Friday 1 October 2010

ENNIS Montana October 1st
ENNIS has turned out to be a genuine let down. I dropped into the SALOON briefly to find a few twenty-somethings taking tequila shots with their drinks, so I didn’t stay. The sign says that the population is 840 humans and 11,000,000 trout. I’d rather be a trout.
Today was Yellowstone. It was brilliant. The hot springs were all they needed to be ( Old Faithful tomorrow ), the falls were better than the pictures, the mountains were proper mountains, the sun shone all day and I had the immense good fortune to tick bison, elk, bighorn sheep and a bear. The geographers will get bored with me, I fear.

I had my first real ‘moment’, too. I got out of the car at Canyon Village, right in the middle of the park, and discovered seconds later that my keys were still inside. The car was locked. I was lucky in that it happened where there was a big visitor centre. They radioed one of the rangers, who spent 10 minutes wiggling his..now, now, don’t titter..implement and the car was duly unlocked. Those of you who know my propensity to hit the panic button in such situations will be amazed to know that I felt no anxiety at any time. I put it down to the fact that a) I was on my own and my action affected nobody else and b) I was under no time pressure. You can only imagine the scene had it happened with the family in tow and a deadline to meet.
The most remarkable thing happened on my way out of the park. There was a 10 minute hold up while a queue of cars waited at a contraflow signal. About 5 minutes into it, a woman appeared at my window. ‘Do you want to come and eat with us?’ she asked, adding that she and some friends were staying in a campsite just down the road. I was completely thrown. What would possess someone to ask a total stranger to dinner? What conversation must there have been with her and her husband and friends in the car behind? Why did she choose me and not the car in front? These and many other thoughts ( mad axe-people, religious nutcases etc ) hurried through my head as I computed an answer. I gave a non-committal response, along the lines of having to get back to ENNIS by dark and it being really kind of them. Anyhow, I went back to the car behind and was introduced to the husband and friends. They were all over 60 and very well fed. So I have agreed to drop in for some breakfast at 8.00 tomorrow. The more I think about it, the more strange it seems but my antennae picked up no bad vibes from the group, who just seemed to be a lot of happy, retired friends who were anxious to be hospitable. Her name is Bonnie and her husband says she is the best cook in the business. His waistline would concur.
In a nutshell, I did the northern of the two park loops today and will do half of the southern one tomorrow before heading south. I am told that the Tieton Mountains are a must, so will go that way. After a huge breakfast, I hope.

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