High Kountry Airedales Pack

Visit to South Pass City

2012-01-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

The South Pass City Mercantile (Wyoming)

It's me, Miley again. Winter is here and things are a bit boring for me, but last fall was fun! Mommy and I were working in the historic South Pass/Atlantic City region along the Wind River Mountain Range. So of course we had to take an hour off to wander around South Pass City. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, over 20 historic structures occur which were either rebuilt or restored. Mommy had planned on us being there a month before in September when the interpretive center and all the buildings were open, but we got delayed. The historic site is located at about 7,900 feet so snowfalls generally start early there. However, we could still wander around.

South Pass City was established around 1868 after gold was discovered in the area. The community eventually reached a population of around 2,000. Resident Esther Hobart Morris served as the first U.S. female Justice of the Peace in 1870. William Bright, a saloon owner and representative to the Wyoming Territorial Constitutional Convention, introduced a women's suffrage clause into the territorial constitution. When it was approved by the Territorial Governor in December 1869, Wyoming became the first U.S. territory to recognize a woman's right to vote!

The Carissa Saloon

Within a decade, South Pass City's population shrank dramatically as the anticipated large gold deposits unfortunately failed to materialize. South Pass City's population was reduced to only about 100 people by around 1875 and continued to decrease. Presently, the city is divided into the historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a small community of only about 10 residents.

The Wolverine Mine adit

Closer view of the adit entrance.

Peeking inside the adit after climbing over a box.

Photo taken through screen door, couldn't get any closer. Getting some weird effects from the flash.

Me temporarily attached to the stamp mill used for extracting gold from the ore.

Yes, Mommy couldn't resist tethering me to a wagon. No, I did not pull it!

Hugs, Miley

Hello. This is Pat, Miley's Mommy, briefly posting on her blog since after being tagged on another bloggy. The questions were more pertinent to human rather than doggy activities so I'm answering them rather than Miley.

First, The Rules:

1. You must post these rules.

2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

11 Things About Me

My favorite colors are purple, dark green, and burgundy. I do not do pastels (although they look great on other people).
I've been around dogs since I was 5 years old. My first was a Collie/German Shepard cross followed by a German Shepard and more collie crosses. I got a Sheltie in 1989 and my first Airedales in 1991.
I can't swim.
I love shooting and do most of my target practice with a .22 revolver (cheap ammo).
I wish I had 40+ acres in the mountains with a cabin in the center.
I wear a watch all of the time except when taking a shower.
I hate cooking and with the exception of a few things, I'm dreadful at it. I attempted baking a chocolate cake last year for my husband's birthday. He suggested adding some pudding to make it moister. Rather than adding a dry mix, I stupidly included two small Snack Packs. A chocolate volcano formed. It stood over 5 inches/12.5 cm tall!
I love walking and I pace at home when I'm trying to figure something out.
I want to learn more about photography because most of my photos are simply lucky shots. I like taking pics but avoid having my picture taken.
When I was a little kid, I hated ice cream and anything sweet but loved dill pickles.
Both my Mom, my brother, and I were born in central Florida near Tampa.

Questions to answer

1. If you could live in any time, when would it be? Probably the 1800s or early 1900s.

2. Do you have any famous ancestors? None that I know of.

3. If you were on Survivor, how do you think you would do? Sorry, have to admit that I don't watch the show.

4. Starbucks or Dunkin? Starbucks

5. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? Probably would be a Phd doing lots of research in archaeology (and a lot of fieldwork) .

6. Name something on your bucket list. I want to go to Egypt and see the pryamids.

7. How many countries have you been to? and which was your favorite? I've only been to one, Canada. We took a vacation (about 20 years ago on a Harley) to Glacier National Park and also visited Waterton Lakes National Park just across the Montana border

8. What did you do with all this free time before the internet? Definitely more reading and TV watching.

9. What is your favorite holiday and why? Halloween because it's such a relaxing and fun holiday. No major expenses or huge meals. You can do as much or as little as you want without the guilt.

10. Do you have any talents? (they can be weird, lol)

None really, I'm a decent technical writer, but lousy at creative writing.

11. What was your first car? 1981 Mercury Cougar.

Time for 11 new questions and I'm tagging http://romanceinthehighlands.blogspot.com/ .

