The Almost Intrepid Adventures of LibraryAnn: Heading South

Wisdom, MT

If you haven't yet read Ivan Doig's Last Bus to Wisdom you are in for a treat. It takes place in the 1950s, mostly in Montana. It is the Mark Twain-esque adventures of an 11 year old boy and his great uncle escaping the clutches of a domineering great aunt. It's funny; it's poignant. It paints a wonderful picture of that era and that place. Doig died in 2015 and it was his last, and some say, his best book. At one point, heading into Montana, we drove on the Ivan Doig Memorial Highway. I never imagined I'd get to actually drive through Wisdom, or that it even really existed. Except for the Keurig coffee maker in the gas station, it's probably not changed much since the time Doig describes.

No lie there...

We've spent two hard days on the road. Yesterday we drove from Elk Bend to Cody, WY. We are still overwhelmed by the vastness and the endless rugged hills and plains. Through much of Wyoming, we saw lots of fenced sagebrush and little else.Today we drove from Cody to Fort Collins, CO. We are back in cropland now, somewhat. Corn seems to be the hardest thing to grow out here, probably because of the water requirements. We have seen some corn today, though we passed under electric highway signs warning us of high fire dangers throughout the trip. Early on, we saw the smoke of a distant wildfire off to our west.

Creative hay bales. Teddy Bale?

On our way out of Elk Bend, Ruthie managed to time it just right to hit Wheat Montana again for lunch. My indulgence was the best cherry turnover I've ever had. Ruthie is still eating on one of the two cinnamon rolls she bought driving in. The word "giant" does not begin to describe. And they are as good as they are generous.

The roads in Montana have been remarkably good, very unlike what we experienced in New England despite similarly cold winters. We not pleased with Route 120 out of Cody, WY, the worst road we've been on in a while, until we saw this delightful Teddy Bear. After a bit the pavement did improve and so did my attitude. There will be some minor repairs made when we get home caused by road vibration, but so far, despite some really rough going, we are in better shape than we deserve.

The Maverick brand gas stations have proven to be clean and accommodating,

Soap, water, dryer AND a handy shelf!

with a wide variety of grocery and prepared food selections as well as good prices on gas. But this sink arrangement in the women's bath really blew me away. From left to right, each sink has automatic soap, water, and electric hand dryer. The best part of the deal is, you don't drip water across the room to the hand dryer. Plus you get a place to set your phone and keys.

Entering Wind River Canyon

The most spectacular view we had today was the drive through Wind River Canyon on the Wind River Reservation near Thermopolis, WY. The gorge varies in geological age from 3 million years old to 2.8 billion years old, such is its depth. It is a place of great contrasts. The drive along the river appears to be a steep descent but the river is running in the opposite direction--very disorienting. The canyon walls are

Wind River Canyon

steep and high and very rugged looking, but the road and accompanying railroad wend pleasantly among them. Just beyond the canyon and the reservation boundary is a dam that creates a huge reservoir. The lake is in a desert-like area and the juxtaposition of pleasure boats on blue water nestled among barren hills was another challenge to reconcile.