Category: Uncategorized

Tally Lake and Lupine Trail, Montana (5.30.20)

Tally Lake is a gorgeous, deep mountain lake with a campground about 10 miles up a dirt road. If you follow that road, you’ll see the Lupine Trail. It’s a 5.0 mile out and back with a lake at the top. It was a steep hike with a beautiful waterfall near the trail head and a lake at the top. There were some people fly fishing from the lake sides. It was beautiful and serene but the hike out kicked my butt. And, of course, some pics of the kid 🙂

Libby Dam, Kootenai Falls, Yaak, Whitefish Hike, Montana (5.23-5.24.20)

It was a busy weekend. The Libby dam was really cool, the Koocanusa lake above the dam is gorgeous, I can’t wait to go back. The Kootenai Falls were amazing. We got to watch an Osprey fishing and climb over some big rocks. Nickel and I both walked the suspension bridge like the badasses we are (I even stopped in the middle to get a pic). The stairs after the railroad track bridge were a different story, Jim carried her down, but she made it back up on her own. They were about 2 stories high and made of metal grate with holes, so you could see through; looking down was a bit disorienting. We found a working phone booth, took a drive up TeePee mountain, and had a close encounter with a grouse, an owl, and missed something (elk most likely) that left a big pile of notification it had been there.

  • Our attempt to get to Upper Whitefish was thwarted

2k miles to Montana (4.24 -5.12.20)

First a stop to put a new (non-stripped) wheel stud on the house, then a 4 day drive through a very quiet country. We went through Kansas City at rush hour on a Friday and didn’t have to tap the brakes, rest stops were almost empty and only contained trucks and there were very few personal vehicles on the road. I pulled the trailer for the first time and even navigated a fuel stop 🙂 Then we arrived at our summer home, 20 miles from Glacier National Park, 5 miles from Whitefish, 15 miles from Flathead Lake (orchards EVERYWHERE) and 5 hours from Calgary and Banf National Park. We drove from West to East Glacier on Hwy 2, since the park is closed and did some hiking at the State Parks; Lupfer’s Loop and Lion Mountain. And…some pics of the kid’s kid.

Kansas City during rush hour – Sunset in Kansas and sleeping in Hays, Ks Walmart (there were 4 rigs there that night)

Colorado, we stayed in a small RV park at the base of RMNP. Pics of elk resting in someone’s lawn, as close as we could get to Rocky Mountain National Park, and Estes Park. We’ll be back when it’s open 🙂
Wyoming
 
 

Home Base (March – April 23.2020)

We got back to the property and got to visit a local brewery with some friends before the virus got real. We were able to get the shed insulated, Jim started working on the bathroom, we burned some stuff, and decided that, due to the “circumstances in the world”, we were likely grounded for the summer. We were enjoying the deer and turkeys, I even built a bird feeder (that the birds NEVER found). Unexpectedly, Jim got a call with a Workamper job offer in Montana. So, we ordered and replaced the wheels on the house, got the truck ready for the trip and took off. One thing I’ll tell ya – nothing goes as easily as it should. When replacing the fuel filter, the o-ring at the top fall off (without him noticing), causing the destruction of (and a lot of cursing at) that filter and a trip to town for another one. Later, the o-ring was found, safely hiding behind a tire, which caused a renewed wave of frustration. We also learned that putting tires on the house is NOT as easy as putting them on a truck. In addition, one of the lugs was stripped, so that had to be fixed prior to a 2,000 mile trip. It was a very intense, stressful week. Oh, and Bumper got a puppy and we got some awesome pics of the kid’s kid 🙂