SuzAnne Miller is the owner of Dunrovin Ranch. A fourth-generation Montanan, SuzAnne grew up roaming the mountains and fishing the streams of western Montana. Her love of nature, animals, science, and education prompted her to create the world’s first cyber ranch where live web cameras bring Dunrovin’s wildlife and ranch life to internet users across the globe.   See more at daysatdunrovin.com

What does it take to be a seasonal wrangler at Dunrovin Ranch? Horsemanship skills are a must, of course. People skills, ability and willingness to work long hard hours, a keen sense of humor, staying calm in emergencies, handling large trucks and trailers, and a love of animals and nature are just as important. It takes a special person to work on a guest ranch and we have been incredibly lucky to attract just such special people.

Let’s hear directly from our new wrangler, Meghan, and what she has to say about her first day on the job at Dunrovin. Thank you, Meghan, for sharing!

Day One of the Dunrovin Way

It was a chilly and clear first morning in Montana and I had to break out my heavy jacket, but I warmed up quickly with a rake in hand and the flustered feeling of not knowing what I was doing or needed to do without specific directions. That “first day of school” feeling.

I’ve worked at many barns. Since I was a teenager, I rotated through stables as I moved and aged and entered into college — and each stable, barn, ranch has its own way of doing things. Day one was insight into “the Dunrovin Way”: what amount of what feed to give to whom, where each horse went in the evenings, how to tie each of the knots necessary to keep a horse to a post, a saddle to a horse, etc. Now, I’ve never been an adept knot-tier. I was definitely not a sailor in a past life. Poor Jamie had to repeat each knot a few times over, and it still took me a few days after that to have them down pat.

The feed shed chart taught me that these boys (and ladies!) are treated like kings and queens, with their own customized amounts of different feeds and alfalfa cubes and whatnot. And speaking of feeding, I learned that the horses here are very talented. They can hear hay rustle, or the feed shed door unlock, from a mile away and strike up a chorus of whinny and whickers even if it’s three hours until dinnertime. Maud and Gertie always take up the lead with big loud brays.

I like to think I know my way around multitudinous piles of you-know-what, but what I didn’t anticipate was that mucking out pens and stalls would be the easy part of my first day at Dunrovin Ranch. For instance: shooing back the ponies while trying to fill hay nets taught me very quickly that I needed to duck and cover into the hay barn and stuff a flake in ahead of time or I’d be re-enacting a scene from Jaws. Those little guys swarm in chomping.

On my first day I was able to take out my first ride, too, on Romeo and with Jamie in the lead to teach me the ranch ride route (otherwise I’d likely bring the guest in loop-de-loops all over the property until we wandered our way home).

A few weeks in, and I’m beginning to adjust. I still have a hard time backing up that enormous six-horse trailer. Lots of “no, the other way… no, the other way,” directions needed. I’m getting to know all of the animals, too. Like dogs, they all have their own distinct personalities. Charger seems to be the wise old man, Whiskey makes “stink faces,” Mickey is the hungriest of the bunch and makes sure we feeders know it by pacing and whickering and making cute expressions. As a new wrangler, it’s a good feeling getting situated and getting to know your co-workers: human and animal alike. I know I’m in for a truly fast-paced summer with lots of happy children, mountain sunshine, hard work, and this herd of unique horses that I’m already learning to love.

Angela Jamison is a native Montanan and she grew up in beautiful Bozeman. I'm the mother of two girls and write a blog about our life here and taking in the simple pleasures of family and food.

A sure sign that summer has arrived is the return of farmers markets. Of course there are some states where these happen year round, even here in Bozeman we have a handful of winter farmers markets. You know you have a growing trend when a market begins popping up even when it’s the middle of January, sub zero temps with a snowstorm outside…and people still show up. In fact, farmers markets have gained such popularity that in the past six years the amount of them in the United States has nearly doubled! This makes me so happy. To see a growth for something that is such a vital part of our food system, community and environment. Farmers markets have been around in some form or another for hundreds of years. Perhaps changing and evolving over time, but with the same general concept. My own experience began as a kid visiting the Bogert Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, the most memorable being the time we came home with a free kitten. My experiences have continued after visiting different ones throughout our state…from eating the best peach I have ever had at a tiny farmers market in Seeley Lake to wandering for hours through Missoula’s eclectic markets. Outside of Montana I’ve strolled through the tourist filled markets in wine country in California to many times visiting the huge and well known Portland Saturday Morning Market. Each of the these farmers markets were unique, but the message was always the same.

