Weeks 42-43 - Whitehall, Big Timber Rodeo

Well now I've stopped for a while and things are slowing down. I plan to spend July in Montana and August in the Carolinas, then it's back to the journey west. So there'll be less motorcycle adventure, and I might post every other week sometimes so there's more to talk about.

On Monday the 21st, I arrived at the ranch of my friends SE and TB, who I hadn't seen since shortly before they moved from North Carolina to Montana last fall. My head was still buzzing from the road, but soon I was relaxing at their dining room table, sipping star anise tea and catching up. Then we were off and running into a grand conversation, dreaming up a travelling conference center to heal the world. They're therapists, artists, entrepreneurs, and free thinkers, so we always have plenty to talk about. They took me on a tour of their place, which has a stream running through it, a high hill covered in massive boulders, and a lush pasture with three Swiss brown cows owned by a Swiss neighbor, complete with melodious bells that took my heart straight to the Alps. There were 100 acres on one side of the road and 100 acres on the other, which is all dry grass and sagebrush with a lone hill called Big Lumpy rising high above it. I chose a campsite in a little nook down by the creek, flanked by boulders and spreading junipers, whose ripe fallen berries exuded an intoxicating scent like warm beeswax.

It was so fun being social with SE and TB, and we had so much catching up to do, that my side projects and my blogging were squeezed into off hours, and sunset was so late that I often stayed up way past my bedtime. When the weekend came around, my body hit some kind of wall and I had to rest. I did manage to start some fun food experiments, since making lacto-pickled vegetables has been working so well. I bought some kefir grains to make my own on the road, which will be great because milk is always a lot easier to find than kefir. The equipment is simple and there's no need for refrigeration, so I think it's going to work. I also started testing a method of growing sprouts in a cotton bag, which is promising but a bit more of a challenge in such a dry climate. And boy was it hot and dry, with practically no rain since I arrived and not even clouds most days. The sun beat down and baked the land; some days there was a visible haze from distant wildfires started by lightning. Apparently the first hay crop had to be harvested early and there may not be a second one. I guess other areas of the country had it worse. With temperatures only in the 90s and humidity around 30-40%, I stayed pretty comfortable under my tree. Summers back home in North Carolina can be far more brutal.

On the second Wednesday after my arrival, we went to the rodeo in Big Timber. It was a two hour drive, but we stopped halfway in Bozeman for dinner at a nice Korean restaurant. When we arrived at the fairgrounds, there were a whole lot of horse and cattle trailers, and a big wooden sign out front that said "ambulance", presumably so the drivers would know where to pick up the injured cowpoke in case of emergency. We paid our $15, found a place in the stands, and pretty soon the action started. Event sponsors had to be announced of course, but refreshingly, their logos were not flashed on some giant screen. Instead, a series of cowgirls on horseback with fluttering cavalry flags stuck into their boots circled the arena. It was pretty wild to see the US Space Force being promoted from the back of a horse. Last came an American flag with a gold fringe, the announcer gave a speech about those who gave their lives for this country and read Lincoln's letter to the woman who lost five sons in the Civil War, the National Guard buzzed the bleachers in a C-130, a surprisingly inclusive prayer was said, and the national anthem was sung, hats on hearts all around. Travelling through the vast expanse of this country must be having an effect on me because I found myself tearing up with patriotism at times. The mention of the Statue of Liberty brought to mind Emma Lazarus's poem: "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". There seems to be plenty of room out here in the middle, and people still do come here to do great things.

Then the event started in earnest. First up was saddle bronc riding, where cowboys tried to stay on a bucking bronco for at least eight seconds. The scoring system is pretty interesting: 50 points are allotted for how hard the horse tries to shake the rider off, and 50 points are allotted to the rider's form, which includes things like staying centered, being in rhythm, and keeping the spurs engaged. Yes it's a bit cruel, and the steady waft of beef smoke from the hamburger concession directly under our seats was a constant reminder that the rodeo is rooted in demonstrating the skills of the historical cattle industry. But it was an exciting thing to see at least once. The rodeo clown did a stand-up routine which culminated in jumping up into the stands, grabbing a woman's phone which she was talking on, telling her he wouldn't give it back until she helped with his routine, and making her hold out flowers which he exploded by cracking a whip. Then came the steer wrestling, which consists of riding alongside a calf, jumping off the horse onto its back, grabbing it by the horns, and flipping it over. It's scored purely on time. Then came was tie-down roping, which involves lassoing a steer, jumping off the horse, flipping it over, and tying all four legs together. It's kind of amazing to see the thing done at all, but the fact that competitive times are down around 5-6 seconds... is pretty mind-blowing. Then the clown got into western wear and did an impressive trick-roping act to the accompaniment of Uptown Funk and an electronic version of Cotton-Eyed Joe, with a finale of jumping through a flaming lasso.

Then came team-roping, a seemingly even harder challenge where two cowboys ride on either side of a steer, then one ropes its horns and pulls it around 90 degrees so the other can rope its back legs. Again, this is happening in around ten seconds or less. Then came the women's events. First breakaway roping, where the cowgirls lasso the steer and release the rope, and then barrel riding, where they ride in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels at breakneck speed. Again, it's incredibly fast-paced, with good times down near 10-12 seconds. The grand finale of the whole rodeo was bull-riding, which is much like the saddle bronc event except with bulls. The main difference being that the bulls are way bigger, and unlike the broncos who just seemed eager to get away once the rider was off, the bulls were pissed and fully ready to gore someone. The clown was now in a barrel, padded and open at both ends, which he moved around to provide cover for the two handlers who opened the gate and distracted the bull once the rider was down. Darkness had fallen and the scene took on a surreal character. Cowboys in hockey masks, flak vests, and flapping leather chaps jumped through clouds of glowing dust, and bugs danced like sparks around the spotlights overhead. A 1500 pound bull threw its rider and rolled over him. The man staggered away clutching his stomach and groin while the bull knocked over the clown's barrel. And that was the end of it.

I haven't been to many sporting events in my life, but this was definitely the most entertaining. For three hours, there was never a dull moment; even between events we could watch the two hardworking cowboys who patiently rounded up all the stray animals. I'm not sure I'd go regularly, but if I ever do go to another one, I can now honestly say, "this ain't my first rodeo."

Things I Learned

• This far north, around the solstice, the sun makes an arc over the course of the day that's far bigger than 180 degrees. It took me some getting used to, because it feels like it's going around me rather than over me, if that makes sense. Very few spots are shady all day long.
• Smells don't carry nearly as well on dry air as they do on humid air.
• Hip-hop and country music seem to be slowly converging, which would be no surprise to Thomas Sowell, who claims they both come from the redneck tradition, which in turn comes from the old outlaw culture along England's border with its neighbors.
• The Women's Professional Rodeo Association is the oldest women's sports organization in the US and the only one governed entirely by women.

Wonderful Things

• Fresh baked sourdough bread made from Montana-grown whole grain organic kamut.
• Falling asleep to the sound of a babbling brook.
• Cactus flowers and wild lilies.