FSW Members explain: Why I Moved To Wyoming!

[Boston]

Dear FSWyomingites,

This thread is for those relocated here to offer a concise and inspiring
story about your own experience moving to Wyoming, for linking to
the FSW website.  What its readers would enjoy hearing about are
the people here, the land, the freedom-oriented culture, etc.

If locals and FSWers have been significantly helpful, please note that, too.

Many of you have already done so on other threads, and you're welcome
to grab/edit/post such here, which is a board accessible to non-forum users
(thus, we can link it to the website).  Please note that I may have to
occasionally edit for length or presentability, but this will rare.

I thank you for your help here, which will nicely spruce up the FSW site
and showcase the best quality of the FSW:  its people.

Martha has made a very nice first post. 
llbisme (Lori, a local and FSW friend), PatriotAR15, Prairie Fire,
rhodges, Paul Bonneau, and DontTreadOnMe also have posted their own stories.

Thank you all for these inspiring narratives!

So, who's next?

 
Boston

[MarthaK]

Okay, I guess I'll start.? I'm not sure if you'll want to use our story for the website though.?

We moved to Crook county from Sweetwater county, Wyoming this summer.? We wanted to live and bring up our boys in a small town.? Where my vote on local issues still matters.? We had been official "members" of FSW for about 4 months, and we wanted to be a part of that community.? The forum is great, but we wanted to make it our lifestyle.? Tom and I started discussing what freedom and liberty and friendship really were.? At that same time, Tom attended his first Gurnsey shoot.? It was life-changing for him.? He realized that Rifleman is a way of life and not a hobby.? We met our first FSWers there.? Men that were not afraid to be men!

So our house went on the market.? Within 2 months it was sold. However, because of unfortunate and unseen circumstances we lost about $15,000.? Ouch.? That was supposed to be our down-payment on another home.? We ended up living in a campground for 6 weeks.? By we, I mean the whole family, all 5 of us.? If anyone thinks this is easy, or fun, I challenge you to try.? The housing in NE Wyoming is very limited.? We tried weekly, if not daily to rent a place - ANY place.? We found a house in Sundance that was for sale, and the couple that owns it has been very gracious in letting us rent until we are able to buy.? We found out today that they are willing to work a 5 year lease with us.? So we are HERE for at least 5 years!? ?

We moved our things from storage one car load or truck load at a time.? We had so much FSW help it was unbelievable.? At that time we hadn't even met PaulWY, and yet he offered the use of his truck and labor.? Jared has become part of the family.? He has offered his assistance every step of the way.? Jed Bodacious made several trips for us as well, even when his own future was up in the air.? Thank you all.

Tom has had 3 jobs since moving to this area.? We have found that many jobs are seasonal so that if it rains, snows or the wind blows too hard, he doesn't work that day.? He worked a total of 8 days the month of November.? Sad to say you can't live on love.? But my husband is flexible and willing to do what is needed to provide for us.? As I homeschool the boys, I am not able to work outside the home at this time.? Tom now works nights in various mines around Gillette, and we are finding that it works for us.? At least until it snows?

We've had other support along the way.? KesWindHunter has given me a great boost of "girl time", and we've had great discussions on everything under the sun.? As a side note - there really needs to be more women!? RazorCityRifleman - what can I say.? He's opened our eyes on many topics.? The personal shooting instruction has been phenomenal.?

Anyway, back to why we moved.? We are now a part of a REAL community.? We don't just network and take what we need.? I love these people.? They are people I will fight - politically, verbally or even physically - for and with.? Has it been easy?? No!? Is it worth it?? In every way because we will be a part of what is RIGHT in this country.

Tom, Martha and Boys?

