WKU News

Ryan Greenwood (MHC ‘24) spent his summer, “about an hour from Jackson, Wyoming, which is just on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere.” 

What was Ryan doing in the middle of nowhere as he puts it?  Working on a Dude Ranch, of course! 

“There are two different types of ranches. There's work ranches and there's guest ranches. Work ranches provide a good (not a service) and the ranches you will often see with a ton of cattle and other things like that. A guest ranch is providing a service, where we are welcoming people into the ranch, showing them everything that you offer.  My summer was spent working on a guest ranch.”

The question everyone is asking...Ryan, why go out west to a Dude Ranch?

“I just wanted something new. I've never been out West before, and I just kind of wanted to see how I would do taking a leap of faith knowing nobody out there. Plus, I love being outdoors. And that's just kind of right up my alley.”

Ryan’s time on the ranch was as trying as it was rewarding. “I got up every morning super early at 7am. I would work under the foreman, and we did maintenance and repairs. During the day, I would take breaks, and I would lead activities including skeet shooting, zip lines, dancing at night, archery, hatchet throwing, etc. In my free time, I like to do a lot of mountain biking and fly fishing. That's what I really enjoyed. I also did a little bit of horseback riding, which I didn't know beforehand but I got to be pretty good!”

So what does a summer at a Dude Ranch bring to a scholar like Ryan?  “Overall, I learned a lot about myself. Meeting other co-workers everywhere across the country and even abroad, it was a really neat experience.”

Ryan encourages other scholars to branch out of their comfort zone and embrace new experiences. What a fun summer that must have been, Ryan!