I'm back in the coffee shop having a blueberry scone and a latte for breakfast. Yesterday Kadie and I went for a walk through the Strawberry Hills, a recreation area just outside of Miles City. Ironically it was on the way to Baker, Tiffany's hometown. We took her dog Socks and hiked through the warm afternoon sun to the ridges where the view was magnificent. We could see straight across the town, over the Yellowstone River and to the cliffs on the far side. It was so quiet and peaceful, with the afternoon silence interrupted only by the perpetual panting of Socks.
After we got back to town, we stopped at Albertson's for some food and firewood for a camping trip. Kadie had picked up some sleeping bags and mats at her grandparents house, and we dropped Socks off. Kadie also received a phone message from a summer forestry position in Quincy, California. We found a very nice camping spot near a weir outside of town. We read to each other from “Zodiac” by Neal Stephenson, and later on we cooked sausages and drank beer. After the sun went down late, we watched the campfire die and then slept in the back of Kadie's truck.
This morning we woke up and had a makeshift breakfast of yoghurt, bananas and DIY coffee. Kadie was feeling grungy, and so we drove back to town about 9 am. I read a chapter out of “Zodiac”, as we drove the scenic route back into town. Now I am at the coffee shop, while she goes home and has a shower. Later on we may go bookshop hunting, perhaps search some second hand clothing stores.
When Kadie and I drove through Billings on Wednesday, she had to see her brother, and so I went shopping for a digital camera. It is something I have been meaning to get for a long time, but I have been putting it off for a long time waiting for a better deal. As I'm finally getting to go home, I thought it was time, since at least with regards to megapixels the war seems to be over. So now I have a sleek little Kodak V603 with 6 Megapixels and a 2.5-inch screen that slips very flat and nicely into my satchel. My days of been a disposable camera maven are over.
I was feeling nostalgic and romantic for my little Ericsson T39 cell phone that I got in 1999. It was so sleek and simple, something I've never found in a phone since. Now instead of being small and simple the phones have to have Internet access and MP3 players and video cameras. I've griped about this before, the last time I think was when I was in Thailand.
At the moment I regret not seeing more people on graduation weekend. It was a bit of a let down that on one of the biggest party nights of the year I was writing in pain after the ascent of Bald Mountain. But oh well, given how trashed Judy was, perhaps I made the right decision.
Oh yes the other thing which I did on Wednesday was to book my ticket to the Gordon Conference. The Gordon Conference is a small (~150 people) conference that takes place in Rhode Island in late July of each year, and which I've attended for the last two years. I'll be taking a slight detour this year, in that I'll actually be flying to Miami first. I'll catch up with Ben, Anthony and my other friends there, before finding my way to Boston. I don't know yet how I am supposed to get to Boston, but I could either rent a car, or use driveaway.com either way it will be an adventure. Five days and 1300 miles of the East Coast from Miami to Boston, now there's a road trip I can sink my teeth into!