Summer 2010: BUST!

8/5/10

Despite my not getting up until almost 10, we were packed and out of Fairmont Hot Springs RV park by 10:40. We only got as far as the water park down the street. Aspen and I went on the waterslide, the adults loitered in the pool, and we all sunbathed until I got sun burnt. I got a pretty sweet burn on my chest, but everyone else made it out of Fairmont unscathed.

That was about 1 o’clock. We made sandwiches in the trailer, then continued on to Deer Lodge. We’ve parked and unloaded in the Deer Lodge KOA kampground. Don’t tell Mom, but I saw a little water snake in the river when we were walking the dogs. There’s some good tourism in Deer Lodge. I’m looking forward to the Cowboys, Cons and Cars museum in the old prison, and Mom wants to go to the Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Everyone back in Bertha, the dogs are in the trailer with the air conditioning, and we’re foot loose and fancy free!

As we were pulling in here, we stopped at the Les Schwab to fix Aspen’s quad tire, which got punctured while they were quadding yesterday. They couldn’t sell us one because they don’t carry that size, but the guy fixed it with a patch for free. We ended up buying a patch kit from them, but I love that about Les Schewab that they will just fix something for you. Les Schwab always gets my business because of that home-town style of heling a neighbor in need. Like real America.

At 4 o’clock or so, we pulled into the Grant-Kors Ranch, which is the only National Historic Site that is still working in its field. They have 50 something head of cattle, some of it langhorn, and 40 claves. I guess that’s a lot for one summer. Aspen bought a mind trick puzzle made of two nails, I got a patch for my blanket and Aspen bought a pin for his hat. They also sold the plans for this chair that folds into a step ladder that was invented at the ranch.

The big white house was where the family lived, and their cook was a 4’ 10” woman working for a really tall German family, so she built herself a chair ladder to reach the upper cabinets. The house was well preserved by the various generations who lived there. All the original carpet, furniture, wall paper, paintings, records and journals were all saved since 1860 or so, which is just amazing. On the other side of the train tracks, the working ranch is still operating.

At 5:30, when they closed, we went into town, looked at the prison - which was like a sandstone colored castle -- then drove around in circles until Dad finally got us into the A&W drive in for ice cream. We went back to the trailer after that. The lightning storm passed right over us, and it was noisy and the lightning flashed, but it didn‘t really rain. I made dinner, and we watched some of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on the laptop. Mom’s heading to bed early, so we’re all following suit.