I forgot to post yesterday, but it was pretty simple. It was sunny and nice, i laid out for like forty five minutes, and in the evening Dad, Steve, and I went to the roadhouse and the hot springs. It was the busiest we've seen it, there were like 20 people there. So it was fun talking with locals and people from Missoula.
Today has been another gorgeous sunny day, Dad and Steve are out filming so i just hiked up to a ridge and did some sun bathing but the flies are pretty annoying, haha. I would really like to go out to the cornerstone deli again today because they have some delicious sandwiches, salads, and sweet potato fries.
Thursday, June 11
Tuesday, June 9
Kite Butte
I woke up about an hour or three earlier than usual, and headed out to town to mail a few postcards and stop by the grocery store to buy some dishwasher soap. On the way home i stopped at the Cornerstone Deli which ended up being the best idea. i got a pita sandwich full of delicious tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, onions and sunflower seeds. The sandwich was sevred with red mountain potato chips, which were almost purple. I also ordered a side of sweet potato fries with honey mustard, MMM! Today has been partly cloudy, but mostly sunshine. I may be a little biased there though, maybe it's just cloudy. The air is still pretty cool, but overall, a gorgeous day.
I finally hiked out to Kite Butte.As i left the cabin and started trucking down the road, the band of horses that hangs out in our area started to crowd around me, looking for treats and attention. I just kept walking, so i suppose we must have looked like a parade. They turned the other way when i reached the cattle guard though.
I got off the road pretty quickly and out into the prairie and the sage brush maze. I stumbled across a bone yard. And collected several pieces of pelvis, a section of spine, and other various parts. Luckily, i didn't find the intact skull until i was almost home, or else i would have had to carry it the entire time. Dad passed right by me on the quad, but he didn't see me. I climbed over a few rocky ridges until i came to the base of the butte. I stared up and decided i would leave my big bag of bones behind. I also left my sweater behind, good idea.
It didn't take as long to summit as i thought it would, and it wasn't as abrupt as i'd expected. I was climbing the face, so it was steep and up near the top was an abrupt cliff but i found a winding way up it and managed not to stumble on the big loose rocks. As soon as i reached the top i was shocked, the other side of the butte just sloped down gently to meet the valley again. But I'm still glad i took the exciting way up. The view was incredible in every direction, you could see three mountain ranges, maybe four. The Castle peaks, the Big Belts, it was all spectacular. Some of the mountains are topped with the fresh snow, but most of them are just timber and grass.
On the way back down i took the butte's sloping backside, and attempted to run down the hills. I'm glad i didn't break an ankle because almost immediately i was skipping over brush and sliding across rocks and dodging badger dens and gopher holes. I managed to make my way down anyway without much problem. I saw Dad and his boss Lisa on the way back and they were setting up for a few time lapses, i asked for a ride back, but they were going on a ride, and i'm really glad i ended up walking anyway because i found that skull!
So now i'm just sitting here eating a salad and staring out the window at the gorgeous clouds and the great big sky. It's a great day!
Monday, June 8
Denim blues.
Right after my last post Dad and I set out on a grand adventure following Tyson many miles on the ATVs to film him changing water pipes and fixing drains and such. I agreed to come because it seemed as though the rain had let up, and i was ready to get out of the house as well.
Heidi, the currently employed cow dog is springy and excited as we set out. She somehow manages to cling to the back of Tyson's ATV as he barrels down steep hills and rumbles over the big sagebrush. It's pretty impressive. she's completely wet and muddy already but she seems as happy and bouncy as ever. We're going through all sorts of gates, and sometimes even leveraging my shoulder against them to apply the strength of my legs can't get the job done and i have to ask for help to close them. Tyson is glad that Sam taught m the shoulder trick anyway.
