I started my day by: Getting up at 4 a.m. Kevin said he wanted to leave for Livingston by 5:30, and I know it takes me longer in the morning than it does him. Of course, I check my glucose levels, take my prescribed medicines, make my morning latte, and try to put something together for breakfast, none of which Kevin does. And with all that, we were out the door by 5:32, and it wasn't me making us "late."
Major events going on in my world today: Riding along as Kevin drives to the Livingston side of Bozeman Pass where he will pick up another radio antenna tower. I love going for Sunday drives, and it's always fun traveling with Kevin.
My goals for today: Get in a 1/2 hour walk, get my blood glucose level lower, and take some amazing photographs--nothing major.
Today I feel: For the most part, I feel sleepy. Took 3 Advil PM tablets when I went to bed, and have been having trouble all day waking up. I'm afraid I wasn't very good at keeping Kevin company on the drive as I kept nodding off all the way over and back.
The most memorable thing that occurred today: I hate to admit it, but the most memorable thing was coming back from my walk to find one of the young men helping to load up the antenna tower had taken off his shirt. Easily one of the most handsome (and well built, not over muscled) young men I recall seeing. I only wish I had been brave enough to ask if I could take his picture. He's a senior studying to be a teacher. None of my teachers were that hot when I was in grade school.
The best part of my day: It's always a good day riding along with Kevin, even if I'm sleeping. This trip was 600 miles round trip. We left home at 5:32 a.m. and pulled into our driveway right at 6:00 p.m. Twelve and a half hours, well, ok, twelve hours with my man at my side. The other half hour I was doing my cardio walk by myself.
Something I am looking forward to tomorrow: Monday means cardio therapy in Missoula, plus a follow up visit with the cardiologists at the Montana Heart Center, but Monday is special because it means rehearsal with the Missoula Gay Men's Chorus. I always look forward to rehearsal with the guys.
More Thoughts and Feelings: I know that I'm not going to get top-level photos when Kevin is driving and I don't ask him to pull over. Driving through the canyon west of Drummond, the sun was just right on the rocks to the south. I keep trying to get a great shot of these rocks, but am rarely here when the morning sun is lighting the scenery. Today it was, and I tried, but, as you can see, the truck was moving faster than the shutter so the picture is out of focus. Nonetheless, you can see a bit of the color that makes these rocks so special.
Rock Wall South of Interstate 90
West of Drummond, Montana
July 23rd, 2017
When I first put together Glory of the West: A Photographic Portrait of Montana's Fifty-Six Counties, all my pictures of Silver Bow County were scenes in Butte. Of course the city of Butte and Silver Bow County consolidated their governments many years ago, so why not show Butte off. But the thing is, Silver Bow County is more than just Butte, and some rural landscapes would be a good addition. This shot was taken just across the county line near the Gregson/Fairmont Hot Springs exit from I-90.
Once we crossed Bozeman Pass and took the Jackson Creek exit (where the Grizzly Bear tourist trap takes pride of place), we turned left and drove for another four miles along the frontage road until we came to Lake Drive. Turns out this area was part of the 6,000 acre ranch that Kevin's family owned when he was born. He knew all the history of the area, who owned what back in the 1960s, and shared that with me and with the guys who helped us load the antenna tower. Here's a view of that land, taken from the site where we loaded the tower on the trailer.
While Kevin and the local guys took the tower apart and loaded it on our trailer, I took off on my half hour (or more) walk. I am supposed to walk 30-40 minutes every day at a rate that makes me know I'm working (but not so hard as to die on the trail). The Heart Center has a 20 point scale, where 0 is no effort and 20 is Oh My God, and we are supposed to exercise at around 12-13. For some reason, all my walks thus far have started and ended at the top of a steep hill. I am now to the point where I can climb our driveway without stopping, but I do notice the effort involved. There at Bozeman Pass, I began by walking up the road, but only got a short distance before realizing that I was on a private driveway and would have to turn around. Turning around meant going downhill, then further downhill, then even further downhill before turning around and having to climb back to the truck. Topping things off, my phone, which I use to track my walking thanks to the Map My Fitness app, died some twenty minutes into the walk. By the time I was back at the truck, charging the phone and catching my breath, the app recorded that I had walked for fifty plus minutes. Not so. I walked approximately 32 minutes and only covered 1.15 miles. Someday, I'm going to have to find a walking path that doesn't start and stop at the top of the hill. These lovely daisies grew all along the route I took, along with a few other wildflowers. And no, I didn't carry my camera on my walk. These were growing alongside the truck.
Once loaded, we headed back to Plains, and, I am ashamed to say, I slept most of the way. We stopped at the Wheat Montana Deli near Three Forks, but the line was exceedingly long, so we continued our drive westward, stopping at the A&W/KFC in Whitehall where Kevin ordered original recipe chicken (two breasts and a thigh) with two cole slaws and a genuine A&W root beer. I told the clerk to give me exactly the same. It was good, and we were obviously not at the KFC in Missoula, because the restaurant was clean. Just as obviously, we weren't at the KFC in Kalispell, because the food was tasty and the portions large. You'd think there would be some corporate standards these places would have to maintain.
Driving east over Homestake Pass, I saw a rock formation in the Boulder Batholith that merited a sign on the side of the highway. I think it said "Tower Rock," but I'm not sure. Driving west, I watched for a similar sign but didn't see one. I did, however, see the formation, and here below is the photo I took as we passed it by. On my Montana bucket list is a trip to the Ringing Rocks in this area which you can access from the Pipestone exit on I-90.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we got home in time for Kevin to take a brief nap while I lay on the porch swing. By 8 we were in town (Plains) to watch the movie Despicable Me 3. Kind of stupid, but lots of laughs. I recommend it for mindless entertainment.
No comments:
Post a Comment