Day 4: Beartooth Highway

Hello!

I went on the Beartooth Highway, a highway that goes from Montana into Wyoming. It is honestly the most spectacular 11 hour road trip I have been on. I am writing this quite late, with much to do, so I don't have time to write much. However, I have many videos and pictures to show you all. I will present this post as kind of like a timeline.

First, we went to the small town of Red Lodge. All the way there, it's just road and beautiful views.

Then, we got on the Beartooth Highway. It was absolutely spectacular. I kept talking about bushwagoning the mountains. Bushwagoning is when you go off the trail and make your own trail to a destination, usually due to lack of a trail. Some people say it's totally crazy to bushwagon these mountains, some give it a shot. We stopped and did a short bushwagoning trail, about forty minutes there and back for me.

We stopped in Cooke City for a bathroom break, then went to Yellowstone National Park. It was pretty nice, but compared to other landscapes I've seen on the trip, it wasn't my favourite. This is probably due to the fact that we were driving through woods for a chunk of the time. However, we did see many bison and a beaver. The bison were not afraid to walk up close to cars or in front of them.

 

 

 















Finally, we got to Jardine, where my aunt's daughter (cousin-ish) lives. In the morning, I will have more pictures of Jardine. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to my aunt and cousin playing "This Land is Your Land". Never has that song felt so true.

By the way, tomorrow is the surprise.

Also, I would like to say that I haven't been replying to comments as often due to lack of time. I also owe thanks to you all for reading this blog, and if you have anyone who you think would enjoy this blog, please do spread the word. Thank you.


See you all later,
Ben

Day 3: Yellowstone River

Hello y'all,

Before I talk about what I did today, I received some questions about the Lewis and Clark Caverns.

1. How is the temperature?
It was pretty cool. I personally liked the temperature in the cave, not so cold that you got goosebumps, but not so warm that you would get sweaty form walking all day in there.

2. Are they damp?
I couldn't tell how damp the cave was, since I didn't touch the cave itself. For climbing down stairs, I always used a handrail. Touching the cave is very destructive because the oil on your hands gets on the wall, which makes the water that builds up stalactites slide right off. Same goes for touching already made stalactites and stalagmites.

3. Did it smell?
The cave smelled like rock, kind of metal-ly. Even where there were bats, it was pretty much odorless.


4. Was it slippery?
No. I never had trouble staying upright. The cave has just the right conditions to make it so that there was water to make stalactites and stalagmites, but not so that anything was slippery.

______________


The Yellowstone River is quite a river. Today, I kayaked it with my aunt. It was easily the coolest river I've been on.
The river comes from Yellowstone lake in Yellowstone National Park, and drains into the Missouri River. There was no shortage of views. Throughout the river, you could see mountains, some of which still had snow on them.

In the picture to the left, you can see just how wide the river was. Below, you can see snow, if you look carefully between the mountaintops.

The two pictures below are of a bald eagle. On the left is from far away. On the right is a cropped version, zoomed in.

Along where we stopped for lunch, we saw mules. They were very friendly, but quite nosy.

The trip, overall, was very relaxing. It really is like nothing else to be on a river surrounded by mountains. Someday, I will definitively have to return and hike a few of them.


I recorded a one minute video of the river, viewable right here. This is not the last you guys will be seeing of this river; you'll see it again soon. Tomorrow, I am going on the Beartooth Highway to my aunt's daughter's house. The Beartooth Highway is supposed to be one of the most beautiful highways in the country, so I'm pretty excited.

Till next time,
Ben

Day 2: Lewis & Clark Caverns

Hey everyone,

Today was the second day of my Montana adventure. Me and my aunt got up at 9 AM and drove to the Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. We got a tour of the caves and learned about their formation.

This is the hiking trail leading up to the caverns. It is dominated particularly by juniper and pine trees, among several other plants I couldn't identify. It was fairly steep, but not too long. We were on the inside of a "bowl". I use that term since the mountains formed a bowl shape around us.


In the caverns, the lighting was spotty and I am not a fan of flash photography, so I tried to select the best possible pictures. The caverns were filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Stalactites are rock formations hanging from the roof of a cavern, while stalagmites are formed on the bottom.

Water containing minerals sits on the top of the cave, and the minerals deposit (separate) from the water, causing a tiny amount of stalactite to form. The main ingredient is called calcite (CaCO3). It's what gives the stalactite its white colour. Once a stalactite has formed a little, the water can slide down more easily and starts to form stalagmites. These are
made the same way, the water separates and over time, these form. Sometimes, the two meet and form a massive column. The picture to the left is a column that has fallen, and is estimated to weigh anywhere from 65 tons to 95 tons. 

This column here, to the left, weighs 300 tons. It is the heaviest in the cave. As stalagmites form, stalactites form over them, creating the web-like effect seen here.