[llbisme]

First time posting, This is a topic i feel strongly about.
? ? ?I am a single mother of two. Before living here in Wyoming I resided in Denver and San Diego. In 2002 I was once again the victim of school budget cuts and my teaching position was eliminated. I was faced with my 7th move in four years. I and my chjildren had grown very weary of the Gypsy life. A very wise women whom I love dearly suggested I look into moving to Wyoming. My reaction was not favorable. I figured she had been nipping at the sauce again or maybe even something heavier. WYOMING NO WAY I THOUGHT. But, like I said I love this women very much so I did as she suggested and LOOKED INTO moving to THE COWBOY STATE. That motto too nearly scared me off. However I did not hastily judge and I looked deeper. What I found was a few things that convinced me to give THE EQUALITY STATE? (I like that motto better). a try. These are the points that sold me.
1) Schools that still had very low teacher student ratios ( vital to a good education)
2) Schools that for the most part ranked above the national average and often where off the charts
3) Communities I didnt feel like I needed to arm my 5 year old to go out and play in.
4) A cost of living that would allow me to get a HOME for my kids not an apartment or closet
5) A State that is breathtakingly gourgeous in many many areas.
6) The great outdoors in abundance.
7) Room to breath
The end to traffic jams (except in Campbell County)
9) Smaller close knit communities

The only challange I have found was the employment situation. I was told by many, " You will never find work here" Well many where wrong. I have not always had my DREAM job but I have had and continue to have A GREAT LIFE and a good job.
? ?
Moving to Wyoming is a decision I grow more grateful for all the time. Gotta love it I know WE DO

RazorCityRifleman - what can I say.? He's opened our eyes on many topics.? The personal shooting instruction has been phenomenal.

Yes RazorCityRifelman is indeed a great man. He too has opened my eyes in many many areas.

Lori

[PatriotAR15]

For me, more than a few reasons. In no particular order...

1. I've been looking to move the heck out of the People'z Republik of Neu Jerzei, just didn't know which state. I.E. Reason #1, ESCAPE FROM NJ!
2. Maximum Liberty! Almost no gun laws!
3. No Income Tax
4. High Job prospects
5. Low cost of living
6. Friends who were willing to help me settle in (thanks to Shawn and Brandy, Havoc, RichardF)
7. Molon Labe gave me the final inspiration and jolt of courage to finally get up and DO IT. (thanks Boston!)
8. High Density of like minded individuals
9. Great place to live!

[Prairie Fire]

I've been here for all but about three of the last thirty years. 
 
In no particular order, here are some of the things that makes Wyoming good for me:
1)  Relatively sparse population.  People who don't live at close quarters with one another tend to treat others with a bit more respect than those who live in crowded societies.
 
2)  Lots of public land, not the most of any state but it's fairly evenly scattered throughout the State.  It's easy to get away and shoot/train/recreate in relative privacy.
 
3)  A harsh winter climate.  While I don't really like cold weather, it has to be admitted that it helps to keep some people from staying here.
 
4)  A state government that "tends" to be less of a welfare-oriented state than others.  Details are arguable, but bottom line is that Wyoming has a hundred-year history of exporting its unemployment problem as boom and bust cycles occur.
 
5)  Harsh climate again, it helps reduce the bug population:  fleas, ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes.
 
6)  There's more people here than in most places who still feel that they are responsible for what happens in their lives, and don't expect somebody else to fix their problems:  whether those problems are caused by bad luck or fate or karma's wheel smacking them upside the head.  That sense of personal responsibility is going away in Wyoming as time goes on, but things here are still better than any other place I can think of.

[rhodges]

My voyage to Wyoming took a lifetime in the making.  I was raised just outside a rather small city in Northern California.  As cities went, it was not really that bad (at first).  While there was not a lot of industry and regular jobs, there was some honest work, like the steel mill, pants factory, and concrete plant.  By the time I grew up, the town and surrounding areas had caught the tourist-trap disease and the whole place went to hell.  Along the way, I also observed how California politics were on the road towards fascism and I finally realized that there was not one damned thing I could do about it. The voters actually WANTED oppression, and it is impossible to outvote them.

