9/17/2015
Gloomy skies kept rays of light from crashing into the room. It also kept the outside temperature very cool. Crystal and I got up early to put some nutrients into our body. We knew the food would be tasty because of the fresh snacks the hotel had put out for arriving guests. I filled up on my routine breakfast items. The scrambled eggs were fluffy and the potatoes were prepared with a touch of salt and seasoning.
Crystal had calls to make. She was trying her best to arrange lodging for future days. The only problem was the scarcity of population across the state. She did her thing while I fell back into a comatose state.
Eventually I took to the streets. A couple miles after I had left town, the asphalt transformed into a rocky gravel. I could feel the protruding bumps through my minimalist shoes. I tried to run faster so that my feet wouldn’t strike the ground but stray rocks still managed to spike the bottoms of my feet. I had to keep an eye on each step.
The back roads of Montana were mostly surrounded by wide open range. I did see an odd structure in the middle of nowhere. It looked like some kind of bomb shelter. I couldn’t help but wonder why the building was located in the middle of nowhere. My thoughts were disrupted by the occasional passing truck. I learned quickly to pull my bandana over my mouth and nostrils to avoid a mouthful of dust. After a few twists and turns I saw a rancher on the side of my dirt road. Apparently a calf had found a way through the barbed wire fence. The little creature took off running along the fence. The mother seemed to be scolding the brown calf. She mooed as she chased her child along the other side of the fence. I continued behind as the rancher drove his truck and periodically tried to corner the baby bovine.
Just as the problem was being sorted, Crystal pulled up beside me. At the ten mile mark she was going to stop for me to hydrate. At that point we encountered an obstacle mechanical in nature. The car wouldn’t park. Crystal showed me a screw that had fallen from under the dash. The small shiny piece of metal seemed inconsequential until that moment. We knew we had to get the vehicle to a shop and have the piece put back in.
As luck would have it, the fix took all of five minutes. After the mechanic popped the screw back into place we decided to break for lunch. Crystal was very hungry and she set her mind to rounding up a Mexican meal. She charmed the manager of Mexico Lindo and arranged two large combination plates for us. She had the chile relleno and I had spinach enchiladas. We shoveled the food down in order to return to the road before darkness hit.
The gravel and rocks continued for miles and miles. Along with the dark clouds, the wind kicked and gained momentum. Unfortunately it was a headwind. It pushed my body around like a rag doll. Eventually we found a tiny opening on the side of the backroad and decided to call it the day. Little drops had begun to pelt my head and the mosquitos were becoming a nuisance. The moment I stepped into the trailer, the rain decided to let loose. The howling wind rocked the trailer but our beast held strong through the night.
The steady rocking helped us sleep. When I finally opened my eyes the harsh conditions had passed. All that was left was a chill in the air. The property owner gave us our wake up call. Three gentlemen waited outside our door with their arms folded. They thought we were hunters and they were ready to get rough. After I explained that we just needed to rest near the road their grim looks turned to smiles. They even gave me advice on the roads to come.
Crystal moved our rig so that farm equipment could pass through and she prepared our eggs while parked on the side of the dirt road. After rushing my food into my digestive system, it was time to do what I had been doing every day for over a year. It was time to run. I hit the hill the farmers warned me about but they seemed more like mole hills to me. Perhaps I had become just too accustomed to the twists and turns of the road. I enjoyed plenty of company as packs of deer joined the run. Eventually we reached a paved road. The dried grass gave way to greener pastures. The road stayed pretty straight and it led me right to the Montana Inn in the town of Forsyth. The owners were very sweet and they had a crew of kids to receive our books. It was an even swap. We got a cozy room with a hot bath and warm bed and they got a bunch of new reading material.
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