We're a ways out when it begins to snow. Tyson and dad are a ways away, but the audio pack is next to me, so i can hear Tyson talking about how they normally get about two or three snowstorms in June. I try to rest my arms across my thighs so the snow doesn't soak my jeans. Luckily, preparing for the wind also prepared me for the snow, mostly. I'm wearing full ski attire above my waist and i'm wearing knee high rubber boots over my jeans and thick long johns. The snow keeps up long enough to soak my thighs and my "waterproof" ski gloves. It's funny how supposedly water proof clothing only holds up to a point. I'm watching the snow bleed into the fabric of my jacket instead of beading on top.
We're headed down some steep rocky hills when dad nearly tips over the handle bars. I'm shouting, he's shouting, we're both laughing. We made it alright though. Every once in a while we hit a bump when my spine is straight up and down and i feel the sickening stack of my vertebrae. Other times i'll be too close to Dad's shoulder blades and i'll rocket my face against them. Not so bad when my face is warm, but the cold brings it to another degree. Either way, i manage to stay smiling and laughing most of the time.
When we get to the drain and see that nothing can be done, Dad and Tyson step off the buggies and start a nice chat. Heidi is running around, after deer and bugging cows, but primarily she wants to play fetch. As usual she brings me a stick that's at least 3/4 of her size and drops it. She crouches with one foot in the air and waits. And waits, and waits. She's a patient son of a gun. Dad and Tyson also seem to be unusually patient in the snowstorm we're experiencing as they stand and tell stories while i'm doubled over on the ATV trying to pump the blood back into my thighs. Eventually i say something, and they snap back to reality. We're all still laughing though.
Dad is speeding along to get back to the cabin quickly, but the rush of air hurts more than it should. We make it back and i run inside, throw my clothes in the dryer and hop in the shower. I can't really make out if the water is scalding hot or freezing cold unless i use my shoulders (the warmest part of me) to gauge it. This ends up being a hilarious predicament, even if it's a solitary one. I'm trying to use the water to warm me up, but i can't even tolerate it. So i end up just standing with my shoulders in the stream of water for like fifteen minutes. When i finally regained temperature sensibility everywhere else it was awesome. Then i got out, put on my clothes fresh out of the dryer and ate some triscuits. I have made full recovery! Yay!
Heidi, the currently employed cow dog is springy and excited as we set out. She somehow manages to cling to the back of Tyson's ATV as he barrels down steep hills and rumbles over the big sagebrush. It's pretty impressive. she's completely wet and muddy already but she seems as happy and bouncy as ever. We're going through all sorts of gates, and sometimes even leveraging my shoulder against them to apply the strength of my legs can't get the job done and i have to ask for help to close them. Tyson is glad that Sam taught m the shoulder trick anyway.
We're a ways out when it begins to snow. Tyson and dad are a ways away, but the audio pack is next to me, so i can hear Tyson talking about how they normally get about two or three snowstorms in June. I try to rest my arms across my thighs so the snow doesn't soak my jeans. Luckily, preparing for the wind also prepared me for the snow, mostly. I'm wearing full ski attire above my waist and i'm wearing knee high rubber boots over my jeans and thick long johns. The snow keeps up long enough to soak my thighs and my "waterproof" ski gloves. It's funny how supposedly water proof clothing only holds up to a point. I'm watching the snow bleed into the fabric of my jacket instead of beading on top.
We're headed down some steep rocky hills when dad nearly tips over the handle bars. I'm shouting, he's shouting, we're both laughing. We made it alright though. Every once in a while we hit a bump when my spine is straight up and down and i feel the sickening stack of my vertebrae. Other times i'll be too close to Dad's shoulder blades and i'll rocket my face against them. Not so bad when my face is warm, but the cold brings it to another degree. Either way, i manage to stay smiling and laughing most of the time.
When we get to the drain and see that nothing can be done, Dad and Tyson step off the buggies and start a nice chat. Heidi is running around, after deer and bugging cows, but primarily she wants to play fetch. As usual she brings me a stick that's at least 3/4 of her size and drops it. She crouches with one foot in the air and waits. And waits, and waits. She's a patient son of a gun. Dad and Tyson also seem to be unusually patient in the snowstorm we're experiencing as they stand and tell stories while i'm doubled over on the ATV trying to pump the blood back into my thighs. Eventually i say something, and they snap back to reality. We're all still laughing though.