During the tour, we went through a room called "The Room of the Gods". I took a video of it, and it can be viewed below. Again, the lighting isn't too great, but its as good as its going to get with my phone.

Anyways, that's all for today. Tomorrow, I will be doing Kayaking on the Yellowstone River. I'll try to bring my phone in a plastic bag to get some pictures and a video for you guys.

Goodbye,
Ben

Day 1

Hello everyone

Today was the first day of my Montana trip. I got up at 6:30 AM, and left for the airport by 7:15 AM. Everything went smoothly, and I got on my plane to Chicago, which would then go to Bozeman, Montana. This is where things started to go awry.

At Chicago O'Hare, my plane had a gate change, but it was to the gate right next to the one I arrived in. As we were about to leave the plane, we all had to get off because the air conditioning broke, and eventually had to switch planes. Luckily, I got to see the famous pedestrian tunnel of O'Hare. The video is below: 

We got to the gate, and arrived at Montana at 4:22 PM, Montana time. The flight was absolutely astounding. Even though the plane got very turbulent at times, the view more than made up for it. 

Upon landing, the weather was rainy, but again, the drive to my Aunt's house was not boring in any way. There were mountains all around. Before I came, I though the majority of Montana was flat, like a piece of paper, except for the southwest border. Once we settled down, unpacked and had dinner, we went on a walk up a nearby "hill". It was really quite spectacular. 

I don't have much more to write. Usually, I provide insights, cool facts, etc. However, this post is a bit more matter-of-fact since I just wanted to quickly write it up. Tomorrow, I will be kayaking on the Yellowstone River. I promise that what I lack in insight and facts I will make up for in videos, like this post.

See you later,

Ben

14 Hours

Hey everyone!

At the time this is posted, it will be 14 hours until my flight and hopefully me leave for Montana. I have my first video to show you. I have been cursed with a deep voice, so I'm a bit hard to understand. If you guys find it really hard to understand, I can try to make transcripts in the future, but I may not have the time. Let me know how it is.

Some main points in the video:

Handkerchief: These are important more than most people realize because you can tie them around your neck and avoid major sunburns. I learned that in Mexico and got the handkerchief there as a gift.

Multi-tool: This is used for an array of different things, pretty much any situation when you need a tool. The main components are a knife, a saw, scissors, pliers, and wire cutters.

First-aid kit: This is one of the most important items. I have had to use it for myself and other people on hiking trips. It contains an ace bandage, matches, band aids, and sanitary wipes.

Duct tape: One of the most useful appliances. Period. It is waterproof and sticks to almost anything. Used properly, you can use it to help make rope, clothing, shelter, ect. I would probably only use it to mend things that get ripped, such as a backpack.

Day pack: This is a small backpack I'd bring during the day. It can fit a the essentials plus a bit more of anything you might need.

That's all for this post. I might be able to make another post the day I arrive in Montana, but I won't make a promise a can't keep.

Otherwise, see you later,
Ben

I am Going to Montana!

 Hi everyone! This is the first post for my newest adventure to Montana!

     I am going to Montana! First, I would like to thank my aunt for letting me stay at her place so that I can see more of this beautiful country. I would also like to thank my cousins for letting me stay at their place as well. I also must thank my parents for letting me go on this trip. It is going to be quite an experience.

     Montana is a great place for me. It is a fantastic place for hiking and sightseeing. I have been wanting to go on this trip for a long, long time, but plans for it have never been made. Now, I have planned my trip, and I would like to share my experience with you guys through blogging and short video clips.

     In Montana, I will be doing a lot of hiking. There are many highlights in my itinerary, but I'm gonna keep it a surprise for now. I will be staying there for one week with my aunt, and then her daughter and her daughter's husband. The trip is going to be very fast-paced, with much to do in little time, but I will try to update my blog as often as possible.
   
     In addition to this blog, I plan on making short videos, approximately a minute in length. These will be short clips of different things. Maybe I will film a part of a hike, a panorama of a ledge, or a section of a kayak ride. I've never tried it before, so I'm excited to do it!

     And then, there's the big question my parents always ask: "What are you going to do about your cochlear implants?!"

     To that, I must answer in a rather vague way, as to not give away anything I will be doing in Montana. The two main obstacles is 1. How to charge CIs without electricity. 2. How to go into water with them.

     Luckily for me, this is nothing new. Unluckily, the water activity I am doing in Montana will be unlike anything I've done before with CIs. For charging them without electricity, I plan on bringing disposable batteries. I don't prefer them because they're not as eco-friendly as the rechargeable batteries, but they last slightly longer and are very easy to transport. I can fit them in a tiny baggie, and just change them in about a minute. As for the water activity, I will be using a waterproof casing for my processor, and secure it with a really tight headband.

     And as always, to wrap up, I would like to invite you, the reader, to comment or ask any questions you would like on Facebook by commenting on the post, or comment on the blog itself. I will answer all questions I can in my following blog post or so.

See y'all,

Ben