The End of the Line
Post by Prairie Ecology Fellow Matt Nelson
After two and a half long months our adventures in Montana have finally ended. It’s a strange experience to be back in South Carolina as I write this blog post and not sitting in my usual spot on the back porch of the Clemson House. And while leaving Montana was bittersweet, I can definitely say I am glad to be home. Throughout this journey we were able to see parts of the country that many people never get to, both on the journey to and from Montana and in our time spent on the ranch. But before I wrap up this final blog post there are several important events worth mentioning.
Saturday marked the arrival of several of the Deans from the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences, faculty, and other esteemed guests. We had dinner that night at The Rex, a restaurant we had passed several times and always commented on how nice it looked. As an interesting bit of information, the restaurant is said to be owned by the one and only Clint Eastwood, but sadly he was not present that night. There we were given introductions to each of the guests, but it took a lot of the night in order to remember everyone’s names. The next day we got to know everyone a lot better as the day was filled with numerous different events. Early Sunday consisted of presentations given concerning the history of brands and their uses, and then a presentation by us, detailing our work we had conducted over the course of the summer. That evening the group hung out at Goz and Pat’s house and I was put in charge of shuttling people up to one of the best view points on the mountain, a great pleasure because it allowed me to interact with all of the guests.
That Monday allowed us to visit Loren Entz house and the adjoining art gallery. The house itself was magnificent, and exactly the type of house I would expect an artist to live in. The art gallery contained a few of Loren’s works as well as the works of other prominent western artists. After parting ways with Loren we visited the Midlands bull testing facility. The facility provides a place for ranchers to bring their cattle and test the feed efficiency of their cows. Using highly advanced programs and computerized feeders it is possible to determine how much a cow is eating in regards to its weight. This allows ranchers to better utilize their grazing areas and determine which bloodlines are not quite as efficient. After visiting the bull testing facility we were able to visit Goz and Pat’s other ranch in Whitehall, MT but sadly incoming storms forced us to cut our trip short. On the return trip home we stopped at the Montana Silversmith’s outlet store and finally Al’s Bootery and since I was leaving the next day it was there that I said my final farewells to all the guests.
It was great to finally see my family again the next day and was in a way a surreal experience because I never would have thought that they would make the long journey out there. On our trip home we decided to take our time and do a little sightseeing and drove through Yellowstone and the Beartooth highway on Wednesday. While I had already visited Yellowstone the week before I had not gotten a chance to cross over the Beartooth Mountains. I was amazed by the sheer size of them, they put the Blue Ridge Mountains to shame, at least height wise. The rest of the journey home was basically the same way we had taken on our way out to the ranch and I was able to show my family Mount Rushmore and the Badlands.
As I finally arrived in the south again, passing through the Smoky Mountains I realized just how lucky we are to live in such a diverse place. Montana is great and possesses a beauty that is unique in itself, but as I saw the great expanses of green and countless tree species and plants it really made me appreciate what we have right here in our backyard. Living in the west for almost three months definitely had a huge impact on me, but I also think that it allowed me to see the amazing things that are all around me every single day.
Saturday marked the arrival of several of the Deans from the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences, faculty, and other esteemed guests. We had dinner that night at The Rex, a restaurant we had passed several times and always commented on how nice it looked. As an interesting bit of information, the restaurant is said to be owned by the one and only Clint Eastwood, but sadly he was not present that night. There we were given introductions to each of the guests, but it took a lot of the night in order to remember everyone’s names. The next day we got to know everyone a lot better as the day was filled with numerous different events. Early Sunday consisted of presentations given concerning the history of brands and their uses, and then a presentation by us, detailing our work we had conducted over the course of the summer. That evening the group hung out at Goz and Pat’s house and I was put in charge of shuttling people up to one of the best view points on the mountain, a great pleasure because it allowed me to interact with all of the guests.
As I finally arrived in the south again, passing through the Smoky Mountains I realized just how lucky we are to live in such a diverse place. Montana is great and possesses a beauty that is unique in itself, but as I saw the great expanses of green and countless tree species and plants it really made me appreciate what we have right here in our backyard. Living in the west for almost three months definitely had a huge impact on me, but I also think that it allowed me to see the amazing things that are all around me every single day.