Where would you go on an all expense paid vacation if you could choose anywhere in the U.S.?
What is your favorite color or colors?
What kind of vehicle did you learn to drive in?
How many US states have you lived in or traveled through (excluding airports)?
What animals are your favorite pets?
If you could take a course on any topic, what would you study?
What are your favorite TV shows (think I know what one of them is)?
Do you have a favorite type of jewelry stone?
What is your favorite type of food when dining out?
Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere in the world (outside of the U.S.)?
If you had the opportunity to hop into a time machine and meet someone well known or significant in history, who would you select?

Miley Delight

2012-01-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Yes, Mommy is behind on the bloggy again.  She's been buried in an avalanch of report writing generated by our 2011 projects.  We got to visit Miners Delight in October, now a tiny ghost town enrolled on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at about 8,250 feet, Miners Delight occurs south of Lander, WY amid the Wind River Mountains. It lies within the historic South Pass/Atlantic City region known for gold mining around 1867-1895.

The Miners Delight lode was discovered in 1867 which led to the development of the surrounding town (Hamilton City).  Seventeen structures occur including cabins, a blacksmith shop, a cellar, shaft house, butcher shop, saloon, etc. A small cemetery lies south of the townsite near the modern crowned road. The Bureau of Land Management installed interpretive signs and stabilized (to varying degrees) several of the old structures to avoid collapse.

Gold was reportedly first discovered in the South Pass area in 1842 with the initial lode claims filed in 1867. The Miners Delight lode was discovered in September of that year.  A ten-stamp mill was erected in January of 1869. By mid-summer of that year, it had extracted an estimated $65,000 of gold from the Miners Delight ore.   A fairly large sum for 1869, $65,000 went alot further then than now.

Okay, history summary complete - time for photos (clicking on them makes them larger) before I bore everyone to sleep. Unfortunately, it was getting cloudy and late in the afternoon when we were there so the lightening, especially in the trees, was far from ideal.

Hamilton City obscurred by trees.

Miley briefly attached to fence around cabin.

The Blacksmith Shop

Another cabin with an old stove in front.

More cabins.

Me waiting on Mommy

A little storage structure.

The remnants of the shaft house.

The little cemetary.

Old headstone dating to 1875

Bye for now and have a great 2012, Miley

The Bear Creek Area

2011-11-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

Hello, it's me Miley again. We had a very busy summer/early fall. Mommy is taking a break from report writing and is helping with the bloggy. The keyboard does not cooperate with my paws. I always hit at least 2-3 keys each time! We spent some time in August in the southern Absaroka Mountains north-northeast of Dubois, WY. On a limited budget, we happily stayed in a Camping Kabin at the KOA Campground. We woke up one crisp August morning to 32 degrees with frost on the truck's windshield. Dubois is at about 6,940 feet so it cools down at night.

We got to explore a new area (nice road in pic below). We tried out the 4 Wheel Drive Low setting on the Durango on some rocky, steep grades.

We had lots of rocky roads.

Walked on trails through the willows.

Read an informative but not comforting sign. Happily no close encounters with grizzly bears!

Crossed the East Fork of the Wind River in a shallow rocky area. This probably would have been impossible in June when the water was much higher.

Recorded a cow camp with one cabin dating to the 1920s (with very modern front door).

Nice area for a cow camp.

I'll try to get Mommy on here again soon. Hugs, Miley
Hugs, Miley

Bittersweet Summer

2011-10-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hello, Miley here. The past 3 months have went by fast with some good times and sad times as well. Too many of our doggy friends crossed the rainbow bridge this summer.

My little friend Bisquit departed our world on August 9 after a year of on heart meds (Enalapril, Lasix, and Digoxin twice a day). Mommy and Daddy got her back in late 1996 - a long time before I was born in 2006. At the time, she was a 8 week old Boston Terrier/Australian Cattle dog (Heeler) cross puppy advertised as a Boston Terrier cross pup. She later showed various mannerisms and the tendency to try to herd range cows strongly suggestive of her Heeler Mom (who had a litter of 11, a bit large for the typical Boston Terrier). At the age of nearly 14, she had a cardiac episode leaving her with a severe heart murmur. On the morning of August 7, 2010, Mommy woke up and found her breathing very heavily like she had been running around, but had been laying down for hours. It was Saturday and our vet's office was closed, but Mommy got ahold of Dr. Lyle who met them down there. Bisquit did really well until this past Spring when it became apparent the meds were gradually loosing effectiveness.

