Fired about Wyoming, just Finished "Molon Labe"

[georgedonnelly]

Hi there

I just finished reading "Molon Labe" and I'm very fired up about moving to Wyoming. "Molon Labe" almost feels like Atlas Shrugged Part 2 in its impact.

The concrete plan for achieving de facto secession is inspiring. The argument that we should be free to do what we ought was new to me, but you know, I agree with that now. I'm not sure if I would choose to live in the most Christian or tight-laced community, but I wouldn't be too far from it on the continuum from that to the pot-smoking, hippie community.

I'm self-employed, married and have a toddler. My business requires internet access though, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to live full-time in Crook, Weston or Hot Springs. The options for internet access I have found there so far are too limited (or non-existent) for me. But I might be able set up official residence there, while spending most of my time in Cheyenne or one of the other, bigger towns in the south.

The only obstacle atm is convincing my wife. She's from Colombia (where cities are safe and the countryside is extremely dangerous due to marxist and fascist rebel groups) and is worried about being somewhere where neither one of us has family or friends.

Are there many small farms in WY? I'm interested in growing my own crops. I'm also interested in running for office, helping others doing the same and learning how to use handguns and battle rifles.

My ETA would be somewhere between July of next year and Nov 2010.

Thanks in advance for any helpful info for allaying my wife's concerns.

[MamaLiberty]

Welcome, George! We'll help all we can. What kind of fancy internet access do you need? We have DSL, satellite and wireless available here in Newcastle.

Anyway, please have your wife read as much as possible on the forum here, and many of us would be very glad to talk to her via PM or email... or PM and I'll give you my phone number and I'll talk to her that way.

There are no roving bunches of bandits or soldiers here, at least at present, and we don't expect any. Crime is almost non-existent here - at least not the private enterprise type. Politicians are another story...

I hope you can plan to come visit and look around before you decide where you want to settle. Nothing beats one to one meetings. In any case, depending on where you decide to live, you'll have plenty of good friends and neighbors already here. Don't wait too long.

[rhodges]

My business requires internet access though, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to live full-time in Crook, Weston or Hot Springs. The options for internet access I have found there so far are too limited (or non-existent) for me.

DSL seems to be available in most towns around here, and much of the rural areas.  Do you need more bandwidth or lower latency?  If so, perhaps it would make sense to put your server(s) in a hosting facility and manage it from home.

The only obstacle atm is convincing my wife.

That is a very common theme. Although there are plenty of exceptions, most women seem to be wired to crave comfort, security, and "city life".

She's from Colombia (where cities are safe and the countryside is extremely dangerous

Where it seems to be the other way around in the US.  Perhaps in Wyoming she could get used to the idea of safe cities AND safe countryside?

Are there many small farms in WY? I'm interested in growing my own crops.

There are quite a few in Crook County, mostly alfalfa and barley I believe.  I have heard that there is a lot of farming in other areas, like Worland, Lusk, Torrington, and probably a lot more.  If you have a green thumb (and the weather is kind to you), you could probably do very well selling fresh local vegetables.

[MamaLiberty]

If you have a green thumb (and the weather is kind to you), you could probably do very well selling fresh local vegetables.

OH YES!!! You will probably need at least one greenhouse to be able to do this, but you'd have a steady market. I'll be first in line if at all possible.

[georgedonnelly]

Thanks for the replies!

DSL, cable or wireless all work fine for me. Only dialup and satellite are of no use to me. Low latency is important for me. Actually I do have my servers in a datacenter (Dallas).

I'll have to take a look at Newcastle - is that in Weston county?

Yes I definitely want to visit first. As a child I lived on a farm in Western PA, but from age 9 onwards have always lived in big cities, Philadelphia, Chicago, Osaka, Medellin, Bogota .... so I expect the transition to be rough.

In any case, the events especially of the last few years have me extremely concerned for the kind of world my son will live in, so I am very motivated to live more closely in alignment with my principles. I've been debating for several years now where to move to in the US, and am sold on WY.

I was considering NH for awhile but after reading Boston's analysis of NH vs WY I'm convinced that WY is considerably more feasible.

That's great news about the farming.

I'll continue reading through the old posts. Thanks again MamaLiberty and rhodges!

