Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park

Sunday, June 16, 2013

I took a ride today up to an area about seven miles from my trailer called Two Medicine.  The road actually ends at Two Medicine and there is a big lake, Lower Two Medicine Lake, most of which you can’t see because it curves around behind a mountain.  They have boat rides that will show the whole lake and drop you off at trailheads and pick you up later so you can hike some of the backcountry trails.

Falls before Two Medicine Lake

Two Medicine Lake

Today I was just getting away for the day with Pati and Dexter.  This is a day I don’t like remembering because Pati died a year ago today.  I guess I should be thankful I’ve survived the past year without her and didn’t do anything stupid or destructive.  I am pleased that I made it through it…there were some times I wasn’t so sure I would make it. I hope to continue on this path of rebuilding my future one day at a time.

We just took the drive to get familiar with the local area. I plan to come back by myself and hike a few trails and maybe take the boat ride in the near future.  It is a very pretty area with majestic mountains and lakes.

The best part about the ride today was that I saw my first bear, and it was a Grizzly with a cub.  I was on the road driving back and a car was in front of me and he braked and I saw the bear and cub (could have been two) just going off the side of the road into the brush.  I could only see them from the backside but they were light brown so most likely a Grizzly. Neat!  I just hope I don’t meet up with them on the trail.

I failed to mention where I am parked while staying here for the summer.  Here are some pictures of my parking place.  It is pretty nice and right in the town   but only about a quarter mile from where I will be working.  I was really surprised on June 16th, the day I was really down, with a visit from my very special friends and former neighbors, Yanni and Jose.   They live in Beaverton, Oregon and Yani had a business trip to the area so they took a chance and surprised me with a drop in visit.  It was so great to see them and they really made my day.

My parking area looking East.  The cabin is not occupied but we are discussing renting it out this Summer.

Looking west to the mountains and Glacier National Park from my "patio".

My first and probably only visitors were Yani and Jose from Portland!  Geat surprise!!!  Love these guys!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

I worked a few hours on Monday cleaning some cabins that I am responsible for.  Today (Tuesday) I mowed grass around the cabins for a few hours.  I am going to have to work up to this physical exercise as I am not used to it. I was tired after a couple hours of mowing.

After work, I decided to see what the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was like so Dexter and I took a ride down a gravel road that went East out of East Glacier Village that seemed to go forever.  At first it was interesting and crossed a river that looked real good for fishing and then I saw a few big lakes also but eventually it was just grassland and some range horses and cattle and a house here and there and I wondered if I should turn around.  Well I didn’t and eventually ended up on a highway that took me back around on the reservation to the town of Browning and eventually back home.

I was not impressed but at least now I know what it is like East of me, lots of land and little else.  I know what is West and North……Glacier National Park.  Anyway, from now on I will be going into Glacier.

The Two Medicine River on the reservation that I may do some fly fishing in.  Easy access.

This is what the majority of the Blackfeet Reservation looked like.  Great for cattle.

It is Wednesday after work and my boss at the Lodge, Bob, came by to say hello and have a drink with me late this afternoon. Just before he drove up eight police cars came flying down the street code three and stopped in front of a house close by.  I couldn’t see what was going on but it must have been a serious call, maybe domestic violence or worse.  An ambulance came later too.  I didn’t know there were so many police in this area. I never did find out what happened.  Made me feel a little more secure knowing they do respond in force.

After things settled down, we were sitting outside and the sky was getting dark and thunder was booming and all of a sudden it started raining and hailing and raising all kinds of commotion.  We sat under my canopy but it got worse and Bob decided to rush to his car and get home.  I quickly pulled in the canopy and it has been blowing and raining and howling the past few hours. Of course I don’t have internet or direct TV due to the storm so I am catching up on my blog.  Looks like a good night to read on my book or watch a DVD.

Sunday, June 23. 2013

I was off work Thursday and Friday and it was raining so I decided to drive into Kalispell and buy a new faucet for the bathroom.  The old one started leaking under the sink again so I thought it best to just replace it.  It is 85 miles one way to Kalispell but it is the closest town with a Lowes and Home Depot.  It even has a Costco and Wal-Mart so that’s where I have to go to stock up or get specialty items like the faucet.

