Possibly a long post.

Ok team. Lots to report on. I'm back in Denver.

1st off. Horror of horrors. The neighbors whose unsecured internet I've used for the last year secured it over the weekend. I came to my parents' house tonight to catch up on internet things since I've had no access while I was in Montana. Looks like the end of this gravy train and I'm going to have to get myself an internet service. Not happy about any of this. I'm searching around to see what my best options are going to be, and I don't seem to be happy about any of my choices. Grrr.

So. Trip recap. I wrote some things of varying length each day, and will paste and see how it looks.

10pm July 31, even though I won't get to post this for a few days. Everyone's retiring for the evening, but I hear M over in the next room dabbling on the guitar. I'm stuffed, but figured I'd write a bit before bed.

Got here yesterday. Hadn't seen N or M or N's dad, S, for quite some time. Missed N&M's wedding in the Netherlands last September, felt bad about that, and haven't really spoken to them much in the past year. So it's good I came up here.

Was here at the ranch with them for a bit almost exactly four years ago, but I forgot how awesome it is.

Right outside of Roscoe, with the main part of the ranch right on the E. Rosebud River and about 1/2 sq. mi. in all. Amazing views from right at the bottom of the Beartooth Mntns.

N's dad, S, discovered the place years ago when he was dating a girl from the area (whose family has a much, much, much bigger ranch). I guess they were engaged before he broke it off. But still sort of moved to the area. Must've been hard for her to have her ex-financee having bought a ranch right down the hill from her place...

The three kids recently partitioned it, a bit, but that doesn't really seem to matter.

S's sister lives here year-round and has for decades and runs a pottery studio. Makes some pretty cool stuff. I bought a few pieces earlier today.

But N&M&S are mostly working on raising the roof of the green cabin, about 14 ft wide & 85 ft long, right next to the river, that S's dad got in the property partition amongst the three siblings.

So we worked on it a bit yesterday but are taking the weekend off but will be back at it Monday.

Rain on and off this afternoon, little thunderstorms rolling through, and then just before I came to bed we were out on the deck in this awesome lightning storm, with bolts lighting up the mountains every so often. An awesome evening. Nice and cool.
Going to bed now, though. But we've seen the black bears and the wild turkey families and lots of deer and went to the Wild Animal Refuge in Red Lodge today and saw a bunch of animals who'd been injured early in life and then saved and brought to the refuge to be cared for.

Had a really nice bbq tonight with everyone out on the river. Tons of food.


August 1. Went on a long hike today. Back to work on the roof in the morning. I didn't go as far as everyone else because I was a worried about my knee after what happened last week on Longs. Which did in fact give me some troubles again, but not as bad as last week.

I just foraged a late dinner - 10pm - and have retired to bed. N&M&S are still having a dinner of sorts. I'm also some gridding some geology isopachs. Not too much else for now. Maybe I'll get some hiking pictures up, although I think they're all on N's camera. Also right as we were getting back to the house we saw a barn owl fly up and land on the telephone pole. Pretty cool.


August 2. Happy birthday to me. M baked some of Grandmaman Guisan's gateaux au chocolate. Overflowed a little into the oven even though there's not much flour in them (mostly chocolate) and I just burned my forearm slightly while cleaning the bottom of the oven. Good day of roof building. Slow progress, but wasn't too hot.
Sad I'm going home tomorrow. Would like to stay out here weeks longer. M is badly mosquito bitten after yesterday. I've got a few. S's oars from his rowing days at Oxford in the early 60's are up with some pictures. Pretty amusing.