So seventeen years ago, I started looking around and decided that rural Nevada was the place for me.  In many ways, Nevada reminded me of a place still many decades in the past, before the disease if you will.  At first, the stark mountains, open sandy desert, and permanent clear blue skies were a refreshing reminder of a clean future and the stink hole I left behind.  But as the years past, the desert lost its charm and I started noticing that some people were starting to show signs of the city people sickness.  Developers started stamping out tract houses left and right. Traffic changed for the worse, and nearly every day I saw more examples of rude and stupid drivers.  Over the last five years or so, it seemed that state politics went from bland to serious attempts to create another fascist California.  The final straw for me was when Governor Gwinn got the Supreme Court to overturn a constitutional ammendment requiring a two-thirds majority for a tax increase so that his pet budget could raise taxes, after it failed for lacking the required votes.  To me, this was a clear signal that corruption has become strong and bold enough to dance outside in the daylight.  Goodbye, Nevada.  Sorry you joined the dark side.

With two very clear examples of how things can go to hell, I started looking at Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming.  I quickly ruled out Oregon because it is also on the dark path, and because the people are clique-ish.  One friend told me that in his home town, if you are not BORN there, you will always be an outsider.  Idaho, and especially the mountain areas, sounded pretty nice, but I eventually became concerned that the state would forever be ruled by Boise, like Nevada is by Las Vegas and Reno.  City people and their poison politics may eventually ruin that garden.

For me, Wyoming seemed to have the best of everything.  While there are some large (for me) cities, even the largest claims only about 10% of the state population, reducing the chance of one urban area gaining political power over the state.

The climate is fine, and quite a bit wetter than my old home.  Wyoming is NOT DRY.  From the charts I studied, most of Wyoming gets more than 10 inches of water a year, and many parts get up to 20.  This is MUCH higher than the five or so inches I was used to in Nevada.  So I do not need to hear any foolish yapping about how dry it is here.  While winter gets pretty cold at times, it can also be pretty nice too. For instance, it is the end of December and we have had a lot of days around 40F where it is downright pleasant to work outside in short sleeves. Summer is also pleasant, with maybe a couple weeks where the temperature gets over 90F.  I like having four distinct seasons.  While much of Wyoming is very windy, my place in Crook County has very little wind most of the time, probably because of the hills and trees.

The people do not worship big government.  While there are always going to be power hungry psychopaths in any place, they seem to have a harder time pushing
their agendas here.  The people are generally friendly, but with a healthy distrust of strangers.  And neighbors are almost like family.  Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for.

Having a group of freedom minded friends to join me in Wyoming is a bonus. Most everywhere I have been, a clear thinking and freedom loving friend is a rare find, and the people in FSW give hope that we will eventually have not just a circle, but an entire community of such friends.

[wyomiles]

Good stuff folks, I just wanted to say hello to llbisme and welcome !!!   Miles

[Paul Bonneau]

Relatively sparse population.  People who don't live at close quarters with one another tend to treat others with a bit more respect than those who live in crowded societies.

Yeah, this is a big one for me. I had noticed in Oregon, the further east I went, the more relaxed and friendly the people were. It is the same in Wyoming.

It's almost as if you step into a time-warp and end up in the 1950's when you go to Wyoming. People seem more self-reliant. You can talk to those who are not particularly "successful" in the conventional sense of the term, and not get the feeling they resent you or blame you for their condition; likewise you can talk to those who have "done well" and not get the feeling they are looking down their noses at you (and they probably have dirt under their fingernails too). So what I'm saying, is that people don't seem to identify with "classes" so much, but relate to each other as individuals.

People seem to better understand how the free enterprise system works. Also, one's reputation is very important, another tip-off of a (relatively) free outlook by the folks living here.

It is also friendlier to kids, a great place to grow up.

Is there too much government? Yes, and like everywhere else, and it is growing (fueled by severance taxes, that the people don't feel - which is the silver lining on that cloud). But it is not like other places where there is too much government. It's strange, but even the bureaucrats are nice, and they seem to leave you alone if you want that. It's almost as if the small-town atmosphere prevents them from acting like jerks, because it will come back around at them. Or maybe because the people they deal with are nicer too, I don't know.

Walk around with a gun on your hip, you can do it any place in the state and it will give you that certain feeling of freedom. Kinda grows on a person...

[DontTreadOnMe]

For Christmas, I got a button that reads: ?I wasn?t born here, but I got here as fast as I could- WYOMING.? As far back as I can remember, Wyoming has always spoken to me in a way that no other place ever did.

