Do you live on the farm?

[callmefence]

Right in the middle.

Bingo! Our "driveway" (and I use that term loosely) is a mile long and you definitely can't see the house. Actually, the township road stops at the entrance to the ranch - there's no way out!

End of the road here to. Our gate crosses the road. House another 1/2 mile back.
We're not far from town and it's getting closer every day. But we're very secluded can't be seen from anyone outside of the property. I can't imagine having to live any other way.

 

[farmerjan]

I live off the farm... less than 1/2 mile to one pasture... PITA to go there twice a day when calving the heifers... we have lots of other places rented but that is mostly summer pastures... If I had a choice... I would be right there on the farm....When cows are out at the "main farm" it is 2 miles of a pain to go there and not having the bucket of feed to call them... or the truck for them to follow, or whatever... the car becomes a tool and equipment repository and yep... the one thing you need is in another vehicle or the barn 2 miles away.

 

[Dave]

It is roughly 200 yards from the house to the closest point on the county road. Actually that picture of the house and barn was taken from the county road. I am not on the end of the road but it is 15 miles up that road to the next ranch. And that is 15 miles of rough gravel road with lots of curves. There is only 10 to 20 vehicles go by in a day. And a third of those are ranchers pulling stock trailers.

 

[TCRanch]

Timely thread. Once again, I glanced out the front window about an hour ago and saw a UPS truck at the top of the freakin' central pasture. Watched it turn around and stop - he could see the house, but (especially this time of year when there's nothing but trees), clearly had no clue how to get here. It's not that hard!! Reading is fundamental!!! I get that GPS stops at the entrance of the ranch and I've posted our entrance sign before, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand: House to the left, Barn to the right. And yet, he went right. The road forks again about 3/4 way to the barn, but logic would/should dictate NOT turning at the fork and driving up the hill to the central pasture. Evidently, in his world, logic is overrated. He eventually went back to the entrance, took the correct road, and delivered my fly spray. I told him I watched him driving around the pasture (he did have the grace to act embarrassed) and asked him why he didn't follow the sign. What sign? Ummm, the one you passed - twice.

 

[CowboyRam]

I live here on the farm, we are only six miles out of Riverton. It is a three hour drive to my uncles ranch where I summer my cows; driving past the ranch on the highway you would not even know there is any buildings down in the draw below.

 

[Ouachita]

This sounds like the beginning of a suspense or horror movie.

I was thinking Hotel California

 

[Ouachita]

Timely thread. Once again, I glanced out the front window about an hour ago and saw a UPS truck at the top of the freakin' central pasture. Watched it turn around and stop - he could see the house, but (especially this time of year when there's nothing but trees), clearly had no clue how to get here. It's not that hard!! Reading is fundamental!!! I get that GPS stops at the entrance of the ranch and I've posted our entrance sign before, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand: House to the left, Barn to the right. And yet, he went right. The road forks again about 3/4 way to the barn, but logic would/should dictate NOT turning at the fork and driving up the hill to the central pasture. Evidently, in his world, logic is overrated. He eventually went back to the entrance, took the correct road, and delivered my fly spray. I told him I watched him driving around the pasture (he did have the grace to act embarrassed) and asked him why he didn't follow the sign. What sign? Ummm, the one you passed - twice.
View attachment 19561
View attachment 19562

Our driveway is also a mile long. About 3/4 there it forks, right fork to my oldest sons house, left to ours. Instead, I put a sign with arrows "Hither>" and "<Yon". Keeps the Jehovah's Witnesses guessing.

 

[sstterry]

I was thinking Hotel California

I read it and kept hearing the voice of that guy from Dateline, Keith something or other.

 

[TCRanch]

Keeps the Jehovah's Witnesses guessing.

