Southern Montana: Southern Montana offers some amazing views and it’s one of my favorite places to photograph. Whether one is in the cab, or even just watching from the sidelines, the huge fields and open skies don’t disappoint.
One afternoon, while Lady A and I were waiting at the pile, we watched a storm come in from miles away. The changes of light and wisps of rain created a reprieve from the monotony of the long lines. It didn’t seem like much of a storm, but was captivating nonetheless.
It was the weekend, and we were one of the last trucks to dump. All we had left to do was run our truck to the field to pre-load for the next day. It wasn’t a terribly long drive, but the little storm had gained some momentum. By the time we got back to the field and wasn’t far behind us. Huge drops of rain started to splatter the windshield creating a mess in the dust.
Lady A and I parked the truck, hopped in my car and started to leave the field. It quickly became apparent that plan wasn’t going to be the best course of action. The storm was looking fairly angry and was passing just to the north of us. We decided to stay put until it passed. In the field, there was just wind and a few sprinkles. Back in town there was rain, hail and enough wind to bring small branches down. We made the right choice to stay.
Another memorable moment for me, from my time in southern Montana, was my encounter with a rattlesnake. In the back of my mind, I always knew my luck had to be running thin. I am fourteen seasons into custom harvest, and while I had seen them on the road, I never had a in-field experience with a danger noodle. Little did I know, my luck would soon run out.
I am appropriately aware of my surroundings, and this night was no different when I brought dinner out to the crew. I was walking around handing out plates when something caught my eye, blended in with gravel and hidden by weeds, mere inches from my boot. I knew immediately what it was and startled due to its extremely close proximity. I think I may have levitated like they do in the cartoons.
Upon closer inspection we thought it was dead since because it was so still. When one of the crew members went to relocate the body, with the help of a stick, we learned it was very much alive. I’m not sure if it was sick, or maybe it was moving slow because it had just had a large meal. Either way, it was a miracle that plump snake never struck us.
