Montana/Wyoming Border Tour

Molly and I spent Wednesday and Thursday travelling around south central Montana and north central Wyoming with her aunt and uncle. We visited a wheat farm near Laurel which was also the site of the historic Battle of Canyon Creek where the Nez Perce Indians, led by Chief Joseph, narrowly missed being captured by the 7th Cavalry in the late summer of 1877. After visiting the farm, we journeyed south into the Pryor Mountains and the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area to try and find some of the wild Mustangs that roam the area. We happened upon a group of nine horses, including a foal. Next, we drove west into the Bighorn Mountains where we encountered Moose, Elk, Deer, Black Bears, and Sandhill Cranes. The Bighorn Mountains are now on my top list of sites to visit. And the geology isn't too shabby either (uplifted Precambrian rocks flanked by remnants of Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks). I would like to thank Aunt Mary and Uncle Mike for all of the weight I gained eating extremely good food this week. Thanks for everything! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I salvaged two ten-speed bicycles from the farm to add to my collection, much to the dismay of my wife.

The expansive wheat fields north of Laurel, Montana.

Molly and Aunt Mary.

A view looking to the northeast of the ranch.

Frannies Tack Shop: The best little horse house in the west.

Molly has made a new friend.

A view of Bighorn Canyon and the Bighorn River looking to the south.

Important stratigraphic information for all of you.

The white spec is a motor boat moving through the canyon.

Difficult to see in this picture, but there are a couple of wild horses and a foal.

Attentive Horse Watchers

The Young and Old

I have had the pleasure of spending the last five and one half weeks with my youngest brother, Kenneth. He got his proverbial "sh!t" together and decided to spend the better part of his summer with his extremely old (and hopefully wise) brother in Montana. I have been away from home for two years now, and I had forgotten what it was like to have a sibling around. Needless to say I enjoyed every minute.

Predators

Another chapter in the Predator legacy will be viewed tonight at the Gallatin Valley Cinema.

Our Return to the Blogosphere

What better way to start off the month of July then with a blog from the Berndts. Our ten year old computer has been fixed and we now possess the power of digital photo translocation. I will begin by filling everyone in with the pertinent facts surrounding transgressions carried out during the month of June. Or, this is what we did for the last 30 days.

The Cooney's graciously had us over for a b-day BBQ. My brother Tim and his friend, a girl named Mallory, also flew in for this exclusive event.

We then proceeded to travel to the cabin for a quick spat of zip line shenanigans followed by the classic porch game of quarters.

Did I forget to mention that we had a Suburban? Had is the key word. We had been perusing the free car market for quite some time when this landed in our lap. A friend of ours was going to get rid of it, so we took it off of his hands. Now we need someone to take it off of our hands because the engine blew after two days of driving. Serious inquiries only.

The departure of my sibling was then equalized by the arrival of Molly's brother.

Adam and Billy spent a week basking in the glory of Big Sky Country. We visited Yellowstone National Park, travelled to the cabin, and indulged in food and beverage in the big city of Bozeman.

Checking out the Obsidian cliffs in YNP.

A bear that was black. Also known as the black bear, or Ursus Americanus.

A pair of ornithologists attentively watching a nest of hawklets.

The distinctive blue hue of the eggs of the ferocious North American Robin.






After Adam and Billy flew back to New York, I then drove to the quaint town of Rapelje, Montana for another 24 hour mountain bike race. This particular course was 14 miles long and traversed a multitude of pot-holed cow pastures. Our team consisted of 3 individuals (including myself) that pedaled from 11:00 a.m. Saturday until 11:00 a.m. Sunday. We each rode about 70 miles and didn't come in last. Although, we were still very far from first.

This week my youngest brother arrived to help me with some work. Unfortunately, a very large hail storm hit yesterday which peppered all of our cars and damaged a large portion of the city.

That used to be a cucumber plant.

No Blog For A While

Our computer is dead, so we will be unable to update the blog with any pics. Hopefully it can be fixed, but we won't know for at least another week. We are still having fun; we just can't show anybody.

13 Days, 10 States, 3000 Miles

If you don't like America, then you need to leave and go on a road trip.

I am always taken aback at just how IMMENSE this country of ours truly is. Over the course of the last 13 days I left winter, drove through spring and summer, experienced a bit of fall, and was stopped dead by winter again. It baffles the mind. Travelling through the U. S. of A. never ceases to amaze me. Now I know where Eisenhower got his inspiration for the Interstate system. A good friend and myself had the pleasure of journeying to some of the finest mountain biking destinations in the country. Our route was changed at the last minute due to weather, but it worked out for the better. I might add that "finest" is quite subjective, but a day that is spent on a mountain bike is a damn fine day, no matter where you are riding. We started in Vernal, Utah, moved to Fruita/Grand Junction, Colorado, headed east to Wilson Lake, Kansas, moved north to Potter's Pasture, Nebraska, and finished in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I highly suggest that everyone quit their job, go back to college, take out some loans, and then spend your break travelling the country. I might add that it is also important to find a wife that will allow you to do this.

Red Fleet Trail Area

Short-horned lizard of Utah.

Sweet Vernal singletrack.

This is a real dinosaur footprint. And it's a lot older than 6,000 years.

Tell that to James Usher.

This is a fake dinosaur.

The fence of lost bicycles.

Colorado is a bike friendly place.

Fruita's town jester.

4 foot Kansas Gopher snake.

Rolling through "Post Rock" Country.

Kansas is not flat. At least not in Wilson.

Joe and Travis on the Switchgrass singletrack.

Welcome to Potter's Pasture.

My kind of sign.

One of the many chutes at the Pasture.

Potter's Pasture, a religious experience.

Carhenge; Alliance, Nebraska.

Old Ranger Station, Rimrock Trail, South Dakota.

Alas, we can go no further.