When I was about nine years old, my father took me to Seminoe reservoir. I recall endless waters, hidden canyons and sandy fields more vast than I had ever seen; all without another soul in sight. Later that night, lightning lit up our surroundings in a spectacular white-blue that lasted only a nano-second, but was an incredible sight nevertheless. It was on trips like these that Wyoming spoke to me about a wilderness beyond imagination.

A few years later, my friend?s father took us with him to visit a friend of his who had a rather interesting home a few dozen miles past the middle of nowhere. I certainly didn?t know where I was in Wyoming, but I remember enjoying the hot tub at night, and looking up at more stars than I had ever seen on all the previous nights of my life combined. This was Wyoming telling me of its paradise.

Possibly on the same trip, we were at some lake, somewhere. The sun was setting, and it illuminated the lake just so, to where I felt as though I was in some magical dream that I never wanted to leave. It was then that I understood Wyoming?s magic.

At age fourteen, I had fireworks on the brain. Still do, I suppose; but anymore, it seems that firearms do show off a bit more than firecrackers ever did. Now you see; at that age, in my native state of Colorado, I could buy neither sparkler nor fountain, and for those Coloradoans over 16, that?s all that is allowed. But in Wyoming, I could walk into any roadside fireworks stand and trade my fistful of cash for items more thrilling, exhilarating and excitingly dangerous than any full-fledged adult could hope to buy or possess in Colorado. In part, it was the danger that made real fireworks so appealing. They were dangerous, but instead of being told no like in Colorado, I knew that I was on my own, in charge, and vested with the individual responsibility to not misuse them, or else personally bear the consequences. I knew nothing of politics, but I sensed something much deeper and more significant beyond the adolescent thrill of those forbidden fiery reports. By way of fireworks, Wyoming gave me something much more valuable: my first delicious taste of freedom.

As I forged through those difficult years during which one journeys from childhood to manhood and questions just about everything along the way; I learned about freedom. More specifically, I learned of its decline and deterioration. I began to see freedom?s absence and enemies. I kept learning more and more; changing, growing and acting. Much of what I learned along the way was from books, a few of which were penned by some guy pseudonymously writing as some Revolutionary War historical event.

Resolving that something must be done about the government?s unmistakable war on freedom, at the same time I dreamed of winding up in one of the big western states. Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, maybe Wyoming; one of them. All the while, tagging along with the family on the short trips to Cheyenne here and there, loving Wyoming more and more.

?I suppose I should order that, I?ve always liked Boston?s books.? I thought to myself as I prepared to send away for ?Molon Labe.? It was May of 2004. Well, life went this way and that, and ML just waited on the shelf with an angry patience until I was finally led to read it in October of 2005. I?ve never wondered at that; I know it was simply that God needed me to get to a certain point in life and be a certain way to read ML, and that?s why it sat for a year and a half. I dove straight into it, and lived the book, chapter by chapter, reading it all night at work, after work as I waited on the steps of the federal court house (I do love irony) for the train, and on the train home. I had read of so many fictional/futuristic ?solutions? and I only ever despaired when they always failed in my mind?s eye. Most were too unrealistically optimistic. ?Yeah right.? Or, they?d be defeatingly pessimistic. ?Wow. Why bother? Kill me now!? But- with ML, I found a more-than-could-be-hoped-for blend of both wise realism and motivating optimism. It was a package that made me think: ?Yeah, this can work. This will work. Let?s do it.?

Then, a few weeks later, I was quite honored to have the privilege of hanging out with Mr. Party himself to discuss the book, and the FSW. After facetiously informing him that he owed me 3-4 new highlighters for the ones that ML had soaked up, I later told him what the book really meant to me. Not only did it seem like a workable plan and a brilliant dream; but I knew that we were at a ?now? point in history. I knew that something big was going to happen, and soon, and I had happened across the opportunity to jump on the train while it was just starting to pick up speed. I told Boston that while reading ML: ?I understood what a civil rights worker must have felt like while standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial and listening to Dr. Martin Luther King?s ?I Have a Dream? speech.? Certainly stunned a little, Boston stated: ?Wow. It affected you that much huh?? I suppose it did. I am convinced that, if you have read ML, then you have been a part of history, a history in the making.

