A trip to the Flying A Ranch in winter is an exceptional experience hardly matched around the Jackson Hole area. After a one hour drive to park and load up the snowmobiles with a picnic and supplies, I and another broker embarked on the 7 mile trip to the ranch on the narrow track. As each mile passed, I felt the elation and peace that comes with leaving day to day life behind and entering the winter wonderland of the upper Green River Valley, the stunning scenery and the remote yet accessible ranch in the shadow of the Wind River Mountains.
Stories of the old cabins, the early settlers, hunting and fishing, wildlife sightings, wolves, elk, moose, horseback rides on the ranch and into the wilderness are endless.
I can imagine bringing my family and friends here, or business associates, away from the clutter and noise of civilization, to a place of peace and serenity, adventure and activity, campfires and dark nights, stars and the sounds and quiet, all together. The call is out for a new owner to settle into the Flying A Ranch, live the dream of the wilderness and experience this unique and special place, so close yet so far.
I blink and I am back in the lodge with a picnic and a snowshoe tour of the ranch where I see ravens, magpies, Clarkâs nutcracker, gray jays and mountain chickadees. The occasional martin, coyote, fox snowshoe hare and weasels are reported winter sightings of the ranch manager. Spring will bring the big game back, babies are born, the lake ice will melt, the streams flow, the waterfowl settle in and the seasons change on the ranch. I will be back.