Below is an older pic of Bisquit helping Mommy back in May of 2007. She is standing by the orange stake along an old stage road.

On a lighter note, Mommy and I got to spend a lot of time in the mountains this summer. We got to work along the Green Creek Valley at about 35 miles east of Yellowstone National Park and saw some pretty scenery.

Hugs, Miley.

Back to the Mountains

2011-07-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten Mommy to help me with the bloggy again and take me back in the field with her. As she told me, it is too hot here but cooler up in the mountains. We should have been hiking around there last month, but the heavy snowpack and cold Spring delayed us. We began with some work near the South Fork of the Shoshone River at about 35 miles southwest of Cody, WY.

Of course, Mommy couldn't resist very briefly attaching me to a hitching post at the Boulder Basin Trailhead. I am Not a horse!

We had a nice view from there.

After we started hiking away, a bunch of cowboys on horses returned to the trailhead. They managed to load up into their trailers before the little rainstorm arrived.

Silly Mommy tried to take a photo of Boulder Creek, but the raindrops smeared the camera lens.

Hugs, Miley

Spring finally here and Fieldwork Begins

2011-05-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Mommy and I finally got out in the field around April 8 after being delayed by snow and cold weather. Last year we were working on February 28 - major difference in weather patterns. The mountain snowpack is ranging from 180-230% of the annual average; guess we won't be hiking in the high country for a while yet. We feel bad for the people in parts of Montana where it's flooding.

I'm helping Mommy loose the winter weight. I love exploring around sandstone and shale outcrops, especially when bunnies pop out! But my mean Mommy won't let me chase them. Sometimes the bunnies startle her - I think it's funny!

Hugs, Miley

Eager for Spring

2011-03-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Miley here. Wow, it's been a long time since our last post! Mom spent a lot of the winter writing up reports, I couldn't get her to type the bloggy for me. We are all so tired of winter, it was a long cold one this year. Hopefully, Mom and I will be back in the field in about another week. Until then, I'm having great fun digging holes. The ground is getting much softer and easier to dig in with the frost coming out of the ground. We are looking forward to spending a lot of time in the mountains this summer - have to wait for the snow to melt off first.

Mommy and I went for a little walkie along a hillside near our home. She was getting cabin fever and I was very happy to go with her. We're both out of shape so it was good for us! So ready for Spring!

Hugs, Miley

Rocky Roads

2010-11-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Just a little reminder!

Hello, Miley here. Fall is underway in northwest WY and it's cool enough for me to accompany Mommy in the lower elevations (around 4,200-5,200 feet). Summer is nice if Mommy is working in the mountains, but just too hot down here. Fortunately, the higher temperatures only last for about 3-4 months.

We encountered some rough rocky roads. Since we had to archaeologically survey the area anyway, we parked the truck and walked through. As Mommy put it, the "Dakota is not a rock crawler". If she takes the ATV, then I have to stay at home which is boring for me.

Looking downslope. These show up a little better if you click and make them bigger.

Looking upslope and standing by the two-track road. I'm heading towards Mommy.

Hugs, Miley

We're Back!

2010-10-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's me Miley. Mommy has spent most of the summer trudging about the bentonite mines. It was too hot for me to go with her so I had to stay home - Very boring for me. I did excavate some elaborate tunnels in my spare time.

Happily, the weather has cooled down with fall's arrival. Earlier this month, Mommy and I had one last brief project in the mountains just southeast of Bridger-Teton National Forest. We made the 350 mile drive (no interstate, mostly 2 lane roads) in only 7 hours including two bathroom stops, a fuel stop, and the Wendy's drive-thru. I love hamburgers! Drove by the Farson Mercantile (below).

Our chilly study area was on the crest of Commissary Ridge at elevations of 9,300-9,450 feet. Very little snow, but the ground was starting to feeze. I saw a pretty rock (weighing around 7-10 pounds) only 40 feet or so from our truck. I asked Mommy to pick it up for me - usually the larger nice ones are far from where we've parked. Mommy tried to extract it, but the stone was frozen into the ground! Guess it'll stay there until May or June.

