Nope. We really don't normally do this. This is an exception. We left Waterton at 9:30 AM and drove all danged day. We pulled into Camp Fortunate at 6:30 PM. If my math is right, that's a 9 hour driving day and danged close to 400 miles. Nope, We really don't do this.
But it happened. Somehow we thought we were going to camp at Eureka Reservoir near Choteau (pronounced “SHOW-dough”). Well, we blew into Show-Dough for lunch. So we proceeded on, as Meriwether Lewis was once often wont to say. Then we thought we might camp at Holter Lake (which is actually The Missouri River masquerading as a reservoir between Helena & Great Falls). Well, we blew right on past Holter and were blowing through Helena on I-15 at 2:30 PM.
And then we dived deep down into the nitty, dirty, gritty of Montana's current dense fire smoke, turning off I-15 at Boulder. Boulder, Montana, is about as far as you can get from anything resembling Boulder, Colorado. But maybe they could be Sister Cities...or something...together. Boulder, Colorado, would probably consider Boulder, Montana, the way people do their crazy uncle at Family Reunions. But we digress.
Anyway, we headed south on The Jefferson River of Lewis & Clark Fame toward Twin Bridges where L&C made a fortunate decision to follow what's now known as The Beaverhead River to what's now known as Matt Dillon, Montana. No, it's not Matt Dillon but I couldn't help myself. Forgive me.
Anyway, we reached the Forks Of The Jefferson where The Big Hole and The Beaverhead come together and give their blessing to the creation of The Jefferson. That's when I Hit-The-Wall. I simply couldn't even imagine driving another mile trying to keep our rig betweeen the fog lines. We were stopped at a small town-owned rest area right in the middle of Twin Bridges, Montana. Right across the road, the Madison County Fair began today and much hub-bub, swirling dust and scurrying children were taking place over there.
We asked The Woman Who Cleans Toilets at the rest area if it was OK to spend the night there and she said, “Sure, I don't think anyone will mind.” Well, we hung around pondering her statement and after about 20 minutes, we were revived and headed on down to the Bureau of Reclamation Clark Canyon Recreation Area about 20 miles south of Matt Dillon, Montana. Wait, wait, I meant Dillon.
We got here just after a huge storm cell had hit. The skies were clearing from the west and we drove up the hill to one of THE Most Sacred sites of the entire L&C Epic Journey. Camp Fortunate is Karma personified. There's simply nothing else like it in the epic annals of that epic trip. If you had to pick one single spot to visit to begin to appreciate the epicness of their journey, it would be Camp Fortunate.
Well, it sure is Camp Fortunate for us, too, today because I swear I could not have driven ONE MORE MILE.
We don't normally do this. Honestly, we don't.
And now we're only 125 miles from our Idahome and we'll be there before lunch. Maybe we should pull in for some fish tacos at Mi Pueblo? What do you think, Sweetie Susun?
Beautiful views of Four Peaks from Windy Hill in Roosevelt, Arizona, our new Snow Bird Home.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Smoked
It's another Red Sun kinda morning. We sure were hoping we'd have pristine air today after the storm. Nope. That sneaky smoke crept in overnight and now it's hazy once again. Actually, the visibility is better than it has been for quite some time. However, the jagged lines of the peaks are layered among one another in the typical blue pre-sunrise haze.
We made a deal to return here next July before fire season flames up. There are two mini-mottos here in Waterton: A) Live Inside The Postcard and B) Life Inside A Postcard. Well, we really want to take that boat ride inside the postcard. We want to be inside that postcard badly enough that we're already planning next year's Road Trip here. We like this place enough that we'rer willing to spend most of our camping time here. We might eddy out in Saint Mary for a day or two but Waterton will be the destination next year, not Glacier. This year Waterton was tacked on as a bonus side trip. Glacier was the destination. Next year it's going to be the other way around. And next year, we're gonna be inside that postcard looking out.
We made a deal to return here next July before fire season flames up. There are two mini-mottos here in Waterton: A) Live Inside The Postcard and B) Life Inside A Postcard. Well, we really want to take that boat ride inside the postcard. We want to be inside that postcard badly enough that we're already planning next year's Road Trip here. We like this place enough that we'rer willing to spend most of our camping time here. We might eddy out in Saint Mary for a day or two but Waterton will be the destination next year, not Glacier. This year Waterton was tacked on as a bonus side trip. Glacier was the destination. Next year it's going to be the other way around. And next year, we're gonna be inside that postcard looking out.
Waterton is a very sweet spot and obviously we're smitten with Waterton. No wonder there are so many people.
Even though we didn't get on the boat yesterday was a very fun day. First, we met with the Townite Manager Robert Elliott. Naturally, he had never heard about pickleball. We gave him the canned speech and urged him to co-stripe at least one of the tennis courts. He was a cheerful, hospitable fellow and seemed somewhat interested. Nexy year we will see if the seed we planted yesterday pays off.
Even though we didn't get on the boat yesterday was a very fun day. First, we met with the Townite Manager Robert Elliott. Naturally, he had never heard about pickleball. We gave him the canned speech and urged him to co-stripe at least one of the tennis courts. He was a cheerful, hospitable fellow and seemed somewhat interested. Nexy year we will see if the seed we planted yesterday pays off.
Then we soaked up the ample ambiance of The Prince of Wales Hotel. That 1927 edifice is yet another example of the lost art of building epic large lodges. What a place.
We happened to show up in Waterton during the annual Blckfeet Indian Heritage Festival. It began yesterday and will continue this week. Although the posters said the dancing and drumming began at 1:30, we learned it actually strarted at 4 PM so we drove out to Crameron Lake. It's 9 miles outside of Waterton up in yet another signature glacial canyon with a postcard mountain sitting on the far side of the lake.
Parks Canada threw huge gobs of money at the site. Everything there is sparkling brand new. New parking lot, three new toilet buildings, new interpretive displays, new snack shed, two new amazing boat ramps, new landscaping, you name it—everything brand new and top notch quality construction. It had to have cost them at least a million dollars for all the new stuff there. And, of course, the place was packed with people. The boat rental outfit was doing a box office business and there was a long line for ice cream in the snack shed.
