"Everything will be okay in the end..." - Travelling 2016 part 4

(In case you missed part 3 of the travel blog, here it is!)



**

Friday started off rather hysterical. I'd moved from camping under the stars in the middle of the night to the front of the truck and to my delight (horror more like) woke up staring face-to-face with a mouse that seemed to be living in the truck!

The ride home was a little quieter than the ride out to cow camp; everyone was tired and ready for a nap however we were all quite excited to find out the results of the EU Referendum and were eager to get 3G again to find out!

Upon arriving home Cowboy Paul announced he was leaving and thankfully everyone gave me 10 minutes alone to speak to him. I hung on to him like there was no tomorrow, I sobbed into his chest whilst he held me and quite honestly everything that I'd been feeling over the last several months, every inch of struggle the last year had been.... it all came out.

Cowboy Paul held me for as long as I needed and quite honestly that's all I'd needed for so long; to be held as I cried and let it all out, to tell someone how I was about the unfairness of everything that happened and for someone to tell me it was all going to be okay ... and mean it.

After waving Paul off, Russell and I sat on the bench talking about the curveballs life throws at us, how we deal with them and how each individual deals with it in their own way. We sat for hours watching the sunset fall over the mountains just talking and sharing our plans for when we got home.

It was at that moment I realised I was truly done running, I was done hiding from my fears back home, hiding from reality and dealing with what I needed to. I was exhausted, truly exhausted from running; all I wanted to do was sleep and relax, then head back home and deal with everything head on and be stronger than I'd ever been before. I needed to take the leap of faith, I needed to do things that made me happy and follow my heart as well as my head.

It was at that moment I knew that tomorrow morning I was going for some me time and then I was going home to face my fears.

**

The next morning I went to the airport, sorted flights back home and whilst on the Salt Lake City to Amsterdam flight I booked a one way ticket to Malta for the same day as well as a Hotel and set out relaxing on a beach for a week!

I sat next to the most lovely guy on the Salt Lake to Amsterdam flight, he very kindly leant me his jacket to keep me warm on the long flight. We got talking and somehow its like he knew I wanted to talk and told me to pour my heart out to him. So I did..... I didn't know this guy, apart from he had the most beautiful wife, a young son, two gorgeous daughters and he was heading home from his last trip away from home for work before his whole family made a big move from South-Africa to America. His two daughters were at college and university in America already and he visited them he could and when he was there with work.

They were scared, they were apprehensive but most of all they were excited at the prospect of finally being a family that never had to be apart again. They were excited at planning their new future, but most of all to the next chapter in their lives.

He sat and he talked, he listened, he gave me advice and he let me sleep when I wanted to, watch the movie, eat in silence and then we talked some more. I'll genuinely never forget the advice he gave me, his kindness and his words of following my dreams, my heart and grasping life whilst I can.

**

Finally when I touched down in Manchester, I made the phone call to someone I needed to and waited for my flight to Malta, to finally relax, put the past behind me and enjoy some time to sleep and catch up on everything I'd missed over the last several months.

Whilst in Malta I visited the church Granddad, Mamma and I used to always make an effort to go to. I sat and listened to a maltese mass, sat in the peacefulness of the tranquil church and remembered the times I'd spent there with Granddad.

I spoke to him like he was sat next to me on the bench, I begged him to help me see why things happen and what the reasons are; I told him I trusted he was leading me on the right path and I told him I hoped I was making him proud.

I sat on the beach catching a tan, I spoke to varying people about the EU Referendum, I visited the church some more and I enjoyed taking the time to sort out what I wanted and realised although the fight in me was gone, I was still going to fight and you had to follow your heart and you had to believe you'd get what you wanted. But most of all, you had to realise...

Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, this isn't the end.

...And when I got home, I started a new job and took the leap of faith into believing that everything will sort itself out

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HorseWorks, Wyoming - Living life as a Cowgirl - part 2

If you missed Part 1 you can view it here!

I couldn't have been anymore wrong that I'd not get to experience all that I'd ever hoped to whilst out here. But that's another day...

