Gillette, Wyoming

Sunday 2 August

Gillette's in the top right corner of Wyoming

so we've been state jumping a fair bit last couple of days.

I've got a rep now as the roadside board reader in the troupe

but let the team down today, not reading the hustings on an abandoned coal mine just out of Red Lodge, rode right past

74 men were lost in the 1943 Smith mine disaster, didnt know that when I did yesterdays log

was the main reason for the industry closing

and was the inspiration for the Beegees song.

Centre-pivot irrigated circular field of alfalfa

Pretty desolate place, this part of Wyoming

wall to wall mean landscape, rode for hours, far as the eye could see

but anywhere there's a river, little oases of green

alfalfa, grain crops, and some other green crop looking like pasja, or could be a beet, maybe even sugar beet

bit of irrigation, mostly from the river

if artesian was feasible they would have been into it before now I guess.

Lot of horses again, and dude ranching or trail ride is big business

surprising how much rural communities depend on the recreation business

although its hard to find a small town cafe

most have "closed" signs in the window, inhospitable looking places, square buildings with a single door at front.

Went through a place called TenSleeps, pop 300

used to be an indian trail crossing, a convergence point for two tribes whose point of origin, and destination

were 10 sleeps away.

Today its issue of controversy is a group of locals, trading as "Aleutian",  run a successful internet english language course

main market is Korea

they're seeking $3m in state grants to set up office buildings

but the locals are nimby protesting.

Went past several oil derricks, the smaller sort, like war of the worlds robots

smell of creosote in the air

but oil and gas, like construction, and mining, are suffering in the downturn.

Passed 3 or 4 bentonite mines, a clay aluminium particulate used for stiffening cement, lining well drillings, and putting in cleaning products.

Another snip from the local rag, read while having a quesadilla in Taco Bell

was the discovery of a dinosaur hip, 150m yrs old, 60' long, 20 tons, one of those long-necked things that ate tree foliage

an area behind the town of Thermopolis that's been producing fossils for the best part of 20 years.

Coming down into Buffalo had another board to read about the history of the place

the Portugese were there early, fur trading

then the Bozeman Trail opened the place up, 1863

usual scrap between indians and army ensued, leading to tribal "expulsion" in 1877

THEN, and here's the kicker, the ranchers and the homesteaders started fighting 

leading to the Johnson County War of 1892

so the yanks have plenty of experience at it, and still at it after 2 debilitating goes with the scrap against English rule, and the Civil War.

Have to laugh at the irony you see around the place

a Vietnam vet, with a patch on his HOG vest saying, "a nation that forgets its defenders, will itself be forgotten"

but what beating up on some gonks in SE Asia, has to do with defending the nation beats me.

In SanFran I saw a beggar with a one word tout, moaning, "napalm, napalm"

he'd have to be older than me for the logistics to place him in the right era

but he certainly didnt look it.

Richard got a laugh yesterday in the park

some hombres pulled up on their harleys and whiling away some time, a crow flew in

"ah hate crows ez much ez ah hate rats" says one, pulls a pistol and starts shooting

then, "yep, well s'pose we better git along afore we go to jail", and off they go.

Drawing comparisons with NZ maori is inevitable, we're definitely fortunate to have been accorded British citizenship

in a situation where conflict over tribal land resource, and fear of French, or ye gods, American rule,

were greater incentive for the Treaty than the protecting land rights mantra you hear today.

Over here it looks like tribes got on among themselves reasonably well, after all there was heaps of room and game

but their treaties with the newcomers were eventually dishonoured and meaningless.

Wont draw to many conclusions yet though, in fact cant, still making observations.

Looks like Sturgis will only be a shadow of years past

all the pre-Sturgis bike-jams our tour leader has seen before, simply arent here right now.