It’s still early as I sit here writing. I have to go to work around 9:30 today.  I have been waking up around 6am since I got here.  I think it’s the clear mountain air. I don’t mind because it gives me time to relax, check email and maybe do a little work on my blog before going to work. 

I have decided to treat myself to breakfast two or three times a week at the local’s favorite café, East Glacier Grill.  Yesterday I went to the Glacier Park Lodge located right here in town. It is a beautiful big one hundred year old lodge built on the Blackfeet Reservation but the site was purchased from the Piegan, a tribe of the Blackfeet nation so it’s part of the park.

They had a big 100 year celebration with a free lunch so I decided to partake…remember it was free!  I stood in line for awhile with many other people but finally got to go in and go through the buffet line. Cheeseburgers or hot dogs and all the fixings.  It was pretty good but I got seated at a community table with some folks that were not real friendly and their little girl kept looking at me like I was going to eat her!  That didn’t make for a pleasant lunch but it was a good lunch.  I am still having difficulty with being just one…seems the only place to sit is the bar!

I will take some pictures of the lodge for a later post.  It is really neat but I will show all the lodges in the park at one time.

Tonight I went over (invited) to Bob and Diane’s cabin for drinks and company with their friend, Martin.  He is the man that is from Georgia and drives the big red tour buses through the park during the summers.  We had a nice visit and I shared some Montana whiskey with them that I had bought while in Kalispell.  Diane really liked it so I left what was left in the bottle with her to enjoy. She told me to stop at the distillery and visit on my next visit to the west side because the operation is interesting but the building is really neat.

Monday, June 24, 2013

I woke up to a fairly nice overcast day this morning. I decided it was time to have that breakfast out so I went over to the (I later found out it was the wrong place) café and settled in for some biscuits and gravy and eggs.  It was not bad but not my favorite as the gravy was thick and not so tasty so I will try something else next time.  By the time I left it was raining again!  I came back to the LTR and let Dexter go potty before going to work.

Since it was raining I couldn’t do any mowing plus I had to clean the Bunkhouse and the Loft.  These two places are located in the big red barn and have lofts in addition to the lower areas.  This usually means more work because more people sleep there and more beds and cleaning have to be done.

This is the office and the home for the owners.

Cabins 5 and 6 which are my cabins during my work week but I also cover the others when Berta is off.

The far end of the lodge area where the Bunkhouse and Loft are.

Bunkhouse on the left and Loft on the right.  The Loft goes way up...lots of stairs.

The Bunkhouse was pretty normal and I got it done without much effort.  When I stepped into the Loft I was shocked at the mess left behind.  Bob told me this is unusual but does happen and a man and his two young sons had been staying for a couple of days.  I went back to the office and grabbed a really big trash bag and went to work.  The Loft has a hide-a-bed couch below and a queen bed up stairs plus they are given a blow up mattress if desired.  All the cabins have kitchens and refrigerators and microwaves plus dishes and utensils and the Bunkhouse even has a 3-burner stove.

This is the inside of the Bunkhouse.

Loft upstairs but seldom used and kitchen and living room.

Bedroom and bath.

So…anything can happen or be left behind.  Most of the  time so far the folks that stay have done a pretty good job of cleaning up after themselves. This time nothing was done and I think the man felt guilty about the way they left the place because he left a ten dollar tip on the counter.  I told Bob about it and he said it was mine to keep so my breakfast was almost paid for today.

I must admit I get pretty darn tired after about three hours of cleaning and changing beds and vacuuming and moping and climbing the stairs to the Loft etc.  I hope this will get better in time as I am not used to doing much physical labor. It certainly is not going to hurt me and will help me get back into shape.  Even mowing grass with the power mower is hard because I have to mow around lots of small and large trees and bushes so it is a physically demanding chore. I haven’t even tried to do any trimming with the weed wacker but that is on my list.So after 3 ½ hours of work, I am sitting inside relaxing this afternoon watching the rain come in from the mountains.

Rain and wind coming in!

I did put a cover over the roof vent (inside) over my bed so the bedroom is now dark (I blacked out the windows too) and I might be able to get a little more sleep.  I still want to get up around seven every morning so hope I don’t oversleep!

Poor Dexter was bitten by some kind of mean bug and I am nursing him a bit in two different places.  At first I thought it was ticks but none there….just a fair size raw sore.  He will be fine but I really have to watch him carefully around here between the res (reservation) dogs and the bugs.  I will certainly be glad when the mosquitoes decide to go away.  They are driving me nuts but I have yet to be bitten.  I spray myself down every morning and wash it off every night and start over again the next morning.  They are horrible!

