After months of anticipation and excitement, I have finally made it to Cody, Wyoming to start my month long experience studying the ecology and geology of the greater Yellowstone area! Once off the plane, I was almost instantly met with incredibly expansive views and landscape of Montana and Wyoming. Driving along the rolling hills and towering mountains throughout the Bighorn Basin truly sparked an intense passion and interest to learn everything there is about this remarkable place. Pit stops along the way made by my professors gave me just a sneak peek into what I would be learning throughout my experience. However, the first moment that made me take a step back and realize the amazing opportunity before me was when we made it to our lodging facilities we would be staying at for the next 30 days, the K-Z Ranch.  

At the end of a long travel day, all you want to do is throw your bags on the floor and collapse into the nearest bed. This was not the case at the K-Z, lugging my oversized suitcase to my quaint log cabin made me feel like a city slicker who took a wrong turn and found himself on another planet. Roughly 45 minutes later, my cabin mates and I were called to the main lodge by the dinner bell (a real bell) to have our first meal together at the ranch. Walking into the dining room I was met with long wooden tables adorned with red and white gingham table clothes, holding pitchers of pink lemonade and large white dinner plates. The surrounding walls were decorated with gas lanterns, several Western motifs, books, glassware, and a few articles of taxidermy. Dona, one of the women who run the show here at the K-Z Ranch laid down a few ground rules for us before the meal. No hats or phones at the dinner table and you shouldn’t sit at the same table every night.  

 Although it may have been the hunger and exhaustion after a long day of layovers and hours on the road, this meal was easily one of the best I have had in a while. Kim, the main chef at the ranch, has a true talent for whipping up homemade meals that everyone raves about and dreams of while out on trails. But the real star of the meals is the company, and the conversations shared over dinner. The stories exchanged, and the jokes cracked between both students and professors, ranch hands who work and stay on the property, and other families staying at the ranch for a quick trip or vacation. The few simple rules at mealtime have already made me feel more immersed in the culture here out West, they have forced me to slow down and reach out to my neighbor, ask them what led them here and learn about their stories. I will learn so much while in Yellowstone National Park, but I think I will learn more around the dinner table.