Chasing Wild Geese at Freezeout Lake

   Our Subaru pushes slowly through the snow that is pouring down on the highway. It may be ambitious to drive forty miles in the whiteout, but we have good intentions. I watch the snow pelt the windshield as the wipers work diligently to sweep it away. The lowlights reflect off of signs and reflectors, beacons in the early morning. I count down the miles to Choteau as we pass – 25, 18, 11, 8. Finally the snow begins to let up and I check my watch. 6:52, 23 minutes until sunrise. We pull off the road and enter our favorite café, where coffee and snacks are bought. I wonder if the waitress is grumpy after a day of serving countless tired people. Or maybe her cheerful aura is permanent no matter how many tired and grumpy people she serves. Stepping out of the café, the swirling snow greets us. I rush to the car and sink into the seat, buckling as I do so. I take a bite of my chocolate donut and flavors explode in my mouth while multi-colored sprinkles add a lovely crunch. Outside, the sky is growing lighter, revealing power lines, hills, and a plow truck behind which a line of vehicles follow. I groan inwardly as we fall into line, knowing that with sunrise fast approaching, we could miss the event we drove 2 and a half hours to see. Turning off the highway and on to a dirt road, I spy a cluster of headlights parked beside the lake. Words cannot describe the rush of emotions I felt as we pulled up next to them. Papa gets out, lifts my binos to his eyes, and exclaims “there they go!”. I breathe a sigh of relief and get out of the car. White feathered bodies are thrust into the air as thousands of Snow Geese swirl into the air. It is as though a cloud has descended from the sky and wishes to return once again. The birds, both chaotic and beautiful, soar towards the barley field that make Freezeout a migratory bird paradise. We made it with only seconds to lose and the experience was well worth half an hour of driving through a blizzard. The wind whistles as I shut the car door and buckle up. The heavy dusting of snow will make spotting a flock of white geese not impossible, but only a short ways away.