I just accepted a seasonal position on a dude ranch in Wyoming and I
couldn’t be more excited. This has been a
dream and bucket list item for me for 20 years, since visiting the
Bitterroot Ranch in Dubois, WY as a guest in 1995. Sadly, they won't hire former guests.
Since then, I casually applied to a few ranches over the years and had a few phone interviews but no job offers. This summer, I was about to give up,
thinking I was just too old at age 51 to get hired, but I gave it one
more shot. I Googled “Wyoming dude ranches”, hastily clicked on the
Employment section for 6-7 ranches and fired off my applications, only
stopping to research the ranches after my applications had been
submitted.I was quickly scheduled for some phone interviews with the Brush Creek Ranch near Laramie, and when I researched it, I realized it was a very large, luxurious, Conde Naste rated resort and spa with a staff of 125, two week formal training program, uniforms, 60 hour/6 day work weeks and 150 guests each week. It appears that they hire hospitality career types, many of college age. I may have been a little over zealous on that one. After corresponding back and forth with two departments, I didn’t get an offer. I wasn’t dejected for long…
Three or four additional ranches called me back and scheduled phone interviews, reference and background checks, and before I knew it I had TWO firm job offers. Both ranches were fantastic, and I basically had to flip a coin to decide. If this summer goes as planned, I may just return to Wyoming every summer until I’m physically unable and work on a different ranch each year. We shall see…
After a 3 day drive from TN, I will arrive in Wyoming the third week of May, and may post some things about my cross country drive, Jackson Hole, dude ranches and Wyoming between now and then. The last time I was his excited for a summer adventure was in 2005 when I arranged free lodging on the Greek island of Skopelos in exchange for cat-sitting for an British expat while she travelled home for the summer. That trip turned into a magazine article! You’ll find a link to my other travel blogs on the right, including one on my summer in New Orleans. Check them out while you’re waiting for the Wyoming adventure to begin!
