08-03-09

Trinity and her brother made a wonderful new connection while we were in Bozeman Montana. She is going there to spend more time with him.
After she left in the middle of the day the bus was quiet, especially without Sebastian. He’s a great watchdog and is usually curious about anything that’s going on. I had grown quickly accustom to the both of them being around. Getting used to being with them was easier than getting used to being without them. As quickly as they came into my life, they were gone…for now. I went from being totally alone, to with someone 99% of the time, back to totally alone.
Living in tight quarters can start to drive you mad. We had been cooped up together, secluded in the mountains for a couple of weeks. I think we both needed some time apart. It was good to get some alone time to regroup. I cleaned the bus, took a long shower, went to the laundry mat and got everything stowed and ready to roll. I was planning on putting some distance behind me the next day.
Several thunderstorms rolled through that afternoon which kept it cool. They came over the mountain and straight over me.
I spent some time on my laptop. My air card worked in Cody, but I could also pick up a free wifi internet signal, so I tried to use that to save my data usage. It worked okay, but was slow. I think It’s from a nearby campground. Sometimes I can see on my computer specifically where a signal is coming from. It will be called, “Holiday Inn”, or “Flying J”. If the signal is faint and I have some big downloading to do, I can drive to their parking lot and take care of business.
I messed around with my altimeters. I had set them both to 10,000’ on top of the Beartooth Pass where a sign said “Elevation 10,400‘. The old one of my grandfathers only went up to 10,000’. The other one was so small to read that 10,000’ was as close as I could manage to set it while driving the switchbacks in the bus. The old one now read 6000’ in Cody which is close, but not right on. The other one still said 10,000’, so I threw it away.
Living in Wal Mart parking lots is interesting. It is it’s own culture and community. Most people are very friendly and go out of there way to help each other. Mechanical tips and advice are a given. Destination, location and different routes are frequently shared too. I gave a couple from Minnesota the hand drawn map of the spot on the mountain by Red Lodge that I was given. It felt good sharing it and passing it along. The community is good. We watch out for each other. I’ve learned that you can keep an eye on things with your rear view side mirrors. I can see down both sides of the bus while sitting on the couch.