Upon checking in at the motel, we discovered that our room was on the second floor, not the first floor as planned. For Mommy this simply meant more climbing but I didn't like the stairs (open with expanded metal steps)! They were scarey! If I had little paws like a Pomeranian or sheltie, my feet would have went through. Mommy had to coax me up the stairs then down for the first few times.

Had a nice view from the project area (referring to pic below not scarey stairway above)

Have a Happy Halloween!

Hugs, Miley

Back in the Mountains

2010-08-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hello. Mariah here, I've finally gotten Mommy to update the bloggy. In late July, we returned to the Double D Guest Ranch area in the Absaroka Mountains on Shoshone National Forest. Mom had to do some additional testing on a few sites that we recorded there last fall. Since no lengthy hikes were needed and the weather was cooler (elevation around 8,200 feet), I went with her. Most of the time, we were in big, open meadows and no bears were encountered. In light of the fatal mauling at the Soda Butte Campground in southern Montana ( http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_21d02556-9a58-11df-b1f3-001cc4c03286.html), we didn't want to find any bears.

We did find a herd of young cows. Mommy seems to attract them. One was licking the exhaust pipe of the pickup within a few minutes of Mom shutting the ignition off. Since the truck had been running for over two hours, it must have been hot! Happily, Bessie (good nickname for the cow) showed no indications of discomfort.

We spent some time along the banks of Jojo Creek, a Wood River tributary

I sat and relaxed while Mommy looked at the old swimming pool (early 1940s). Don't think it can hold water anymore.

Hugs, Mariah

Summertime and Happy Fourth of July

2010-07-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hello. It's me, Miley reporting for the pack. We've spent most of our spring and early summer doing fieldwork back in the bentonite mine. Mommy found a lot of sites and was very busy. However, she did have time to take more pics of me. I like exploring around sandstone outcrops. There's all kinds of little holes to peek in and sometimes bunnies hop out! Mommy doesn't want me to disturb any rattlesnakes shading up around the rocks.

There are also some odd clay formations to look at and tiny anticlines.

Mommy's human Mom passed away in May so she flew back to Florida for a week. Daddy took good care of us while she was gone. Of course, he wasn't as accustomed to our various tricks as Mommy so we Airedales were quite entertained for the first two days. Daddy less amused with our antics.

Mariah and several other members of the High Kountry Airedales pack are indoors today avoiding the initial firework sounds. I'm outside with my buddies - it's not too hot today. Mommy will be exercising all the doggies a little earlier than usual tonight before the main blasting starts!

Have a great Fourth of July!
Hugs, Miley and Mariah

Field Season (finally)

2010-04-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's me Miley who has finally gotten Mommy to work on the bloggy again. The past month has been quite busy with the arrival of warmer temperatures and getting back into the field again. I've been hiking around with Mommy in another bentonite mine. We both need to get back in shape after the cold winter and being shut out of the field by snow (then slick clay roads) for about 3 months. I have four paw drive and can maneuver the steep slopes much easier than Mommy and her walking stick.

We did find ourselves on a steep, narrow ridge trying to find a way back down to the truck one afternoon. The steep (60-80 degree) slopes consisted largely of highly tilted, rock outcrops and near vertical clay beds. After searching, we found a little drainage channel filled with very loose clay and washed down rocks. Needless to say, we slid down the channel nearly side by side. Usually I don't slide (Mommy slides well) but I was sinking into very loose clay for several inches. Of course, Mommy had to stick her hand and her leg into some prickly pear cactus when we "landed" at the bottom. Happily she only had about 4 little cactus spines to pull out while I waited on her.

Fortunately (for us) , it has been dry lately. Although we are a little concerned about a dry spring leading to an overly active fire season on the forests in the mountains. I've been getting a lot of exercise lately.

Hugs, Miley

Mariah in the Mountains

2010-02-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Hi, Miley here. It’s been a long time. Mommy and I read blogs far more often than we comment. Last fall was quite busy for me, Mommy, and semi-retired Mariah. Ten years old (and a little grumpy at times), she is actually a distant relative, my great-great grandmother’s first cousin. Mariah says that I chatter too much so I’m going to turn the bloggie over to her. I should forewarn you, Mariah is long winded sometimes. I'm easier to photograph, she tends to become a black blob.