I ordered a new satellite dish for my direct TV as I could not pick up any local channels like from Great Falls or Missoula etc.  I was told I needed this new dish that will pick up the local stations so I found one on eBay for a reasonable price. I was shocked at the size of this dish compared to mine that I have been using.  It is so big it would not fit into my stand so I had to order a tripod for it. 

Just my luck as I gave a very nice tripod to my brother when I was in Hurricane because I didn’t need it.  Oh well…the tripod was only thirty dollars and it would cost that much to ship the other one to me.  I hope to get it this week and get it all set up and make it work.  I will let you know.  It’s a good thing that I have a big truck to haul it in when I leave.

I will be off Thursday and Friday. If it doesn’t rain I plan to take a short hike in the Two Medicine area on Thursday so I hope to have lots of pictures and things to talk about then. I bought a new waist belt for short hikes that has two water bottles and a pouch for my small camera and an energy bar plus my bear spray fits on the belt so I am ready to go.

Today is Tuesday and I put in a few hours mowing grass today but it was still too wet to do much.  I will try again tomorrow.  I got home before noon.

As I was sitting here at my trailer this afternoon I heard a motor outside and saw Woody, the nephew of the guy that owns this property, Tony, outside mowing my lawn.  He mowed the whole thing and told me he would come back in a few days and weed-eat the rough areas. I was surprised and pleased and told him so.  I had planned to mow it myself tomorrow.  These folks are really nice people.  Woody told me they would take care of me and gave me his phone number if I needed anything.  He is a nice guy, retired Navy so we related well.  I am very lucky to have these guys looking out for me.

Woody 

Woody, Tony , Cooper and Dexter.  Tony owns the land I am parked on...looks like Santa!

So I had a nice lazy afternoon and I grilled me a great turkey burger and had some nice scotch.  All is well.

I had to taste it before I could take a picture!  It was great!!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 

I worked a solid five hours today cleaning the Bunkhouse and mowing.  I tried to use the big gas weed eater but it is so heavy I got tired quickly. I will talk to Bob about putting a shoulder strap on it.  I decided to give the zero turn riding mower a try and it took me awhile to get the hang of it.  It felt good to be sitting while working so I mowed a large area and it really looks nice. I wish this place was such that I could do all my mowing on the riding mower.

I was talking to Diane about getting an elk burger at the Lodge and how expensive they are. She said she has plenty of ground elk meat in her freezer and she will give me some.  I can’t wait to make my own elk burger.  Maybe they will have some antelope meat too so I can try that out.

Tomorrow I am going on that hike about ten am. It is still cold and windy and a little rain but the weather is supposed to clear up tomorrow.  We will see…I don’t hike in the rain but I do carry a poncho just in case. Just thinking wet and cold gives me the shivers.

I just changed my mind about tomorrow.  I was reading some info on the hikes etc and decided to go on Friday. There is a boat ride on Two Medicine Lake and a Ranger led hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake…a couple of miles.  So I think this would be the best way to get introduced to this area.  Tomorrow I will wash my truck and do some clean up around here…laundry and stuff I would normally do on Friday.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Here it is Thursday and I decided that Dexter and I would take a ride up to Many Glacier.  That place is the last East side stop in the park before you have to enter Canada to go to Lake Waterton.  If I ever get my passport I will go to Canada for a few days.

Many Glacier is known to have the largest bear population in the park but I didn’t see one today. There is a large number of Big Horn Sheep too but I didn’t see one of those either today.  I plan to take the boat ride some day and see more of the area.

I AM SO OUT OF SHAPE! MEDICINE LAKE HIKE.

I went on my boat ride and hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake today.  I have to say I barely made it. It was 2.5 miles each way and an elevation rise of maybe 500 feet but it sure did kick my butt! My problem is the thin air and elevation made me gasp for air at times. However...I did make it up and back so now I just have to keep on doing this every week and try to build up my endurance and muscles.

 We left the boat dock at 11:30 and got off the boat at the other end of Lower Two Medicine Lake to begin our hike.  We hiked to Upper Two Medicine and had to be back at the dock around 4pm to catch our ride back. As much as I liked the hike I think I will go alone from now on so I can pace myself better.

