Kings Highway

“When the time gets right, I’m gonna pick you up
And take you far way from trouble, my love
Under a big old sky, out in a field of green
There’s gotta be something left for us to believe.”
-Tom Petty, Kings Highway

Last week, we went to a dude ranch!
Introducing our horses:

“There is so much to love about Jill…her powerful draft horse haunches,
her thunderous trot, and the jealousy she inspires in Clary.”
-Robert

“Harley is kind enough to let me think I’m in charge.
Luckily he knows what he’s doing. He’s a good boy.”
-Clary

“Tonto loves me with all of his heart and I love Tonto with all of my heart.
Also, if you are scared to get on your horse but you do it anyway, you are brave.”
-Aubrey 

“Skittles is sweet and magical!”
-Cameron

The highlights of the week were without a doubt the on-site rodeo, in which we participated, and the all-day ride along the USA/Canada border.

This Ain’t Is Our First Rodeo, 8/13/20

Aubrey, Robert, and I competed in the Bar W Ranch rodeo. We barrel raced, trotted, loped, and smiled big. It really was the best afternoon! I watched Aubrey gain so much confidence in just one day. Even the day before, she had been a timid rider, needing much reassurance and assistance. Today she trotted to and fro, around barrels, all with a giant grin. 

The afternoon was the pick-me-up we needed. The morning had been rough: the children had been disrespectful, Robert and I were losing steam parenting, it was so cold. I felt overwhelmed trying to figure out how remote learning was actually going to work this semester (we start 8/17). Robert had a challenging day of work.  We all thought we needed some alone time. Turns out what we actually needed was a participatory rodeo under the hot Montana sun.

We learned how to work the lasso, rope a steer, and move bulls into a pen on horseback. (I really love lassoing, may bring it back to my neighborhood in Charlotte. I’m sure the neighbors wouldn’t mind us adding roping to our covid-friendly menagerie of items in our front yard.) Alex, who quickly became our favorite wrangler, commentated the rodeo with absolute gusto and made it a great day for all!

US/Canada Border Ride, 8/14/20:

Robert and I set out for an all-day ride along the Canada border. We left the children to be “ranch watched.” Gorgeous lake and mountain views on the drive north to Eureka and then on to the trail head in Kootenai National Forest. No cell service immediately. We are off the grid. 

There was one Conoco station on the way that was about 15 miles from our destination. It had it all – gas, groceries, hot meals, a full bar, and a casino!

The trail was wide and the landscape was dusty with blond and amber-colored grass. Our leader Jorie took us off the trail “bushwhacking” for a bit to avoid some of the dust and generally have fun. Harley and Jill navigated the hills like pros. We hugged the border much of the time on the ride (and don’t think for a moment I’ve forgotten my way to Canada.) After a few hours of riding, we stopped for lunch at Lake Koocanusa. The view was off the charts!

“Never have I seen a more dramatic landscape than the cerulean lake with the enormous mountains.”- Robert (Poet Laureate of Bar W Ranch)

Today I really bonded with my horse Harley. He likes to walk or trot fast and, like me, he never slow walks or runs too fast, just stays right in between at a peppy pace. I packed baby carrots and an apple for Harley for lunch. Harley gave me a hug after the ride! He nuzzled me in between my arm and body.

For me, Tom Petty’s The King’s Highway is about leaving where you’re from to find your best self. I’m lucky to do this with the ones I love.

Following are photos from the week along with daily notes for our family memories: 

The following are notes for family memories, although you are welcome to continue reading!

8/8

Finally adjusted to Mountain Time, we slept til 9!

I published my first Chronicles post. The writing I can do. The running of the backend of the website I am learning. Thank goodness I travel with my IT guy.

We experienced our first restaurant meal since March 12. We had burgers, huevos rancheros, fries, and milkshakes at the Buffalo in downtown Whitefish for lunch.

Afterwards we headed to Depot Park for the Huckleberry Festival. On the way we ran into an old Hilliard Studio Method client. What are the odds!?

The children enjoyed the rock climbing wall and bungee hop. Seems like a good gearing up for real rock climbing planned in a couple weeks. 

At the Huckleberry Festival, we acquired a hand-carved wooden bowl from an old hippie called Once Upon a Stump. 

