7/23/07 Ranchers!

I used to have this saying about Montana (developed when Tom and I
drove through here). "Montana's really great just don't talk to
anyone." This was based largely on superficial judgments of the
types of people we encountered here in a few days. In the years
between then and now, I opened my mind a bit. I've been to Montana a
few times now. I've had some great times here on previous trips and
this one. My friends from New Orleans live in Bozeman and love it.

However, I have to say, I've come full circle. I have to stand by my
original statement. I mentioned my encounter with the overprotective
rancher who blames me for his wandering cows, resulting in me having
to trek through a mile of wetlands to reach part of my site. Now
another development occurs. Remember the whole story of my friends
encountering Rob's rafting buddies? Well now the guy who owns that
land won't let my friends walk through his property to get to their
research site. Today he told them to "get the hell off his property,
and how dare they tell those rafters this was public land, and can't
they read a map?" (Actually a map of the area shows that indeed some
of it is forest service land which is what my friends told the rafters.)

It's like these damn people think that it's 1890 and they've just
staked out their homestead and if someone didn't see the one stake in
1000 acres, that they're trespassers and thieves. I'm surprised they
don't all carry rifles. They probably would if those damn second
amendment violating government officials would let them.

I'm sorry, pardon my rant. This week I feel I have discovered a new
definition of exhaustion. I don't think I actually understood that
exhaustion is a physical condition. It really affects your whole
body. I worked 14 days in a row and then on my "day off" I went to
Glacier National Park at 6AM to go hiking before the throngs of people
arrived. It was awesome, really great, but I see now that I should
have slept instead.

I have seen some really amazing things. In fact, I think I see at
least one amazing thing every day that makes me happy that I got up at
5:30AM. (No one will probably care about the next sentence.) I saw
some Sandhill Cranes today from about 100 feet. They took off and the
shadow was so huge it was like an airplane flew over. There's really
nothing like Montana, in so many ways.