Out of My Mind : Seeing things I’ve only read about
Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
ST. MARY, Montana - Sitting in a little store / cafe, using a rented computer off which I've been kicked twice, I am thinking of Pea Ridge and my family and friends. It's Tuesday evening and I'm at the foot of beautiful mountains in Glacier National Park in northern Montana.
The view is breathtaking. There is still snow on top of the mountains.
The two-day drive here from Arkansas took us through Missouri and Iowa, west through South Dakota and Wyoming, before we headed north again. I've seen sights I've never imagined.
It's beautiful !: Golden-colored wheat fields, barren hills whose tan color was alleviated only by the few trees and shrubs along the streams in the valleys and the shelter belts of trees around the houses.
Ranch houses are sparse - several miles apart, and cattle are far fewer per acre than in northwest Arkansas. Pronghorn antelope are in abundance and we saw a couple of pheasant in fields on the way to our destination last night.
We have no cell phone service here and found it rather sporadic throughout the trip. Others seem to have service; it appears to depend on the service provider. The lodge in which we're staying has no phones in the room. I've not had a vacation in years and find it difficult to be without the phone service on which I've come to depend to communicate with my loved ones.
The house where we stayed last night didn't have air conditioning. Why bother ? For the few weeks of really hot weather, it appears that a fan can suffice.
Wheat harvest is in full swing in northern Montana. Alfalfa and barley have been harvested. Water is sparse in this dry land. We're told the lake is down.
It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The sights I've seen give new life to the memories from decades of reading about areas I've never been.
It's funny about perspective. The area is beautiful. But we continue to be warned about the winters. I asked a man who lives in Sheridan, Wyo., about the winters. He said they're no worse than the winters in Arkansas. I'd have to disagree.
Why ? Because all along Interstate 90 there are signs stating that if the lights are flashing, the highway is closed - to turn around and go back. There are snow fences - wooden fences designed to stop the snow from drifting onto the highways. We don't have those back in Arkansas because we don't have a need for them.
The skies are black, not dimmed by city lights, which is something else we don't have back home. The stars appear much brighter and we see more of them.
This is a rugged, but beautiful land. The people are interesting. The journey fascinating. I am enjoying this side of America.
We do indeed live in a great land. number of television channels didn't require a mathematician's brain to keep track of the programming.
Mr. Solzhenitsyn was as much a prophet as a novelist and he warned in his speech that we were not looking at the
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