Parks Canada threw huge gobs of money at the site. Everything there is sparkling brand new. New parking lot, three new toilet buildings, new interpretive displays, new snack shed, two new amazing boat ramps, new landscaping, you name it—everything brand new and top notch quality construction. It had to have cost them at least a million dollars for all the new stuff there. And, of course, the place was packed with people. The boat rental outfit was doing a box office business and there was a long line for ice cream in the snack shed.
We learned that Waterton was actually born out of the construction of Western Canada's very first oil drilling rig. Strange irony, eh? The site of the first oil well is dutifully marked with a hokey little derrrick. It's cute.
Along about 4 PM, we went to the large grass field beside the Community Center. Scores of Blackfeet Indians were donning their Pow Wow outfits or setting up to watch Family and Friends perform. Two tipis were being erected. Excitement was in the air. We stayed for the better part of two hours and saw some iconic Pow Wow dancing and drumming. It was an exhilirating experience for sure.
Then we settled down to some serious cribbage and enjoyed a fine dinner in Site C10.
Today, it's off yonder back south. We know not how far we will travel or where we might camp. But we trust it will be a fine day's journey with another cozy camp somewhere down the road.
Along about 4 PM, we went to the large grass field beside the Community Center. Scores of Blackfeet Indians were donning their Pow Wow outfits or setting up to watch Family and Friends perform. Two tipis were being erected. Excitement was in the air. We stayed for the better part of two hours and saw some iconic Pow Wow dancing and drumming. It was an exhilirating experience for sure.
Then we settled down to some serious cribbage and enjoyed a fine dinner in Site C10.
Today, it's off yonder back south. We know not how far we will travel or where we might camp. But we trust it will be a fine day's journey with another cozy camp somewhere down the road.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Cotton Candy
A nice little rain fell late yesterday
afternoon and more water sprinkled down overnight. As a result, the
Waterton area is laden with a heavy cloud cover this morning. The
ceiling is only a few hundred feet above ground level. Clouds swirl
like cotton candy around nearby peaks while the upper valley is
totally socked in. The idea of a boat trip today is out of the
question. Even though we're planning to pull out of here tomorrow,
we could still do the morning boat if the conditions are feng shui.
We shall see.
Most of the campers closest to our rig are in tents. And you all know how it goes for tent campers when it rains. We're so glad we're not in a tent any more. I guess you could say we're past tense...wait, wait, I meant past tents. We still do occasionally camp in a tent but it's becoming increasingly less often. The travel trailer is just too cushy, especially when the pitter patter of rain drops are falling.
We're off to the Prince Of Wales Hotel this morning. It's arguably the largest such lodge in this region. No doubt the one at Banff is bigger and swankier but this one's right out there in more ways than one. Sure wish the internet was fast enough to post photos.
We're also going to do some obligatory pickleball agitation. There are FOUR tennis courts sitting unused right smack dab in the middle of this purported village. Tennis is so yesterday, it's highly unlikely anyone uses those forlorn courts. So, we're heading to the Village Administrative Offices to give them some good-natured hassle about co-striping the tennis courts for pickleball. We bet if there were pickleball courts striped onto those four tennis courts, there would be players on them every day of the week and probably all day long, too, since it doesn't really get what you would call “hot” here.
If the Village Administration pleades with us to help them set up pickleball, of course we will oblige them and stay a few more days. We take pity on pickleball-deprived communities.
Most of the campers closest to our rig are in tents. And you all know how it goes for tent campers when it rains. We're so glad we're not in a tent any more. I guess you could say we're past tense...wait, wait, I meant past tents. We still do occasionally camp in a tent but it's becoming increasingly less often. The travel trailer is just too cushy, especially when the pitter patter of rain drops are falling.
We're off to the Prince Of Wales Hotel this morning. It's arguably the largest such lodge in this region. No doubt the one at Banff is bigger and swankier but this one's right out there in more ways than one. Sure wish the internet was fast enough to post photos.
We're also going to do some obligatory pickleball agitation. There are FOUR tennis courts sitting unused right smack dab in the middle of this purported village. Tennis is so yesterday, it's highly unlikely anyone uses those forlorn courts. So, we're heading to the Village Administrative Offices to give them some good-natured hassle about co-striping the tennis courts for pickleball. We bet if there were pickleball courts striped onto those four tennis courts, there would be players on them every day of the week and probably all day long, too, since it doesn't really get what you would call “hot” here.
If the Village Administration pleades with us to help them set up pickleball, of course we will oblige them and stay a few more days. We take pity on pickleball-deprived communities.
The Waterton WIFI is horrible. How do
I know? Well, I paid my $10 and the WIFI got worse. So I went to
the Visitor Center and asked them about WIFI and the guy blurted out,
“The Waterton WIFI is horrible.” That's how I know it's
horrible—both from personal experience AND from a credible local
source. So, we count ourself lucky simply to be able to post this
text narrative. Forget about pictures. No can do.
Unless we're recruited to help Waterton get pickleball going, we're heading south tomorrow. As you well know by now, “Plans Are Made To Be Changed.” Yep, that's right. We've changed our plans once again. We won't be going over to do The West Side Story. We're going to stay on the East Side and slide and slither south via a slightly different route than we used for the northbound leg.
All our ideas of playing plentiful pickleball on The West Side are toast. Why? Well, as you recall, I injured my left medial collateral ligament on July 8 at the Senir Games. Then I aggravated it at the Star Valley Tournament. It seems to be getting worse, not better. It's bad enough to make me wonder if I will ever play pickleball again! That's bad.
Anyway, I am majorly favoring the left knee—wearing a brace every day and hoping and praying for the best. We really don't want to “push” the knee by playing pickleball at all the various places we had lined up. It's just not worth the risk to the knee and my pickleball future, such as it is.
The trip south should be as interesting as the trip north. We will get to check out a portion of the Lewis & Clark route that we've never experienced before so we're looking forward to that bonus. It also means we will be arriving back home considerably ahead of our previous schedule. And, furthermore, it means we will be in Idaho Falls for the ridculously over-hyped eclipse August 21.
Unless we're recruited to help Waterton get pickleball going, we're heading south tomorrow. As you well know by now, “Plans Are Made To Be Changed.” Yep, that's right. We've changed our plans once again. We won't be going over to do The West Side Story. We're going to stay on the East Side and slide and slither south via a slightly different route than we used for the northbound leg.