It was a beautiful hike. We did see a Grizzly bear and her cubs but they were way up on the side of the mountain,too far to even try to get a picture because I had my small camera with me with limited range.

Just before boarding the boat at Two Medicine.

On the way to Upper Two Medicine Lake

Twin Falls after we started our hike. About half way to Upper Two Medicine Lake.

The final push over the hill to Upper Two Medicine Lake..I was really tired at this point.

Upper Two Medicine Lake.  Lots of fish here but I am not sure I will hike this far to catch one!

Ranger Pat. Super guy and did a fine job of talking about the area and plants.

Ranger Pat was a great guide but he hikes too fast!  He shared lots of great information about the area and the plants and the Blackfeet people that lived in the park area seasonally for thousands of years.  We had a large group so we were strung out on the trail and the age range must have been about seven to seventy…me pushing the old age end of that range.

I made acquaintance with a very nice young lady on the trail named Amy from Grass Valley, California.  She was by herself and on vacation.  She is a registered nurse so we had a few things in common since Josh is pursuing his nursing degree.  It was nice to have someone to talk with and I am always open to meeting nice people. 

She was nice enough to take my picture and here is one of Amy. I wish her safe travels going back home. Looking at this picture I asked Amy to take I wish I had not asked. I hate pictures of myself! I have got to lose 20 pounds this summer!

OK..fine.  I know.  Lose the gut.  Working on it.

My trail buddy Amy.  She is a nurse...nice to have her close by today!  She couldn't wait to cool her feet after the hike...the water was really cold she said!

After all that exercise I am so hungry I could eat a mule!  I didn’t take lunch with me, only an energy bar, and all the hiking must have burned a bunch of calories.  I think I will go to the local cafe and have a big burger and beer..I earned it.

I am back and feeling much better.  I didn’t have a burger as planned but had the Navajo Bread Taco.  It was different but good and very filling. I washed it down with a local beer called Going To The Sun IPA. Make that two local beers.  How am I ever going to lose 20 pounds doing that.

Tomorrow I go to work for my five day run.  It has warmed up considerably and will actually be hot for awhile…near 90.  It gets hot here at that temperature because of the clear air and our being so far north that the sun is closer.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Well...been working a few days and it has been pretty warm.  Nothing like what has been happening in the southwest areas..like a 127 degrees in Death Valley and 117 in Las Vegas.  No thanks.  I will stay north from now on until winter sits in. Here I am complaining about high eighties!

After work today I brought home the mower and cleaned the area up a little.  The riding mowers are nice but  they don’t cut as low as a push power mower so I did it. After that I have been sitting in the air conditioned trailer all afternoon. I have all my pictures downloaded so I need to publish this blog now before it gets too large for my wifi connection.

I was catching up on the news on line and saw where 19 Hotshot Firefighters perished in a forest fire neat Phoenix. I was really feeling sorry for my own loss of Pati the past few days but I must say that made me realize I am not alone in my grief in any respect. I hope we all will say a prayer for those folks families and friends who are experiencing feelings and very rough times ahead that many of us cannot imagine.

Signing off..be safe.

A REALLY LONG ROADTRIP!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Saturday, June 15, 2013

After over 3000 miles I finally arrived at East Glacier Park, Montana on Monday, June 10^th, where I will spend the next three and a half months Work-kamping.  But before I talk about what I will be doing I want to tell you about my trip getting here.

However, before I tell you about the trip coming here to Glacier, I have to pay big respects to my BFT, Big Ford Truck.  You may recall I traded in my Jeep for a big one ton Ford truck to pull my LTR (Little Travel Rig) while I was in Texas.  Well, that was the best money I ever spent, even if it was more money than I should have spent and I loved my Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland.  My BFT runs like a dream and pulls my LTR with no effort.  I am very pleased.

About the trip.....I had planned to travel north from the Dallas area through Oklahoma and Kansas and Nebraska but after the Moore, Oklahoma tornado I decided to play it safe and go west and then turn north.  It a wise choice on my part as numerous more tornados and violent weather occurred right where I had planned to travel.  

It was a pretty uneventful trip from Dallas to Hurricane, Utah where my brother Mac lives.  I do not normally do freeways but I ran I -40 most of the way right along with the eighteen wheelers and my truck did great.   We had a nice visit with Mac and Susan and their cat, Mo, for a few days before I headed north through Zion National Park toward Bryce Canyon National Park.  I had seen Zion on previous trips so I drove right through it. 