[DontTreadOnMe]

So I set out in March of 2006 to see what I could see, to drive all the way up to Crook County and shake a few hands. It was cold, still winter, and I was making the trip in my 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. The car is 23 years old, and it hadn?t treated me too well the year before. Mechanical trust issues aside, I love my car, and affectionately call it the DTOMobile.?

About five miles or so north of Cheyenne, I had a ?Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring? ?Sam? moment, a kind of ?Wow, this is as far as I?ve ever gone this way, what am I getting myself into?? It was just that the plains stretched out as far as the eye could see, and I really, really, felt the expanse of Wyoming bearing upon me. I felt as though I was driving off into nowhere in car I didn?t quite trust; and it was getting dark.

I was, frankly, a tad bit scared. I thought a little bit about heading back, but mostly about whether or not this was such a good idea. Would I wind up stranded? Would I wind back at home, haunted by defeat and surrender? Or, would I forge on, ?Damn the Torpedoes!? and make a giant leap in self-history? Could there be any other choice? So I sped on, bound and determined. Break-down? Not at all. More like break-out. The DTOMobile seems to like Wyoming more than I do, and performs fabulously throughout the state, and somehow, always starts better the next day than when in Denver.

Later, quite pleased to have made it to Crook County, I was disappointed that it was well after dark, and I wasn?t going to be able to see Devil?s Tower. Wrong again. The first time I ever saw Devil?s Tower was as a massive and imposing silhouette; stark against the starry sky. Now THAT was cool. I really think that?s the only way to see it for the first time; it?s more fearsome, and builds the suspense of seeing it the next day.? ?

I had been invited to spend the night at Richard Hodge?s in Hulett. (Thanks again so very much Richard!) When I woke up the next day; I couldn?t believe my eyes. For some reason, I had expected dull, lifeless plains, but was shocked to see that Crook County was beautiful beyond belief! It had just the right amount of trees and grasses, hills and fields, to be a place that I could spend years at and never regret a moment. Preparing to leave, I worried that my car might not start up at all. Ha! The DTOMobile started up more easily and quickly than it ever had before. Richard opined that I had given it an ?Italian Tune-Up? by driving it all to heck the night before, something about burning all the gunk out of the system. The last thing I got from Richard before I left was a jar of Crook?s unique red soil. I wanted to bring a chunk of free land back to Colorado with me. I still have that jar; and am looking at it as I type this.? ?

The rest of the trip went off without a hitch, and of course, I met more wonderful Free-Staters, beginning relationships that will last a lifetime.

Having traveled to parts of Wyoming unknown to me, and having heard even louder the calls of wilderness, magic, paradise and freedom; I kept coming back. Throughout 2006, I journeyed through Wyoming a half dozen times. Of course, I discovered more and more beautiful parts of Wyoming, and oftentimes even felt as though I was driving through a postcard. But what impressed me more than Wyoming itself, were the Free-Staters already there.

Initially expecting a bunch of angry militant types such as myself, I was surprised to find a wide array of folks, young and old, and from every slice of life you can think of. Smart people too. People who spoke of history and philosophy, and let me see the rings of Saturn with my own eye for the first time in my life. They were all so different from one another. Some gun nuts whose collections rival most gun stores, and some who don?t even own a gun. Some who are ex- and current military, to those who might have called themselves a ?Hippy? some yesteryear ago. The FSW is, wonderfully, an ideologically diverse group that could surely disagree about something with everybody else, but a group that does all agree on one thing: ?Live and Let Live.? And really, that?s just about all that needs to be agreed upon!

Many of them did, however, make me feel that my efforts were a bit trivial. After all, I was only moving from the Denver metro area of Colorado; a weenie?s two-hour drive south of Wyoming. These people dropped everything, and in the same spirit of Pioneers and Pilgrims past, said ?Wyoming or Bust!? and moved here from all over the nation. California. Texas. Washington. New Jersey. Mississippi. Nevada. Everywhere. Hmmph. And here I come, from just next door. Needless to say, these moves of vast distance have been incredibly inspiring and motivating to me.