Know Your Farmer, Support your Neighbors

The farm to table concept is never more true than when shopping at a farmers market. Here you can buy fruits and produce that were most likely picked earlier that day. You get exactly what is in season and freshest at that moment. It cultivates responsible eating and consuming. Often you can talk directly to the farmer. You can hear their passion for growing great food, how they do it, if it’s organic and what they use if it’s not. You are supporting these farmers and encouraging them to continue. Tasting the deliciousness that comes from eating things that grew in our strong Montana dirt under our bright blue skies. This leads directly into the next….

Caring for our Planet

When you buy at a farmers market you are part of the environmental solution. The transit time is almost nothing. This means the tomato you eat didn’t have to travel for days by plane or truck to get to you. On top of that there is no packaging, simply throw it in whatever bag you may bring for your goodies. On top of THAT you get a tomato that was possibly still on the vine earlier that day, not plucked a week ago and then transported for miles to get to the store. Less travel, less packaging, less chemicals…and it tastes a whole heck of a lot better. Win-win.

Community

Farmers markets empower people to become supporters of their community. Every time you buy something at a market you are supporting your neighbors rather than big business. It reminds us that we are a community and encourages us to care about each other. It’s easy to get desensitized while standing in line with another at the grocery store or Target. At the market you stand in line and maybe start a conversation. People aren’t shopping there in a hurry on their way home from work or as part of a weekly grocery trip chore, they are there because they want to be so everyone is happier. We are kinder to one another. The person helping you is not someone just doing their job, they are someone who put their heart and soul into the product. An artist can tell you the inspiration for her product, a food vendor can tell you what made him fall in love with the idea of having a food truck. You get to see the passion…the local musician playing for you as you wander through…you feel inspired watching people in our community following their dreams. You feel proud to be a part of that community.

Family

Visiting a farmers market with your family or friends takes you back to simple times in our highly distracted lives. There are no apps, no groupons, no self-check out machines. It is easy to head to the nearest farmers market, listen to some music, grab some local food, pick up some produce for the week, enjoy the beautiful hand-made crafts and artwork, sit in the grass, soak up the sunshine, run into old friends, people watch. Simply be together. Creating traditions from one generation to the next so farmers markets continue to thrive and increase.

Many things can change in a town. Bozeman in particular has changed so much over the years and will probably continue to do so. Growing, population increasing. Long time businesses closing and new ones popping up each week. One thing you can count on here is our farmers markets. Whether it’s Bogert on Tuesdays or the Fairgrounds on Saturdays these community traditions continue even as things change around them. The sense of community and pride remains the same. It’s a good constant. Just as I remember leaving a farmers market with a grey and white kitten, my kids will remember Tuesday night farmers markets, digging dollars out of their piggy banks to buy ice cream. The beautiful tradition of a good old fashion farmers market continues.

Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road won’t open for at least eight more days – but beginning Thursday, you can get to the top if you go the right way.

Logan Pass will be accessible to vehicles from the west side starting Thursday morning, Glacier spokeswoman Denise Germann announced Wednesday afternoon.

It will be the earliest opening for Logan Pass in a decade. Last year, visitors couldn’t get to Going-to-the-Sun's highest point until July 3.

The visitor center there will not open until June 19, when access on the east side is scheduled to start. Road rehabilitation work, and not snowplowing, is the determining factor there this year.

But Germann said park road crews have finished snow removal, debris cleanup, guard rail installation and facility preparation on the west side. Although the visitor center still will be closed, restrooms and potable water will be available at Logan Pass.

Crews have also assessed snow conditions before giving the OK.

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