All our ideas of playing plentiful pickleball on The West Side are toast. Why? Well, as you recall, I injured my left medial collateral ligament on July 8 at the Senir Games. Then I aggravated it at the Star Valley Tournament. It seems to be getting worse, not better. It's bad enough to make me wonder if I will ever play pickleball again! That's bad.
Anyway, I am majorly favoring the left knee—wearing a brace every day and hoping and praying for the best. We really don't want to “push” the knee by playing pickleball at all the various places we had lined up. It's just not worth the risk to the knee and my pickleball future, such as it is.
The trip south should be as interesting as the trip north. We will get to check out a portion of the Lewis & Clark route that we've never experienced before so we're looking forward to that bonus. It also means we will be arriving back home considerably ahead of our previous schedule. And, furthermore, it means we will be in Idaho Falls for the ridculously over-hyped eclipse August 21.
Well, we will head out and about now
and perhaps write another missive later today. Happy Day!
Monday, August 7, 2017
International
Man, if we thought Glacier National
Park was a zoo scene, Waterton dwarfs Glacier in the Zoo Scene
Department. This place is Ground Zero for mass quantities of people
to congregate at the end of a dead end road. It's actually quite
fun. Why? Well, Canada has had a welcoming attitude forever.
Waterton is filled with Canadians from all over the world—people
who immigrated to Canada and are now proud Canadians enjoying their
National Park Heritage.
It's awesome to see so many nationalities elbow-to-elbow. All the colors of the whole world are here in Waterson. There are languages being spoken here I've only read about but never heard. African dialects, all the tongues of the Middle East and many shades of Europeans languages, too. It's interesting to us that probably 90 percent or more of the vehicles here have Canadian plates. American license plates (and American faces) are few and faaar between.
I was sitting on a bench down by one of the many fabulous beaches here when an African Family came up eating their freshly-purchased ice cream cones. One of the young African boys, maybe 7 or 8 years old, smiled at me and came right up and sat down beside me as if I was his long lost uncle or something. He was as relaxed as could be and so was I. I sat marveling at all the cultural paradigms being expressed in all directions as Family groups ate Middle Eastern luncheon feasts or strolled beneath the black cottonwood trees chatting in some variant of the Arabic language.
I loved seeing the Muslim women with their distinctive burkas carrying paddles to canoe in the lake or paddling on a stand up board. Waterton is definitely not your homogenous white America location. It's full on international and it's great.
The downtown portion of this so-called village is crammed full of eating places. Restaurants and cafes outnumber all other businesses at least four to one. Ice cream seems to be the most popular food served. It seems everyone is eating ice cream. You can barely take five steps without almost bumping into someone eating a big fat ice cream cone.
The beaches are crawling with people, too. Some beaches are more populated than others but all of the beaches have people. It seems like about half of the RV rigs here are crammed with water toys: kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and, of course, the obligatory bicycles. I'm thinking that I've seen more boats and bikes here at Waterton that any other single location I can remember.
The WIFI here is weird. Susun's phone can only connect to it on a marginal basis. I will probably be able to get this narrative posted but forget about any photos—the slow speed simply won't handle the upload of even a small picture. What's happening here is classic “bait & switch.” Yes, there is free WIFI but it's locked down at 300 KBS speed and only for four hours. 300 kilobits per second reminds me of the ancient days of dial-up internet. It's S-L-O-W!
So the “Switch” part is that they will gladly sell you super high speed internet for only $10 a day. That's actually a pretty good price and we will undoubtedly buy it for at least one day. There are too many photos to post and lots to write about. Plus, since it's the looney Canadian dollar, it's only worth 79% of an American dollar. So that makes it eight bucks a day..such a deal.
The fire smoke rolled in with a sworn mission to obscure all the rich views of the Waterton glacial valley and lake. You can barely make out any of the distant peaks down yonder toward Goat Haunt in Montana. We're hoping a miracle will clear out the smoke. However, we decided not to buy the boat tickets unless and until we know we can actually see stuff from the boat. Otherwise,it would be lilke paying $100 to ride a motorboat through a smoke cloud.
It's awesome to see so many nationalities elbow-to-elbow. All the colors of the whole world are here in Waterson. There are languages being spoken here I've only read about but never heard. African dialects, all the tongues of the Middle East and many shades of Europeans languages, too. It's interesting to us that probably 90 percent or more of the vehicles here have Canadian plates. American license plates (and American faces) are few and faaar between.
I was sitting on a bench down by one of the many fabulous beaches here when an African Family came up eating their freshly-purchased ice cream cones. One of the young African boys, maybe 7 or 8 years old, smiled at me and came right up and sat down beside me as if I was his long lost uncle or something. He was as relaxed as could be and so was I. I sat marveling at all the cultural paradigms being expressed in all directions as Family groups ate Middle Eastern luncheon feasts or strolled beneath the black cottonwood trees chatting in some variant of the Arabic language.
I loved seeing the Muslim women with their distinctive burkas carrying paddles to canoe in the lake or paddling on a stand up board. Waterton is definitely not your homogenous white America location. It's full on international and it's great.
The downtown portion of this so-called village is crammed full of eating places. Restaurants and cafes outnumber all other businesses at least four to one. Ice cream seems to be the most popular food served. It seems everyone is eating ice cream. You can barely take five steps without almost bumping into someone eating a big fat ice cream cone.
The beaches are crawling with people, too. Some beaches are more populated than others but all of the beaches have people. It seems like about half of the RV rigs here are crammed with water toys: kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and, of course, the obligatory bicycles. I'm thinking that I've seen more boats and bikes here at Waterton that any other single location I can remember.
The WIFI here is weird. Susun's phone can only connect to it on a marginal basis. I will probably be able to get this narrative posted but forget about any photos—the slow speed simply won't handle the upload of even a small picture. What's happening here is classic “bait & switch.” Yes, there is free WIFI but it's locked down at 300 KBS speed and only for four hours. 300 kilobits per second reminds me of the ancient days of dial-up internet. It's S-L-O-W!
So the “Switch” part is that they will gladly sell you super high speed internet for only $10 a day. That's actually a pretty good price and we will undoubtedly buy it for at least one day. There are too many photos to post and lots to write about. Plus, since it's the looney Canadian dollar, it's only worth 79% of an American dollar. So that makes it eight bucks a day..such a deal.
