How do you know you're not a redneck?

The title may sound derogatory, but it's really not. Some of my best friends and some of my family and extended family might be considered "redneck" and there is nothing wrong with knowing how to hunt bear or skin a rabbit or drive a big truck or have intimate knowledge of a number of firearms. I, myself, have tried to seat (unsuccessfully) a tire with nothing more than a can of brake cleaner and a lighter. These are true arts that are lost to the common man.

So today, when we were close enough to be worried about running out of white gas and the only offering at the highway intersection north of Mack's Inn was sold by the gallon - at $18 per, mind you - and since I was feeling a little flush with fuel since I didn't want to be carting three quarters of a gallon over the next pass, and since Alaine wanted to have a fire, and since I had never built anything but "boyscout" fires (you see where this is going, don't you?), I dumped a couple cups on to the bone dry tender that Alaine had amassed from nearby vacated campsites and brought a lighter to the mix. 

Boy howdy did it convert like a Saturday evening sinner on Sunday morning. I was left with fire shorn hair on my right arm and right knee and a couple spoonfuls of respect for my redneck friends (y'all know who you are).

Before all that -- the day was short and sweet, beginning with a relatively hasty departure from the Red Rock River NWR because of the mosquitoes and gnats. The backcountry gravel farm and livestock-rangingroads (granted, sometimes washboardy) were refreshed by the morning cool as we approached our 6th Continental Divide crossing, which also was our goodbye to Montana and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, and our hello to Idaho and the Caribou-Targhee NF. 

This was a more significant crossing with regard to contrast of landscape. The last several days have been miles and miles through wide open hills and canyons and floodplains-- nary, or almost, a tree trailside to get a bit of shade. But after we crossed today, suddenly the trees came back, the forest understory was fresh and green, and we we thrilled by most ofthe trails taking us east to Big Springs, ID.

34.3 miles, 3:48 ride time, 9 mph avg