Yes, when I used to spend time with my aunt and uncle who lived on a ranch far from city lights, it was a splendid sky. Wish I had the telescope then. They moved into town to an assisted living place and my uncle then died.
I loved the countryside there. It’s also close to where my grandparents lived for many, many years.
We spent a couple of weeks each summer at my aunt’s and uncle’s farm in IL when I was young and it was like you experienced . . . splendid sky. From that time on, my dream was to one day live in the country on a farm. Took a long time but it finally happened.