The fire smoke rolled in with a sworn mission to obscure all the rich views of the Waterton glacial valley and lake. You can barely make out any of the distant peaks down yonder toward Goat Haunt in Montana. We're hoping a miracle will clear out the smoke. However, we decided not to buy the boat tickets unless and until we know we can actually see stuff from the boat. Otherwise,it would be lilke paying $100 to ride a motorboat through a smoke cloud.
The Canadian Weather Service says
there's a 30-percent chance of showers later this afternoon and a
60-percent chance overnight. Maybe that just might be the miracle
we're hoping for.
Well, that's about all for now. Happy Day!
Well, that's about all for now. Happy Day!
Waterton C10
We were parked in Waterton Village Township Campground Site C10 and fully set up by 11 AM Monday. Today was our most casual travel day. The road between Saint Mary and the Chief Mountain border crossing was beautiful with almost no traffic. In fact, cows and bulls standing in the roadway easily outnumbered the total number of vehicles we saw this morning. Spectacular views of iconic Chief Mountain loomed around every curve and rolling hill.
We were all paranoid about the border crossing. We heard all sorts of scary stories. In fact, yesterday at the Saint Mary Visitor Center, one of the NPS front liners told us we better chop any green peppers into tiny little pieces and put them in a baggie. She said, “They won't let you in with whole green peppers. They are really on the lookout for them!”
Well, that comment alone conjured up a small platoon of Canadians eager to roto-root through every little crevice of our rig, including the refrigerator, the side compartments...you name it. My vivid imagination saw scenes of beady-eyed inspectors combing our travel trailer for the dreaded greeen bell peppers.
So, naturally I decided to be proactive and made a “To Declare” list and put everything single little item I could think of on the list. I mean I listed everything, including our total cash and the actual value of coins in our possession too ($131.99). In hindsight, the “To Declare” list is hilarious. We pulled up to the Canadian check station and some young guy asked for our passports; where we were from; what was our license plate number; did we have any firearms and how long were we going to stay. I showed him my “To Declare” list and I swear I saw him roll his eyes. He handed the list and the passports back with a snide comment, “You might want to sign your passports so they will be valid.” But then he smiled and said, “Enjoy Your Stay” and off we went with nary even a thought of a strip search for the green bell peppers. Luckily, we were not actually carrying any green bell peppers but who knows, maybe there's an all points bulletin for them or something. Anyway, the crossing was painless and the pre-check paranoia was totally unwarranted.
Waterton Village is a Real Big Deal—far bigger than we expected. It's more like a full fledged small town rather than what the word “village” would make you think. And the place is packed. People are swarming everywhere.
We booked this site back on February 6 after spending a few hours scoping out the best remaining sites. Even back in early February, the Townsite Campground was almost full. Luckily, we found C10 and got two nights. This morning Susun immediately declared C10 to be the best campsite in this gigantic campground. I don't know if it's the best or not but it sure looks better than any campsite I can see from our location.
After Susun awakes from her obligatory nap, we're off to a nearby playground. Why? Well, for some unfathomable reason, the powers that be here decided to make a children's playground a WIFI hotspot. I guess you could say that adding WIFI to a kiddie playground automatically turns it into an adult playground...or something...
We were all paranoid about the border crossing. We heard all sorts of scary stories. In fact, yesterday at the Saint Mary Visitor Center, one of the NPS front liners told us we better chop any green peppers into tiny little pieces and put them in a baggie. She said, “They won't let you in with whole green peppers. They are really on the lookout for them!”
Well, that comment alone conjured up a small platoon of Canadians eager to roto-root through every little crevice of our rig, including the refrigerator, the side compartments...you name it. My vivid imagination saw scenes of beady-eyed inspectors combing our travel trailer for the dreaded greeen bell peppers.
So, naturally I decided to be proactive and made a “To Declare” list and put everything single little item I could think of on the list. I mean I listed everything, including our total cash and the actual value of coins in our possession too ($131.99). In hindsight, the “To Declare” list is hilarious. We pulled up to the Canadian check station and some young guy asked for our passports; where we were from; what was our license plate number; did we have any firearms and how long were we going to stay. I showed him my “To Declare” list and I swear I saw him roll his eyes. He handed the list and the passports back with a snide comment, “You might want to sign your passports so they will be valid.” But then he smiled and said, “Enjoy Your Stay” and off we went with nary even a thought of a strip search for the green bell peppers. Luckily, we were not actually carrying any green bell peppers but who knows, maybe there's an all points bulletin for them or something. Anyway, the crossing was painless and the pre-check paranoia was totally unwarranted.
Waterton Village is a Real Big Deal—far bigger than we expected. It's more like a full fledged small town rather than what the word “village” would make you think. And the place is packed. People are swarming everywhere.
We booked this site back on February 6 after spending a few hours scoping out the best remaining sites. Even back in early February, the Townsite Campground was almost full. Luckily, we found C10 and got two nights. This morning Susun immediately declared C10 to be the best campsite in this gigantic campground. I don't know if it's the best or not but it sure looks better than any campsite I can see from our location.
After Susun awakes from her obligatory nap, we're off to a nearby playground. Why? Well, for some unfathomable reason, the powers that be here decided to make a children's playground a WIFI hotspot. I guess you could say that adding WIFI to a kiddie playground automatically turns it into an adult playground...or something...
Our big one and only goal today is to get tickets on the “International” for tomorrow's boat ride up to Goat Haunt on the far south end of Waterton Lake. Goat Haunt is in Montana so we will have to bring passports to visit there. And then show passports to get back into Waterton Village. Gawd forbid anyone tries to smuggle a green bell pepper back from Goat Haunt! Chances are pretty good that we will disembark at Goat Haunt and spend most of that day there. It looks like there are three trails there that appear to be “good for geezers” and they go to an overlook, a waterfall and a lake...a veritable trifecta of scenic delights. Supposedly, we can catch a later boat back home, presumably as long as we aren't carrying a concealed green bell pepper.
I wasn't originally going to book us into Waterton. Susun was the one who insisted we go to Waterton.She was really, majorly insistent about it. So, well, here we are. I am actually really glad to tiptoe into Canada for three days. Thanks, Susun! YA DUN GOOD!
I wasn't originally going to book us into Waterton. Susun was the one who insisted we go to Waterton.She was really, majorly insistent about it. So, well, here we are. I am actually really glad to tiptoe into Canada for three days. Thanks, Susun! YA DUN GOOD!
