"Do you have any firearms you would like to register?"

I feel like I have been away from my computer for so long! That is the sign of a true nerd...first, I thought I was nerdy back when I started doing calculus for fun. Then, I definitely thought I was nerdy when I became an avid Scrabble player. And now, now I definitely am nerdy that I am having computer withdrawal. Anyways, that was a complete sidenote and has nothing to do with what I am actually going to write about. Feel free to erase it from your memory, because as they say in the movie Billy Madison, "I am now dumber for having listened to that".

Now to the real stuff - we are in Montana! After 25 hours of straight driving, we have made it safely and arrived to find a beautiful and peaceful city settled in the middle of the Rockies. And boy is it hot! I won't bore you with the details of the entire 25 hours (sleep, drive, sleep, stop for gas, drive, sleep, eat, sleep, etc.), but I will give some of the highlights.

Undoubtedly, if you are from Manitowoc or have ever been to Manitowoc, you probably know what the "Big Cow" is. Everyone does. It is "the place with the big cow". New Salem, ND, has officially trumped Manitowoc's Big Cow by oodles. They boast Salem Sue, which is the "World's Largest Holstein Cow". It was awesome. Here I am, driving along I-94 with nothing but fields on either side, with Mom sleeping in the passenger seat. All of the sudden, in the distance I spot Salem Sue, which was like a fresh drink of water in the desert. She completely made my day! I pulled off the interstate at her exit and just followed the sight of her. Mom was a bit surprised when she woke up and I was trying to find a giant cow! Just some statistics: she cost about $40,000 in 1974; she is 38 feet tall, 50 feet long, and weighs 12,000 pounds; and the town's mascot is the "Holsteins". Salem Sue is completely what makes roadtrips fun.

So a few hours after visiting Salem Sue, I find myself driving again. As most people know, minds start to wander when we are driving. We think about sometimes the wierdest things - ew, no I am not talking about anything gross here. I thought about people who name their cars. Why the heck do people name their cars? Does the car deserve a name? Does it make the car cool? I haven't ever really named my cars. It's always been "my geo" or "the 'stang" or "my geo" or...you get the gist. Well, after travelling 1500 miles with enough weight in her to cause her to scrape the bike rack on the ground every time we travelled over a large bump, I think my Jetta deserves a name. She has been baptized as "Jenna the Jetta". Now, you may be thinking that this is a wussy name or that only "hot" cars deserve names, but this lady is a trooper! She ran smooooothly all the way to Montana. (Okay, so the cruise control doesn't work - as Dad says, it's a luxury). In fact, sometimes Jenna got so excited about our roadtrip that she found herself going back to her German roots and thinking that we were on the Autobahn. That's where we had to say "Whoa, Jenna, 90 mph would definitely get you a ticket in Wisconsin...slow down!". And she obeyed, humble and defeated.

We finally arrived in Missoula at about 10:45 on Monday night - exactly a 25 hour drive. At night, it is hard to see much, but we could definitely notice the smoke as we drove in. The sky was hazy and gray, a result of the forest fires that are sort of sweeping the west right now. According to a few sources, much of the smoke on Monday was coming from fires in Idaho. Today, however, a fire broke out just north of Missoula on a mountain that could be seen from town. The smoke was bumbling out over town and firetrucks were racing towards it. I don't know if there's anything much they can do! Hopefully it gets under control and no one is hurt.

Today, we took an early walk and headed over to my apartment, which is on the southern end of town and is about 2 miles from campus. The apartment, for an on-campus apartment, is wonderful! The room is average sized - the furniture fits in here well, and it seems to be in a pretty nice neighborhood. The buildings are only 3 years old, so I have found nothing to be run-down or cheaply made (yet). All-in-all, it's a nice cozy place that hopefully I'll be able to make my home for the next year. I haven't met my roommates yet, as they are both out of town until the 20th and the 24th, but they have both been living here for a while, as I understand.

Perhaps the most humorous part of our Tuesday was during apartment check-in time, when I was asked, "Do you have any firearms you would like to register?". I had to think for a little while before I understood what they were asking me and then answered with an "Uhh, no." I asked the woman if many students do register firearms, and she said that some bring guns for hunting. Huh. College campus. Guns? What?!?! Now, considering I am not a huge fan of guns myself, much less that people feeling the necessity to bring them with them in order to hunt in their free time while they are pursuing higher education, I was disturbed but slightly entertained to learn this tidbit about some of my new neighbors. I am crossing my fingers that neither roommate has a gun...and if they do, I sure gosh-darn hope they registered it! That way, we'll all be safe.

We also visited the campus of the University of Montana today. I was expecting a beautiful campus. Boy, was I surprised!! I was never expecting a campus that would be this beautiful! Everything - from the student union, to the library, to the rec center, to the trails surrounding campus, to the green grass - is gorgeous. Perhaps I was floating on a la-la cloud. But, I think it was all real! Yes, I think this is one of the most tranquil campuses I've been to. Perhaps it is a warm paradise in the middle of winter too?

Well, I will sign off. The next couple days will be spent doing some hiking, biking, and general exploring before I start orientation on Friday. I will keep posted. Thank you to everyone who has sent their well wishes, stopped by on Sunday, or has been thinking about me. I am thinking I will do okay! Muah - goodnight!