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Bryce was an interesting park and had some really neat rock formations that are only visible in Bryce.  There is a place called Red Rock Canyon just before Bryce that I thought was just as nice and that is where I got this shot of the antelope.  I couldn't believe he didn't run.  I even had time to switch to my longer lens.

From Bryce I headed over the Grand Staircase (Escalante National scenic highway) towards Capital Reef National Park.  That portion of the trip was beautiful albeit a little draining due to the switchbacks and altitudes.  I was as high as 10,000 feet at times.  Here are some of the views I enjoyed.

GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

My BFT and LTR.  They seem small in this vast area of the USA

CAPITAL REEF NATIONAL PARK

Capitol Reef  National Park  is one of my favorites.  Pati and I came here in our big motor home about ten years ago.  I only stayed here for two nights and left early because I was having some battery problems on my travel trailer.  I noticed the lights dimming when I turned one on so got concerned I may not be able to put in the slide on the trailer or raise the electric jack, both of which are 12v.  I actually had to use my hand crank to get the trailer hooked up to the truck so I knew I had to do something soon and I was in the middle of nowhere. 

Here are some pictures of Capital Reef.  I took many pictures so these are a small sample of what you see should you visit. 

The original schoolhouse for the first Mormon settlers.

The Castle

I headed for the nearest big town to try to find some batteries for my LTR.  I had to drive all the way to Rock Springs, Wyoming before I found what I needed.  I had one 12v battery on the trailer but decided to put two 6v golf cart batteries on it hooked up in series so I could get more amps from them.  It was a costly thing but one I had to do if I plan to do any boon-docking in the future, and I do plan to do that. 

All is well now but thank goodness, and my brother Mac for helping me weld a generator rack on the back of my LTR, I was able to nurse the old battery to Rock Springs by charging them with the generator.  Here's how I did it.

I am lucky I have my generator available

Used the generator to charge the batteries with my little battery charger

My next energy saving thing to do is to replace all the incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs.  They pull a fraction of the amps and are much cooler and brighter.  Not cheap but a good investment.  If I decide to keep this trailer for a few years I may even invest in a large solar panel for the roof to keep those batteries charged and put in a battery management/monitoring system.  I can always transfer these investments to another trailer should I decide to get a 5^th wheel so I can be more comfortable.   I think it will take me another year or so before I know if being on the road fulltime is going to work best for me so I don’t want to invest in too much yet.  I am still thinking about trying to buy a little cabin in Bend, Oregon and I can’t afford to have it both ways.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

All fixed up with my new batteries I continued north through the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area on my way to Grand Teton National Park near Jackson Hole, Wyoming.   That area was really pretty.  The area coming into Jackson Hole from the south is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen.  Pati and I visited this area years back with Mac and Susan and had a wonderful time camping along a beautiful river and having a campfire…..great memories of times that can never be again.  If I could afford a cabin in that area I would move there and live until I was too old to be alone or they carried Pati and me out together in the same box.

I really enjoyed staying at Grand Tetons.  I stayed in a NPS campground just as you enter the park from the south.  It was a good choice because the first morning I got up and noticed a few people gathered about 100 yards behind my LTR where the river ran through.  I grabbed my camera and joined them and we were treated to a rare view of a mother Moose and twin calves.  This is a very delicate issue as I read that mother Moose’s can be as mean and dangerous as a Grizzly bear if they think their calves’ are threatened.  We kept our distance and I got some great shots….check them out.

My best buddy Dexter waiting patiently for me to come back.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

After spending two nights in Teton I headed out the north gate and directly into Yellowstone.  I drove about half way through the park and stopped at a NPS campground again.  This campground was very full of campers so not as quiet and peaceful as it was at Teton.  It is a much bigger park and takes a lot of time and miles to see things.  Dexter and I spent two days driving it and saw some very interesting places and a few weird Buffalos!  Check it out.

Mud Vocano

I was impressed with this guy's size....very big.

Thousands of Bison

Fort Yellowstone at the North Entrance - now used as Park Headquarters

This place could blow at any moment!

Elk....not stranded.  I watched her walk out there and back.

This guy thought he owned the road!