Dad is speeding along to get back to the cabin quickly, but the rush of air hurts more than it should. We make it back and i run inside, throw my clothes in the dryer and hop in the shower. I can't really make out if the water is scalding hot or freezing cold unless i use my shoulders (the warmest part of me) to gauge it. This ends up being a hilarious predicament, even if it's a solitary one. I'm trying to use the water to warm me up, but i can't even tolerate it. So i end up just standing with my shoulders in the stream of water for like fifteen minutes. When i finally regained temperature sensibility everywhere else it was awesome. Then i got out, put on my clothes fresh out of the dryer and ate some triscuits. I have made full recovery! Yay!
A day late.
Yesterday evening I did end up going to the movies. Excuse me, movie. Disney's Earth was playing, and it was sort of a rip off of planet earth. It was actually a very depressing movie, the most important scenes happened to be a wolf chasing a young caribou, a cheetah chasing a young antelope, a pack of lions bringing down an adult elephant, and a daddy polar bear literally starving to death. I went with Sam and her friend/boyfriend Nolan.
Afterward we were all standing on the street corner, shivering (38 F) and trying to decide what to do. I proposed a walk down the block to Dempsey's, Sam and I split some onion rings with marinara sauce and Nolan got a double cheeseburger with buffalo sauce and bleu cheese dressing. It was...interesting. Anyway, Nolan and I ended up talking about music for a while, stuck on muse. Sam's friends showed up after a dip at the hot springs and chatted for a while. I polished off the onion rings.
Then on the way home a great (tom petty) song came on followed by another great (backstreet boys) song. The radio stations are pretty eccentric.
*And an update on the other days grocery trip. When you buy things at a slow grocery store, always check the expiration date, haha. I bought some lightly salted rice cakes that were five months overdue and tasted like soap.
Afterward we were all standing on the street corner, shivering (38 F) and trying to decide what to do. I proposed a walk down the block to Dempsey's, Sam and I split some onion rings with marinara sauce and Nolan got a double cheeseburger with buffalo sauce and bleu cheese dressing. It was...interesting. Anyway, Nolan and I ended up talking about music for a while, stuck on muse. Sam's friends showed up after a dip at the hot springs and chatted for a while. I polished off the onion rings.
Then on the way home a great (tom petty) song came on followed by another great (backstreet boys) song. The radio stations are pretty eccentric.
*And an update on the other days grocery trip. When you buy things at a slow grocery store, always check the expiration date, haha. I bought some lightly salted rice cakes that were five months overdue and tasted like soap.
Saturday, June 6
June 6th.
Yesterday I didn't really do anything except stay in and watch movies because it was pretty chilly and I was just here alone with Sissy, the retired cow dog.
TODAY it is snowing! On the sixth of June! I can hardly even believe it. Sissy just ran in covered in mud and snowflakes. It's pretty windy too, a cold blustery day. I woke up this morning and made my pop some breakfast. A short stack of pancakes with hot butter rum peach compote and two eggs over medium. The eggs i will need to practice, but the compote turned out beautifully. I had some pumpkin seed granola with soymilk and of course i ate half a can of peaches. I'll update later.
UPDATE #1 10:30AM: It's barely later but already the snow is increasing. It looks like a pillow fight under a big ceiling fan. But it still isn't really sticking yet.
UPDATE #2 11:18AM: Things are turning white, the snow is sticking! Dad and I are going out to film it all within an hour or so.
UPDATE #3 3:45PM: Well, all the snow is gone. Joke's on us. Tonight we're going to see a movie in town. The movie "theater" is actually at a pizza parlor. This pizza parlor also has a tanning bed. The owner also installs all the dish tv and all the sprinklers. White Sulphur Springs seems to bring out the split personality in everyone.
