RV Boondocking the Good Life

Was a hot day yesterday... when we pulled into Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area... 93 degrees down at the bottom...

But... it cooled off 7 or 8 degrees as we climbed back up into the timber at the south end to find this camp at Canyon Rim...

... and this morning, sitting here as the sunrise filters through the Aspens just outside the window, it's nice and cool.

at $7.50 a night (for us stove up fellers) I could stay here for quite a while... The lake itself is a gorgeous piece of work. When they say it runs up through a gorge... that is exactly how it is... This camp sits something like 1300 feet above the water, and just a couple hundred feet from the edge of the gorge...

There are a couple sites right smack on it... heck... I'd likely go sleep walking... and end up having to learn to fly!

This picture was taken wrong... into the sun in the late afternoon... but with the Water Ski boat making waves and all... it's still kind of a neat picture I think...

Looking the other way... NOT... into the sun ... are more boats... 'course, about all you can see from this distance are the small white wakes of 'em... Seems to be a boaters paradise here... from water sking, to jet skis, to fishin' for lunker Brown Trout...

We were pretty wore down... leastways I was... from too many miles... once again :-) ... but, just before dark we took a short drive... and a short walk... There's plenty of that around here to keep a person busy for a good long while... and wearing out cameras too!

You can see the Flaming Gorge winding off into the distance if you look close in this pic... a fella could sure use up a lot of boat gas following the thing from end to end!... sounds like not too bad an idea to me!

We found a lil' lake up above the gorge... just across the road from camp... Buck found all sorts of 'hoppers' to chase along the bank of the lake...

... The Lil' Lake... hanging 1300 feet above the Flaming Gorge Reservoir...

But all good things must finally end right... so... after the sunset...

Old Guys sit under the awning, sippin' Coke, and watchin' the deer pass by camp! :-)

Put Flaming Gorge on your 'bucket list'... I was here, near thirty years ago... it's as purty a place now... as it was then... and at $15 for a camp... it beats the RV Parks! ... and just $7.50 for us gimps! :-) ... if it weren't for that Agility Trial over in Pleasant Grove... we'd be settin' right here for the next couple weeks! Just Hikin, and breathin'.

Take Good Care
Brian

August 2, 2008 06:19 - I was Right! It's HOT in Utah in August!

Not just hot either... it's DAMN HOT! :-)

Was up 100 or better when we pulled in last evening... I was dreading the next pair of days... sittin' here in the gentle warm! ... then... to top it off... the only way to park for us, here in the rodeo grounds at Pleasant Grove faces us with the awning the wrong direction, and no way to shade the wall that will face the afternoon sun...

... gonna be a sizzlin' good time! :-)

... but NO! ... It turns out... there's power! So us backward mountain folk, without a generator can plug in and turn on that air conditioner gizmo we haul around with no other way to run it! :-)

By the time I had ever'thing unhitched an' set up I was drippin'... switching on that cooler was a sweet relief! Gonna be not so bad after all! ... now if they (Heidi and Buck) can capture some 'Q's' Sweet! ... and I told Heidi... if we're gonna keep on goin' to places like Utah in August... she's gonna have to invest in a Generator! :-) ...

... she claims I'm gettin' soft in my old age... I just say... "It'd be OK if I didn't know about air conditioners an' such ... but since I do... knowin' that there's a way to be cool... instead of cookin'... there's just no way to deal with it... other than turnin' the sucker on! :-)

Started yesterday with a nice bunch of Bighorn Ewes grazing through camp.... Turned out no way to get a good picture... the girls all had their heads down in the grass... instead of posing for me as I ran around in my bathrobe poppin' the shutter...

... the better picture... would probably have been... me... runnin' around in my bathrobe! :-) ... they kept waggin' their heads... don't know if it was the flies buzzin' 'em... or they were thinkin' ; "What a bozo... goofiest bald headed gringo I've ever seen!" :-)

There was about a dozen of 'em... this was about the only time any lifted their heads so I could see their pretty brown eyes! :-)

... after all the 'excitement'... Heidi and I took off for a lil' walk along the Canyon Rim Trail... That's when I started to realize that I was right about it bein' warm this time of year anywhere in this area. Whoooee... Word of advice... get up earlier if ya'll are gonna take a walk... :-O .... like 5:30 or so! 'cause by 8:30 or 9... it's got siesta time warm.

Now here is proof that Heidi is a 'Good Steward' of the land... and possessed of High Etiquette... with her dogs... See that bag in her right hand? ... guess what's in it? :-) ... yep... we clean up anytime we're on busy trails... if we were just way out in the woods we'd leave the 'donation'... but any time we're where a lot of people walk... we pack 'it' out! :-)

Before we pulled out for Pleasant Grove... we wanted to go see a 'Historical Site' nearby... it's the Swett Ranch...