Hello, I’m Mariah, a black Airedale (yes, a purebred) and not a blob despite silly Miley's comment. I’m older and a little less energetic than Miley so Mom takes her out on the rougher, longer hikes now days. Mom likes for me to go with her when she is site recording because I don’t mind patiently waiting for Mom to take notes.

Me, Mariah, near the Wood River in the Absaroka Mountains

Picked up in New Mexico by my human Dad, I arrived home on Halloween 1999. I was a little fuzzy thing about nine weeks old. I was supposed to be a sort of belated birthday present for Dad, but Mom thought I was adorable and basically latched on to me. Dad could not take me to work with him but Mom could. She bought a Pack and Play, collapsible play pen for me to use while we stayed in motel rooms on distant projects. She packed while I played!

Me at the Double D wearing my bright orange and highly conspicuous leash

About the first place Mommy took me was up to the historic, abandoned Double D Guest Ranch in the Absaroka Mountains of Shoshone National Forest in early November of 1999. Most of the structures were built in the 1930s through early 1940s although an older cabin and root cellar dating to around 1923 remain. The aviator, Amelia Earhart, and her husband George Putnam, stayed there on several occasions. They were friends with the family who operated the guest ranch and constructed the main lodge and most of the structures. Mom had to record the site and evaluate it for the National Register of Historic Places.

Mommy very briefly tied me to a hitching post - I am not a horse!

Standing in front of the old garage.

Standing in front of Amelia Earhart's favorite cabin surrounded by trees along the bank of Jojo Creek.

We looked inside the cabin to see if things had changed much over the past 10 years.

Sitting in front of the old outhouse (no one was inside)

The barn

Double D Guest Ranch in background. I am the black blob laying down (if you make photo bigger - my ears almost appear).

Hugs, Mariah and Miley

Happy Holidays to all

2009-12-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays! Its hard to believe Christmas is nearly here. I, Miley, have been indoors more lately due to weather and snow cover. I’ve been doing far more blog reading than blog commenting/writing because Mommy has been hogging the computer typing up reports.

Happily, November was actually much nicer than most of October so I got to go back out into the field with Mommy to finish up some projects by early December. Mommy tends to leave her backpack unzipped while taking photos (which look even grayer than usual due the diminishing sunlight) or notes. I’m always curious as to what’s inside. The last few months, I keep finding a bright orange safety vest. It was hunting season in Wyoming so Mommy was wearing it when hunters were in the area. I don’t think I look anything like a deer (and Mommy looks even less like one) but better safe than sorry. For me, its fun to flip around in the air.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Miley

We're Back

2009-10-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, Miley here. It's been so long (over two months). Mommy has either been in the field or very busy report writing. After many wet nose pokes and sad looks, I finally forced her to type. I turned 3 years old last month and she didn't even blog on my birthday which is also I guess my Gotcha Day since I was born here (and so was my doggy Dad, Magic). Spayed years ago, Great Great Grandma Fancy and Grandma Kateybug also live here.

Happily, it is now cool enough for me to go out in the field again no more 85 degree heat (although the high was 25 F a few weeks ago). We've been out in the bentonite mine again between storms and wet roads (greasy bentonite can be slicker than ice). The cold weather is hard on great great grandma's arthitis; she is 11 years old and weighs about 80 pounds - a lot bigger than 55 pound me. She spends most of her time indoors and often near the wood pellet heating stove when its cold out.

I love hiking around the outdoors in the cooler weather and helping Mommy get in shape. Mommy's backpack and jacket (if placed on the ground) are fun to play with. The mosquitoes are gone and most of the biting insects (hopefully including the ticks).

Hugs, Miley

A few more mountain pics

2009-08-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's me, Miley. Mommy has been working a lot lately but I am forcing her to post a few pics. She has got a Monday report deadline to meet so no fieldwork for me this weekend.

