So, I finally got around to checking out this Holland Peak Ranch place. You hear folks talking, you see the pictures, and eventually, you just gotta go see for yourself, right? Packed up my gear one Saturday morning, told myself this was gonna be a proper outing. I like to see things with my own eyes, not just believe what everyone else says.
The drive out there, well, that was an adventure in itself. My GPS, bless its digital heart, decided to send me on what it probably thought was a scenic route. Turned out to be this bumpy, winding dirt road. My car wasn’t too happy, let me tell you. I was gripping that steering wheel pretty tight, just hoping I wouldn’t end up stuck in the middle of nowhere. Finally, after what felt like ages, I saw the sign. Holland Peak Ranch. Big wooden thing. Looked official, at least.
I pulled in, parked the car, and took a look around. It was… a ranch. You know, fields, some cows munching grass, fences stretching out. Pretty standard stuff. For a second, I thought, “Did I really drive all this way for this?” I was expecting… well, I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe something more, given all the talk. But there I was.
So, I started walking. That’s what I do. I just started walking. They have these marked trails, or so they say. I found one that seemed a bit less travelled, away from where most of the cars were parked. Figured I’d see where it led. I wasn’t really aiming for the “peak” itself, not at first. I just wanted to stretch my legs and see what was what.
I walked for a good hour, maybe more. Past some more cows, through a bit of wooded area. It was quiet, which was nice. But still, nothing was really jumping out at me. Then, I saw this older guy, off to the side of the trail, fixing up a section of fence. He looked like he’d been part of the landscape forever.
I stopped, gave him a nod. We got to talking. Just easy stuff at first. Then I asked him about the ranch. Turns out, he’d worked there for donkey’s years, way before it became this popular spot. He knew that land like the back of his hand. He told me most people just stick to the main paths, rush up to the viewpoint, snap their photos, and leave. He said the real ranch, the quiet parts, were hidden away.
He pointed me towards a little track, barely visible, leading down towards a creek. Said not many folks went that way. So, I thanked him and decided to check it out. And you know what? He was right. It was totally different. No crowds, no noise. Just the sound of the water and the wind in the trees. I found a spot on a rock, sat down, and just… was. Stayed there for a long time, just watching the water flow, thinking about nothing much at all. That was the best part of the whole day, that little hidden spot.
So, Holland Peak Ranch. Yeah, I went. Did I find what I was looking for? Not in the way I thought I would. But I found something. You gotta be willing to step off the main path sometimes, I guess. That’s where the good stuff often is. It’s not always about the big famous view. Sometimes, it’s about a quiet creek and an old fella fixing a fence.