Monday: 

With the horses in tow we headed back to the ranch and were given our ride for the duration of our trip. Poor Hugh was given the job of driving the truck and trailer back - which I must say is so very different to our trailers and horse boxes in the UK. I just had to take photos to show everyone back home how many horses they put into one trailer here. It really made me think how much we nanny our horses back home.

I was given a gorgeous appaloosa mare called Tina that was no bigger than Ceaser but apparently was "all business" and liked to get on with a job. Once we'd become acquainted to our rides, we were shown how to tack up Western style and headed to the round pen to get used to this completely different way of life.

Once comfortable we had to go and move some cows from near the ranch further into the fields. Tina was absolutely awesome and quite possibly I think that's the only way to describe her. She had to be up the front of the herd as she hated being at the back and was somewhat of a pro when it came to herding horses and cattle, so she knew exactly what to do. As soon as her eyes spotted the cattle she anticipated what was about to come and started to stride out ready to focus on the job she knew she was going to be asked to do. I had to pinch myself as were pushing the cows forward into a spot where we wanted them. I couldn't quite believe I was there in Wyoming. It just goes to show that dreams can come true.

After riding and getting to grips with everything Hannah had arranged for a couple of local cowboys to come over and show us how to rope. To begin with I had absolutely zero hand-eye coordination, but I knew I would! It took me a good 15 minutes to get to grips with the swing of the rope but thankfully one of the cowboys, Justin was very patient with me and before long we had something that resembled the correct way to do it and I managed to rope him.

I've no idea why Hugh objected to me using him as target practice after I declared I couldn't rope with my eyes open and I was much better at it when I had my eyes closed! I wonder why!?

 Result - you might make a cowgirl out of me yet!

Before long it was time to head into Meeteetse which is about half an hour away for a couple of drinks and to play some pool. The bars are just like you'd imagine a true cowboy bar to be like - on one side of the room you've got various animal heads hanging on the wall and on the other you've got several cowboys sitting at the bar either with their cowboy hat positioned closely next to them or on their heads where they belong. From the corner of the room you can hear one country song after another playing out the Juke Box which each cowboy almost takes it in turns to go up and put some dollars in. Several times I found myself taking a moment to stop, look around the room and simply breath everything in. It's almost as it time would stop still for those few seconds and each time I did it over the next three weeks I spotted something different about this town, the way the cowboys lived and then I thought of something else I'd miss once it came to returning home. Home, that seemed a million miles away from this place that had so much more to offer.

Tuesday

When I entered todays entry into my handwritten diary I seem to have gone overboard on the amount of exclamation marks I used. I think today consitutes as one of the 'best days' I'll ever have, but I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that about a lot of my days on the ranch.

MaeCile, Paul and Hannah were all stumped as to where the horses were escaping from so it was up to us to put an end to the mystery once and for all today. We were required to ride and keep on riding until we found out where they were escaping. Initially when Paul pointed to where we would be riding I anticipated we would be riding around the mountains, not over them! At one stage riding up to the mountain I questioned with Hannah that we would be riding over "that". "Of course" she said, a little wearily. At that moment I must admit my heart stopped for a second. At home I'd never even imagine asking a horse to navigate its way up and down the mountain Hannah was adamant we were tackling! One of the ladies with us was scared of heights so making our way up was interesting. I wasn't panicking too much until I asked Hannah which route we were taking and she quietly replied "I don't know, I've never been this way before!". It was one of those moments where you know you have to keep calm, but inside you're absolutely bricking it. After what seemed like eternity we finally made it to where we wanted to be and Paul and Hannah went off exploring to find the route the escapees were taking. When they found where it was we all couldn't believe the horses would even contemplate going down there - and to say we were worried about going up the mountain we'd just gone up; it was nothing compared to what they were going up and down to get to the hay field.

After a few photos it was time to head back to the ranch and have an afternoon of relaxation. Cowboy Paul said he had to nip into the local town, Thermopolis to send some text messages and run some errands, so Hugh and I decided to head out with him whilst everyone had a nap or just relaxed.

The three of us had such a lovely afternoon going in and out cowboy shops, playing pool and grabbing some supplies such as sweeties for our rides out. Everyone back at the ranch had given us a list of what they wanted so our small shop resulted in one large one!