Well, I guess I should have seen it coming. After all, an old car can only go on many long trips. On one of my last 2006 Wyoming adventures, something finally fell off of the DTOMobile and needed to be replaced. You see, it?s Colorado license plate was getting a little old, and it had to replaced. The new part was functionally the same, but a little different. The new one had a cowboy on it.

 
 


 

[Boston]

A couple of years ago, a Worland clerk remarked to me:

"There aren't many folks in Wyoming, and those who are here are good!"

People generally gravitate to wherever they feel most at home.
(Well, if they don't...they should.)

In Wyoming, freedom living is much more a way of life, and people are more
self-reliant and hardy.  The state hasn't been ruined by whining liberals, as
has Washington, Oregon, Colorado, etc.  Taxes are low to nonexistent, and
will very likely remain that way.  If a fellow wants to sling his rifle for a day of
shooting in BLM, the whole state manages not to go bananas about it and
increase the Terror Threat to a code Red.

Wyoming's population could double, and we'd still have only 11 people/mile?.

I moved to Wyoming in stages from Colorado (which no longer felt like home).
It's too bad I wasn't born here; it would have saved me a lot of time and expense!

Oh, well--it doesn't matter when you get here, just as long as you do.

Make a move towards Freedom!

Boston

[Shawn]

   Before writing I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to say anything original or inspiring.  Well, originality I can manage.  Inspiration proves to be tougher.  It wouldn't matter, except that inspiring others to do likewise has a lot to do with half the reason I uprooted my family and moved 800 miles from the place we had made our home for sixteen years.  I am, however, obliged by hope and principle, to do my best.  It boils down to two things, we moved to Wyoming:

     #1)  To be freer.

     #2)  To actually do the one single most efficacious thing anyone can for the cause of freedom, and that is to concentrate geographically with like-minded fellows.

     There was a time when I naively assumed that someone not already in favor of greater individual liberty, by gentle persuasion, could be made to desire the blessings of freedom.  I now realize this to be false, or if possible, to require effort far greater than the gain.  Before this realization, I had clung to the fragile hope that Americans, sufficiently swayed by aforementioned persuasion, would someday reverse our country's course.  Instead, I now really don't expect very much of the United States to escape a descent into an ever more regulated morass of fascism and socialism.  So, rather than go along for the ride in New Mexico, we decided to make the best possible immediate improvement regarding the state of our liberty, i.e., move to Wyoming.  I'm convinced that there isn't any better place for a lover of liberty.  Just by relocating, we've made ourselves freer.  That's #1.
     By the way, rural New Mexico, though no paradise, is worlds apart from NJ, NYC, Chicago, San Francisco(ok, all of CA), Washington, D.C., ad naseum.  If it weren't for other national crises looming, and the fact that NM will likely continue to slide toward tyranny unchecked, we would've stayed.  The improvement for us is small compared to the margin realized by escapees from IL, CA, MD, NJ, etc.
     As for #2, the hope I have for the future depends essentially on not being so damnably outnumbered.  We've kindred spirits in all corners of the United States, folks to whom maybe it hasn't occurred, "I'm outnumbered philosophically at least five hundred to one."  Why not change that?? The sustenance and expansion of liberty requires political clout, so let's "concentrate geogaphically."  The "Wyoming Report" at the end of Molon Labe puts it into words and detail far better than I can.
     Finally, I like to think that we have walked the walk.  We were reasonably comfy where we were, and moving when we didn't have to was not easy at all.  We've no relatives here.  We didn't wait to see if others would go first, or worry about jumping the gun.  Join us in Wyoming

[manfromnevada]

OK, Now that I've been here exactly ONE WEEK tonight, I'll explain what brought me here.

I left CA a little over three years ago in a search for a freer life without the taxes, the laws, the regulations, and the liberals!
I thought NV was the answer. A little sleepy town in the desert, population 30K, near Front Sight seemed perfect. Or so I thought.

