Further Out

From the day we were married, Sami and I had a point of friendly disagreement. I always wanted to live more rurally than she did. For the first two years we were married (while Sami was in vet school), we lived in the old part of downtown Woodland - an urban abode! We then moved to a house just outside of Dixon - surrounded by tomato fields - much more rural. Shortly before Sami graduated in 1994, we bought a house on an acre in Penryn. In 2001, we moved to a place on 3 acres in north Auburn. Both places were reasonably rural - but both places were also close to town. Sami, having grown up in Burbank, liked the fact that we weren’t too far from civilization. I always wanted to be further out.

Now, in November 2024, I am. In August, I moved from north Auburn to the little community of Mountain Ranch (in Calaveras County). Placer County, when I moved, had a population of 400,000-plus. Calaveras County has a population of less than 50,000. 

When I was a freshman in college, I had to give a speech in my rhetoric class about where I was from. Most of my classmates talked about coming to school in the small town of Davis. In my speech, I said, “there are more stoplights between my dorm room and this classroom than there are in all of Tuolumne County!” Later, a friend who was from Calaveras County said, “We don’t actually have stoplights in Calaveras County, but we have the colors picked out!”

That was in 1985. Today, nearly 40 years later, Calaveras County has stoplights. But not that many - fewer than 10, I think! When I leave my new office (in the county seat of San Andreas), I never have to wait long to turn left onto Highway 49! In my 15-mile commute, there are no stoplights!

A friend and colleague came to visit me at my new place in October. When she arrived (from the Bay Area), she remarked, “Wow - you really live out in the sticks!” I suppose I do - my new place is about 25 minutes east of Highway 49 - on a windy road. The little “town” of Mountain Ranch boasts a population of fewer than 2000 people.

In Auburn, we had the luxury of living semi-rurally, but being close to town. We could feed the sheep, move irrigation, and shop at Target, all within a three mile radius. Here in Mountain Ranch, I can still shop close to home, but things are more expensive. I’m equidistant between the little towns of Mountain Ranch and Railroad Flat - which both have stores. In Mountain Ranch, there’s a store that sells groceries, hardware, and livestock feed (my kind of place). In Railroad Flat, there’s a store that sells basic supplies. And beer. I’ve shopped at both!

But living further out requires more forethought. I’m finding that I need to think about what I need for groceries. For hardware. For supplies. And I need to be more aware of where I can attain those things! In Auburn, I could be be at a large supermarket - or Target - in five minutes. Here, in Mountain Ranch, that trip takes 40-45 minutes. That said, I find I enjoy shopping at my little “hometown” market - even if it is more expensive. And I enjoy buying groceries, and then going next door and buying feed for my critters!

The upside of this arrangement is that I’m living in a very quiet community. I’m on a road that has maybe 10 other people who drive on it. My neighbors also cut firewood. Feed livestock. Worry about wildfire. Keep to themselves. The downside is that things are more expensive. Or further away.

Tonight, three months after selling our home in Auburn and moving to Mountain Ranhc, I find that I miss my friends. I miss running into people I know when I’m in “town.” But I also find that I enjoy the quiet. I enjoy stopping at Sender’s Market on my way home from work to pick up milk. And alafalfa! I enjoy being further out!