Back to the Mountains

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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