Miles City, Montana is the major city serving most of Montana on the east side of Billings. There are only about 9,000 people here. There is a hospital, medical clinic, Albertsons and Wal-Mart. Life is quiet. You can ride your 4-wheeler as use for your main mode of transportation down main street if you wish. All of the houses were built in the early 1900's and nothing much else has been built since. Downtown is cool, it hosts the legendary "Olive Hotel". It was given its true 15 minutes of fame in the movie "Lonesome Dove". It is were old Gus gets shot in the story and then later dies from his wounds. Most of the residence are born and raised here and are descendents of the original settlers back in the 1850's. It appears that the musical artist Bob Dylan did some time at the Custer County High School under the name of Richard Zimmerman but though locals know that as fact, nothing in Dylan's information supports it. But that is OK because it is just another thing that makes this town interesting. Miles City is right on the Yellowstone River and the kids all float it in the summer. Though the history runs deep in this town it is best known for its World Famous Bucking Horse Sale held the third weekend in May every year. During this weekend the crowd grows from about 9,000 residents to about 20,000 people. This is where we come in.
Jeramie just recently became hired on by Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway with his assigned yard based in Forsyth, Montana and our move in date was the same weekend of this years sale. Might as well get thrown in and learn to swim. It did nothing but rain the first week we were here. To the point that every town around Billings and east was flooded out. Interesting but we take a different job in Montana only to arrive when FEMA inspectors arrive to assess flood damage. I guess we would have been here either way. We were offered testing in two places originally, Forsyth and Aberdeen, South Dakota. South Dakota did not appeal to the extended familial masses so Forsyth it was. Whenever my mother-in-law calls for the update, she lovingly refers to our new address as Miles Away City. It cracks me up because when she does come to visit she is going to find out just exactly how much truth there is to her banter. Forsyth is about 45 miles west of Miles City. Jeramie has started the 15 week Conductor Trainee program and will be a full conductor upon completion. He works for a freight line. Not a passenger line. he will not be taking train tickets from passengers. His job is more aptly described as Operations Manager of freight and coal trains. He will be in charge of ensuring the correct cars are attached in the correct order along with making sure the train leaves and follows a strict schedule as well as adhering to the laws of the rail and the game of traffic chess that is involved with multiple trains crawling all over the country-side. He manages all of this from the locomotive and travels with the train to its next yard and then hitches a ride home on another incoming train. It is him and an engineer. The engineer is in charge of the locomotive or engine only. The conductor is in charge of the train. They work together and the job cannot be done one without the other. They are separate jobs but it takes them both. So, no passengers on this rail only freight, coal and hazardous materials.
Rental housing in Miles City is hard to get your hands on. There are rental houses but when one comes back on the rental market it is usually re-rented within 12 hours. We are still in our RV which is totally fine with me. The RV has become our home so it is making the transition back into the "real world" a lot easier. Though we hope to be in a house by winter, we are not anxious to run right out and move into the first thing we see. To be honest, the thought of settling down and all that comes with that was a little suffocating at first. I have enjoyed the freedom we have had this last year on the road. But as we search out our new home state, the pressure of stationary living is starting to melt away.
We have been advised that the best way to approach housing is to forgo the rentals all together and buy but neither one of us is really super on board with that idea either. It seems the primary reason is that there are a few areas we could actually move to and we haven't even decided which town that will be. But deep down it is probably due to the fact that when we do, it becomes permanent. We are waiting patiently on the Lord to direct us.
I was having a bit of a hard time coming to to terms with parking the RV. I just couldn't believe that it would truly be over. But then we were informed that conductors for BNSF have the option of filling a position of traveling conductors. They call them mercenaries and they travel from yard to yard filling in where the yard is short handed on conductors for as long as one is needed and then moves on to another yard. That got me super excited. That got Jeramie super excited. Neither one of us was ready to plant roots so soon, however the down time in between the FEMA disaster work was driving Jeramie crazy with boredom. Maybe this was the work God had for us that would keep us more busy and still be mobile? Maybe this was the tool that would keep us immersed in multitudes of people. Maybe it doesn't have to end here. But, maybe not. Maybe we are suppose to settle right into small town rural Montana. We have no idea what lies ahead, only God. So for now we are perfectly content with still claiming our nomadic lifestyle and hanging in Miles City and keeping our options open. We might just be back on the road before we know it...or maybe not.
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