UPDATE #4 9:13PM: The theater turned out to be not playing a movie tonight, so we just ate some breadsticks, salad, and pizza. we also went o the grocery store and the hot springs. Now we're going to watch borat and i'm going to eat more peaches!
**Plus a note on the peaches. One can is 1 pound and 12 oz. So two days ago when i ate two cans myself, that was three and a half pounds of peaches!
TODAY it is snowing! On the sixth of June! I can hardly even believe it. Sissy just ran in covered in mud and snowflakes. It's pretty windy too, a cold blustery day. I woke up this morning and made my pop some breakfast. A short stack of pancakes with hot butter rum peach compote and two eggs over medium. The eggs i will need to practice, but the compote turned out beautifully. I had some pumpkin seed granola with soymilk and of course i ate half a can of peaches. I'll update later.
UPDATE #1 10:30AM: It's barely later but already the snow is increasing. It looks like a pillow fight under a big ceiling fan. But it still isn't really sticking yet.
UPDATE #2 11:18AM: Things are turning white, the snow is sticking! Dad and I are going out to film it all within an hour or so.
UPDATE #3 3:45PM: Well, all the snow is gone. Joke's on us. Tonight we're going to see a movie in town. The movie "theater" is actually at a pizza parlor. This pizza parlor also has a tanning bed. The owner also installs all the dish tv and all the sprinklers. White Sulphur Springs seems to bring out the split personality in everyone.
UPDATE #4 9:13PM: The theater turned out to be not playing a movie tonight, so we just ate some breadsticks, salad, and pizza. we also went o the grocery store and the hot springs. Now we're going to watch borat and i'm going to eat more peaches!
**Plus a note on the peaches. One can is 1 pound and 12 oz. So two days ago when i ate two cans myself, that was three and a half pounds of peaches!
Friday, June 5
Impending weather.
So here's yesterday, which i didn't get a chance to write about. I'll write about today later because all ive done so far is eat a waffle, and plan on opening up some of those peaches! i ate two whole cans by myself yesterday (those cans are huge too!)
The first thing we did this morning was go out to see Red, the stud, put back in with his group of mares. We took him in a trailer up to his pasture, an as soon as he arrived he was huffng and whinnying. We let him out and he led pretty much everyone on this big galloping parade. One of the feistier mares proceeded to buck about. Red stayed pretty active and excited on the outskirts of the field the entire time, drawing in a mare or two to flirt and run around, But mostly the mares surrounded us.
These are by far the friendliest horses i have ever seen. They come right up to you, sniffing all your clothes, nibble on anything the can wrap their lips around and sometimes they just lean right up against you. The funniest (and originally scariest) part was when they back up. In a "normal" horse this doesn't mean anything good, typically, they are about to kick you. But when these horses back up they just want you to scratch their butts. They are the funniest and sweetest horses.
When we got back to the main part of the ranch, i ate tons of peaches, and Samantha (Bill Galt's step daughter who is seventeen) and i decided to go for a nice long horse ride. We did some practicing in the indoor arena first. i learned to post, sort of, i still definitely need some practice. I learned to saddle the horse and put on the bridle. She praised my instincts to let the reins stay loose instead of yanking on the horses head, and my ability to keep my legs loose when i wanted the horse to slow down, because squeezing means faster. My horse and i fell into an accidental lope, but i handled it particularly well, according to Sam, the pro. By the end, i could coax my horse into a purposeful lope.
We took two horses in a trailer out past where i had been already, so pretty far out. We chatted along the way, becoming friends and confidants, she was actually the first person on the ranch that i told i was vegetarian. We both agreed not to tell Bill, or else i will be made fun of constantly for the remainder of my trip. (Right now i can hear him flying the helicopter over us) We talked about the differences between California and White Sulphur Springs. Her high school only has 60 students. She tried sushi once, on a dare.She's really funny and we get along great.