I love working in the mountains and getting away from the heat. There are so many little streams to walk through as well as the aptly named Mountain Ditch (dates to 1922) in the Absaroka Mountains. My paws are frequently wet. Mommy made me cross the Little Popo Agie River south of Lander in the Wind River Mountains last week. I had cool water above my tummy, it was invigorating. Mommy had water almost up to her knees -she had to drain her boots afterwards. We found a little abandoned gold mine (cabins, prospecting pits, adit, etc.) several miles from the South Pass City Mining District (http://www.southpasscity.com/) which is far larger than South Pass City itself. Mommy took a picture of me standing by an adit (horizontal shaft) which was totally hidden by a tree. This was my first trip to the South Zone of Shoshone National Forest.

Happy summer, Miley

Working near the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway

2009-06-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. I've been bugging Mommy persistently and managed to get her to type another post (wow, two in less than 2 weeks). Paws are not effective on the keyboard. She loaded me into the truck again last week and headed up into the mountains on Shoshone National Forest. This time we were working within a half mile of the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. This road connects with the Beartooth Highway leading from about Red Lodge to Cook City, Montana and into Yellowstone National Park. I made Mom stop at Dead Indian Overlook and take a picture of the northwest view. As usual, the wind was blowing so I tried to help her steady the camera.

I am happy to report that no electric fences or bears were encountered on our excursion. No rain or hail occurred and we stayed dry although I did find some lovely puddles and a shallow ditch (off Russell Creek) to walk in. It was cooler up there and no rattlesnakes to worry about.

My usual pickup had to stay in one day for an oil change appointment so Mommy drove the diesel Ram. The windows had all been cleaned since my last ride in it. I made sure to get nose prints on the back glass and side windows. I forgot to adjust the review mirror for her - easily done with a couple of nose pokes. That used to confuse Mommy, who couldn't figure out why the rearview mirror was mysteriously tilted from time to time until my little nose prints were discovered on the glass. Oh well, my great Uncle Trouble set the emergency brake peddle on at least one occasion. I'll have to completely climb into the drivers seat to accomplish that.

I like looking at the scenery -cameras are hard to operate with paws. Why not invent one with bark recognition!

Happy Trails, Miley

Fieldwork in the Mountains

2009-06-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, Miley here with a long overdue post. I got a nice change of scenery yesterday. After the cold weather (and mountain snow) of about a week ago, it was finally nice enough for me and Mommy to go working in the lower elevations (around 7,500 feet) of the Absaroka Mountains in Shoshone National Forest. Much greener and less gray than the badlands and bentonite mines. I got to walk around in a shallow spring, it's fun getting my feet wet.

Mommy neglected to sufficiently warn about the evil fence marking the Forest boundary up there. I got zapped and complained loudly to Mommy! I rarely encounter electric fences, especially those three strands high. That explains why she was walking 3-4 feet away from it (boundary of our project area). Mommy assured me that my fur hasn’t gotten any curlier.

We also got rained and hailed on with the temperature dropping down to 41 degrees. Mommy was soaked by the time we returned to the truck; water would literally run off the top of her hat when she tilted her head. She looked like a big, wet, rat! She placed a blanket on the backseat for me, shut off the air conditioner, and turned on the heat until we got down from the mountain where it was a pleasant 66 degrees.

I saw several antelope and deer but happily no grizzly bears. According to local residents, the bears have been quite active this spring. One large male is known for occasionally “tearing through the draw” that we still need to hike up. Mommy and I do not wish to encounter him.

Hugs and happy summer, Miley

Back to the Blog (with awards to pass on)

2009-05-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Miley here after a long hiatus. No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth into a ravine, but things got a bit busy. We've catching up on work delayed by last month's snow storms (not much snow, but wet slick roads). Noticed that the rattlesnakes are back out again. I've been happy to hike around in the hills helping Mommy get back into shape. She has a great fondness for chocolate (which I'm not allowed to eat).

We wish a belated thankyou to Jake and Fergi for the Nemo and Proximity Awards. To answer the question, why do we like blogging. I, Miley the gabby one, loves to talk and hear about other dog's lives and experiences. Pictures of our doggy friends give us glimpses into their lives and that of their human parents. Blogging is a great way to meet others and find common grounds or interesting activities. I think Mommy likes to get away from the typical restrictions and forced precision of technical writing (reports and site forms) and relax with a little creativity. Admitedly, we are very new to blogging and Mommy's posts are rough compared to many of our fellow dog bloggers. She is still having problems with photo positioning, etc.. I'm trying to help her.
.