[MamaLiberty]

Yes indeed, Newcastle is in Weston - the county seat, to be exact. There are only three towns in Weston, and a wide spot in the road with two buildings as a semi-forth. The rest is open country with grasslands on the south and west, the beautiful Black Hills on the north and east. I'd love to show you around.

[kylben]

I expect the transition to be rough.

Yes, that's something I'm looking at as well.  My contact with "the boonies" has been limited, but non non-existent, so I'm aware of some of what that kind of transition entails, but not much detail.  What would be useful would be a "rural life for city folks" primer.  Sally and I are thinking about ways to prepare for the transition.  She jokes about having to learn to can our own food, but I wonder how much of a joke it really is. On the other hand, she's still thinking in terms of where she'll be able to buy brie and merlot, so I'm not sure we're completely ready yet.

In any case, welcome to the show, George. 

[Paul Bonneau]

For you city folk, it might make more sense to land in Casper or Cheyenne first, to ease your transition. They aren't really cities, but they are close enough that you shouldn't feel too out of whack to live there. Another option would be to live within driving distance of Billings or Fort Collins, to get a brie and merlot break once in a while. Although that may be a stretch for Billings...

After you get used to no people being around, you can venture into the boonies. 

[Shawn]

On the other hand, she's still thinking in terms of where she'll be able to buy brie and merlot, so I'm not sure we're completely ready yet.

brie   it's spelled beer, and there's plenty of places to buy it.    merlot   you'll hafta settle for cheddar, american or pepper jack     

[kylben]

For you city folk, it might make more sense to land in Casper or Cheyenne first, to ease your transition. They aren't really cities, but they are close enough that you shouldn't feel too out of whack to live there. Another option would be to live within driving distance of Billings or Fort Collins, to get a brie and merlot break once in a while. Although that may be a stretch for Billings...

After you get used to no people being around, you can venture into the boonies. 

Yeah, that's an idea.  I already "landed" in Tucson from Chicago.  It was a bit of a transition, but not nearly as much.  On the other hand, Sundance is kindof a suburb of Spearfish, right?    Maybe that's big town enough to ease me in...

Shawn, that's funny.

[salmilo]

Um, it's goat cheese & Shiraz I must have! I suppose I can learn how to make 'em from scratch, but I suppose I can stock up in Rapid City - or even make the occasional Denver run.
PS - Learning to can tomatoes, etc. from stuff I know I can grow is something I'll be able to do. I'm so looking forward to the "Earth Mother" phase of my life!

[MamaLiberty]

Welcome, salmilo!! 

And remember, all of you, that you won't have to learn all this on your own unless you want to. There are plenty of us already here who have done many or most of these things for a long time. I can teach a lot about gardening, raising goats and other animals, making cheese and all sorts of things.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm sure that some of us would be willing and able to help, no matter where you land.

[kylben]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm sure that some of us would be willing and able to help, no matter where you land.

And that's the problem with Paul's suggestion of transitioning into Cheyenne - the most helpful people on the board seem to be up north.     Casper is something to consider, though. 

[V2Dream]

For what it is worth, there is a winery on the edge of Hill City, SD., which is about 35 miles from Newcastle.  We just had company from Louisiana and when we took them there they bought a whole
case of different wines available.  They also have a gourmet deli(cafe) inside.  Not sure about that part
as we had already eaten and we didn't check it out.  They do have a website:  prairieberry.com
They have some fine honeywines as well as others with unique names such as calamity Jane, etc.
Now I have only had brie once in my life and I am not sure it is on my list of things I would want often but if you do there is a lady between here and Custer that has goats and perhaps she makes that kind.
I know she does make other kinds of cheese.
As for help, well, I thought that is what we were here for.
linda b.

[georgedonnelly]

MamaLiberty, thanks for your kind offer. I'll probably up in the spring (Mar or Apr) and would be very grateful if I can take you up on that offer around then. I'll co-ordinate with you before reserving my tickets.

Canning – I'd love to (re-) learn how to do that. My Grandma was an avid canner.

Shawn: That is a great Gandhi quote. I wasn't familiar with that one, though I do know he was no pushover, as some people seem to think.

I have to say I'm even more psyched now.

Thanks again, all.