More meandering narrative later. Happy Day & Many Cheers!
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Woman With Feet In River Water
Talk about temperature whiplash! Each day seems to be 20-30 degrees cooler or hotter than the previous day. Today was no exception. Yesterday was right around 63 degrees. Today made it all the way to 93 degrees. Who knows what tomorrow's going to do. We feel pretty safe in thinking it won't get to 123 degrees! After all, this park ain't named “Glacier” for nothing, ya know?
Turns out we spent most of the day messing with Road Trip logistics. Cleaning the trailer. Organizing gear. Getting ready for Canadian Customs tomorrow. All that little nit-picky stuff takes bits and pieces of time and those bits and pieces add up to hours and hours and time passes and before you know it a whole day's gone by.
We did take time to walk over to the Visitor Center and actually even saw their film. It was a nice film. It apparently was made back when Time Lapse was “new & cool”. The film sure had more danged time lapse than I could wrap my head around. And it also had lots of High Speed film, too. High Speed is when you do some trick and speed everything up to Warp Nine. But it was a nice film.
Turns out we spent most of the day messing with Road Trip logistics. Cleaning the trailer. Organizing gear. Getting ready for Canadian Customs tomorrow. All that little nit-picky stuff takes bits and pieces of time and those bits and pieces add up to hours and hours and time passes and before you know it a whole day's gone by.
We did take time to walk over to the Visitor Center and actually even saw their film. It was a nice film. It apparently was made back when Time Lapse was “new & cool”. The film sure had more danged time lapse than I could wrap my head around. And it also had lots of High Speed film, too. High Speed is when you do some trick and speed everything up to Warp Nine. But it was a nice film.
We did take the time to gently hassle one of the NPS Police. Technically, they aren't called Police. They are called Law Enforcement Officers, “LEOs” for short. We started out by telling her how much we appreciated her service and The Park and so forth. And then we gently told her about all the speeding vehicles in the campground. I swear I saw one guy doing 50 MPH in a 10 MPH zone right past our teeny, tiny trailer.
Well, get this. You know why they can't bust these people? Because they have the wrong radar guns! No kidding. She asked us to write a letter to park mgmt. to try to get them the right radar guns. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And so it was today. Anyway, we wished her luck and proceeded on.
The Saint Mary River bisects the area between camp and the Mission 66-era Visitor Center. There's this beautiful arching foot bridge over the swift but shallow river that drains toward Hudson Bay. Oh, how Sweetie Susun loved that bridge and river. She immediately declared she had to go put her feet in that river and she sure did. If Susun was a Blackfoot Indian, they probably would have named her “Woman With Feet In River Water”.
Well, get this. You know why they can't bust these people? Because they have the wrong radar guns! No kidding. She asked us to write a letter to park mgmt. to try to get them the right radar guns. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And so it was today. Anyway, we wished her luck and proceeded on.
The Saint Mary River bisects the area between camp and the Mission 66-era Visitor Center. There's this beautiful arching foot bridge over the swift but shallow river that drains toward Hudson Bay. Oh, how Sweetie Susun loved that bridge and river. She immediately declared she had to go put her feet in that river and she sure did. If Susun was a Blackfoot Indian, they probably would have named her “Woman With Feet In River Water”.
The flowers are simply going totally nuts all over the place here in this National Park. It's a chaotic color riot every where you look. Up at Logan Pass it was positively psychedelic. Thank Goodness it was all fogged in or the riotous color might have been too much to handle.
Well, we've finally decided what we're doing in Waterton this week. Yep, it turns out our sole purpose for going there will be to ride The “International” up to Goat Haunt. Yep, it's pricey all right. Gonna cost $100 Canadian for the both of us but we don't care. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we can't wait for our Tuesday Gilligan's Island two hour tour.
Each afternoon and evening we play cribbage. Susun has been on a really long losing streak. But that's OK. She's been on really long winning streaks, too. One summer, she won over 200 games in a row before I won one. Honest. Lately, it's been my turn and I don't think she's won but maybe ten games out of the last 150. But she's turned the corner today and I sense that she's back on one of her outrageous winning streaks.
We play a minimum of six games and a maximum of nine games a night. Basically, it's “best of a series to 3.” Each Series is best of three games. For example, today she won Series #1 two games to one. We take long breaks between each series. If she wins Series #2 then she wins for the night. If I win Series #2, then we go to Series #3. That's how it works.
And on that scintillating cribbbage note, we will bid you adieu until the next thrilling episode of Miscellaneous Meanderings!
Move along
Today was a moving day. Tomorrow is a travel day. What's the difference? Well, we call a it a “moving day” when we have to switch camp sites within the same campground. A travel day is when we check out and hit the road for another destination.
Somehow, we booked ourselves four nights into C109 with a Sunday check-out. Trouble with that plan was our check-in at Waterton isn't until Monday afternoon. Oops. That meant we would be homeless on Sunday evening. As we've learned, everything here or nearby here is booked solid and totally FULL. So we rejoiced when we picked up a cancellation right here within the same campground.
We're now in Site A42. There's no shade and it's a tight site—just barely big enough squeeze in the trailer. It's so tight we're not even going to unhitch the truck. It would be a real bear trying to hitch up the trailer tomorrow in this teeny, tiny little camp site. But we're not complaining. We're forever grateful that the Camp Karma Korps conspired to get us situated into A42 today.
Somehow, we booked ourselves four nights into C109 with a Sunday check-out. Trouble with that plan was our check-in at Waterton isn't until Monday afternoon. Oops. That meant we would be homeless on Sunday evening. As we've learned, everything here or nearby here is booked solid and totally FULL. So we rejoiced when we picked up a cancellation right here within the same campground.
We're now in Site A42. There's no shade and it's a tight site—just barely big enough squeeze in the trailer. It's so tight we're not even going to unhitch the truck. It would be a real bear trying to hitch up the trailer tomorrow in this teeny, tiny little camp site. But we're not complaining. We're forever grateful that the Camp Karma Korps conspired to get us situated into A42 today.
Our original plans today were to return to Many Glacier to so some day hiking or day strolling or whatever geeezers do when they ambulate upon the landscape. We were once again up at 5 AM thinking we were going out early to beat the crowds today. But you know what? After two days of super early departures, Sunday morning cast its inevitable spell on us. And we decided to blow off yet another crowd-beating early departure. It's really fun just to be lazy campers lolly-gagging around doing nothing except looking forward to a classic Sunday morning leisurely breakfast.
