Go for a Wander

You paint a nice picture! And a true one. I'm quite a ways from a large city now, with the mountains close by...and spend many an hour on horseback (but I have a 45.70 in my scabbard).

@hunter love my Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70. Thats a no BS calibre right there!

Since I retired in 2008 I'm smelling the orses and actually taking the time to watch them grow. When I was working it was a constant race for airplanes, appointments and dead lines. No more and I'm grateful that I got to leave the rat race at 55. Now the only rushing I do is to get to the B&M so I can kill several hours with friends and solve the problems of the world.

I often think I was born in the wrong century.

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I’ve often felt the same way, and wished many times that I had lived in pre-industrial America. I do feel fortunate that I at least was able to spend my childhood and young adulthood in the pre-computer age.
It’s not that I believe technology is inherently bad, but that it has been controlled and manipulated from the beginning (primarily in regards to energy production) to prevent it from ultimately being a net-benefit for the masses.

I dunno, guys. An awful lot of this wistful, nostalgic looking back glosses over the fact that we've always had the driven, Type A personalities that work themselves into an early grave vs. the more laid-back types. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the great engineer of the Victorian Age, worked himself to death by age 53. A lot of my ancestors didn't have time to stop and smell the roses because the factories demanded 12 hour days, 6 days a week.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a Type A myself, and often would like nothing more than to spend an hour on my back patio with a pipe and a good book. It's all a matter of finding what appeals to you, and arranging your life so that you can indulge from time to time... :D

Hunter: I no longer have the critters. I do miss them and the long, solitary rides into the back country. Horse and dog, out amongst the moose, bear and other critters, up in the high country with not another human for many, many miles.
I envy you! If I was younger, and still capable of tending to the attendant responsibilities of a horse or two, I'd be in saddle most every day, rain, snow or shine. I used to hunt the wily Bullwinkle every fall, just the two horses, a slab of bacon, a bit of coffee, berries on the bush and the anticpation of a fresh steak.
I firmly believe that youth is greatly wasted on the kids! Youth should be reserved for those over 50. We would be much more appreciative of it that the whippersnappers are. May you never get too old to ride.

Warren, you're speaking my language ha ha! Especially the part about no humans for miles. I do lots of solo riding and generally prefer it.

I have 5 horses. They are a large part of my daily life, whether I ride or not. They teach me patience; they teach me how to be a better person.
Jeepnewbie mentioned " however I think people took a little more time to think and smell those roses." I also think people of our era fail to appreciate the little things, and nature and what it has to offer. We live in a society where everything we need (or think we need) is manufactured for us and easily accessible.
The land I've been living on for a few months now was a homestead in the '30's. The property is littered with antique farm and ranch equipment from an era where horses provided the power. It is impossible not to live here without somewhat of a sense of awe: the sheer amount of work the previous residents of this land did simply to ensure their continued existence and well being.
I have plans for this place: fences and paddocks, lots of repair and restoration work. The largest extent of which I'm doing with my own hands. There is such a sense of satisfaction in building something, standing back with pipe in hand and thinking, "I did that!" I work at my own pace, not that dictated by others. I'll use a horse rather than a quad.
I'm not near a city so planning trips to make the most of them is essential. There is a tiny village 5 miles away, which is minutes in my truck, but even that would have taken a good chunk of the day 100 years ago, after hitching up the team. Same thinking, but on a different scale.
I think people worked physically harder, which Phred alludes to. But I think they enjoyed a greater sense of appreciation of what they had, what was around them in nature, and what they did with their own hands, particularly in the rural sector. That remains true to this day and you will notice the general change in attitude the farther you get from a city. What is different in our era is that we have more choices. We can live our lives how we want.

Damn Hunter, your creating a fine image of Alberta. I make it there a few times a year with work but sadly I rarely get out of Calgary. When I was younger I cowboy'd out near 100Mile house in B.C. and I'll tell you this..... It was on those mountain sides and sunlit trails above the cloud line that got me believing in God, not the hours spent in a church. Someday it would be an honor to sit by a fire and enjoy a bowl with you.

Retired at 48 and never stopped smelling whatever. 35 years of labor, mostly on foot.Yet 10's of thousands of humanless miles. It's still possible today. The pipe was the rest, now it's the adventure. I'm worried now if I'll come back from a wander. It probably doesn't matter. Wandering is all I wanted. I think I never came back. Maybe for a 243Win.

“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going to fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” :D

My grandfather lived on a farm.He had no electricity..Believe me it was sun up to sun down work 7 days a week.My fantasy is to be 30 years old with more money than I could ever spend..Of course that isn't true.Some times though when I'm sitting in my chair smoking a pipe my thoughts drift off and I wonder where I would be and who I would be smoking with if it were really true.

jeepnewbie, I've quite often felt the same way. These days, on a daily basis, it's all about deadlines, rushing to get things done. I'm on my feet all day running around and busting my tail. As soon as one task is done, I'm rushing to the next. And so it goes until I clock out and go home, only to shower, eat, relax a bit, and go to sleep only to do it all again the next day. Often I'm doing it six days a week, 10 hours a day and no breaks. I don't have time to think until I get home. The pipe is definitely a luxury. Sometimes when I do have time to think at work, that's what I'm thinking about. Getting home, loading a bowl and just relaxing. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate hard work. I've always tried to work hard and bust my tail on the job. But I know it's starting to catch up to me now. 40's coming this March. Last year, I could still go 1000 miles an hour at work and still have all the energy in the world. It's affecting me now though. I can still go 1000 miles an hour, but it's paying it's toll. I can feel it. And I'm afraid that soon I'm going to start slowing down. I push myself, running circles around anyone younger, because I know, once I do start slowing down, someone younger is going to come along and get the hours on their schedule instead of myself.