Hugh and I had a fantastic time in the cowboy shop trying some hats on, looking at chaps, spurs and varying types of ropes. I made it my aim to buy a rope before I left to go back to England; I was determined to take one back home for all the Pony Club kids to have a go on. Overall it was a really nice afternoon spending time with the boys and listening to Cowboy Paul's stories, which never cease to amaze me.

On our drive back to the ranch Hannah text me to say the cowboy who had helped me with he roping from the previous evening wanted to know if I'd be interested in going out for dinner with her and the boy she was seeing as they were brothers. We had a fun evening, and it was great to experience how different America was to England.

Wednesday

We were supposed to be doing the long ride to Cow Camp today, but because Hannah had college we rescheduled it for another day. Instead we went on what is known as the windmill ride with Paul, who I'll never get tired of riding out with. Tina likes being up at the front so I'm quite lucky that I got to ride with Paul for most of the time. I think he knew I was quite keen to learn all there is to know about America and living out here in the wilderness, so tested me on certain droppings and what animal I thought they came from and so on - needless to say I only got about 1 out of 5 correct. I'm so English!

As we were riding along Paul began to talk about my bucket list and what else was on it. At first I was sceptical to talk about it, I wondered if he was asking just to be polite, but it turned out he wanted to help me cross as much off as I could whilst here at the ranch. I'll never forget his kindness and willingness to help me, as well as offering a friendly ear to listen to all I had to say. I told him I wanted to herd cows and have a faster ride on Tina at some point or when given the opportunity.

As if by magic as we were riding out we saw two neighbours cows that were loose and had escaped from their field. Paul explained that here, all neighbours help one another and because we had spotted the cows we were going to get them back and check they had water. He looked at me and said "here's your chance, go get your critter to get those cows!". (Here in America, they seem to call all animals critters; it took some getting used to as I wasn't sure what he meant at first!). I squealed with excitement as I sent Tina cantering up the hill in an attempt to round up the two cows and couldn't help but shout over to a fellow intern that this was the best holiday ever - to which she agreed! Tina knew exactly what she was doing and before long we were back with the rest of the group pushing the cows forward in a steady walk having got them on the right track.

Paul thought the cows were escaping because of lack of water and wondered if their only source had dried up due to the hot weather, or if the pipes weren't working correctly. In the distance we could see a corral where we thought the source of water would be and when Paul mentioned we could ride up to there but it would take a while I gave him a cheeky smile and he replied "Oh go on, but pick someone to ride with you!" so I shouted to Clare and off we galloped to check for water. Tina is amazing, she just gets right on with the job in hand and I now know fully what MaeCile and Hannah meant about being a pony that's all about business. Clare and I had the best half an hour - we cantered around the corral looking for water, got stuck opening a gate as I couldn't manage it, cantered back to Paul, only to be sent back again and so on - it was as if time stood still and I didn't want the afternoon to end. Thankfully we found that the cows did have water and the two stragglers had simply escaped. We were all on cloud nine, especially Clare and I whom had both had the chance to do some faster work; in fact we were like cheshire cats grinning from ear-to-ear and keen to tell everyone else about our experience!

After lunch, albeit a little tired we all hiked up to the North fence to fix the fencing at the part where we thought the horses were escaping. Between us we carried all the tools, fencing posts, wire, cold drinks to keep us hydrated and so on. It was so great to see everyone rallying around together and helping one another. It was a long way up to walk carrying all the heavy tools, but we all kept each other in good spirits. It really made me realise the things we take for granted in England; we don't have to trek several miles up a mountain carrying tools because we have a jeep or quad bike and the hills aren't at all like the ones in Grass Creek. However here it's second nature - Paul didn't think twice about having to walk up there and was confused as to why we all emphasised "WALK, carrying all THAT?!".

Soon enough we were done with fence fixing and all rushed home to have a shower and get ready before making our way into Meeteetse for dinner again. It was nice to have Nate and MaeCile join us for the evening, as well as Hannah's cowboy friends that taught some of us how to two step. Oh, I also managed to cross number 15 off my bucket list and get a photo of it this time. For those wondering what I'm on about, go on and check it out!

