Wwoofing It: Idaho...... no, YOU da ho!

I left Provo, Utah at 7am on Thursday and headed North towards Montana. However, to get to Billings, Montana I had to drive along the Idaho/Wyoming border all the way up to Montana. This was also going to be a 10 hour drive, so I wanted to get an early start because I wasn't sure how the weather was going to turn out. Getting out of Utah was a little difficult because it started to rain pretty hard for a little bit on the freeway, but it cleared up and I got into Idaho in great time. Idaho was covered in snow and I had to drive through the Targhee National Forest, which was so beautiful! It was so quiet and the forest was completely undisturbed by homes and people. The snow was fresh powder that fell on the pine trees and coated them perfectly. It made the forest look beautiful and peaceful. The roads were freshly plowed and salted so I figured I wouldn't have any issues with driving, but then out of nowhere the road I was driving on became completely covered in fine powder snow that made my truck slip and slide all over the road. I started to get really nervous because other bigger trucks were passing me really fast and I felt stuck in the middle of the road. So I found the only gas station in the national forest and stopped to ask if I would need to put chains on my tires for the rest of the drive. The lady who worked there was really really nice and told me that chains wouldn't help; they would just tear up my tires and the road. She also advised me of a different route to take because the one I was taking was very dangerous and I would probably not make it out of the forest if I stayed on the road. So she gave me an alternate route, which delayed my arrival to Montana by 2 more hours, but it was well worth it because I knew I would be much safer. So I took the alternate route, and went more West into Idaho, and then North into Montana. After about 2 more hours of driving, the highway took me through a small town called Ennis (pronounced Dennis without the 'D'). It was exactly the kind of town you would expect to see in Montana. It was a one road town, with one bar, one diner, one hair salon, one post office and one little antique store. I had lunch in the diner, which was owned by a husband and wife who lived in Montana for 32 years. They were so nice and helpful and the food was good! They were so interested in how different life was in California and were amused at how fast-paced we like to live life in Cali. They were very helpful in directing me back to the right highway and warning me of how rapidly Montana weather changes and which passes to be careful driving through. There was overall very little snow driving through Montana, and it was mostly clear, sunny and crisp. I stopped at the Madison river to take in some scenery along the drive and looked at all the farms and ranches that I passed along the way. I finally made it into Billings, Montana (my final destination for the next 2 months!!!) after about 12 hours of driving. It was dark by then and I just stopped at the first motel I found because I was so exhausted I really didn't care what the condition of the hotel was like. I am staying in a Motel 6 tonight, and it's pretty much what I expected for Montana. The city of Billings is fairly large and there are large chain restaurants all over. Everything is in walking distance, and everyone is extremely helpful and courteous. So tomorrow I am going to go exploring more of Montana and getting in some of the sights before I go to work on the ranch. I am starting work on the ranch on Sunday, so I want to get in some sightseeing before then. So far the trip has been stressful, long, but most definitely worth it! I have already been through 7 states and seen so much beautiful scenery that I think the trip has already been worth everything. I am so excited to start work on the ranch and meet Marv and Carrie and the other wwoofer from New Zealand! Wish me luck and I will keep you posted! I wish you all were here with me; you would fall in love with the gorgeous scenery this country has to offer!