As the ride progressed, there were a couple creeks and marshes to cross and my horse, named Wiggy, was not having it. Several pleading attempts and she leaped clear over the creek in a single bound. I managed to stay on and stay calm, Samantha claimed she was very impressed. Through the marshy areas, my horse hurried, jolted, and rushed to get out of them. Which was funny once i learned to anticipate it. My horse kept trying to turn back home after about two hours, so eventually we gave in and let her lead our way back to the trailer.
Later, Sam and I went out to dinner at Dempsey's. Everyone greeted Sam as soon as she walked in. We shared some onion rings and fries and i got a salad and she got a grilled cheese and ham sandwich with a glass of chocolate milk, which actually seemed very appealing. We talked a lot more, and i discovered that cell phones can get more service when they are held upside down. How weird is that? She payed for my dinner, against my will, down to the tip. When she gave me a ride home, we both decided to hang out again tomorrow (today!)
On another note, the title of this post is indeed true. the next seven days plan to be cold, rainy, and on saturday it might even snow. I'm really glad i brought a bunch of different clothes to handle the weather.
Time for peaches! (Sam also says they have a couple cases of local honey, and she'll bring some for me so maybe i can get a handle on these new montana allergies)
The first thing we did this morning was go out to see Red, the stud, put back in with his group of mares. We took him in a trailer up to his pasture, an as soon as he arrived he was huffng and whinnying. We let him out and he led pretty much everyone on this big galloping parade. One of the feistier mares proceeded to buck about. Red stayed pretty active and excited on the outskirts of the field the entire time, drawing in a mare or two to flirt and run around, But mostly the mares surrounded us.
These are by far the friendliest horses i have ever seen. They come right up to you, sniffing all your clothes, nibble on anything the can wrap their lips around and sometimes they just lean right up against you. The funniest (and originally scariest) part was when they back up. In a "normal" horse this doesn't mean anything good, typically, they are about to kick you. But when these horses back up they just want you to scratch their butts. They are the funniest and sweetest horses.
When we got back to the main part of the ranch, i ate tons of peaches, and Samantha (Bill Galt's step daughter who is seventeen) and i decided to go for a nice long horse ride. We did some practicing in the indoor arena first. i learned to post, sort of, i still definitely need some practice. I learned to saddle the horse and put on the bridle. She praised my instincts to let the reins stay loose instead of yanking on the horses head, and my ability to keep my legs loose when i wanted the horse to slow down, because squeezing means faster. My horse and i fell into an accidental lope, but i handled it particularly well, according to Sam, the pro. By the end, i could coax my horse into a purposeful lope.
We took two horses in a trailer out past where i had been already, so pretty far out. We chatted along the way, becoming friends and confidants, she was actually the first person on the ranch that i told i was vegetarian. We both agreed not to tell Bill, or else i will be made fun of constantly for the remainder of my trip. (Right now i can hear him flying the helicopter over us) We talked about the differences between California and White Sulphur Springs. Her high school only has 60 students. She tried sushi once, on a dare.She's really funny and we get along great.
As the ride progressed, there were a couple creeks and marshes to cross and my horse, named Wiggy, was not having it. Several pleading attempts and she leaped clear over the creek in a single bound. I managed to stay on and stay calm, Samantha claimed she was very impressed. Through the marshy areas, my horse hurried, jolted, and rushed to get out of them. Which was funny once i learned to anticipate it. My horse kept trying to turn back home after about two hours, so eventually we gave in and let her lead our way back to the trailer.
Later, Sam and I went out to dinner at Dempsey's. Everyone greeted Sam as soon as she walked in. We shared some onion rings and fries and i got a salad and she got a grilled cheese and ham sandwich with a glass of chocolate milk, which actually seemed very appealing. We talked a lot more, and i discovered that cell phones can get more service when they are held upside down. How weird is that? She payed for my dinner, against my will, down to the tip. When she gave me a ride home, we both decided to hang out again tomorrow (today!)
On another note, the title of this post is indeed true. the next seven days plan to be cold, rainy, and on saturday it might even snow. I'm really glad i brought a bunch of different clothes to handle the weather.