We realize that there are many wonderful blogs out there. We have chosen this time around to pass the Nemo and Proximity Awards on to Baby Rocket Dog and Hootie, Maggie and Mitch the Airedales, Penney, Poppy, and Patches, Ruby, Willow, Hollie and Janie, and Barney and Storm. Several of you all have undoubtedly received these before. Thanks for your creative, colorful, and highly enjoyable blogs.

Hugs and happy trails, Miley

Fieldwork done on one project, Mommy in the office too much

2009-04-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hello. Greetings from Miley, the most vocal member of the High Kountry Airedales Pack. I reminded Mommy this morning that it has been nearly a month since my last post. We finished up the fieldwork on our last bentonite mine project so she has been inside spending too much time on the computer typing up a report and stuff. I tried to coax her into posting this weekend, but she muttered something about a Monday morning deadline and printer problems. The Kodak printer decided this weekend that it would only print black ink on glossy premium photo paper rather than inkjet paper. It is now awaiting the second replacement printhead (in less than five months).

Anyhow, I've been playing with my Airedale buddies (and my beloved shelties Buddy and Teeroy) while eagerly looking forward to returning to the field with Mom. She said something about this week, weather allowing. I can't wait to go back out again, it's been a little over two weeks but feels like a month. Mom is probably starting to get a little out of shape so I'll have to help her up hills. She can be quite a load to gently pull up a steep slope. Hopefully, she didn't eat too much while working at her home office on the computer.

Things to play with in Mommy's backpack

2009-03-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Miley here. I have gotten Mommy back on the blog again. Oh, I wish I could type - isn't there any bark recognition software out there? Our pleasant field excursions were rudely interupted by a very cold, winter storm. Less than an inch of snow, not enough to do nose plows through or bounce around in but temperatures dropped to 3 below zero (wind chill factor of -25 one morning). Mommy grumbled a great deal and kept the wood pellet, burning stove running constantly for several days. Needless to say, much of last week was spent indoors. We finally got back to fieldwork this past weekend.

I have several little games I like to play in the field while Mommy is occupied with taking notes or pictures. She has an assortment of objects in her backpack. The tape measure and compass are boring, but I do like the gloves and fuzzy hat so I pull them out. Mommy usually places her backpack (unzipped) on the ground while she is focusing the camera to take pictures for reports. I love to reach in and grab her gloves out one by one. Then flip them into the air and catch them. Of course sometimes I do miss - Mommy usually finds the glove nearby caught in the sagebrush. The hat is fun to toss about or roll through the dirt - then she has to wash it or get dirt and sticks in her hair (which is funny for me).

Have a good week, Miley the Airedale

Miley's First Day of Field Season

2009-03-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hello. I am Miley the Airedale (no relation to Hannah Montana, but I do like the show). As part of the gang at the High Kountry Airedales Pack and quite bubbly, I was chosen first to post. Yesterday was my first day back in the field with Mommy after a lengthy and cold Wyoming winter. My Mommy is an archaeologist or cultural resource management consultant. After months of shut down by snow (no archaeological survey allowed unless snow cover averages less than 20%) then mud, we returned to the bentonite mine yesterday. Having been office bound writing reports for months, Mommy is a little sore today and I am slightly tired after our hours of walking. Still wet and partially filled with snow and ice, drainage crossings were slick. Mommy slid and nearly fell down but I have 4 paw drive with more stability. Didn't see any bunnies to chase. Didn't see any of the wild horses although evidence (piles) from past horse activity were present.

I love hiking with Mommy especially when it is a little cool out (mid 40s). She has been taking me out in the field since I was about 9 weeks old - of course she had to carry me alot back then with frequent rest periods for me to nap in the truck. I am 2 and a half years old now. Back then, my distant relative Mariah was in the field with her most of the time. However, Mariah is nearly 9 and a half years old and is semi-retired from fieldwork. She still goes out in the field on smaller projects with less hours of continuous walking. Mariah is good at supervising Mommy when she is recording sites.

Wishing all a good weekend, Miley