This is another big buffalo that just meandered down the middle of the road.

BIG SKY COUNTRY AHEAD.....MONTANA

After leaving Yellowstone I went to a town called Bozeman, Montana.  I stopped and called an old Oregon friend’s sister and husband, Peggy and John, to say hello.  We had met a few times over the years when they were visiting in Oregon and we lived across the street from Peggy’s sister, Letty.  We had a very pleasant visit for a few hours and may meet up again.  They are thinking of moving to Bend, Oregon to be closer to family.  Peggy is, and has been for many years, struggling with MS.  She is a very nice and strong person and I wish her and John well.

Driving back to my LTR from their house in the country I saw a Montana distillery so I decided to stop and see what they had.  I ended up buying a bottle of Montana Rye Whiskey.  I had never tried Rye Whiskey so thought I would jump in with the locals.  It is different and not my favorite, being a Scotch man, but a good sipping drink. 

While I was at the RV park in Bozeman I met my RV neighbors, who were  previously from Bozeman, Ed and Michelle, a real nice couple.  They have been traveling the US in a real big 5^th wheel the past year and have been all over.   They live about a hundred miles from Bozeman in a home above a lake in the mountains called Georgetown Lake.  They invited me to stop in anytime I am in the area as they have space for my trailer and hookups.  I really enjoy meeting such nice people and intend to stop by sometime and get to know them better.

When I left Bozeman I got off the freeway and took a scenic road that went by Georgetown Lake to see the area they live in….very nice.  I continued on toward Missoula with plans to stop and visit with some folks that Pati and I used to be neighbors with back in the 70’s in Newbury Park, California, John and Linda Hayden.  They live in a place called Seeley Lake, Montana and I had not seen their home before.   Pati and I last visited with them when they lived in Hope, Idaho years ago but we have always kept in touch and they are dear friends.

I called for directions and John said he would meet me on the road into their place.  He was waiting on his ATV and led me to the house where I parked the LTR right outside their back deck….not bad at all.  I didn’t even unhook and stayed for two nights enjoying their warm friendship and Linda’s great home cooking and their beautiful home.  It was good for me to sit and talk with them about Pati and we all cried together remembering her and the wonderful person she was and the great times we all had together. 

Linda and John have always been outdoor people.  They raised horses when they lived in Bend and always hunted and fished and boated and had ATV’s and travel trailers or motor homes.  They sure know how to live life to the fullest and they live in a beautiful cedar home overlooking the beautiful mountains with two wonderful Lab dogs.  Linda let me use her ATV and John took me all over the area to see it and get in some riding.  It was a lot of fun for sure and I may have to think about getting my own ATV and Toy Hauler trailer if I stay out here.  I am very fortunate to call them my special friends. 

Linda let me use her ATV to run around the area with John

John and his ATV

John and Linda's beautiful home in Seeley Lake, Montana

Not a bad parking place!

My good friends Linda and John whom I have known for 40 years.

ON TO GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Driving north from the Heyden’s home toward Kalispell I saw two Bald Eagles, two Elk and six deer.  I think the bear are waiting for me in Glacier.  I just hope   they keep their distance……I know I am but I want to get a picture of a Grizzly and some Mountain Sheep.  It would be too much to wish to get a picture of a wolf but one never knows.

After stocking up on supplies at Costco and  getting some items I needed at Lowes, I started my last run across Hwy 2 from West Glacier to East Glacier.  It was a beautiful drive but further than I thought.  It was about 80 miles or more so my supply runs to Kalispell will be less frequent than planned.

TRAVELERS REST LODGE IN EAST GLACIER, MONTANA

I got into town and thought I could find the place where I was going to be working this summer but I couldn’t find it.  I asked a local and he directed me to some hostel in town so I gave up and called Bob, the owner.  Bob met me in town and led me over to where I was going to be parked for the summer.  He had made arrangements with his neighbor, Tony, to let me park on a lot he owned in town that had a small cabin and water, power and sewer. 

The parking place was pretty rough and needed mowing so Bob and I went to the Lodge and got his mower and edger and cleaned it up pretty good so I could park the rig.  Tony came by and said he would bring his riding mower and do a better job.   Well, I got settled in and we celebrated with a few beers and got to know each other and planned to continue my orientation the next day. 

