Wind Walker Guest Ranch :: The Story of Wind Walker

The Story of Wind Walker Ranch

Loretta Johnson, owner of Wind Walker Guest Ranch, shares her story of how a thought turned into a dream, and a dream became a reality. Loretta writes:

What is the Wind Walker story? The journey here started out as a desire for a place where you could go to rest and pamper yourself. Maybe have community or be able to spend quiet time in nature. Maybe learn something if you wanted to...

It all begin when I was a kid because I always liked to pretend I was Annie Oakley and my cousin was Roy Rodgers. I was in love with the Old West for as long as I could remember. My best friend when I was growing up was a horse named Strawberry. Later in life I got the inspiration to have my own Ranch. I've always loved nature, loved serving others and realized I'm not afraid of hard work and long hours so it was all a good fit. I had also worked in catering, so it seemed like in the beginning I had the ingredients to start a big new adventure with a Ranch!

Just after my inspiration to create this place I was offered a chance to sell my medical courier service. I decided that it was the right time to turn the idea of a ranch into a reality. I looked all over the western United States for the property and it ended up being not far from where I had been the last 20 years! I envisioned the Ranch with horses and all the recreation that it has, but Wind Walker has turned out to be much more than I envisioned, way beyond my mortal abilities to create. There is a special history and energy to the land that does more than accommodate you.

In the book Sacred Places it is said that Native Americans speak of places on earth where the energy shifts you enough to allow you to drop your shields and heal.

At Wind Walker I love to watch that shift happen in people. It takes a day or two to get the city off, but once people begin to reconnect with who they really are, they laugh, play and become very real. They are like family to me before they leave. What's even better is that the children who come are able to be kids without fear— able to enjoy horse riding, nature crafts, running, playing and having fun.

As I was conceiving the Ranch, an inner voice repeatedly reminded me to not forget the children. My own daughter, who was then 9, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor (as you can imagine, the so-called incurable form). But you know what? The doctors were wrong. My daughter, with a lot of hard work, is now a miracle in her twenties. I've learned that this Ranch, the horses and the staff empower people. From my experience I know you can move mountains if you think you can.

Audina, another of the miracle children of Wind Walker at age 15, wrote:

"Here as we sit in this world we all know that we have a purpose. We all have a journey or an accomplishment that needs to be done. Who gives us these and where do we find them? That is the question. Here at Wind Walker is where the angels are, and we shall all know and always know that no matter where we go we have angels watching over us. Where do these angels come from? God. He sees us in need and sends angels down to help."

The Ranch started as a desire and a dream, but it changed to a calling. Adults and children alike experience an energy here that cannot be explained only by words. Some come to help, some to be helped, some don't know why they came, but all will learn something about themselves and the beautiful planet we live on. If this resonates with you it is quite possible you may want to come see for yourself what the land and the ancestors have to offer you...