The Double G Ranch, Hartsel CO
The Double G Ranch, located in Hartsel, Colorado, is the home of Gina Maddox, a former professional motivational speaker now turned ranch owner and writer. Widowed in 2018 and facing her 60th birthday, Gina decided to check off an item on her bucket list; own a home in the mountains and have horses in her backyard. She left her waterfront home of 25 years in Gulf Breeze, Florida, and moved to 9500 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Never one to do anything subtly, Gina changed her whole life style at once. Always a believer in embracing change, taking risks, and following your heart, she jumped into an 8 acre piece of property that only checked two boxes on her wish list; great views and a place for horses with lots of trails to ride. Her top two “no deal” items were, “no modular homes and no dirt roads.” Well, yeah. That didn’t work out exactly right. The ranch began with an unfenced 8 acre property with an outdated modular home located up six miles of dirt road. Two years later she had three fenced pastures, a barn for the horses, a brand new kitchen and laundry room, new hardwood floors throughout the house, lots of updates, upgrades, and improvements, a 700 square foot Bunkhouse addition, two horses, a cat and a Colorado Mountain Dog. She also acquired another ten acres of land bringing the ranch up to 18 acres.
Making such sweeping change in her life required a plan, a strategy. How was a sixty-something year old widow going to survive at 9500 feet alone? Her mantra became, “Grit & Gratitude.” Gina needed to develop her grit; her ability to be tough and stick with it. She used riding to help her toughen up, even giving a go at endurance riding until Covid put a hold on that plan. She read books to help her develop mental toughness and she decided to let the world watch her crazy idea unfold. The naysayers helped her toughen up and stick to her resolve to build the new life she wanted. Unkind new neighbors took bets on how long she would last. Old neighbors pontificated on how long it would be before she crawled back to Florida in total defeat. Her family just shook their head. Gina was sure they had a back up rescue mission plan prepared should they need it.
Grit, that was the key word for survival. But, as a grieving widow, Gina wanted happiness and joy again, too; not just survival. The second part of her plan was gratitude. Every day she journaled and turned her grief into gratitude. Grieving the loss of the love of her life and the lifestyle they lived she redirected her thoughts toward gratitude for the adventures and opportunities and experiences. She thanked God each and every day for what she’d had in the past and what she had in her life today. She learned to be sincerely grateful for the heartaches, the challenges, and the obstacles, not just the easy and fun moments. Grit & Gratitude was her strategy. And because her five grandchildren called her “GiGi” the Double G Ranch materialized as the perfect name.
Beyond anything Gina ever imagined, she gained a new life and a new circle of cherished mountain friends to her life. She wants the Double G Ranch to be a place of healing and renewal for herself and anyone who comes to visit. She wants friends and family to feel the magic that happens in the mountains; the rejuvenation of a tired soul, the rekindling of dreams and aspirations. Ranch life at 9500 feet isn’t for everyone, but for Gina it’s her perfect life and she’s always happy to share the experience with friends and family.
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