Information sign telling the story of the horses that died.
click on image to enlarge for ease of reading.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
9:20 pm Wednesday September 5, 2007
Our last afternoon in White Sulphur Springs was spent at the rodeo grounds attending the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Labor Day Rodeo. For those of you who have never attended a real, small town rodeo you don’t know what you’re missing! What fun it is! From the entrance fee ($12 each-but it was for a good cause) to the Souvenir Program ($3.00 then they gave them away in the stands about half way through the events ~~~~) to the concession stand ($2.50 for each hotdog but we had to eat, right?) Phil’s wallet was considerably lighter but we decided it was worth every nickel when all was said and done. Our new camera, a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 with a 10X optical zoom did a fantastic job at stopping the action for us!
Check out all the pink shirts on the cowboys. They are participating in the Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign in the fight against breast cancer. In 2006 the PRCA rodeo, affiliates and other Western industry presented a check for $1 Million dollars to Tough Enough to Wear Pink founder and breast cancer survivor, Terry Wheatley.
It was nearly 90 degrees in the shade but we were so transfixed with the nonstop action, we hardly noticed until I stood up to stretch during a technical problem with the PA system and my shorts were totally wet and stuck to my body! Yuk!! I went through some embarrassing contortions to straighten out my clothing but since I didn’t know a soul in the entire audience I decided “oh well” and went back to watching the triumphs and the “aw shucks” as the cowboys and cowgirls gave us their all. Can you imagine how much it must hurt to fall off a horse (or a bull or a bucking bronco) at a dead run?
Check out all the pink shirts on the cowboys. They are participating in the Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign in the fight against breast cancer. In 2006 the PRCA rodeo, affiliates and other Western industry presented a check for $1 Million dollars to Tough Enough to Wear Pink founder and breast cancer survivor, Terry Wheatley.
It was nearly 90 degrees in the shade but we were so transfixed with the nonstop action, we hardly noticed until I stood up to stretch during a technical problem with the PA system and my shorts were totally wet and stuck to my body! Yuk!! I went through some embarrassing contortions to straighten out my clothing but since I didn’t know a soul in the entire audience I decided “oh well” and went back to watching the triumphs and the “aw shucks” as the cowboys and cowgirls gave us their all. Can you imagine how much it must hurt to fall off a horse (or a bull or a bucking bronco) at a dead run?
Later that night we saw the one local cowboy from WSS who participated in the bull riding at the restaurant where we ate dinner. He was pouring down painkiller from a tall, brown bottle—I hope someone was with him to drive him home!
Monday, September 03, 2007
9:28 pm Monday, September 3, 2007
Tomorrow is a travel day. Our wonderful Penny the Pace will carry us south for a few days before we turn east again. We have been hunkered down here in White Sulphur Springs Montana for the past 12 days, deliberately waiting out the holiday weekend knowing we might run into some difficulty finding space in RV parks along our route. Since this is a Coast to Coast park, and also our home park, our cost was only $3.00 per night. It was a good decision because not only did Phil get in some good fishing, I managed to complete some genealogy tasks I had put off until we landed someplace quiet for awhile.
We spent some time here in 2005 and knew we would enjoy our stay. However, I had forgotten about the eternal wind that blows across this valley at sometime (either day or night—or both) in every single 24 hour period, but we learned to live with it. The good side of the wind is that it cools the air down (it has warmed up to the high 80s and low 90s ever day) and it blew the smoke away but the same wind blew the smoke in every day. The fires burning in Idaho and western Montana gave up their smoke in an easterly direction and here, we are in the direct line of fire (no pun intended). The surrounding hills have been shrouded with a bluish haze all but a half day here and there since we arrived.
These hazy sunsets tell the story of our time in White Sulphur Springs. .
We spent some time here in 2005 and knew we would enjoy our stay. However, I had forgotten about the eternal wind that blows across this valley at sometime (either day or night—or both) in every single 24 hour period, but we learned to live with it. The good side of the wind is that it cools the air down (it has warmed up to the high 80s and low 90s ever day) and it blew the smoke away but the same wind blew the smoke in every day. The fires burning in Idaho and western Montana gave up their smoke in an easterly direction and here, we are in the direct line of fire (no pun intended). The surrounding hills have been shrouded with a bluish haze all but a half day here and there since we arrived.