It's a really, really good thing we got the “lazies” this morning. In hindsight, there would have been no practical way to go to Many Glacier, do some ambulating and then return and rig to move to A42. What were we thinking? (Or not.)
It's a really, really good thing we got the “lazies” this morning. In hindsight, there would have been no practical way to go to Many Glacier, do some ambulating and then return and rig to move to A42. What were we thinking? (Or not.)
Anyway, Tomorrow is a travel day from Saint Mary to Waterton up yonder in Oh, Canada. There remains quite a bit of duffle shuffle to get ready for tomorrow's travel day.
We spent some time this morning adding a lengthy narrative and four photos to yesterday's P3 post below. It details “the rest of the story” about how a pickleball tournament came into existence because of Susun's hand surgery. Interesting story, actually.
We spent some time this morning adding a lengthy narrative and four photos to yesterday's P3 post below. It details “the rest of the story” about how a pickleball tournament came into existence because of Susun's hand surgery. Interesting story, actually.
Meanwhile, back to Saturday. Even though Saturday was only a five hour Road Trip, it really wore us out. I was so tired when we arrived back at camp that I took a two hour nap. I am not a “napper” and generally avoid napping like the plague. But I was so tired I couldn't even keep my eyes open. BAM, out like a light and slept like the proverbial log. Driving that Going-To-The-Sun Road is a great experience, of course, but it's very nerve racking and demands an acute level of attention and reaction time. In other words it's both exhilirating and tiring at the same time. I gained a tremendous amount of additional respect for the drivers of those old red tour busses. Those drivers do it every day, day in and day out. Having driven that road twice yesterday, I marvel at how those drivers can keep doing it safely for so long.
If we go anywhere today, we will walk a quarter mile to the visitor center and then take the free shuttle someplace up canyon. Ironically, today's air quality is the best of our Road Trip so far. NWS Missoula has been chattering that Western Montana is getting fire smoke from Montana, Idaho, Washington and Briish Columbia. We must be north of the main plume because it's still oddly clear here.
Well, time to return to many misc. mundane meanderings. It's what geezers do.
Experimenting
Quake or blow?
http://www.wyofile.com/earthquake-bigger-risk-yellowst2one-supervolcano/
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Impossible
Fun Day going over Going To The Sun Road two times. What a trippy road! We bought the $13 book on The Road's History and, yes, it is truly Trippy! Hard for us to imagine something so incredible being built my mere mortals. As one of the Engineers said in 1925, Well, the impossihble takes a little longer but the difficult we do immediately.”
NO doubt this road was impossible! But it's there. We drove it twice today and we can tell you that road exists. We went to Lake McDonald Lodge. That's where the cradle of ambiance lies on the West Side. All else is fluff. No point in going any farther than Lake McDonald Lodge.
Here are some photos of Lake McDonald Lodge.
NO doubt this road was impossible! But it's there. We drove it twice today and we can tell you that road exists. We went to Lake McDonald Lodge. That's where the cradle of ambiance lies on the West Side. All else is fluff. No point in going any farther than Lake McDonald Lodge.
Here are some photos of Lake McDonald Lodge.
P3
The 1st Annual Pocatello Pickleball Palooza took place today. We helped create this event but it was ALL about Susun's hand surgery that made it happen.
We sent Shelton a congrats note and he replied: "John, I think it went really well. Had a lot of great feedback and a some good pointers for next year. Excited to make this thing grow. Thanks for all your help and support. Enjoy, Shelton"
( NOTE: The above short narrative was posted Saturday evening using the cellphone's tiny keypad. The narrative below was written on the laptop and transferred to the cellphone for upload.)
Here's how the Pocatello Pickleball Palooza (P3) came into existence amd how it relates to Susun's hand surgery. On the way from Arizona to our Idahome we stopped at the Idaho Hand Institute in Pocatello to schedule an appointment even before we arrived in Idaho Falls.
Prior to the appointment later in May, we researched pickleball in Pocatello and learned of a new venue that opened January 13, 2016, called The Mountain View Event Center. This huge edifice was financed by a voter-approved bed tax and was built and is managed by the Chubbuck-Pocatello Auditorium District, a government entity. Meanwhile, we began an email dialog with the Operations Manager, Shelton Robinson.
We played pickleball there before Susun's appointment with her hand surgeon to determine when her surgery would be scheduled in early June. The day her surgery took place involved quite a bit of waiting time for me—roughly 5 or 6 hours. Anyway, I decided to go meet Shelton in person. We hit it right off and spent most of that afternoon talking about pickleball possibilities. That's when I told Shelton that he needed to stage a tournament this summer, even though time was really too short to do it “right & proper”.
The thinking behind this idea was that there were open summer dates on the national and regional pickleball tournament calendars. If he could somehow manage to stage a tournament, then he could lock in that particular date in perpetuity and have a jump start on doing a tournament “right & proper” in 2018 and years beyond. Shelton was “all in” on that idea and asked me to help him figure out how to organize a tournament.
One thing led to another. First, I set up a blog to help archive our communications and also to facilitate Shelton's sharing with his administrative associates at the Auditorium District. We worked feverishly to pick a viable date and a “catchy” name. The August 5 date was magically still open on both national and regional tournament calendars. Although there is no true way to know scientifically, we both figured August 5 is the peak of the summer tourism season. We reasoned that in future years, a large portion of participants would be tourists passing through on the way to Yellowstone or the Tetons or points farther north...or returning home from a vacation.
Meanwhile the “catchy” name turned into quite the process. We eventually settled on Pocatello Pickleball Palooza and Shelton's Auditorium Board liked the name and approved its usage. Shelton quickly hired a graphic artist to do a logo and also a website guru to put together the registration page and payment portal. Everything came together so quickly it was amazing. Then we both began promoting the tournament every which way we could think to do. We swapped at least one email practically every day and sometimes many more. Shelton was emailing me for advice and help most every day of this Road Trip. Whenever I could find a decent cell signal, we pulled over so I could reply to Shelton. Even though we obviously couldn't attend the tournament, I was Shelton's partner and “right hand man” from start right up to the day before the event.
