Back in the Saddle

While I love that Sarah has written so much for this blog lately, it's time for me to update our people on whassa happenin', hot stuff.

First things first:

That's a Wainer!

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for their big win tonight. Any of you who jumped on the Pirates' bandwagon can go ahead and switch to watching football. And Philip and Stefan and Bergs and any other Dodger fans--let's have some fun. By which I mean, Prepare to Die, again.

So we are enjoying Wyoming just fine but I have to say, it would be better if Yellowstone were open. 

A sign is not enough--We demand yellow stones!

Since we are spending more time in cities than we planned to, museums have been an almost daily destination for us. And we have been to some great ones. Sarah told you about the Museum of the Rockies, but that's not Bozeman's only one. Just down the road is the first of 

THREE GREAT MUSEUMS IN the Montana/Wyoming bi-state area

Number 1. 

thank you Vanna

First of all, it's free. We donated $5, but still, it's awesome that it's free. Maybe 7 or 8 rooms in a nondescript building in a little strip mall. But so much cool stuff. From the printing press to telegraphs to video games and tons of Apple computers and a dancing robot, they have centuries of comm tech on display. An original copy of a book by Francis Bacon, another by John Locke. Maybe only philosophy lovers like me appreciate that, but we all should. The book is over 320 years old! Of course, the boys were more into the robot stuff. 

OK, I admit it. So was I.

Funny story--the night I met Sarah in my dorm (yaaah Bobb-McCulloch!!),  my roommate was showing Terminator 2 to about 9 sweaty hallmates, so Sarah and I had to sit in the hall. Lucky for us, I had low-rider lawn chairs.  

I

OK, movie buffs will appreciate this one from Fritz Lang's Metropolis. I think it's a reproduction though.

I thought this was the one from Lost in Space, but it turns out it's Robby the Robot. He says stuff like "Bozeman is a nice place." Sounded kinda brainwashed to me.

We also got to hold a real cell phone from back when they doubled as dumbbells. Desi thought the number buttons were pretty stupid, nevermind the price ($1499!)

We reluctantly left Bozeman (know anyone there who wants to hire us?) and headed east. Turns out there had been a storm of some force. Lucky for us, we just got to see beautiful aftermath.

Random sighting of fiberglass guy:

That's no cowBOY. He a cowMAN

Better late than never, I got the real Welcome to Montana sign. Does it count, on the way out?

PS I look sunburned, but not to worry Mom. Camera trick.

Here in the MT/WY bi-state area, we have been treated to some Big Skies. It's not just marketing. Something about being in a valley, with mountains on most if not all sides. Huge banks of clouds looming overhead. Rather humbling, in the best way.

We rolled into Cody, WY just in time. The campground closed for the winter the day we left. Lots of places were closed, including the Wild West show. But we got a show of our own at sunset. These photos fail to do it justice--I am inching closer to buying one of those honking big ones everyone in Shanghai has. 

The sun looked really cool. Right, D?

See? Like a huge cotton ball

A pre-dinner hug before Wyoming Rib and Chop House. My iPhone couldn't get both cuteness and beauty, so see below for what the sky looked like.

All right, after setting up camp and going out for ribs, we caught up on our sleep. It was cold that night, and the tent hadn't had the benefir of a day in the sun to warm up. Probably 35 or 40 degrees in the tent. Did I mention we have an awesome sleeping bag big enough for both adults? Which would have been great if not for the fact that by dawn, ALL FOUR OF US ENDED UP IN THE SAME SLEEPING BAG. (Long story, involving bad dreams and maybe one too many pineapple juices at dinner). I am all for family closeness, but I hope sincerely that doesn't happen again.

The next day in Cody we went to 

GREAT MUSEUM IN the Montana/Wyoming bi-state area

Number 2: The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which houses 5 distinct museums. Spendy but kickass, and I do not throw that word around. Photos to follow when I update this post tomorrow morning. For now, I need sleep after a night of tense baseball. I leave you with some scebery from Wyoming. Including a bait vending machine. (And you thought Japan had all the weird ones.) 

Uhh, Wow #nofilter

Coming down out of the Bighorn Mountains

Oh deer. This group almost got hit by this old driver who was 100% oblivious. Fear the old!

It's 3 am. Do you know where your worms are?

Blogging from Beautiful Bozeman

Des found some space in the Wind Tunnels

Hi all; I have a Montana beer in my hand and a post-season baseball game on the tv; time to reconnect with you all.  (this is Sarah, btw; I realize my first line there might have thrown you off). So much to say; oh, and I have the time! Northwestern and OSU are starting up the Homecoming showdown..go Cats!  I love that the link bleeds purple!

We've been circling Yellowstone, first in Moran, Wyoming, then Ennis, Montana, now here in Bozeman, trying to wait out Congress and the cold weather.  We're heading to Cody, Wyoming for a couple of days tomorrow, to see the Buffalo Bill Museum and hopefully wait out the Congressional cat fight.  In the meantime I'll explain these photos....

 Here's our family selfie with our adopted dog for the day, the Peeples Waugh's dog, Django.  We have been on a dog tour this year, which has been one of our favorite parts.  Ah, beautiful sun.  Please come back to play!

Enjoying the local brew in Jackson, WY on our brew tour!