The little cabin on the left was the 1st on the place, built about 1913... The Swetts and their first three kids lived in that for a few years... and you thought you had it bad with only one slide for the pair of you! :-)

The bigger cabin on the right was put up about five years later I guess... and they added I think they said, three more little ones! Then about 1928, they built the 'Big House'... Ol' Emma Swett must have thought it a mansion huh?... better be... they raised a total of nine kids on the place! ... wonder when Emma had the time to get any of her 'other' work done?!

They lived on the place until 1968 or so, when Oscar Swett died... Irma left two years later I guess... Hard work... but when you stand in the yard... I can't think of a sweeter setup for the Swetts!

Sittin' an' thinkin' on an Old John Deere, Horse Drawn mower...

... Thinkin'... "I ain't up to that sort of work any more!" :-)

So... you're complainin'... 'cause your fridge don't work as good as you'd like... well go inside this lil' shed...

... see that concrete basin in the corner?

How'd you like one of those in your four slide fiver? :-) Know what it is?... the water from a spring up the hill came into the basin through one pipe... and drained out through another... and THAT was their 'refrigerator' cooling! ... the building itself was insulated... and their meat hung on hooks on the opposite wall... the whole thing stayed pretty cool... for those days anyway...

... then... look past the right side of that lil' spring shed... see that bit of brown wall... that's where you had to go when nature called... a good couple hundred feet from the house... how'd you like to make that walk about midnight... in January... :-) ... yep... we've got it tough! :-)

If you ever get up around Flaming Gorge, be sure to go look up the Swett Ranch Historical Site... it's a superb view into the life as it was in these mountains... I would have given an arm to have grown up on that place!

A final look at Flaming Gorge... and then we have to hitch up and leave...

This is a viewpoint right beside the Canyon Rim Camp... the view from there is pretty awsome... heck.. the view ... of it... is pretty fine as well!

Well... this lil' trial is about to start... so I suppose I should go help a bit... though... if I stall a lil' longer... I can come offer to help... just as it all gets done! :-)

... my momma didn't raise no fool!

August 3, 2008 07:28 - Well into the readustment period...

Ever' time we head out... it seems to take me a few days to get my head back into the 'right' place... Either I'm gettin' better at adjusting... or as heads empty out... they adjust quicker! :-)

Anyhoo... I'm able to untwist a lot quicker these days... :-)

Sitting here with Lonesome Dove playin' on my I-Tunes as I 'work' seems to help too!

Had a bit of a 'letdown' yesterday... Heidi had noticed on a previous 'Agility trial' trip that there was a big new Cabelas here in Pleasant Grove... or maybe it's the next little town north... hard to tell where one stops... and the next begins...

Walking in the front door it hit me... this place is missing 'something'... I remember, years ago, walking in the 1st Cabelas there in Sydney... and thinking WOW! ... We used to make a pilgrimage to Sydney once or twice a year... but now... I've discovered... for sure and for certain... the Bass Pro Shop has raised the bar! :-)

Now... I ain't one that goes in and spends a lot... often not anything... but that Bass Pro in Denver has the atmosphere of walking into a big Lodge... It always reminds me of Old Faithful Inn... Cabelas strikes me of a Lodge... Wal Martized! :-)

Oh well... I've got no problem finding the gear I need at Bass Pro!

We expected a hot day yesterday... and it was warm but lacked the sizzle of the previous one... thanks to some high clouds... heck... didin't even turn on the air... and here I am all plugged in!

I'm havin' difficulty with my New Nikon... I've got my finger trained for Heidi's Fugi... or my old Kodak... With those... you punch the shutter button today... to take a pic tomorrow. :-) ... this Nikon P80... you don't hit the button until you want to take the pic!

... so... I'm havin' great difficulty gettin' any good pics at the trial... I keep capturing the dogs a few feet before they get to the obstacle... can't get my finger retrained! :-)

... just like that one... Buck... just as he's takin' off... instead of going over the jump...

I did manage to use the 'sport' feature and capture this good lookin' Red Aussie juuuuuust clearing the bar...

This lil' ASCA trial is a small thing... only a couple dozen dogs... the 'Big' one should be the Agility Trial next week... which is a USDAA trial...

Even though it's an ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) trial... all breeds are welcome... and all breeds show up. From Black Labs, here in the Weaves...

... to Lil' Spaniels, poodles, and here a Lil' Corgi... almost lost in the weaves...

