Another Fun Run to Big Sky Country
This is my third summer traveling out to Montana for a few weeks and these travels never fail to bring enjoyment and always something new to see and do. The enormity of the land and the mountains alone are always worth the trip.
Out in deep southwest Montana, my friend Mary has put together a wonderful reclamation of a 140 year old one room school house. One room, 50 by 25 with 18 foot ceiling when she found it deserted, abandoned and falling apart up on rails in a field, she found out who owned it, bought it, had it picked up and moved 6 miles to some acreage she’d acquired at he bench of the Ruby Mountains (power company crews took down lines as they moved forward, put them back up once they’d passed), settled onto a new foundation and then re-constituted it into a gorgeous, comfortable 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath summer escape with bells and whistles galore, surrounded by 360 degree spectacular views of mountain ranges and deep plains. Her place is on the floor of a huge plateaued valley (where Lewis and Clark trekked and explored) completely surrounded by-get this-the following ranges:
The Tobacco Root, The Gravellies, The Ruby Range, The Greenhorn Range, McCarthy Mountain, The Pioneers, The Highlands and The Snow Crest Range—other than that…
Not a bad spot to hang and use as a ‘base of operations! So. here are more or less, a quick, random thought travelogue of there two weeks. As you can see I am true to myself; yes, I am scattered.
- Fly into Bozeman, Mary picks me up. I almost have a heart attack (and I aint kidding!) as while I was waiting for my bag to come off the carousel, someone picked up my carry-on (which contained my laptop, notes and all of my-so far, 36,000 words- work on my third book in the Eddie Terrell Trilogy). Once they realized it wasn’t theirs, they put it back on the belt where it slowly meandered around before it got back to me. In the meantime, I am having a silent panic attack the size of Yellowstone and staying calm before I tear the rest of my hair out. ;) Finally, after 15 minutes of holding my breath, it reappears from the luggage cave’s maw and I can exhale and we are off to the crossroads of Alder.
- The heat wave out there is continuous and adjustments must be made and the next day brings wind whipping dust storms that blossom up like thunderstorms.There has not been any rain for a long time. The storms are fierce and spooky and fascinating to watch.
- Down the dirt road from Mary’s ‘Little House On The Prairie’, there is a huge cattle yard where bulls and cows are branded, sorted, given medicine and moved about. Of course, all these creatures do a lot of business and that business is regularly pushed and dozed in large manure mountains for later use as fertilizer. There is a huge bull who, every day goes to the top of the tallest and settles there, when not standing, and surveys his empire. He is imperious and regal with bright red tags on his ears. Have named him King Bull Shit. Suffice it to say, he is an interesting fellow and it’s fun to linger a while and watch him. He is in command and control of the yard.
- Went to the Ennis (down the road-Ennis is considered the fly fishing capitol of the United States-cool little town) Rodeo. Bucking broncos, barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping-a big time rodeo, held outdoors at local fairgrounds, complete sell-out with whatever you care to drink and whatever you care to eat as long as you have a cardio-thoracic surgeon on call…First rain in days, poured hard and cold for half an hour, didn’t put a dent in the dust and dry but sure felt good. Observation: If Trump were running only at that venue, he wins 99+% with the few opponent votes running to their Teslas.
- 4th of July. Big, jolly picnic and cook-out and bring a covered dish at a neighbor’s-that’s three farms over and two up the bench. Lots of nice folks and we heartily toasted our freedoms. Highlighted by two smoke jumpers who came out of a legendary World War Two C-47 and glided in perfectly amongst us for burgers and bison and beer. Yes, the National Anthem played as they came in. There ain’t much ‘blasé’ out this way. These folks are independent, tough and very patriotic. Quietly very inspiring.
Oh, had a Ketchup Crisis which would have been a primary lacking ingredient in the beans Mary was making but that was solved by a run to Miss Susie’s gas station and corner store at the Alder crossroads where, while she had no bottles of the red sauce, she did have a couple of hundred small packets which eased the way. Improvisation is always a good skill to have.
- Visited from time to time with friends and other neighbors. Many nifty homes. Folks coming from the South and East and reclaiming old, falling down places and gussying them up.Lots of different looks.
- Went for three days to a wonderful spot called Brooks Lake Lodge (10,000 feet elevation) in Wyoming. Drove from Alder (5,000 feet elevation) down to Idaho Falls and the along the magnificent Snake River and over through Great Teton Pass and Jackson Hole and along the rugged, jagged Tetons. Lodge is out in the middle of nowhere in the Shoshonee National Forest on a beautiful, big (and very cold! lake). Built in 1922 to create a way station for travelers from Bozeman to Yellowstone, it is a beautiful trip back in time. Huge beams, remarkable construction, fireplaces always in use-and big enough to walk in-excellent food and drink, nice people from all over. Comfortable, cozy and cool, I’ll surely go back! Lots of walking, hiking, reading, resting and I even went on horseback trail ride! (Been there, done that, Have the blisters to prove it- Check That Box!)
Learned while there that he place is owned by a fraternity brother from Chapel Hill. He’s a bit older than me and we have never met. He was a football hero to me back in 1963. He dumped Duke like a box of rocks down a well. (The memory of it all inspired me and am going to write a short story on his exploits.) He went on to Wall Street and, as they say, ‘did very well’. ;)
His youngest daughter was working at the Lodge and we pieced it all together, She is a remarkable,delightful young lady!
- Headed back toward Alder. Long drive but scenery and sites still just wondrous. Early dinner at the famous Chick’s bar, restaurant and motor court. (Chicks is featured early in my second book in the trilogy, YOU HAVE YOUR WAY)
Fun place full of characters, cowboys, roughnecks, trashy women, drunks, honky tonk music and biggest slabs of good prime rib you can imagine.
- And then the smoke came from the west. Fires in northern California and Washington state are the culprits. High heat and winds pushing and sever drought conditions make for a lot of tinderboxes out there. Smoke and haze settles all over the mountains and floors of the valleys. Makes for beautiful, surreal glowing sunrises and sunsets but everyone would just as soon get it all back to ‘regular’. All fear the worst is yet to come as the most ‘active’ fire months are August and July. :(
- And, along the way, walked a lot in the Ruby Habitat Nature preserve-just lovely- and watched lots of Netflix - Try SHOOTER just for fun-and rested and napped and relaxed. Found a terrific book too, AMERICAN CHEROKEE. Flew out of Bozeman yesterday, through Charlotte and got home around midnight.
And am now trying to rediscover where my mail and the washing machine are. Ergo, back at it. And, y’all stay safe and keep reading!
All my best,
Vernon