Baker, Montana

I'm back in the field and grateful to be here! Although it was nice having time off and a chance to work from home for a few months, it's wonderful to be out in the wider world again. Craig and I are working together for the next few weeks which is especially nice.
We headed up to Laramie, just in time to encounter snow and bad weather and had to spend the night there before taking advantage of a few days break in the weather to head up north, first to Sheridan and then on to Baker.
Baker is a very small town in southeastern Montana, and hasn't yet escaped the grasp of

winter. We got about 8 inches of snow yesterday and so can't go out today. I did get to see a few sage grouse on the lek before we got snowed in though, so I've attached a video (its using my little camera, through the spotting scope, so the quality isn't the best, but you get the idea!). It is so incredible to see these birds on the lek! The noises they produce are so cool and the males are so striking.

What else can I say about Baker? Prom was this weekend and our supervisor went out the next morning at 5am and found a couple who'd gotten stuck in a snow drift on the dirt roads and had to sleep out there. He said their truck was surrounded by empty 40's and .22 shells!
That might give you an idea of the options for fun in Baker...