... Maybe I'll manage to get my finger workin' better today... Trouble is... I'm thinkin' about the mountains... We're headin' back up there this afternoon...

Up northeast of here is a road they call the Mirror Lake Highway... climbs up to a bunch of camps hung at 10,000 feet... around a collection of High Mountain Lakes... Just west of the High Uinta Wilderness... sounds like Home to me!... so... 'bout 1 O'Clock or so... that's the way we'll be rollin'... supposed to only be a couple hours run... we shall see...

This Verizon aircard has been workin' well so far on this trip... no idea if I'll have anything up there... so as always... if I do, I'll be postin'... if I don't... I won't! :-) ... leastways... till I get back to civilization... Which will be Thursday afternoon... to be back here for the next Trial that starts on Friday morning...

Till next time....

Take Good Care
Brian

August 4, 2008 21:36 - 10,000 feet and more in the High Uintas

Yesterday afternoon, we found a nice camp at Mirror Lake, on the North side of Bald Mountain Pass up in the Uinta Mountains. Once again, we're using a Forest Service camp.

What can I say... the scenery is awsome... it only costs us eight bucks... and it's still Boondocking! :-) We did, today, on a short scouting trip, find several fine, straight up, dispersed campsites over on the other side of the pass... but I'm lazy... we'll only be here for another 2 1/2 days... so we'll just set right here!... If we were going to set up here for ten days or more... we'd likely move camp to one of those sites...

Had this view, through the trees last night, just before full sunset...

Had this view... just before that... on a short walk down by the lake...

Now... I ain't one to rip on the way somebody dresses... but... goin' fishin'... in 'Hot Dog' pajamas? ... has something in the world changed ... and somebody forgot to tell me? :-) ... and what's the tuckin' 'em into your socks part about? ... I must really be behind the times...

We finished up last night with smores...

... is there any other way to finish a day in the mountains?

First thing this morning, we made a nice long walk for maybe two hours around the entire lake... we were goin' pretty slow, pokin' along, so it's not that it's very far... just that we're reallllly slow!

Had to make stops for flowers, for Buck to go swimming...

and just to LOOK!

The trail around the Lake could most likely be navigated in a wheel chair! Several kids on bicycles passed us as we doodled along... and even though there's a lot of marshy ground along the way... those parts are pretty well taken care of with boardwalks the Forest Service has put in...

In most of the mountains... the flowers seem to have gone by... but here in the Uintas... they're still blooming strong... yellow, white, red, dark blue... everywhere you look it's awful darn purty... even for a grumpy Ol' crip like me... started out this morning fairly sore... and with a good grouch on... by the time we'd got half-way 'round the lake... I'd got cooled out pretty good... next time... I bet she'll let me have my morning coffee first!

We spent most of the day today, just layin' about, after we got back from the morning walk... Heidi catchin' up on her mystery readin'... and me addin' most of another chapter to my growin', western, literary masterpiece that's gonna put J.K. Rowling to shame! :-)

Last night, as we were coming in, we spotted a pair of Bull Moose... but with the rig on, not a good time to stop... We got camp set and went back, capturing several pics... the fellas were in the same area tonight so we captured some more... They wouldn't pick up their heads... so I used some 'Moose Talk' I know... and got this guys attention...

The way his head popped up when I grunted at him... I thought I was about to get another lesson like the one I learned some 35 years ago! :-)
I better get more careful 'bout the way I talk to Mooses! He sure acted like I was sayin' bad things about his momma!

... and then... as we came back into camp... Heidi spotted and 'captured' this sweet lil' brown eyed thing...

We'd gone out to look for some signal to make a phone call and found it up on the top of Bald Mountain Pass... hardly no signal... but as soon as I turned on the Wilson Amp... Badda Bing Badda Boom... the thing started ringin'... so .... although I'm writing this Monday night... I'll post it in the morning Tuesday... once I work up the ambition to run the couple miles back up to the top of the pass. :-)

... and just so you know what it looks like at the spot from which this post was sent... here is a pic showin' the view from there...

Between the Verizon Aircard and the Wilson Amplifier for it... I'm awful happy that I didn't spend the $5,000 + for the satellite system... I'd guess that in another couple years of improvement in the cell based systems... the satellite fellas will have a hard time justifying their cost at all.

I expect I'm goin' to have to start watchin' the volume of pictures I post... it's just that ever'thing is so gol durn gorgeous... it's hard to put just one or two in the post... well... except for the hotdog pajama fella... but... that I couldn't leave off! :-)

Better go now... while I still have power to shut the laptop down. :-)

Take Good Care
Brian

August 6, 2008 20:51 - Made a visit to Cutthroat Lake in the High Uintas

Back sitting under the awning now, high in the Uintas. A soft rain starting to fall. I love that sound... as the rain hits the canvas. It don't get no better!