There were 46 registrants for the tournament and Shelton was very pleased. If the event didn't quite break even, that was OK with Shelton because of getting tournament experience, locking in the August 5 date and getting a jump start on 2018 and beyond.
And so, now you know the rest of the story. If Susun hadn't had her hand surgery, I would have never had time or inclination to rally up Shelton to do a tournament. Interesting how things work out sometimes.
4000 people 1933
'
Going To Sun and back
Drove over to Lake McDonald Lodge and then back. Five hour RT. Full story later. Nap time
Socked in
Up at 4:45 AM today rarin' to go to Logan Pass and maybe drive The Going To The Sun Road over to Lake McDonald and back. But this morning's weather set us back on our haunches. Heavy duty storm clouds filling the canyon and shrouding the Precambrian Mountain peaks. So now it's getting on toward 6:30 AM and we're kinda wondering what to do. We'll probably mosey on out of here and head up toward the pass along about 7 AM. The Logan Pass Parking lot has been filling tighter than a sardine can by 8:30 AM every morning for what seems like forever. The NPS even put in a web cam up there so show people proof that it's plumb packed full. There is a large flashing sign before the East Entrance shouting in caps that LOGAN PASS PARKING LOT FULL. Nobody apparently pays any attention to either the web cam or the shouting sign and they all head up that way and create the usual chaotic congestion. I guess we're no exception.
Anyway, as you know, we will find something to do with ourselves today, even if it involves marathon napping. There are a couple of trails up yonder that should be good to go even if we can't see anything. Walking in a fog is actually kinda fun. Heck, some people think we've been walking in a fog our whole lives. But we digress.
We've learned more than a few lessons on this Road Trip, including an important one yesterday. Yesterday's lesson was/is about Many Glacier Campground. As you may recall, we spent the past 3 years trying to get reservations in the Many Glacier Campground. Each year we've failed miserably. This year we changed horses and decided to book into Saint Mary. Lo and behold, Saint Mary Campground is FAR superior to Many Glacier Campground. We're talking FAR, FAR superior, not just a little bit superior. So, why were we so fixated on Many Glacier? Somehow, we presumed the views from the campground would look like the postcards you see of that amazing place. Wrong. There are virtually no views from the campground. It's a tight, crowded, congested campground in dire need of some maintenance. The road into Many Glacier was tough on our truck and would have really beat up our trailer. Meanwhile, you're really in the middle of nowhere out there at the end of that dead end road. Many Glacier is a super nice place to visit but we really wouldn't want to stay there. And, not only that but the campground sits right smack dab in the middle of the mind-boggling day uses congested areas. What a zoo scene it was there yesterday. And how disappointed we would have been to go there and be stuck in that mess.
Saint Mary Campground, by comparison, is a delightful place and has all the amenities we want and need, including 4 bars of cell signal which make it possible to post the stuff you're reading right now. Cell signal in Many Glacier? Fuggetaboutit.
So, that's my lesson learned yesterday. Don't be so stuck on one objective that we fail to properly consider other alternatives. It might just be that the other alternative(s) are far superior to the desired objective.
Well, it's 6:30 AM now and time to get semi-serious about moving out into the Glacier Whirled to experience a New Day in a New Way.
Happy Saturday & Many Cheers!
Below is Logan Pass at 7 AM.
Wain on way
Looks like we'really definitely going to get wet while up in Canada and on the way home.
Kind comments
Camp Verde Parks & Recreation Director Mike Marshall is a great guy. We've really enjoyed working with him. In a column in today's CV paper, Mike has some kind comments for the blog author. Thanks, Mike!!
http://m.cvbugle.com/news/2017/aug/03/commentary-camp-verde-names-new-parks/
http://m.cvbugle.com/news/2017/aug/03/commentary-camp-verde-names-new-parks/
Friday, August 4, 2017
Funny
So, we had this thing that it would be too hot up here. HAHAHA! It's 64 degrees and we're wearing layers inside the trailer. Meanwhile, it topped out HOT in Idaho Falls.
Saint Mary webcam
Here'a the address for the Web cam at the Saint Mary Visitor Center. It'a located about a half mile from our camp and look's at the same view we see from camp.
https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm
Scroll down to near the end of the webcam list.
The photo is 2:27 PM, Friday.
https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm
Scroll down to near the end of the webcam list.
The photo is 2:27 PM, Friday.
Many Memories
Many Glacier was many times more than we ever expected. Photos don't do the place justice. Words fail to describe it. There's nothing we can say or show to express how utterly, incrediblyand stunningly beautiful Many Glacier is. You simply have to see it for yourself to understand the pure power of that place.
We made a plan and stuck to it. I woke up at 4:50 AM and got the coffee going. We were out of the trailer and gone by 6 AM and arrived at Many Glacier by 7 AM, waaaay before the vast hordes of people who would eventually invade the place Friday.
We were able to have Many Glacier mostly to ourselves during the magical morning moments. Oh, how sweet it was!
And then shortly before 9 AM, we surprised Sweetie Susun by renting a rowboat for an hour upon Golden Pond (AKA: Swiftcurrent Lake). We had the whole lake to ourselves. Talk about magical morning moments...OH, My!
By the time we checked the boat back in and returned to our prime parking spot at the outlet falls, Many Glacier had been over run by visitors. All three parking lots were totally full. Nary a single spot in any of those large lots to squeeze in another vehicle. People swarmed every where like amped up ants swinging hiking sticks and carrying colorful packs. Not only that the weather had changed. Clouds rolled in and the wind picked up.
We smiled and simply headed back home to Site C109. Our plan worked. Mission accomplished.
We made a plan and stuck to it. I woke up at 4:50 AM and got the coffee going. We were out of the trailer and gone by 6 AM and arrived at Many Glacier by 7 AM, waaaay before the vast hordes of people who would eventually invade the place Friday.
We were able to have Many Glacier mostly to ourselves during the magical morning moments. Oh, how sweet it was!
And then shortly before 9 AM, we surprised Sweetie Susun by renting a rowboat for an hour upon Golden Pond (AKA: Swiftcurrent Lake). We had the whole lake to ourselves. Talk about magical morning moments...OH, My!
By the time we checked the boat back in and returned to our prime parking spot at the outlet falls, Many Glacier had been over run by visitors. All three parking lots were totally full. Nary a single spot in any of those large lots to squeeze in another vehicle. People swarmed every where like amped up ants swinging hiking sticks and carrying colorful packs. Not only that the weather had changed. Clouds rolled in and the wind picked up.