 Gar found us a ranch still open in Moran, Wyoming, right between the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone.  I would link these parks to show you the beautiful vistas, but they're all shut down.  I think this pic, while it was from before the shut down, explains how we feel about being shut out of Yellowstone.  I felt even sorrier for the Chinese couple at the ranch, who I'm sure had everything planned out with a jam-packed itinerary.  There were a lot of tourists taking pics of the Grand Teton and Yellowstone signs...and turning around!  How sad.

Junior Rangering at the Grand Teton Visitor Center (pre-shutdown)

You like our Tetons?

Des doing what he does best...chatting up the rangers. How I miss you, rangers.

 Hey!  Back in Logan...can't figure out how to move it back into chronological order, so here you go.  See the temple in the background?  I had flashbacks to the mosque in my Peace Corps village Kerr Cherno, The Gambia.

This one's for you, Auntie Erica.

And for you, Gramma Janet and Grandpa Steve

And...we're back to the Grand Tetons.  Love these colors!  How about them quaking aspens?  They look like golden pompoms shaking in the wind!

The boy endures the hail for the shot of the Tetons!  And the clouds part for him!

Des is made Junior Ranger again!  Hear the battle cry!

Here we are on October 1st, driving back down to Jackson, shut out of Yellowstone.  Did I mention I'm also taking two MentorCoach classes?  I spent most of the drive on the phone listening to my hero, Dr. Barb Fredrickson, talk about coaching from and with love.  There are worse things to look at while listening to your hero talk about things that move you.  Like the Grinch, my heart grew two sizes that day, even with the shutdown.

How do you know you're in the wild west?  Lots of fiberglass buffalo...

A pic of the precious spuds, Josie!  

Gary missed the state sign...so he improvised 

I love my ginger squad, more than life itself.  And yet, I yearn for a glass partition in my little car.  And that is why the best investment, so far, has been audible.com.  We are currently loving Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman.  Emmett said that Neil Gaiman is "his kind of author."  This book is not for little boys, it's for young adults.  But luckily the references we don't want them to get, they don't get.

Don't get any ideas Des....

 After getting shut out of Yellowstone, we drove around the park to the West side, and stayed with Gary's buddy from Vietnam, Sam Korsmoe and his soccer stud son, Coulter, in Ennis, Montana.  If any of you want to fly fish or run a really cool marathon, come here!  Sam is also doing some really, really cool stuff, you should all check out, fund, send kids to.

Sam advised us to go to Virginia City, where we learned about vigilante justice.

Montana has the toughest women in the US!!

Instead of going to school, we decided to go to the graveyard up top of Virginia City.  I will get back to you about what our learning intentions were.

Look out Mia and Aidan...

They like their metalwork around here!

Emmett has set a goal this year to improve his parkour skills.  What's better than a park with gigantic tractor tires!  His skills are dope!  (I'm trying to earn street cred, a la Terry Gross)

Not to be outdone by his younger bro...

What do you think of that shot, David Gran?

Mom can play too

We pulled into Bozeman, Montana on Thursday in a snowstorm; this is when Gary's character strength of prudence serves us all.  He drove carefully--whiteknuckled, yes--through a very snowy, slippery pass, and did it beautifully.  Hope you can see the temp in the background in this shot...we're not in Shanghai for October break anymore!

Des and the dino face off...

Big Mike in the snow

It's October 3rd, by the way...

One of the highlights of our trip are the planned and unplanned get togethers with old friends.  Thank you Facebook and LinkedIn!  Here we are with Wayne Mortimer, our favorite Aussie in Bozeman (and in Portland, when he lived there).  How many years ago did we mentor with you, Wayne?  Pretty sure that precluded marriage, and kids.  Great, great fun.  And Montana Ale Works do you have any job openings?  We're ready to move here, Bozeman.  We know, we're not the only ones.














Back to the coolest museum, the Museum of the Rockies.  Did you know that Yellowstone is a supervolcano?  Did you know that T Rex lose teeth throughout their lives, as they start eating different foods?   Did you know that the homesteading condom was meant to be reusable, and was called the Merry Widow?  I didn't!

The Bozeman Library was totally awesome.  We had a great hour or two there, got some ideas, then went and bought some great literature at the Country Bookshelf, Bozeman's version of Powell's. I realize I'm a linking fool, but why not?  Look it up! It's interesting and fun stuff!  I picked up a book that I now can't put down.  I'm trying to read local, just like I'm eating local.  Boise State's Brady Udall's The Lonely Polygamist is already a fabulous page turner, and I am confident both my Shanghai and Portland book clubs would love it!  I am consuming this book faster than I can choke down the next bison pot sticker.  Read it!

Back to the NU-OSU homecoming game...we're up 20-13 at half!  Cats upset, c'mon!  It happens to be the Montana State Bobcats homecoming game this weekend in Bozeman as well, and as we sat at the Naked Noodle, enjoying our various noodle medleys, the MSU marching band converged in the street.  We got a free show!  Why do college marching band always have such dorky, punny names?  The NUMB band took a lot of crapola, from what I recall... and MSU motto was "we've got the vim...we're going to win!"  The vim?  Who says that?  (They were pretty great, though.  I was feeling the vim).

We've got some great stuff from today's Bridger Raptor Fest, but the game is back on and I'm blogged out.  Please write your congressperson and explain to them how much a family you know would like to visit your national monuments.  Desi has so many questions for the rangers!  Let us at em! We're pretty good at entertaining ourselves, and there's some learning happening, we think. If you have ideas of how to entertain ourselves in lieu of national parks and monuments, please send your ideas.  We're also entertaining suggestions of our school name and mascot...want to hear the front runners?