mel decided to become Harvest Hosts to help support the cost of keeping the horses that they rescue. For those unfamiliar, Harvest Hosts do not charge for overnight stays. Instead, the guests typically patronize the business (hence it is why wineries, farms and breweries make up the majority of Harvest Hosts.) Mel has taken to home baking cookies which she packages and sells to raise funds and they also have some gift items like stickers and mugs with the Davissa Ranch logo.
We spent time down in the barn to meet the horses during feeding time, and learned about the horses’ stories and personalities. Faith was a smaller horse from Native American Mustang stock that had been abandoned in the fields due to a birth defect that impacted one of her legs which turned out, making her unable to be ridden.
Wyndy was a older string horse that belonged to a cowboy but had aged to the point that she struggled with calf roping and couldn’t pull the weight. And then there was Jack, a Western show horse who had a pedigree and fine career which was cut short by human error: a gate was left open and he attempted to cross a cattle guard, injuring his back legs in the process.
You could sense the personalities of each of the horses. Faith, both sweet and wild and most in touch with the land, Wyndy, the solid, kind “go-with-the-flow” horse and Jack who was the dandy gentleman and seemed to say “look at me.”
It was inspirational to see the kind of love David and Mel gave to these animals, and the love that was back given to them in return. And their kindness extended beyond the horses too; David and Mel had become a host family in the Adopt an Airman program, offering a chance for young enlisted airmen stationed at Warren AFB outside of Cheyenne (many of them far from home) to get off the base, relax, enjoy some civilian company and have a home cooked meal.
David and Mel shared a heartfelt pride in their chosen home state, and a deep passion for their “mission” — rescuing and caring for these beautiful animals. I was uplifted and moved by their earnest joy in their work and in spending time together, as they live out their dreams.
After visiting the horses, we all sat out on the back porch watching the barn cats and kittens play and chatting about just about everything under the sun. Several Pronghorn grazed nearby and one tomcat stalked them. We had a good laugh about the cats eyes being too big for its stomach!
The grasses were blowing in golden waves on the open, rolling hills and the sky began to take on a pink glow. We retired to the van to watch the sunset with several of bags of Mel’s homemade cookies as desert. The night was quiet and star-filled, and the sunrise was like something you might see on the cover of a Louis L’Amour novel.
Living on road we often feel like anonymous strangers; visitors that are just passing through.
But every so often we have an experience with others that feels particularly special and intimate; an experience that reminds us of the goodness of people and of a humanity that transcends backgrounds and politics. Our stay with David and Mel was one of those experiences.
They opened their hearts and their home to us. We can honestly say that we arrived at the ranch as guests, but we feel as if we left it as friends.
If you want to learn about the Davissa Ranch and the inspirational work that David and Mel are undertaking, you can find more and support them here: https://thedavissaranch.com
Thank you for sharing your wonderful, breathtaking adventures. I especially love hearing about living in the west. Your pictures are good.
Beautiful testimony to what we can accomplish when we open our hearts and minds, and follow our dreams!! Will cling more closely to the cowboy code from now on! You had me giggling by the 4th "used with permission" disclaimer.