But before long they were doing all the things that CA did. They had become Californicated!
Zoning came in. Building inspections soon followed. Impact fees just to build a house on your own land. Then there was the Sexually Oriented Business law that put my good friend out of business. Recently they enacted an Abandoned Building law where you had to get a permit if you owned an abandoned building.

I wasn't changing my zoning, I wasn't building a building, I didn't own a SOB, and I didn't own an abandoned building, but it still really p*ssed me off. The dream was fading fast. The 1.25 acre lot with my home seemed to shrink. What seemed like a HUGE lot (compared to CA) now seemed small. The noise of my neighbors bothered me more. I was no longer happy where I was.

That was about the time I read Molon Labe. I was fascinated. I've been following the FSP (not FSW) project for some time, but certainly wasn't going to go back east! So it was that I began to visit the FSW forum as well as several others like the Triad (MT, ID, WY) one. I liked what others on this forum were posting, what they were thinking, what their values were.

And so I fixed it in my mind that I wanted to come to WY. And here I am. Been here a week. It's been stressful for sure. I don't like uncertainty or change. I'm still adapting to the weather. It's been miserable here for the last week. Snowing today. A high of 32. Haven't been able to ride my bicycle at all, and that's a big part of what I do (or did). I miss it. I'm looking forward to some warming weather next week.

I don't really know what I hope to accomplish here regarding limiting the encroachment of government on our lives. But as Jared said once, I've already accomplished the fact that I'm surrounded by a good group of friends who think along the same lines as myself, and that means the world to me. If nothing else comes of it, I'll always have that, and that's a big deal. It's important to live amongst those you respect and trust. I've got that now.

Mac

[MamaLiberty]

I've tried to put my experience into words many times, both here and elsewhere, but it seems good to try again. Anyone who knows me at all knows the "why" as well, but I'll try to condense it into a few paragraphs for those I've not yet met.

I lived in Southern California for the first 59 years of my life. The last ten of those years found me more and more believing that I didn't belong there - indeed, had never really belonged there. I had been out of step with the growing socialism always, even though I endured a 20+ year career in nursing/education - one of the most heavily regulated fields.

I had worked hard for the LP in Calif. for many years (among other things), trying to help stem the tide of statism and socialism there, but in 1980 came to the conclusion that it was all a total waste of time. The statists had already won there. I also came to the conclusion that electoral politics is completely counterproductive for those who wish to live free, without aggression toward others.

Boston T. Party was well known to me through mutual friends, and I followed the unfolding of the FSP with great interest until they chose NH. I had NO desire whatsoever to move east, so was thrilled when Boston announced the FSW. I felt drawn to FSW from the start, but was in such poor physical health that the idea of moving to wild and woolly Wyoming seemed insane at the best.

So, I sat there in my beloved home in the Mojave Desert and prayed. It became obvious to me that God was calling me to Wyoming, but I just didn't know how in the world I could do it. And, of course, I couldn't "do it" on my own. I had to surrender to His will and trust Him. That was the answer to my prayers... but I had to take the initiative and obey FIRST.

I put my home on the market in the spring of '05, sold or gave away more than half of what "stuff" I had, packed a truck the end of September and hit the road with my youngest son driving.

Crossing the line between Utah and Wyoming is probably the most vivid memory I'll ever have. I'd never been here before, and didn't really even know what I was coming to as far as the land, but when we stopped at the first gas station I got out to walk around and realized fully that - somehow - I had finally come HOME.  I had never before felt so welcome, so full of hope and joy, so free.

It was everything and far more than I ever expected. And that was before I even met any of the other FSW folks!!! It just gets better and better.

The bonus is that I found health and healing here beyond my wildest dreams. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I'm willing and ready to face it - and do what I can to preserve it for myself and all who share my Wyoming home.

God bless you, and welcome. I look forward to talking with each one of you so I can tell you " the rest of the story."

MamaLiberty

[Ratnik]

I was:

A naive seventh grader in Westchester Ohio who could not understand the fascination with the Democratic Party's 1976 nominee and eventual President, Jimmy Carter.