These hazy sunsets tell the story of our time in White Sulphur Springs. .
Friday, August 24, 2007
6:48 pm Friday August 24, 2007
Yesterday our wonderful Penny the Pace delivered us safely across 6,375' Homestake Pass on I-90 then north on US 87 and US 12 to White Sulphur Springs, Montana. I white knuckled it all the way across but the 25 mph speed limit on the down side helped considerably. The “Home Park” for our Coast to Coast camping club membership is here at Conestoga RV Park. We only pay $3.00 per day for full hookups and can stay for two weeks if we choose. WSS is a typical small town that has not changed at all since we were here two years ago. No sign of any growth to speak of. Built on a high plateau, the area abounds with wheat and hay fields and lots of pasture for cattle and horses. I hope to get some writing done and Phil will do some fishing while we are here.
We were in Missoula for three nights and two days, arriving just a few days after the firefighters contained a major fire that burned right down to the edge and temporarily closed US 93, the road to Glacier National Park. The staging areas for the firefighters were just down the road from our RV Park as they continued the efforts to increase the area under containment. When we left Thursday morning, the 23rd, they were still at 35% but some rain and cooler weather with higher humidity and no wind was helping a lot. Here are some pictures of just part of the thousands of acres that were burnt around where we were parked.
We were in Missoula for three nights and two days, arriving just a few days after the firefighters contained a major fire that burned right down to the edge and temporarily closed US 93, the road to Glacier National Park. The staging areas for the firefighters were just down the road from our RV Park as they continued the efforts to increase the area under containment. When we left Thursday morning, the 23rd, they were still at 35% but some rain and cooler weather with higher humidity and no wind was helping a lot. Here are some pictures of just part of the thousands of acres that were burnt around where we were parked.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
7:03 pm Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Many year ago when I began working on my family history and genealogy I gradually found and made contact with dozens of new “cousins” across the country. Some I already knew existed but many more were new to me. As I corresponded with them via letters and telephone calls in the beginning, then e-mail and for the few within a drivable distance from my home town in person, I discovered a plethora of jewels in my family tree. And my cup runneth over!
Our recent visit with my cousin Lea and her husband Bob in Medical Lake has gifted me with another of those gems. Lea is a year or so younger and her husband is a year older than me. Like I said in a previous post, Lea and I have corresponded over the past years but it was our first meeting in person. Phil and I were welcomed so warmly, we instantly felt like family.
“I have been riding since I was a youngster and broke my first horse when I was nine years old” Bob told us when I asked him where he learned the expertise used every day for training, riding and caring for the many horses on their ten acre ranch. Over 50 years ago when her father died while she was in high school Lea had to give up her horse when she moved in to town with her mother and sister. Finally, less than 20 years ago she was able to realize her never forgotten dream of moving back to the country where owning, riding and competing as well as training horses would again be possible. As they gave us a tour around the ranch we could sense the love and pride they both feel about this laborious lifestyle they have chosen, even into retirement.
In October 2007, they will celebrate 50 years of marriage with their children, grandchildren and their one great granddaughter as well as many other members of their family and friends from around the country. We will not be able to attend but we wish them much happiness and lots of beautiful new memories for many more years to come.
Our recent visit with my cousin Lea and her husband Bob in Medical Lake has gifted me with another of those gems. Lea is a year or so younger and her husband is a year older than me. Like I said in a previous post, Lea and I have corresponded over the past years but it was our first meeting in person. Phil and I were welcomed so warmly, we instantly felt like family.
“I have been riding since I was a youngster and broke my first horse when I was nine years old” Bob told us when I asked him where he learned the expertise used every day for training, riding and caring for the many horses on their ten acre ranch. Over 50 years ago when her father died while she was in high school Lea had to give up her horse when she moved in to town with her mother and sister. Finally, less than 20 years ago she was able to realize her never forgotten dream of moving back to the country where owning, riding and competing as well as training horses would again be possible. As they gave us a tour around the ranch we could sense the love and pride they both feel about this laborious lifestyle they have chosen, even into retirement.
In October 2007, they will celebrate 50 years of marriage with their children, grandchildren and their one great granddaughter as well as many other members of their family and friends from around the country. We will not be able to attend but we wish them much happiness and lots of beautiful new memories for many more years to come.
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