I would strongly encourage you to find that practice partner. You can learn on your own and GT can really help with this. But unless you are content to practice alone in your closet, having friends to jam with is SOLID GOLD FOR LEARNING GUITAR.

Friends can make, running over the same damn song again and again, great fun. It also, in my opinion, the direct route to competence. Leaning in private can seem a lot like work. Leaning by jamming can make that same work into FUN. You mind learns by listening and learning, your body learns by physical practice. Everone leans by physical practice and I see no way I would be able to play at the level I am at, without all those years getting together with my friends and making noise by banging on guitars with each other.

Remote living can be an obstical, but keep your eyes open. How long have you lived there and how remote are you talking? Musicians are pretty wide sperad around the country. Are there local open mics anywhere close? Maybe you can even talk one of your friends into taking up Guitar and the two of you can support each other. NO mater.... You are on the right track to look for fellow musicians. If you play guitar and piano you can be a real assest to any group. Hell add some singing skill... and you become a real a "Triple Threat" musician. I wish I had leaned piano as well as guitar. But you do what your life experienc allow you and piano was not in the mix for me. So you are even ahead of me interms of musical skill.

In the meantime... patient, persistant, practice, pays dividends to those who can keep it going. That is the foundation that everything is built upon. You can't make much music without endless practice. But then, keep you eye on the horizon for other musicans. Even if you can't find anyone to play guitar with right away, it will start you looking and asking about local musical tallent. There is great support, insight, comradarie, excitement, lessons, fun, and even artristic sadisfaction to be found playing with others. Real toe tapping fun is to be had in the company of other musicians.... go get it. Jamming is a lot more fun than woodsheding.