A disinterested National Honor Society tenth grader who absorbed Ayn Rand's "Anthem" (required reading) and sought out "Atlas Shrugged." Agreed with John Galt, and took up intellectual residence in Galt's Gulch.

A college dropout running a record store in Tampa Florida, safely cocooned from from political and social involvement in what I percieved to be a dying nation. My philosophy was "let them destroy it all. It'll take them longer than my lifetime to do it."

A bored, sarcastic, lonely man lucky enough to have "free" internet access provided by America Online for hosting a chatroom designed to address connection problems for a game website.

This is where everything changed.

I met a fellow chatroom host who eventually became my wife. I could no longer be disinterested, as I found myself stepfather to the proverbial redheaded stepchild. I could not justify raising this boy in a society I cared nothing about. I chose to care again. My "meaningless political and social ranting" (as my sister often put it) suddenly had purpose and weight behind it.

My lovely bride and I discovered early on that our philosophical, social, and political beliefs were quite similar. It surprised niether of us. We were described as "statistically insignificant" by those who espoused the virtue of choosing "the lesser of two evils" in general elections. (As Michael Badnarik asks: If you choose the lesser of two evils and your candidate wins, what do you get?) I felt that my awakened interest in making this nation a better place for our children was meeting the same result I'd seen twenty-plus years before.

We became frustrated. Added to this, as the years wore on, it became evident that my wife was allergic to something in Florida. We knew we couldn't stay there, and not just because of the political and educational climate. I knew if I stayed there, I'd watch my wife slowly die, and my stepson slowly become indocrinated into the vast socialist experiment Florida was rapidly becoming.

Knowing this, we began to examine our options. We stumbled across something called "The Free State Project" (actually, I thought I recalled something like this in my self-induced stupor during the "rekka-sto" era in Tampa...) and almost immediately joined up. We looked at the ten states in the running, and became intrigued by Wyoming. The more we researched, the more we agreed that Wyoming was clearly the best choice for us (as well as the FSP).

We decided to visit. We coordinated vacation time, and flew from Orlando to Denver, and drove to Cheyenne. We had decided to look at Casper, I suppose for the conveniences of the "big city," although it was smaller than any city I'd lived in, and really only slightly larger than the town my wife was raised in.

In December 2003, we knew Casper was where we'd wind up. We planned our move for May 2004. The FSP chose New Hampshire, and we regretfully opted out. My wife had lived in New England for a time, and had no desire to return, particularly given the sense of "we're home" we both experienced on our Casper visit.

So we moved, and left the FSP behind. I watched my wife's health steadily improve. I watched my son (oops...stepson) grow stronger day by day, as he was allowed to play outside without fear of either heatstroke or stray bullets interfering. I experienced the smell of freshly cut grass (missing for twenty-plus years in Florida - there's no bluegrass there) and vowed to someday mow a real lawn again.

We built a house in Bar Nunn. Wide streets, good schools, good neighbors...and we found gainful employment. All that was missing was the potential association with like-minded "Libertarian" folk we'd hoped for with the FSP. "Ah, well, at least we're out of Florida" was my justification. "My family is healthy, my boy is growing up strong and happy, and we're together."

This morning (Independence Day, no less) I opened my copy of the Casper Star-Tribune to a front-page story on "Gun-toting Free Staters" in Wyoming. It took maybe twenty seconds for me to find the website after finishing the article (and I still havent even looked at the sports page) and sign back up. I only regret that I hadn't found it earlier! (And that I can't join up online). I've got the Statement of Intent printed out in front of me, and plan to drop the envelope in the mail later today. (I'm not planning to relocate from Natrona County, however. Hope that won't be a problem.? It is interesting, though, that way back when I was examining the FSP and it's "best" option, I thought Crook County was a clear and evident winner...go figure.)

The Casper Star-Tribune article could not have come at a better time. I still don't think the majority of Americans really understand what Independence Day is really about ("You mean it's not about fireworks and barbeque?"), but it was thrilling to read this story today, and just as thrilling to think there's hundreds (thousands?) more reading it and having the same reaction I had.

Here's to the next wave...and I'd like to be the first to welcome them aboard! (And myself "back" aboard!)