Robert and I found some alone time and enjoyed the view of Glacier from Casey’s rooftop. Our waiter had flowing hockey hair or a “mud flap” and pumped up kicks. He was superb. 

We made an easy pasta dinner at the condo and went to Sweet Peaks ice cream across the street for dessert. 

8/9

Transition day from condo to dude ranch. Rough morning with kids — maybe it was the transition?

Played and picnicked at a playground with a climbing wall and zip line.

Checked into the Bar W Ranch for our very first dude ranch experience!

First impression: the landscape is heaven. Glamping tents are giant and with large patios and Adirondack chairs. The sun is hot and the shade is chilly.

When kids get back on track this has the potential to be our best family vacay.

No one told us (we wouldn’t have believed them anyway) that it would dip into the low 40s overnight. We hadn’t turned on the heaters at bedtime. To our credit, it had been 85 that day and we had turned on our tent’s cooling unit (this is glamping, folks.) Anyway, needless to say we were frozen Southern popsicles for breakfast time. 

Our horses for the week: Aubrey on Tonto, Cameron on Skittles, Robert on Jill, and Clary on Harley. 

8/10

First trail ride in the morning, Cameron made friends with an 11-year-old named Gabi. They talked non stop for the two hours, mostly about animals. Most memorable overhead nuggets:

“Imagine if you could talk to animals… Some people can…”

“I wish I had a tail…”

The afternoon 2-hour trail ride was not such paradise. Cameron had bad leg cramps for the last 30 min. He’s a tough dude and I felt for him but there wasn’t much to do for him except try to distract him. He was carried off his horse but was walking and watching for prairie dogs within 10 min.

We all recouped with a wagon ride, paddle boarding, and outdoor dinner by a lake. Bedtime at 8:15pm. Hoping for 11 hours off parenting!

Right now it’s hard to find an equilibrium. We do and we go and we keep moving all while pressure builds and then we hit a breaking point and the stress releases. And then whew we’re relaxed again. For a brief time. Then the cycle starts up again. To break free of this cycle… to have homeostasis always… I wonder if we could do this and if so, how it is acheived?

So I looked up homeostasis…

“Homeostasis helps animals maintain stable internal and external environments with the best conditions for it to operate. It is a dynamic process that requires constant monitoring of all systems in the body to detect changes, and mechanisms that react to those changes and restore stability.”

Well there it is, Robert and I are homeostatic stabilizers! (And so are all of you parents out there keeping the family boat afloat)

Also, I just saw a comet – it’s the Perseid Meteor Shower

8/11

Today feels like summer camp, except we have children who occasionally get sassy and don’t participate in the camp activities. 

Robert, Cameron, and I took an hour-long trail ride. The conversation was 100% about animals. Cam met his match with this wrangler, Logan. Before Logan worked at the ranch, she rehabilitated animals in Nashville as well as worked at a zoo. Komodo dragons, coral snakes, and milk snakes were hot topics on this ride. 

Aubrey, Cameron, and their ranch friend Gabi paddle boarded in the crystal clear lake before lunch.

Archery and clay shooting to follow with a dinner al fresco. Robert spent a while getting to know one of the wranglers, Alex, a local from the Blackfoot reservation in East Glacier. Fun fact about Alex: he competes in professional rodeos.  

8/12

Great trail ride for our family of four with our new favorite Montanan, Alex. He’s an expert on local flora and fauna, animals, and drinking holes. He showed us juneberry, fireweed, rose hips (aka as itchy butt berries, which the kids loved), mullen, and Tamarack trees. We bushwhacked a new “backcountry” trail. 

In retrospect, we should have continued on with him throughout the day. Instead we chose to take a whitewater rafting trip through Glacier on the Flathead River. I don’t remember being as cold and uncomfortable than I was paddling through rapids as the wind whipped up, the 55 degree water sprayed and it rained on us. I could go on but I don’t like complainers. All I will say further is I was very happy to hit the hot tub when we arrived back at the ranch six hours later. 

8/13 + 8/14, please see post above

8/15

Hoped to publish this post but my computer crashed. Again, thankful I travel with my IT guy. Thankful for our family. Thankful for our health and our ability to make this adventure happen.

Thank you for following us along Into the Gray Wide Open!