Time for peaches! (Sam also says they have a couple cases of local honey, and she'll bring some for me so maybe i can get a handle on these new montana allergies)
Wednesday, June 3
Post two of Day two at the ranch.
After i posted last, i went out to see the bulls being sprayed, innoculated, and having samples taken from their ears. How it works is they parade the bulls down a corridor that gets progressively narrower. At the end is a single bull sized hydraulic metal cage. They pretty much squeeze them until they can't move anymore once they are in the cage, give them two shots, and take a small chunk out of their ear with a device not far from a hole punch.
On my way over to the building where this process was being conducted, i hear lots of yelling, and follow dad's instructions to climb the fence and prepare to launch myself over. A wild bull comes running out, followed by an exhalation of cursing and laughter from the men inside. One had climbed out of the corridor before reaching the cage and made his escape through the small room, almost knocking over all the vital test tubes and taking out a rancher.
Once inside I'm offered a position as test tube labeler. I take my job very seriously, and carry out my task efficiently. Test tubes are something i can relate to, something that helps me fit in. However, i was very skittish throughout the whole process because labeling the test tubes caused me to face away from the hydraulic cage which was only a few feet away. I was also right in the path that the escape bull had run through earlier. And to add to the anxiety, a quick look around caused me to realize there was cow poop sprayed across the walls and ceiling. It was everywhere. Nearly every bull being squeezed proceeded to have intense spewing diarrhea (excuse me, dear readers) and in addition, thrashed about while waving his tail wildly. This pretty much explained things. I managed to stay clean, amazingly.
Afterward, I walked back over to the cabin and ate more peaches, you'll be hearing that a lot. Dad and i took the buggies out for about two hours and traversed across the ranch forever. I have never seen so much uninhabited space in my life except for possibly in wyoming. We drove out past kite butte, which i resolved to pull a solo hike out to tomorrow. It's about four miles from our cabin. We rounded about jackson lake, which was beautifully blue, calm and reflective. The creeks and lakes don't seem to settle into particular areas they just kind of lay on top of the grass and the land. We continued over to the jackson homestead which was from about 1830. The house was almost fully intact, except for the caving roof. The yard was strewn with complicated and tangled metal equipment. Everything is preserved so well by the dry weather, dad says even the snow is dry. The way back towards the ranch became a montana flavored safari. We saw antelope, coyotes, marmots, and ground squirrels. I gathered feathers off the ground and we stopped out by the truck shed to hang out with the friendly horses. Curious fellas, they immediately came up to nibble on our gloves, scarves, backpacks, and cam straps. The friendliest one was a giant black gelding, his brand was a pattern of white fur contrast against the black. an arrow pointing straight down into a v. They brand the dark horses by freezing that part of their skin so when the hair grows back, it's white. Anyway, we made friends with a couple of the horses and headed back to the cabin coated in horse dust. I proceeded to sit down and write, and even at 9:46 pm, it is pretty light outside. It might even be darker in california right now then it is here. The sun was pretty much setting within the last 45 minutes.
On my way over to the building where this process was being conducted, i hear lots of yelling, and follow dad's instructions to climb the fence and prepare to launch myself over. A wild bull comes running out, followed by an exhalation of cursing and laughter from the men inside. One had climbed out of the corridor before reaching the cage and made his escape through the small room, almost knocking over all the vital test tubes and taking out a rancher.
Once inside I'm offered a position as test tube labeler. I take my job very seriously, and carry out my task efficiently. Test tubes are something i can relate to, something that helps me fit in. However, i was very skittish throughout the whole process because labeling the test tubes caused me to face away from the hydraulic cage which was only a few feet away. I was also right in the path that the escape bull had run through earlier. And to add to the anxiety, a quick look around caused me to realize there was cow poop sprayed across the walls and ceiling. It was everywhere. Nearly every bull being squeezed proceeded to have intense spewing diarrhea (excuse me, dear readers) and in addition, thrashed about while waving his tail wildly. This pretty much explained things. I managed to stay clean, amazingly.
