Snowy Montana Ranch

With the temperature at -23C (-10F) the power went off just as I finished cooking dinner. Having checked the out buildings and the distribution boards I phoned the power company. They confirmed there was a power failure in my areas and an engineer was on his way. With no alternative heating I wondered how good the cabin insulation was and how long it would take to freeze to death. The car I have the use of and my motorbike won’t start unless it is warmer than around -10C (15F) so if I wanted to leave I would have to walk. The power company had said the neighbouring properties were affected and as the nearest neighbour is 2.5 miles it would be a long cold walk in the dark before finding somewhere with power. The best thing to do was go to bed and conserve what heat there was for as long as possible. I had an unromantic candlelit dinner in bed knowing that if the power wasn’t back on by the morning I would, assuming I was still alive have to drain all the pipes before they froze. Fortunately the power returned at 1:45am. The cabin was still warmish and after checking that electric appliances were off I was able to settle down and contemplate my brush with a frozen death.

Cabins In Snow

The daytime temperature rose to around 5C (41F) for a couple of weeks which saw most of the snow in the valley bottom melt although there was plenty higher up and the pond still has a thick covering of ice. It was nice to go for walks without putting all the additional layers of clothing on. There was more snow and temperatures dropped below freezing again in the last week of January.

Snowdrift

Martin Luther King Jr. day was on the 18th. It is a public holiday and the TV reported a number of rallies in different cities celebrating his life.

Deer Tracks In The Snow

There was a herd of pronghorn 'antelope' on the dirt road near the ranch one afternoon as I returned from town. They are a regular sight but this time they took off running up the road ahead of me. They are the second fastest animal in the world (after the cheater), capable of bursts of 60mph and a sustained 50mph although they were only doing 25mph running ahead of me.

Pronghorn 'Antelope'

I saw a bobcat on the ranch and even managed to get a photograph. I spotted it as it ran to hide in a ditch close to the drive as I was returning to the cabin. I stopped the car and set my camera (mobile phone) before getting out. As I walked towards where it had entered the ditch it ran off towards the creek and I managed to get a single photograph. I saw it again in the distance walking up the frozen creek as I continued driving towards the cabins. I stopped ahead of it and walked down the creek hoping to get more photographs but didn't see it again.

Bobcat On The Ranch

Deer sightings have dwindled away. There were some that used to come and feed on the lawn next to the cabin but I haven’t seen them for a while. The three wild turkeys that also feed on the lawn have been reduced to two. I was told that the most likely explanation is that they have been taken by mountain lion. Having been brought up to associate deer as cute, loveable Walt Disney Bambi characters it is hard to have to think of them as lion food! It wouldn’t be so bad if I actually got to see a mountain lion but sightings are rare. They usually see us and hide long before we see them.

Cabin In Snow

It is now a year ago since I took the bike to the shipper in the UK to have it transported to Miami. The SORN declaration was due to be renewed with the DVLA. If a British registered vehicle is not going to be used on UK roads the SORN declaration has to be made with the vehicle licensing authority (DVLA). It took two minutes to complete on the DVLA website.

More Snow

I have been in North America since March 2009 but intend to make a concerted effort to leave and get a bit further round the world before the end of 2010. Progress could be hastened by a letter I received this morning from the US Department Of Homeland Security. I applied for a visa extension in November to stay in Montana until it was warm enough to travel by motorcycle then tour round the north west of the USA until it was warm enough to head up to Alaska. I then intended to travel south again down the west coast to Mexico leaving the United States in the autumn. The application was turned down because my travel plans weren’t detailed enough and copies of my bank statements weren’t sufficient evidence that I had the funds to support myself. I had thought the visa extension application which cost $300 would be a formality. They returned the visa I sent with my application which expired at the end of December with a covering letter saying that if my visa has expired I should leave immediately and that if I have overstayed future visits to the USA might be jeopardised. I have been here illegally for five weeks without knowing it! This trip is literally a ‘trip of a lifetime’, It's unlikely that I will be able to afford to come this way again. I was looking forward to travelling to Alaska but now there is a chance I wouldn’t be allowed in once I got there and may not be allowed back into the ’lower 48’ from Canada to ride to Mexico. I haven't decided what action to take yet. It's still too cold for me to enjoy riding the bike far.