The next day, Tuesday of this week, I met Bob’s wife and the real boss of this outfit, Diane.  She is a nice lady and so is Bob a nice fella and I know we will get along fine this Summer.  Diane didn’t waste any time giving me a quick preview of the operation and my duties and the next day she put me in charge and they both went to Kalispell to try and find a source to do the sheets as their source went away.  I handled it as well as I could and even made three reservations for folks that called.  I mowed a little grass in  between phone calls.  Bob and Diane were very pleased with my work , which was not really that hard.

I helped Diane clean a few cabins on Thursday to get the hang of it and she assigned me four cabins to be responsible for in addition to grounds maintenance and occasional office staffing.   I now have today ( Friday) and Saturday and Sunday off but starting next week I will be working five on and two off…..hours to be determined by work required. 

I am looking forward to being occupied and the lawn work should help keep me in shape.  I have definitely been sitting on my butt too long.  I also am looking forward to getting in some hikes and some great fly fishing while I am here, both of which I will prove with pictures, for those who may be thinking I am just talking. J

SUNDAY, JUNE 16^th 

My favorite picture of Pati and Dexter on our Veranda

Sunday, June 16^th, marks one year since Pati passed away.  It has been the longest year of my life! Just thinking about it, as with anytime I think of Pati, I get emotional.   Sunday is also Father's Day, which  makes it all the worse for me.  I will be glad when it is Monday.

I am hoping to not let that day get to me. I plan to take Pati and Dexter into the park for a long ride and have a picnic lunch at some beautiful location where we can be alone.  We can just enjoy the beauty of this place and let the day pass.  Our only alternative is to continue to move forward with rebuilding our life as it is now, not how we envisioned it before June 16, 2012 at 10:35 pm.  

Wouldn't it be wonderful if God gave us just one "do over" in life.....I sure know how I would use mine.

OMG! A Really Bad Senior Moment!

Turn The Water Off!

I don't normally post on my blog this often but I have been asked by a few people to post more frequently.  Lately my life has been pretty boring just hanging around and nothing super interesting to tell anyone about or good pictures.   I must admit I did get some pretty nice pictures of some longhorn cattle...Texas cattle....recently   so maybe I can post those.

My reason for this post is to vent some frustration with myself.  I heard the owner's of this property come in early in the wee hours of the morning last night.  This morning I was out doing some organizing prior to getting ready to leave when Harry, the owner, came by.  I was surprised he would be up this early but I also know Harry is a workaholic (his wife Joyce told me this so it is firsthand). Anyway we get to talking and looking at my BFT.....Big Ford Truck.  I was in the process of draining the black tank and rinsing it out when we started talking.  I had dumped the real stuff and was filling the tank to dump again and get it good and clean so I could dump again and get any residue out.  

Well.....after Harry left I went back to my chores and I saw water coming out of the sides of my LTR...Little Travel Rig.   What the hell!!??  I forgot to turn off the water and the toilet was overflowing all over the floor of my trailer and draining out wherever it could find a low spot.  Well.....I shut off the water and adjusted the trailer so it would drain to one side and you cannot imagine how much water was still inside my trailer.  I grabbed a bunch of old towels...my brother told me one should always keep a bunch of these handy and he was right....and started soaking up the water.  

Now to top this stressful crisis off I had made plans to drive to a town about 40 miles from me and take lunch to my two sisters that live there.  I did my best to get this mess cleaned up but saw this was going to take awhile so I called and delayed my visit so I could get this done.   It was not as bad as you think since I had dumped the real stuff from the black tank and this was overflow but it still carried some residue and made me concerned.  I got the main water out...no carpet...so only on the flooring.  I then used Lysol to clean and then bleach to clean so I feel pretty good that the floor is probably cleaner than it was when I bought this rig.  However, I still want to get into all corners and disinfect and clean so it will be an ongoing job for awhile.  I bought some nice smelling Lemon Pine Sol to finish off the job.

What a day!!  I was glad to leave for awhile when things were in control.  I bought some Five Guys burgers (really good if you haven't had them) and took them to my sister's while we visited.  After that I had to stop at Costco (because it was there) and WalMart for some things before hitting the road tomorrow morning.   I had planned to wash the towels and a rug but ran out of time so they will stay in the back of the BFT until I get the opportunity down the road.