Afterward, I walked back over to the cabin and ate more peaches, you'll be hearing that a lot. Dad and i took the buggies out for about two hours and traversed across the ranch forever. I have never seen so much uninhabited space in my life except for possibly in wyoming. We drove out past kite butte, which i resolved to pull a solo hike out to tomorrow. It's about four miles from our cabin. We rounded about jackson lake, which was beautifully blue, calm and reflective. The creeks and lakes don't seem to settle into particular areas they just kind of lay on top of the grass and the land. We continued over to the jackson homestead which was from about 1830. The house was almost fully intact, except for the caving roof. The yard was strewn with complicated and tangled metal equipment. Everything is preserved so well by the dry weather, dad says even the snow is dry. The way back towards the ranch became a montana flavored safari. We saw antelope, coyotes, marmots, and ground squirrels. I gathered feathers off the ground and we stopped out by the truck shed to hang out with the friendly horses. Curious fellas, they immediately came up to nibble on our gloves, scarves, backpacks, and cam straps. The friendliest one was a giant black gelding, his brand was a pattern of white fur contrast against the black. an arrow pointing straight down into a v. They brand the dark horses by freezing that part of their skin so when the hair grows back, it's white. Anyway, we made friends with a couple of the horses and headed back to the cabin coated in horse dust. I proceeded to sit down and write, and even at 9:46 pm, it is pretty light outside. It might even be darker in california right now then it is here. The sun was pretty much setting within the last 45 minutes.
Sleeping In.
So, I got approximately 12 hours of sleep last night. A good time to catch up for sure. Today, thus far, has been pretty lazy. At last the sun is shining and i am comfortable outside in jeans a thermal and a sweatshirt, though racing on the buggy, i might have to bundle up a bit more. i've been reading a bunch today, two books so far, haha. I also experienced my first bite of hell's canyon idaho canned peaches. I am so glad we have cases and cases of these because they are delicious, still taste off the tree, they have some crunch and some life unlike most canned peaches. Plus the ingredients read "peaches, water, sugar". Mostly i've been eating clif bars, cereal, and burritos. Things are going great though. The land here is beautiful and our log cabin is quaint and cozy. There are mice in the ceiling, but that doesn't really bother me much. We also have a "rental dog" who is named sissy. She's a sweet heart and pretty much sleeps in my room all day. I'm going to go eat some more peaches, but i'll post more later!
Driving for days.
In the version of the trip i had planned, i didn't imagine driving nonstop for hours and hours. I thought maybe i would make frequent stops and sort of explore my way towards montana. But driving straight turned out to be good. Dad and i took shifts ranging from four hours to six. When my radio refused to work, we sang songs together and to each other. We stopped at Gertie's brick oven restaurant in idaho, and dad got a couple interesting slices of all you can eat pizza, including one called Idaho bacon, which was topped with shredded potatoes. The waitress was puzzled by my blt sandwich minus the bacon, but she was nice and didn't laugh. The weirdest experience all day happened to be stopping at a full service gas station, where my driver's side door was opened and i was asked to exit the vehicle while they vacuumed and wiped off every window. They even checked the tire pressure. I stood shivering under the cloudy gray sky in my shorts and t-shirt. Driving, driving, and more driving finally brought us to rest for the night at the red lion colonial inn in helena.
Six thirty am and two snooze buttons later we were downstairs eating breakfast and off on the road again. We picked up dad's truck from the airport and headed off into middle of nowhere montana, otherwise known as white sulfur springs.
We arrived at roughly nine thirty am, and by eleven i had met most of the people on the ranch, been offered a cheeseburger (luckily, i was informed by dad to decline by saying "no thanks, i just ate") and drove thirty or so miles on an atv (called buggies in these parts) just looking for the rest of the crew. We passed the remains of an eighteen hundreds log cabin (not unlike our own, except for the missing roof) and barn, as well as an intact barn once owned by John Ringling of the Ringling brothers.