Thursday

Time is going far too quickly, I wish it would slow down. Today was another of those incredible days that will just stay engraved in both your head and heart forever. It turns out when Paul was asking me about my bucket list the day before, he had been listening with interest and intent to help me cross more things off. I'd told him I wanted to learn to shoot something like clay pigeons or similar and have another go at roping. Never in a million years did I expect him to throw a surprise in to our day on Thursday afternoon.....

To be continued...

For more information on HorseWorks please visit their website

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HorseWorks, Wyoming - Living life as a Cowgirl - part 1

It sounds cliche, but I've wanted to experience living like a cowgirl since I was as young as I can remember. I've always thought I was born in the wrong country and era; I'm not the type of girl that enjoys shopping for high heels or a tight dress to wear out clubbing. I'm much more comfortable in a pair of jeans, boots and in the company of horses.

Back in May when I mutually ended a 5-year relationship with my other half, I had to think of ways to keep busy and adapt to possibly one of the biggest changes in my short 24 years. I'd always been the sensible one out of my friends, the voice of reasoning and the one with the 'old head' on 'young shoulders', but for once I had a feeling that I didn't want to be the one that talked friends down from silly situations, I wanted to live and I had a strong urge to travel. With this in mind, my "65 things to do before I turn 30" bucket list was born. If you haven't read this you can find it here.

Of course one of the things I wanted to cross off was 'live like a cowgirl' and my saviour came in the form of Horseworks Ranch in Wyoming. The owner was looking for journalists to go and take part in their internship for 3-weeks and before I knew it my flights were booked and I was on the countdown until my plane took off from Heathrow.

Nestled deep in Grass Creek between Cody and Thermopolis, Wyoming near the beautiful Yellowstone National Park, HorseWorks is surrounded by 66,000 acres ranging from sage brush flats to expansive scrub pine mountains. If you want complete peace and tranquility then HorseWorks ticks both of those boxes.

Owners, Nate and MaeCile Brown have both invested not only money, but also several hours of their time and personal experiences to create a place that feels like a home away from home to all visitors and guests that drive through their gates. Their bubbly yet friendly and welcoming personalities shine through the moment you meet them and instantly you know you're going to have the trip of a lifetime.

Born in Wyoming in 1921, Nate has ridden and cowboyed all his life. To those who know him - and even those who don't - Nate is a living legend and a true cowboy through and through. Although he can't ride as much as he used to, it doesn't mean to say he doesn't enjoy hearing all about what his horses have been up to and the twinkle that appears in his eye when you mention his favourite horse, Nicole is something you almost can't put into words.

MaeCile came to Wyoming in 1994 after living abroad for ten years to pursue her true loves: Nate and horses. With strong beliefs of correct horsemanship, years and years of knowledge and western tradition experience, MaeCile truly comes alive when showing interns the importance of groundwork and cowboy ways.

Whilst at Horseworks you'll bunk in rustic 12' x 16' log cabins with electricity and propane heat. Camp in homesteads dating from the late 1800s when the three Dickie boys came to Grass Creek from Scotland, immigrating into to this territory with their band of sheep, then built the area into one of the premier sheep, cattle and horse ranches in the country. You may also expect an overnight stay at Prospect Cow Camp.

Since the late 90's it has always been Nate and MaeCile's personal goal to "get off the grid" and live more like the way Nate lived as a young cowboy growing up in Wyoming in the 20's - immersed in nature, learning from the land and livestock.

Both Nate and MaeCile are firm believers that each guest is an individual and will do their very best to ensure they have the most magical time whilst at HorseWorks. MaeCile told me that Nate has always believed in matching horses to the guests personalities and both horse and rider almost pick one another, rather than the relationship between the two being forced.

Part 1:

I didn't make things easy for myself; the day I was due to leave for Heathrow I decided it would be a good idea to compete Ceaser near Luton which seemed like a good idea at the time, but all my thoughts were taken up with the apprehension of what was to come for the next three weeks and my attention was more on the prospect of living like a cowgirl. Ceaser went beautifully for me and I was pleased with our middle ground placing in the Dressage to Music Championships, but couldn't wait to be on my way home and leaving for Heathrow at midnight. It was all becoming real now and after months of counting down and October seeming like a lifetime away, it was finally here.

