theboondork's RV blog

It's easy to leave places, it's a lot harder to leave people.

8/27/2017

The Stovall ranch, the Cowboys, and the Hands are all behind me now as I make my way up to Helena Montana. But even as the miles disappear behind me I will always feel a connection with the ranch and the people that live and work there. Everyone at the ranch was so kind and their generosity and hospitality so overwhelming that I couldn't help but feel at home.

In another month or so I will be far from Montana, probably basking in the sunshine of New Mexico or Arizona, after all moving on is how I live now, but my thoughts will always be with the good people of the Stovall ranch and the lives they live, and the hardships they face and knowing that my life has been changed forever by the kindness that I was shown.

theboondork

A real Buckaroo

10 Comments

Barney Ward

8/27/2017 08:30:41 pm

I have spent several months over my lifetime in western Montana. One project in Billings and one project in Cut Bank and several sorties other places during my travels. I loved every minute of the time I was in Montana. The Charles Russell museum in Great Falls was special to me.

theboondork

8/27/2017 10:45:46 pm

I've grown rather fond of Montana myself and I've met a lot of nice folks here, I think I can see myself coming back here next summer.

The situation in Rockport Texas is not looking very good and I would be amazed if a lot of the RV parks near the coast will be operational by winter, so it looks like you and a lot of other folks really will be searching for new places to spend the winter.

Tom

Barney Ward

8/28/2017 09:41:32 am

It seldom freezes below 30 here in Decatur Al. And then it is usually over 50 in the afternoon. This may work out for the winter this year. This park is surrounded on three sides by Wheeler Lake which moderates the cold temps quite a bit.

Tim

8/28/2017 01:06:45 pm

Tom - really enjoyed your posts and photos of the Stovall Ranch. Some really amazing shots and insight of a lifestyle that I didn't even know still exists. Safe travels and looking forward to hearing more about your next stop.

Theboondork

8/28/2017 01:50:21 pm

Thank you Tim and great to hear from you as always. Yeah the Stovall ranch really is something special. That's the first time I've ever seen the inside workings of a real Western cattle ranch and I think my biggest take away is that the people on that ranch are some of the hardest working people I've ever seen in my life, they do difficult, backbreaking, dangerous work in some of the most extreme weather conditions in the country. And yet remain some of the nicest friendliest folks you would ever want to meet. And as an aside, every one of them is well armed and yet I never felt safer than I did on that ranch.

Tom

theboondork

8/28/2017 01:20:12 pm

That sounds great Barney, you would be near the grandkids and you wouldn't have to spend a bunch of money driving 1000 miles to someplace warm like I'm going to do. Of course there will need to be a Whataburger nearby so you won't starve.

When my mom was alive she lived in South Georgia and I always visited her in the winter, I remember the winters when I would be there as being fairly comfortable. There would be some cold days of course but it would quickly warm up and be very nice.

Unfortunately there's no place that's warm in the winter in Colorado. So I have to go as far south as I can go and still be in the United States before I'm warm and comfortable.

Tom

Barney Ward

8/28/2017 07:27:18 pm

Hmmmmmm. Did you realize that Quartzite is about 300 miles farther north than San Pedro Campground, Del Rio, Tx where we were last spring? And Falcon State Park Area is another 200 miles south and you are still in Texas and not near the Gulf of Mexico.

theboondork

8/29/2017 11:54:19 am

You are right as always Barney, but there are other things that I take into consideration besides latitude when I choose a destination. There are a multitude of factors that go into choosing the best place to spend the winter some of them obvious like how warm is it, and some of them more esoteric such as the ease of locating a Chinese buffet. And it often takes weeks of studying maps, personal notes, and yes even recommendations from others before I'm able to narrow my choices down to a manageable level.

Usually after a couple of weeks of doing all of that my brain is so tied in knots that I can't remember where I am much less where I want to go, so then I tape a United States map to the wall, stand 10 feet away and throw my chewing gum at it which quickly and easily chooses a place where I will spend the winter.

I prefer this method of choosing where I'm going to go because it's the perfect balance of knowledge, physical science, and serendipity. Although one time the chewing gum fell off and landed on the floor and I had to spend the entire winter at the South Pole.

But this year the message was clear and my mouth full of double bubble covered the entire Southwest corner of Arizona. Leaving no doubt where I was supposed to be this winter.

Tom

darrell

8/30/2017 02:44:50 pm

Tom, Great pictures, as usual. Montana is a great state. If you haven't been to Glacier before, you may want to reconsider. Seeing it even with some smoke in the air would be pretty good. Have fun, be safe.

theboondork

8/30/2017 05:28:11 pm

Thank you Darrell, anytime someone likes my snapshots it makes my day.

I sure would like to go up to Glacier like I had planned but unfortunately several circumstances have gotten in the way. First and foremost I have to be back in Denver for my grandson's third birthday September 13, and I don't drive very far during the day. Since I don't pay much attention to holidays this Labor Day weekend snuck up on me and as you well know finding places to stay during a holiday is almost impossible without reservations made months ahead of time. And lastly, or maybe thirdly, the smoke in the air is really starting to bother me and my allergy medicine isn't helping anymore, and to make matters worse There are several fires burning at glacier and part of the Going-to-the-Sun Road has been closed because of it. So all in all I figured that glacier will have to wait for another day when the Arctic Fox and I will be less likely to burst into flame.

Tom

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