I am sitting here now having my second Scotch and feeling a little more relaxed after a hectic day.  Actually.....I am very anxious for tomorrow to come so I can go on down the road.   I want to see how this truck pulls my LTR plus I really enjoy what is waiting around the next bend.  I will be heading West towards Amarillo and make my decision on which direction to go from there....right now I am leaning towards going on to Flagstaff and north by my brother's place in Hurricane, Utah and on up from there to Glacier.  I can come in the south end of Jackson Hole, Wyoming and go from there and  it is beautiful country.

One thing I learned today....I am getting more and more forgetful so I need to be more  aware of what is going on.  I am going to start playing some of those brain games on the pc and doing more crossword puzzles.  I call them Senior Moments but it could be the beginning of something else....I will keep good notes just in case I forget what to tell the doctor should it come to that meeting.

See you down the road.  :)   

Terrible Texas Weather!

Tornado Watch!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

I am sitting here in my little travel trailer, which I am going to call my LTR from now on, and watching the weather on TV (can’t believe I have a direct TV signal but to me that is a good thing!) and waiting for the you know what to hit the fan.  We are under a tornado watch.  Some of the severe weather that hit Oklahoma and devastated the town of Moore and killed numerous people, including many small school children (God Bless Them), is now passing right through my area.  It is like nighttime outside and it is only 4:15pm.  Pretty scary.

As I write, the rain is falling harder on my trailer roof and the trees outside are really blowing around.  No hail so far.  The weather forecast calls for 50-60 plus winds with the heavy rain.  Fortunately for me, the temperature has dropped drastically and quickly (from the low 90’s to the low 60’s!) which reduces the possibility of a tornado forming.  However, that does not eliminate the possibility of straight line wind shears so I am aware of the danger and prepared to vacate this trailer with Dexter in my arms and head for a low lying area about 30 yards away I have spotted to get below the wind line if the trailer starts lifting off the ground.  I put in my slide to prevent uplift from the wind and I pulled my big bad truck, now referred to as my BBT, right alongside my trailer in hopes that it will block some of the wind if it gets too high.  Anyway, here we go.  It is  blowing full force now so I am going to put my full focus on the weather and what is going on so I don’t miss an opportunity that may require my action….like running like hell!  I will finish this later.  Wish us luck.

Later.  Wow….that was a wild ride.   It is 4:50pm now and I can hear a lot of thunder and a little less rain so I think the storm passed without an issue to me.  It is 64 degrees outside now vs. 92 degrees before the storm.  Again….wow!  And now suddenly my emergency radio goes off with that loud and scary sound of an alert.  It is telling me I am in the direct path of the storm so to be aware.  It does say a tornado watch is still in effect until 7pm.  Guess we are not out of danger yet so got to go again.  I am going to have to buy me some earplugs in case I ever get into this situation again.  The noise of the rain on the roof is deafening.  

Later.  Well….we made it this far.  It is around 6pm and it is still raining but not so much as before however it keeps coming and going. Right now it is really raining hard just when I think it is slacking off.  I think we will be ok.  I can tell you one thing for sure.  I am not going North through Oklahoma or North Texas to get to Montana.  I am heading West on Friday morning as fast as my truck will take me.  I will make my decision to go North through Colorado when I get to Amarillo or Lubbock or to continue West and go North through Utah and visit with my brother and go up through Salt Lake City and Idaho and Wyoming and up to Glacier.  That is a really pretty route so we will see where I end up. Both ways are about the same, give or take a few hundred miles.  It will be hotter West but less chance of a storm.

Tomorrow is Wednesday and the folks that own this property will be coming home late tonight sometime.  Tomorrow I am going to Rockwall and take lunch to my sisters, Faye and Wanda, and give them a hug good-by before I leave on  Friday morning.  I need to do a little shopping before leaving too so hopefully it will be a good day and I can get things squared away before leaving.  Today, before the storm I knew was coming, I loaded up my BFT bed with stuff I didn’t even know I had but it sure fit good in the bed of that truck.  I am actually ready to go at this point.  I did my laundry this morning and changed the bed and cleaned the rig.  A little shopping tomorrow and I will be ready to join the highway rat race.

I will see you on down the road and let you know which direction I decide to go to Glacier National Park and my Summer job and adventure.  I am really looking forward to seeing some altitude, even though it does take a while to adjust to it.  Love those cool nights.  Still not so sure about those Grizzly bears!