The prospect of a 19-hour long journey to the ranch made me all the more excited. I had visions of what it would look like, what the people would be like and how much of a different way of life it would be to England. Flying into Cody airport at 8pm on the Sunday evening was one of the most magical experiences one can experience. It's hard to imagine we're still on earth when you see the scenery, it's simply beautiful.

We were met at the airport by head wrangler, Hannah and "Cowboy Paul" whom is Nate's Cousin. You'll learn much more about Paul as he went on to become one of my heroes. Once we'd all been introduced and said hello we headed to a Cowboy bar in Cody called Silver Dollar to grab some food and a much-needed drink!

I was in complete awe of this bar - I knew obviously that Cowboys and towns like this existed, but I never in a million years imagined I'd ever have the opportunity to experience it.

Before long we were all yawning away and ready to head to bed, but still full of anticipation of what the next 3 weeks would bring us all. On the hours drive back to the ranch it gave me a great opportunity to get to know both Kathrin, Hugh and of course Cowboy paul. Boy did he have some stories that I just couldn't wait to hear more of.

Upon arriving back at the ranch Kathrin and I decided to share a cabin together as we both liked to be hot and agreed we could have the heating on the majority of time we were in our cabin! Phew - a girl after my own heart!

Kathrin and I both fell to sleep pretty quick that night, we were well and truly exhausted and more than ready for a decent nights sleep after spending 19 hours on several planes and sat waiting around in the airports. Home seemed like a world away at this point.

Monday

Waking up and opening the cabin door to the wilderness of Grass Creek was simply amazing and something I'll never be able to describe without being able to use the photos I took to help do the talking. It was peaceful, full of tranquility and the only noise I could hear was birds tweeting.

The day started off slow which gave us a good chance to look around and get to know where everything was and in my case try to learn peoples names (something I'm rather terrible at!).

In the morning we had to take the trailer to fetch some horses which had escaped over the last few days. We sat in the back of the trailer to the field where they were; again, something that is just so foreign to us English people, but all part of the Wyoming experience.

It was at this point we got our first sense of what herding horses looks like. It's something I've always wanted to do after watching endless cowboy movies and programs but never thought I'd get the opportunity. How wrong could I be...

To be continued...

For more information on HorseWorks please visit their website

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It's an American adventure...

I haven't wanted to announce for this for worry of jinxing it - or the possibility that I announced it and actually one day I woke up and realised it had all been a dream. However, with flights booked and just 2 days until I leave for the airport I think I'm safe to let you know where I'm heading and why.

In May of this year, just a mere week after deciding to end a 5-year long relationship I was contacted by a ranch in America. They had read my blog and were looking for a journalist with a passion for marketing to join them for 3 weeks, experience the 'ranch life' and then write some editorial content in return for staying.

Initially I was asked if the opportunity was something I would be interested in and whether I'd be able to take 3 weeks from my full-time job. They attached an application form to the email (just to ensure I was the right candidate) and told me to contact them should I have any questions. Their main source of income is through offering internships for university students, graduates and those in their 20's so they were looking for a young, bubbly and out-going candidate who wasn't afraid of hard work and getting their hands dirty working on the ranch, but who also had a passion for all animals that could relate to their target age group.

Immediately I filled out the application form, detailing my experience both writing and marketing for various equine companies and beyond, including my determination in achieving all that I can whilst I have the opportunity. The next step was to mention it to work and see if they would be happy with me taking several weeks out of the company should I be offered the 3 week position. Thankfully they were more than understanding and encouraged me to go and enjoy myself - but make sure I returned!

Waiting for the email back from the ranch was some of the longest days of my life but when it came back that I had been accepted I was over the moon. The countdown to going has seemed like it's gone on forever but we're finally only two days away from leaving for the airport.

I'm a big believer that things happen for a reason and I'm definitely looking forward to getting away for 3 weeks, experiencing America and embarking on a new journey alone. For the first 2.5 weeks I'm heading to the ranch and then on my way home I'm stopping in New York for 3 days to do some touristy things.

You'll be able to follow my journey here on my blog and all posts will be published once I'm home. I doubt i'll be able to post whilst I'm away so thought I'd let everyone know why I'm quiet and ensure you all I haven't disappeared.

For now, have a good October everyone - see you soon!

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