Probably 13 years ago, and before we had the sign at the entrance, 3 elderly Jehovah's Witnesses paid us a visit first thing in the morning. Except they took the road to the barn. At the time, we had a bull that had zero regard for the cattle guard by the barnyard entrance and had to keep the gate closed. So, they were stuck there in their Buick Le Sabre, surrounded by my cows that were begging for cubes. They were eventually able to back up .25 mile and turn around at the aforementioned fork. By golly, they were persistent, and finally made it to the house, where they were greeted by my 3 Labs. Herschel immediately peed on the car, Obie jumped up & I heard the scratching noise of his nails on the side of the car (terrifying the driver), and when the elderly lady in her pretty pink coat got out of the front passenger seat, Cecil shoved his horse-size Jolly Ball in her crotch. I just stood there, in my robe & drinking coffee, not really feeling the need to call the dogs off while she described their "treacherous adventure". But pretty pink coat Lady was a trooper and handed me some pamphlets. They never came back.

 

[Ouachita]

Couple of funny experiences with uninvited guest.

Census taker.
Kids raised goats to show and they'd gotten out. I was trying to heard them back in when I noticed one of those smart cars coming up the drive. A young portly fellow hops out and starts telling me who he is. The goats promptly loaded into his car.
I don't think we were counted for the 2010 census.

Jehovah's Witnesses.
About 1991, I working in the yard. It was hot summertime and I was shirtless. A car pulls into the yard. There are a couple older men in the front, and two very young ladies in the back.
I could tell they were training the young ladies about how to spread their word, and the teenage girls were very nervous. I walked toward them and began the conversation.
I was polite and tried to settle them. I asked them if they were nervous, and told them not to worry, that I'd make this easy on them. With their backs to the car, we agreed that I smile and occasionally nod my head. I was only 21yo, so I asked the 18yo on a date and she asked for my phone number.
She didn't call me for 3 YEARS! And I was married by then.

Got time for another……..The UPS driver.
About 20 years ago, I had some really bad pain that radiated from my neck down into my arms. I went home early from day job and fashioned a homemade contraption to help relieve my pain.
No one else was home yet. I went out on the front porch and pitched one end of a ratchet strap up over a purlin, then made a "noose" with the other end. I positioned the ratchet right in front and a little above my face.
I slowly ratcheted myself up until I was standing just barely on my toes. Relief!!!
Then I hear a vehicle. UPS drivers don't let the grass grow. I was scrambling to release the ratchet. Too late dammit! The new driver, (I later learned that Kelly was her name), was obviously concerned. She asked me if I needed any help.
As my distorted face was supporting my weight, I was able to say "no, I can do this by myself".
Kelly left me hanging. We eventually met under less stressful circumstances and laugh about it to this day. Every UPS driver around here gives me thit about that since.

 

[wbvs58]

Timely thread. Once again, I glanced out the front window about an hour ago and saw a UPS truck at the top of the freakin' central pasture. Watched it turn around and stop - he could see the house, but (especially this time of year when there's nothing but trees), clearly had no clue how to get here. It's not that hard!! Reading is fundamental!!! I get that GPS stops at the entrance of the ranch and I've posted our entrance sign before, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand: House to the left, Barn to the right. And yet, he went right. The road forks again about 3/4 way to the barn, but logic would/should dictate NOT turning at the fork and driving up the hill to the central pasture. Evidently, in his world, logic is overrated. He eventually went back to the entrance, took the correct road, and delivered my fly spray. I told him I watched him driving around the pasture (he did have the grace to act embarrassed) and asked him why he didn't follow the sign. What sign? Ummm, the one you passed - twice.
View attachment 19561
View attachment 19562

You'll have to get out the fluoro paint for those direction signs TC, they do blend in a bit.

Ken

 

[greybeard]

She didn't call me for 3 YEARS!

She had to take some time to be sure......or took her 3 years to decide her options elsewhere weren't all that great..

 

[Ouachita]

She had to take some time to be sure......or took her 3 years to decide her options elsewhere weren't all that great..

