I can't believe it's been 2 1/2 months since I have written. Time has a way of marching forward whether we are ready or not. I have to admit I am out of practice. My first couple years of blogging were very productive. I found a lot of things to write about. Sometimes I wrote every day. I wanted to document my daily life for my family and also to remind myself of certain events and even recipes. As the years go by my history as far as nature, trips and food repeats itself. There is not as much to write about. One thing that has changed are my grandchildren. Where I used to write about the antics of little children, I now have grown or nearly grown grandchildren. They now range in age from 23 to 14 with individual lives and that's the way it should be.
I have had a few adventures since May. I made the decision to have cataract surgery. I could still see fine with my glasses but it was explained to me that it won't get better and insurance will cover it, so why not enjoy perfect vision for the rest of my life. It is amazing how easy this surgery is now. Except for the preparation at the surgery center, the surgery takes less than 10 minutes. New techniques don't even require drops afterward. I opted for perfect far sighted vision. I can see close up, but I prefer a little magnification. I wore glasses for so many years that having cheaters is fine for me. I am so used to glasses that I often push up the glasses that aren't even there. Overall, it was a good decision.
In June, my family and I had a vacation near Twin Bridges, Montana. Everyone could come except for the three oldest grandchildren with adult jobs. Last year my daughter, grandson and I traveled to South Dakota so this time we chose the northern route through North Dakota. http:/www.thecabincountess.com/2023/09/the-summer-of-2023-part-1.html Except for traveling around Minneapolis, it was a beautiful route. We stopped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We saw beautiful views including buffalo and wild horses.
From Theodore Roosevelt we continued west to Medora, ND. We slept (or in my case didn't sleep) in a covered wagon. It was so cute and a fun experience, but it should be experienced at an age where it isn't necessary to get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night. Even though this covered wagon had air conditioning, I should have known it did not have a bathroom.
Before settling down for the night, we attended the Medora Musical and had a pitch fork fondue meal. Steaks were cooked on pitch forks and fried in oil. The musical consisted of an ode to country music with most songs we recognized, an America themed story, the badlands and of course Theodore Roosevelt. There were many talented people performing in this show.
From Medora we proceeded to Pompey's Pillar, Montana. This is a National Historic Landmark with hundreds of historical markings, pictographs and inscriptions. It is the only place where Clark (of Louis and Clark) actually documented that he was there in 1806. William Clark had canoed down the Yellowstone River that summer and carved his name in the sandstone. He named it Pompy's Tower in honor of Sacagawea's infant son. Sacagawea was the Shoshone woman who traveled with and helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition. She was able to establish Native American contacts and had a great knowledge of the history of the area.
Next stop was the Rack and Reel Ranch outside of Twin Bridges, Montana where we spent the next week.
Since everyone had different likes and abilities, we mostly did our own thing. An example was horseback riding in the mountains. That was a little too daunting for this old gal, but the rest of them enjoyed it.
For those who hadn't been to Yellowstone National Park, they took the day and went there.
The rest of us went exploring. During the week, we sometimes went together and sometimes separately. We went to Bannack State Park. It's a ghost town with a rich history. We panned for garnets, we dug for crystals at another park, we went fossil hunting, we took an old firetruck tour in Virginia City and saw boot hill, ate at wonderful local eateries, we saw antelope, elk, mule deer, eagles etc. and there were breweries and thrift shops. For being so remote, there were a lot of interesting places to visit and see. The Yellowstone crew saw big horn sheep, black bear and more bison. Not a lot of coffee shops or shopping but lots of nature and gorgeous views. This blog is long enough so I won't share all the photos we took.
Ewan my youngest grandchild lives and breaths fishing. Montana is a dream for this activity. He was able to fish everyday and even got a tour of the famous Winston Rod Company including the bamboo division. Ewan ties his own flies and even has his own YouTube channel called Old Time Skills Outdoors. I am sure he would appreciate a follow.
Even staying back at the ranch was enjoyable for me. The views were awesome. It was hot and 90 degrees when we arrived, but it snowed a couple days later. Montana is very dry and the ranchers were delighted to get the snow.
I am ending this blog with one more adventure. Last week we drove to Michigan to attend the wedding of my nephew and his wonderful bride. It was the kind of wedding everyone should have. It was casual but very touching and meaningful. It was wonderful to spend time with my family. We hadn't seen each other for a year, and it is so much fun spending time with people who have enjoyed the same history. We had so many stories and laughs.The downside is that we were so busy having fun we didn't take any group photos. Hopefully we can see each other soon. Congratulations John and Lisa.
