Wow what a trip! These students must be living right, they were so lucky
everywhere we went! 

After preparing for the trip by studying Lewis and Clark, reading mountain
men and Native American Indian stories, seeing a few beautiful movies (A
River Runs Through It, Ken Burn’s The West) we were ready for experiencing
the real country. Immediately off the plane in Billings, we rented a van
and took the back-roads to Laurel, seeing the density of wildlife as
high as ever. Many of these animals were unfamiliar to our Alaskans:
pheasants,sage grouse, Whitetails, Muledeer, Pronghorn antelope, even
the cattle(slow elk) were new to some. From there the trip just got better.
We stayed in small towns to get the hospitality and generosity from folks
who had little and gave much. We watched the student’s jaws drop in utter
disbelief when conversations went like “We don’t use internet or cell phones
and fill our minds with garbage, we study a little history we have around here
and that’s good enough for us.”

We traveled to Wyoming to see the Buffalo Bill Historic Museum in Cody
where the disbelief was in front of their eyes with more guns of such
variety we couldn’t take it all in. A drive up the canyon and we were
chasing Bighorn Sheep, herds of elk, and deer everywhere, and drove right
up to six big bull Bison just outside Yellowstone Park. Eventually the
buffalo walked away slowly in a disdainful manner according to the
students’ reflections “they are too noble and fearless for us”. Others
thought like those who slaughtered them by the thousands, “they are so
dumb, they just stand there”. We overnighted at the Cody United Methodist
Church, and with a small donation they said was going to the Japanese
relief efforts, we were off to Custer’s Last Stand. Dropping out of the
mountains, we traversed the prairie and sagebrush flatlands. Then over the
Bighorn mountains with six feet of snow still snowing and the road barely
open,in only a matter of minutes we were going down again to 55 degrees,
herds of elk, and farther down to the antelope flats. By now, the students
could spot the deer and antelope at 500 yards out (earlier having trouble
seeing them at all).

An eerie, respectful, sadness and some kind of awe carried us through the
grave sites at the historic Battlefield of the Little Bighorn. The
hugeness of the event is well preserved with the new Native American
Monument and its connecting line up to the top of the hill.

Following Lewis and Clark’s path, we floated the Yellowstone River in
canoes near Pompey’s Pillar east of Billings, MT. The students learned
quickly how to handle the canoes in still water and then met the
challenges of the river.We explored and found agates and observed more
wildlife along sections of the river nearly unchanged from the time of
Lewis and Clark. Students got the feeling of being first explorers and for
them it was another new adventure!

Up in the Absoraka Range in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, a
wrangler named Wanda Wilcox with Paintbrush Adventures set us up with a
dozen of her 150 horses and couple of cowboys and cowgirls to go out
riding along the Stillwater River. Again thanks to their expertise and
generosity, our greenhorns had a good ride. Even though the snow was
starting to fly, the students were going to ride no matter what on our
last day!

All in all some of those cowboy values of self reliance, courage, and
helping others surely soaked in as we were immersed in the slightly more
modern version in Montana/Wyoming 2011.

Special Thanks to Shirley Olson, Kevin’s mother, who housed and hosted us
most of the nights and helped with many events; Jim and Theresa Seaton,
who provided and guided us in six canoes and presented artwork, and set us
up with other artists and galleries; Joe Trakimas and Muriel who gave a
special presentation of traditional/primitive buckskins, bow and arrows
and artwork all handmade in their home; Ray Hatfield at Nature’s Design
Taxidermy, Cody Wyoming for his tour; Dick Hatfield, who presented
artwork, Montana values, fundraising ideas, and gifts to the school; Bruce
and Anne Kania of Biohaven Floating Islands for their generous
presentation at their home along the Yellowstone; Wanda Wilcox of
Paintbrush Adventures who guided our horseback riding trip; Kristine
Jorgensen, from Anchorage, helping and participating in all the events;
and thanks to the neighbors and all the hospitality we received everywhere
we went!