A Ranch is a Ranch -- Not. Day 64, August 24, 2017.
Never seen anything like it. The Ranches and farms that grow food for the ranches stretch as far as the eye can see here. California's are small potatoes compared to these. I didn't take a picture because you would not have believed it. Not a tree in sight. Just acres and acres of nothing but plowed soil.
We drove 264 miles today. This is "Big State" country. Montana is sooooo wide. A couple of things struck me:
1. Where do these people go to shop; (do they all have amazon prime? whole foods here they come)
2. How can they believe what they see on TV? It is so unlike what their reality is.
We are camped in what passes for an RV park which is located on an Indian reservation--Fort Belknap. Not sure where that name came from but I am betting it is not Native American. The cost was $30 per night and we can see why. There is nothing else for miles around. Now I know why we have seen so few RV's up here. There really is just nothing but vast, open farm/ranch land. Hence, no RV parks.
The proprietor of this park is named: Ray Gone. He is a Native American from the "Waterfall" tribe, also known as the "People of the White Clay" (which is what is actually found in the Milk River, nearby) and mis-named "Gros Ventre" by the French trappers.
Ray told us that his tribe hates this "Gros Ventre" name because it means "big belly." How they got that name from the Frenchies was because in sign language (the only way to communicate at the time) the word "waterfall" was expressed by arcing one's hands from his chin down, outward and in a semi-circular motion, over his belly. Thus the Frenchies thought the Indians were calling themselves "Big Bellies." Not good, you can imagine . . .
Anyway. We will press on tomorrow. Hoping to reach somewhere that we can unhook from electricity. Difficult because the weather has turned very warm making it necessary to have A/C. Even up here near the Canadian border. Lots of smoke too -- something I had forgotten was a fact of western life in the summer (including where I live in Reno). So sorry. It has marred the Big Skyness of Montana this pass through.
We drove 264 miles today. This is "Big State" country. Montana is sooooo wide. A couple of things struck me:
1. Where do these people go to shop; (do they all have amazon prime? whole foods here they come)
2. How can they believe what they see on TV? It is so unlike what their reality is.
We are camped in what passes for an RV park which is located on an Indian reservation--Fort Belknap. Not sure where that name came from but I am betting it is not Native American. The cost was $30 per night and we can see why. There is nothing else for miles around. Now I know why we have seen so few RV's up here. There really is just nothing but vast, open farm/ranch land. Hence, no RV parks.
The proprietor of this park is named: Ray Gone. He is a Native American from the "Waterfall" tribe, also known as the "People of the White Clay" (which is what is actually found in the Milk River, nearby) and mis-named "Gros Ventre" by the French trappers.
Ray told us that his tribe hates this "Gros Ventre" name because it means "big belly." How they got that name from the Frenchies was because in sign language (the only way to communicate at the time) the word "waterfall" was expressed by arcing one's hands from his chin down, outward and in a semi-circular motion, over his belly. Thus the Frenchies thought the Indians were calling themselves "Big Bellies." Not good, you can imagine . . .
Anyway. We will press on tomorrow. Hoping to reach somewhere that we can unhook from electricity. Difficult because the weather has turned very warm making it necessary to have A/C. Even up here near the Canadian border. Lots of smoke too -- something I had forgotten was a fact of western life in the summer (including where I live in Reno). So sorry. It has marred the Big Skyness of Montana this pass through.
Sleeping Buffalo Rock near Saco, MT
Petroglyphs (along with what looks like coca cola -- no respect) on the Sleeping Buffalo Rock
Memorial to Charles M. Russell in Saco, MT
Barbeque Hawaiian Sausages and Sweet Corn Tonight
My cooks!
Awesome sunset -- thanks to the fires
Nitey nite.
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