This ranch is so expansive, everything you can see in three directions is a part of it. Past the first set of mountains, all the way to the summit of the far white peaks. It's incredible really. And incredibly hard to find people when your radio isn't working.
By two or three, we were headed out on a cattle drive: a high, wrecking, raging, muddy course across two giant fields herding stubborn yearling heifers. Dad and i raced around on the buggy, and one jump brought us both two feet of the seat. It was really fun, and funny. I hid my tongue in the back of my mouth, far away from my clacking teeth caused both by the cold (I was wearing five layers on top and denim pants over my half inch thick fleece skiing long johns) and by the excitement. Oh yeah, and by rocketing over the sage brush and prairie dog holes like they were flat ground.
Evening brought us to the hot springs hotel seven miles away in the "town". It's the kind of place a girl raised in auburn can seem like the sophisticated, cosmopolitan type. Both the pool and the indoor spa are drained and cleaned daily, so there is no need for the addition of chemicals. (The hotel and hot spring were also at one point owned by John Ringling, odd sort of town, for sure). After a long hot soak, we headed to Lori's Montana Roadhouse: A bar. A bar where i sat at the counter and the tender asked me how my graduation was, without prompting. Everyone in this town knows each other pretty well. I had a shirley temple and a half, dad downed some breaded and fried cheese curds, while i stuck to french fries. Which were undoubtedly the best french fries this side of France.
I got in bed at like 9:15, staring out my window at the last sun touched clouds fading to a soft blue. Being this far north in the summer is interesting. Someday I'd surely like to spend a summer up closer to the midnight sun of alaska. An hour later after some reading and phone calls, the sky and earth will still very blue and well lit, like dusk.
Six thirty am and two snooze buttons later we were downstairs eating breakfast and off on the road again. We picked up dad's truck from the airport and headed off into middle of nowhere montana, otherwise known as white sulfur springs.
We arrived at roughly nine thirty am, and by eleven i had met most of the people on the ranch, been offered a cheeseburger (luckily, i was informed by dad to decline by saying "no thanks, i just ate") and drove thirty or so miles on an atv (called buggies in these parts) just looking for the rest of the crew. We passed the remains of an eighteen hundreds log cabin (not unlike our own, except for the missing roof) and barn, as well as an intact barn once owned by John Ringling of the Ringling brothers.
This ranch is so expansive, everything you can see in three directions is a part of it. Past the first set of mountains, all the way to the summit of the far white peaks. It's incredible really. And incredibly hard to find people when your radio isn't working.
By two or three, we were headed out on a cattle drive: a high, wrecking, raging, muddy course across two giant fields herding stubborn yearling heifers. Dad and i raced around on the buggy, and one jump brought us both two feet of the seat. It was really fun, and funny. I hid my tongue in the back of my mouth, far away from my clacking teeth caused both by the cold (I was wearing five layers on top and denim pants over my half inch thick fleece skiing long johns) and by the excitement. Oh yeah, and by rocketing over the sage brush and prairie dog holes like they were flat ground.
Evening brought us to the hot springs hotel seven miles away in the "town". It's the kind of place a girl raised in auburn can seem like the sophisticated, cosmopolitan type. Both the pool and the indoor spa are drained and cleaned daily, so there is no need for the addition of chemicals. (The hotel and hot spring were also at one point owned by John Ringling, odd sort of town, for sure). After a long hot soak, we headed to Lori's Montana Roadhouse: A bar. A bar where i sat at the counter and the tender asked me how my graduation was, without prompting. Everyone in this town knows each other pretty well. I had a shirley temple and a half, dad downed some breaded and fried cheese curds, while i stuck to french fries. Which were undoubtedly the best french fries this side of France.
I got in bed at like 9:15, staring out my window at the last sun touched clouds fading to a soft blue. Being this far north in the summer is interesting. Someday I'd surely like to spend a summer up closer to the midnight sun of alaska. An hour later after some reading and phone calls, the sky and earth will still very blue and well lit, like dusk.
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