We smiled and simply headed back home to Site C109. Our plan worked. Mission accomplished.
There's yet another so-called Canadian cold front moving in. Yesterday's dense fire smoke is long gone...only to be replaced by clouds sagging over tall mountain tops. NWS Missoula says the winds will increase and come out of the north later today. That should keep the fire smoke in remission. We'd really rather have storm clouds playing tag with Glacier's pretty peaks than fire smoke.
Today's temp is 20+ degrees cooler than yesterday's. We're back to wearing pants and long-sleeve shirts. This morning, we wore layers to ward off the chill. Yep. It's a teeter-totter, whip-saw weather. Too early to say for sure but this type of early August weather in the higher latitudes is often a harbinger of fall forthcoming sooner rather than later.
Today's temp is 20+ degrees cooler than yesterday's. We're back to wearing pants and long-sleeve shirts. This morning, we wore layers to ward off the chill. Yep. It's a teeter-totter, whip-saw weather. Too early to say for sure but this type of early August weather in the higher latitudes is often a harbinger of fall forthcoming sooner rather than later.
Lots and lots of photos to post soon.
Luckily, we have all afternoon to process and post photos. Today's Many Glacier visit will live in our dreams, imaginations and memories forever. It was one of those kinda special experiences neither one of us will ever forget.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Hazy lazy day
Very lazy day. After three straight days of driving, it's nice to be without a schedule. We didn't leave camp until after 10:30 and then went less than a mile to the Visitor Center. Whoop-de-doo. Then after roaming around a strange Visitor Center, we came back for lunch at noon. Real big morning, eh?
The winds shifted around lunch and blew the fire smoke back in. By late afternoon, the distant horizons have totally disappeared and the mid-horizons are too faint to try to discern. Only the very near horizons are visible.
We drove up the main road and noticed that every single pullout was totally filled. That kinda took away our enthusiasm for taking a short day hike. Usually, when the pullouts and parking lots are full, everyone else is taking a short hike, too. It's only when you can get more than a mile from the trailehead that all the people vaporize. And we didn't feel like walking more than a mile. So much for that idea.
We did visit the Rising Sun boat ramp and we might take one of the 90 minute tours on Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, we got lucky. How so? Well, back in early February, we booked ourselves into four nights here at Glacier and two nights at Waterton. Trouble was that we couldn't get a campsite for Sunday night. We've been real worried about that reality for months. But today we got lucky.
We waited until the mid-day lull at the campground check-in station and then walked over and politely asked if there might be an early cancellation for Sunday night. Luckily, they had just received a cancellation and we snagged site A42 for Sunday night. We can exhale now as we aren't homeless Sunday night. With our Golden Geezer Pass, a night here only costs $11.50, and that includes free showers, too. Such a deal.
After nailing down Sunday night, we drove into Saint Mary to gleefully pay $3 a gallon for gasoline. Hey, when you can find gas in the middle of nowhere, buy it and don't quibble about the price. We're going to Many Glacier tomorrow so topping off the tank today is a good idea.
Then we checked on the price of milk in the local market. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? SEVEN FIFTY! That's right. A gallon of milk is $7.50 here. That will be the all time highest price we've ever paid for milk. $5 was the previous all time high in Portal, Arizona, last year.
The winds shifted around lunch and blew the fire smoke back in. By late afternoon, the distant horizons have totally disappeared and the mid-horizons are too faint to try to discern. Only the very near horizons are visible.
We drove up the main road and noticed that every single pullout was totally filled. That kinda took away our enthusiasm for taking a short day hike. Usually, when the pullouts and parking lots are full, everyone else is taking a short hike, too. It's only when you can get more than a mile from the trailehead that all the people vaporize. And we didn't feel like walking more than a mile. So much for that idea.
We did visit the Rising Sun boat ramp and we might take one of the 90 minute tours on Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, we got lucky. How so? Well, back in early February, we booked ourselves into four nights here at Glacier and two nights at Waterton. Trouble was that we couldn't get a campsite for Sunday night. We've been real worried about that reality for months. But today we got lucky.
We waited until the mid-day lull at the campground check-in station and then walked over and politely asked if there might be an early cancellation for Sunday night. Luckily, they had just received a cancellation and we snagged site A42 for Sunday night. We can exhale now as we aren't homeless Sunday night. With our Golden Geezer Pass, a night here only costs $11.50, and that includes free showers, too. Such a deal.
After nailing down Sunday night, we drove into Saint Mary to gleefully pay $3 a gallon for gasoline. Hey, when you can find gas in the middle of nowhere, buy it and don't quibble about the price. We're going to Many Glacier tomorrow so topping off the tank today is a good idea.
Then we checked on the price of milk in the local market. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? SEVEN FIFTY! That's right. A gallon of milk is $7.50 here. That will be the all time highest price we've ever paid for milk. $5 was the previous all time high in Portal, Arizona, last year.
Not much happening back here in camp. The temp rallied up into the mid-80's today, roughly a 30 degree gain from yesterday. Susun is Such a Sweetie. She's washing the truck this afternoon. Can you imagine just how sweet that is? SWEET! Meanwhile, Little Yonni is sitting inside the nice cool trailer pecking away at the laptop keyboard. He's a lucky man. Thanks, Sweetie!
Oh, you might have wondering why we called the Visitor Center “strange”. Well, here's a partial list of reasons: A) NO interpretation on the geology of this National Park; B) NO explanation of the modern history of the National Park; C) All interpretation totally slanted toward the perspective of three tirbes that claim ownership of the park; D) a front liner who didn't have a clue about some pertinent details of Waterton National Park and E) One of the smallest, most bereft gift shops we've ever seen in a major National Park.
The Native American perspectives concerning their ownership of this park were pretty “borderline” as far as the type of interpretation you normally see in a National Park. If was as if the NPS simply turned the entire exhibt area over to the three tribes to say whatever they wanted with no checks or balances.
Frankly, it felt strange and that's why I called the Visitor Center strange. But that was no big deal. Life is filled with strange things, right? And we all move on and Life Is Good. We are very Happy to be here and every day is a Great Gift!!
Yesterday and today
Yes, the ground fog is gone and yesterday's storm clouds are already a distant memory.
Yesterday about 4 PM.
Today at 9 AM.
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