Well, I remember that I had high expectations that never came to fruition. Then, after a few days or weeks I forgot about that sweet peach.
At the time, it made me think "what if". It was a worthwhile experience, because it taught me that "what if" is in the past. If we hang on to that, it's like driving a stake in the ground and chaining ourselves to it.
Best to dance with the one that brought us.

 

[Dave]

My driveway sort of drops off the side of the road and is easy to go unnoticed drive past. People using GPS will drive past it every time. The place GPS takes them to is a rock wall to the right and straight off about 40 feet down to the river on the left. At that point you already are nearly half a mile past my driveway and well past the house. The UPS and Fedex drives have no problem finding me. Never had a Jehovah Witness stop here. And over the years we have only had couple people turn down our driveway who didn't have business here.

 

[pleasantpasturesbeef]

Def agree that living away from your farm is such a pain. After our house fire last May we were thankful to find a rental house literally 10 min down the same road and off a cut-de-sac. But 10 mins is just enough time to make it a trip of it, every time we have to go work in the garden 2wice a day, and do chores over there.
Just the other morning I got a call from our neighbor down there, and she said there was a driver there trying to find the people who had this feed delivery! I asked her if the driver could weight ten min, and he says sure. So by the time I got my sisters in the truck and I drove there as fast as I could in the rain, it was just over 10 min. If we had lived on site, he wouldn't have needed to drive to the neighbors and then back up our driveway the second time just to drop off the feed! 10 minutes ain't much until it's 20 min 2wice a day, and then you're up to 40 min round trip just driving every day.

Now they're saying January for moving back in instead of October....not holding our breath, tho! Gotta love insurance companies

 

[Silver]

There is only 10 to 20 vehicles go by in a day.

Man, if there was that much traffic past my place I'd think my neighbours were having an event I wasn't invited to!

 

[callmefence]

Man, if there was that much traffic past my place I'd think my neighbours were having an event I wasn't invited to!

I'd move out in the country..lol

 

[greybeard]

Don't even own a farm any more and my agriculture endeavors consist of 2 rose bushes, and some brownish green st augustine grass. Oh, and 3 tomato plants struggling in the heat that are planted on top of the dirt filled retaining wall.

Enjoy your farm/ranch life while you can.
The alternative isn't far removed from hell on earth.

 

[Dave]

Man, if there was that much traffic past my place I'd think my neighbours were having an event I wasn't invited to!

Ha, As I have said before it is 15 miles to the next ranch. At that point it opens up into a big wide valley with 20 or 30 big ranches. There is also a couple small communities up there and some gold mines. Along with a real pretty state park. People up there have three options to go anywhere with services. Out the other end, much better roads but a long ways around. A mountain road up over Dooley which tops at 5,700+ feet. Straight up and straight down a narrow road with no guard rails and lots of curves. Or the 15 miles of gravel road past my place. And that is 10-20 vehicles spread out over 24 hours.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

We own two farms about 6 miles apart as the crow flies and 9 miles by road we live at one and I have my main facilities and shop here the away farm is pasture and a place to work out of when making hay. I also make hay within about a 30 mile radius so I have a tool truck pretty well stocked up, but even so it seems I'm always running back and forth because I forgot something. Or I run to the away farm to quick check cows in my wife's suv only to find something in need of fixing that requires me to run the 9 miles home to get supplies and then run back. Or a sick or injured cow so I have to run back and forth getting meds.

The away farm has a 1/2 mile driveway off a dead end county road and our house and shop is right on the highway. That 1/2 mile long drive offers privacy but its a pain to keep plowed in a winter with 25 feet of snowfall and 12 foot drifts, it can get impassable in the spring when 7 foot of frost is bubbling out of the clay and the county road has weight limits on it which can impact certain truck options in the spring. Being on the highway means I can always get in and out, I can legally get a semi truck in here 365 days a year, hauling hay and cattle in/out is a breeze. There is pluses and minuses to both locations.