Just got back to camp from a good, fine, hike... had me grinnin' wide.

From the Pass Lake Trailhead we climbed straight up to Heaven it seemed, passing Scout Lake to get to Lofty Lake, where Buck continued his swimming lessons!

After a short break there... ummm... which was probably break number 3 or 4!... can I say it was steep? OK... Thanks... It was STEEP! :-) ... we continued on to Cutthroat Lake.

We ate our lunch there, sitting high on a rock ledge, overlooking the basin that holds Cutthroat and several others. The Boss put on a special show, just for us... with Marmots in the rocks below us... Pikas in those above... and one fine Bull Moose, browsing his own lunch along the north bank of Cutthroat Lake.

After a long lunch break, we shouldered our rucks and started the second half of the loop trail.

This was one day we were surely grateful for the overcast and cool. Had it been sunny and warm, I'm doubtful we could have hauled enough water in our rucks! :-) We was workin' to climb that mountain!

The flowers at this altitude are pretty amazing. I remember coming out of one drab and rocky patch of scraggly timber to be startled by the flash of color. Red, Yellow, Blue, White, Purple...

My pictures just don't do it justice. You have got to get out and climb up to 'em yourself! The Boss knew what he was doin' when he painted this mountain!

Just below Kamas lake we came on to a crew doin' trail work for the Forest Service... and a site you'll not see often any more... Forest Service Packers... Plyin' their trade.

Each of those mules is carrying around 120 lbs of gravel... 60 lbs to a pack bag... They drop the folded up bottom of a bag and the gravel dumps out in the trail right where they want it... a Four Legged Dump Truck! :-)

Doesn't sound like a whole lot... but a rider, weighin' more, can move around and help a horse get up the trail... That gravel just hangs there. It's a piece of work!

Did my heart good to know there's still a few of these fellas workin'.

This day has been exactly what Boondocking is for me. Whether you use the convenience of Forest Service Camps... like we've been doing lately (getting lazy in my old age I guess) or tuck deep back into the woods... it puts you in country within reach of visions like this.

... Heading for Kamas Lake after lunch...

I don't know where you've been... and I can't say where you're goin'... but I can say... you'll never find a prettier spot than this!

When I'm camped just below places like this... that I can only get to, afoot or a horseback... with some effort required either way, to get there... and knowin' that most of those folks down in camp will never climb up this high... I'm a happy, whole, fella!

And to tell the truth... I'm kinda likin' the FS camps more these days... to hear some kid... or his momma laughin' in their camp, off across the woods... somebody choppin' firewood... off through the trees... the smell of woodsmoke from the cookin' fires... it's a pleasant, comfortable feelin'... 'specially when I'm chewin' on a fresh roasted Smore! :-)

All in all, a fine day... and not too dang shabby for an Ol' gimp like me! I still have a few climbs left in me I guess!... though I might be thinkin' otherwise... when I get up in the morning! :-) ... good thing I got a good supply of coffee and aspirin! :-)

Take Good Care
Brian

August 8, 2008 15:53 - Back at the Pleasant Grove Rodeo Grounds

After the past few days of cloudy weather... and bein' back at the Rodeo Grounds in Pleasant Grove for Agility Trial #2... and NOT havin' juice available this time, we've been giving the battery bank a workout.

Finally got a bit of sun this afternoon... enough to put a good bit of juice back in the batteries... The past couple days of overcast, though the cool was welcome, didn't allow the Panels to fully refill our electricity tanks!

The short drive down from the Mountain didn't fill 'em up either... that lil' wire comin' from the alternator can't flow much power.

But...

My incomplete Solar Power system is working super! :-) With only about 1/3 the number of panels initially planned... it has kept up pretty darn well with our use.

I put in the full battery bank, the inverter, and the controller for the whole shebang back when we did the installation... but planned on putting the balance of the PV panels on when the house sold...

Well... we all know what's happened there! :-)

But anyhoo... with those six big Trojan Batteries, we seem to have plenty of fuel for the lights and microwave stored!

... And with our 'conservative' ways... the most we've discharged the battery bank has been about 20%... I believe... maybe a lil' bit more... but for me... Just a SWAG...

... A SWAG... for you non-military types is when, before you take a shot... you measure the wind velocity, the range, the temperature, the humidity, the angle...

and then take your 'S.W.A.G.' ... a Scientific... