Friday 18th November – A Van Built for Two

I may not have shivered last night, but damn it was cold this morning. At -8oC inside the van, it was -10oC outside, it was clear what my lack of insulation gets me! It was the first morning where everything inside the van was frozen – all my water bottles, dishwashing liquid, my wet socks. Still, I was plenty warm under the covers. I considered turning on Big Buddy for a few minutes before getting out of bed, but decided to balls up and do without it. I think that was a mistake. It would have been nice to warm the van up slightly before slipping on cold pants and a cold shirt. I climbed out of the van to a beautiful, clear view of the mountains of the Continental Divide, all covered in snow with the morning sun’s glow. Not a bad camp.

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Just as I was finishing making breakfast (hot oats), I had company from a red truck. I took my oatmeal and wandered in the nearby field, where there was a flock of bighorn sheep grazing. They were off when they got sight of me. It was nice to have animals being scared of me for a change, instead of the reverse. When I wandered back to the car to do the dishes, the company was in the carpark having a cigarette. He introduced himself as William, he is a local bricklayer, not only working in this freezing weather on a paid project, he was also building a house that overlooked the river and the mountains in front of me. We talked for a good hour. He was impressed with my van set up, even said I was the most attractive woman he’d ever seen! Though it seems weird, I took it as a compliment, it was like he was just commenting on the weather. I wasn’t intimidated, just flattered, I don’t think I’ve even had a boyfriend tell me that!

He told me all about his tribe’s culture and what it is like to live in such a cold, but beautiful place. He’d actually spent three days on horseback droving a herd of buffalo across the state, an experience I would love to have and I told him so. Before William left, he wanted to give me a piece of sweetgrass, a straw-type long grass that was braided into a stalk made of multiple strands. He explained how it was the custom of the Blackfeet tribe to burn the tip, which gives off a beautiful scent, then pass the smoke over your body four times, making sure to get the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands, because it is with these parts of your body that you mostly interact with the world. He showed me this ritual, then performed it on me, praying to his ancestors that I should have safe and enjoyable travels. Again, sounds a bit weird, but it was nothing of the sort. It was a pleasure to have an insight into the culture behind the land I passing through. With that, he set off to start his work day, wishing me well and I him.

I started up the van, then got to scraping the ice off both the inside and the outside of the windscreen. After half and hour of that and with freezing cold fingers, I set off, skirting the east side of the park as I headed south. I had planned to stop in at Two Medicine for another short walk, but my wet boots were now frozen solid and I had to get to Bozeman to pick up my friend Vanessa who was flying in to join me for the weekend. Lucky me!

I stopped twice near Browning for roadworks, both times speaking to the lollipop man, or woman in the first case. They were both slow to release me so we had time to chat about where they were from and how they would be working all the way through mid-December. How they survived standing in the cold all day and through until 7:30pm at night is beyond me. The second lollipop man was kept company by his two dogs, Ramble and James. They seemed completely oblivious to the goings on around them, proceeding to parade in front of the oncoming traffic as they tried to move past. Mr. Lollipop didn’t do much to stop them, just enjoyed the show. Gorgeous dogs, what a cushy job where you can bring your puppies to work! I was glad with my decision to skip Two Medicine because Mr. Lollipop told me it was an eight hour drive to Bozeman, which I thought was an exaggeration, but he must have known the pace I travel at because he was pretty much dead on.

I drove south through snow-covered fields, with mountains lining the horizons. Apart from stopping for a group of large horses on the road who refused to budge, the drive was scenic, but pretty well eventless.

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At one stage I was driving through such fog that with the white of the ground and the grey of the sky it was like I was driving through a post-apocalyptic world, with evidence of preivous life, but no movement, only discolour.

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At around 1pm, I stopped at a fisherman’s access point to have a much needed shower. I figured it was as warm as it was going to get all day and it can’t have been more than 5oC. It was a secluded spot with no one around so I didn’t bother with the tarp, heated some water and got to it. After a week without a shower, the hot water was bliss on my body, but as soon as the slight breeze hit me the feeling was gone. It was a quick shower, but I was clean and felt refreshed. Since I was in such a good spot, I figured I might as well get the van ready for my visitor. I was happy that it only took me half an hour to return the passenger seat to its forward position, fold the bed out to its double configuration and rearrange some things. After my hard work, I had a yummy hot toasted wrap with mozzarella and feta cheese. Oh I am living well.

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Now entering the car through the passenger door instead of the sliding door (driver’s door still doesn’t open), I was off again. The rest of the day I just drove. Vanessa called and her flight had been delayed from an 8:40pm arrival to 11:40pm so I had plenty of time to stick to the scenic highways, which I was glad of. I didn’t really stop after my shower/lunch break, just settled into the drive, admiring the scenery and listening to a new audiobook, “Unbroken” as I went.

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It got dark around 5pm and I didn’t really enjoy the night driving. With not a streetlight to be seen on a relatively windy road, it took a lot of concentration and avoidance of staring into bright headlights, both behind and in front. Do I sound like an old lady? Without incident I rolled into Bozeman and went straight for the Laundromat. I talked to Mum and Dad and had dinner while I waited for my washing. Thankfully I was able to get more quarters as I’d only just had enough for the washing load and needed to stock up. They were also fine with me putting my hiking boots in the dryer. $3 later, the sodden clothes from hiking in the wet were behind me. Next stop was Walmart for a few odd things. During this shopping trip I got to talk to Kevin for ages, which was great! I also got everything I needed for the next week and then some. Enough to keep Vanessa fed too! After I was done shopping, I strolled around the store still on the phone to Kev, mostly for the warmth.

All my chores done and feeling lifted from talking to loved ones, my next stop was to find a loitering place near the airport to wait an hour for V. I settled in at a Maccas, used their Wifi to back up some photos then got the call from my friend. The airport looked a lot like a lodge, not a place where international travellers come and go. Vanessa came running out of the airport, hiking bag on, complete with shoes and cooking pots hanging off the outside. I gave her an awkward hug from the driver’s seat (you know, the door) then she got in and we got talking. Not really having a plan, I figured we should camp close then figure it out in the morning, so I head for the rest area I’d passed on the way to the airport. On my recon I’d found a few vans parked so pegged it as a good spot.

When we parked next to another Astro is was past midnight, but instead of sleep, Vanessa was on for a dirty diner. After a quick google, we found and “Ihop” just down the road. Something I’d never heard of before, but apparently a 24/7 haven where one could find typical American food. It was an experience. We got a booth and enjoyed the warmth of the place while we started on catching up. I used my reserve stomach and we both ate a huge breakfast, talking non-stop as we ate, mostly about Tesla but also about my stories and what I’d seen and learnt so far. At 2am, we finally called it as bed time and head back to the rest stop.

We parked up, used the well-heated bathrooms, then I drew the curtains and we tucked ourselves in for the night. The van was noticeable warmer with two bodies in it.

Footnote: When I called my parents tonight and told them about the “most attractive woman” comment, after laughing, Mum asked if he should be wearing glasses. Dad suggested that maybe he hadn’t seen any women for a while since he was out droving buffalo. It’s a wonder I don’t have self esteem issues! Love you guys, if nothing else, I’m glad you can make me laugh so much.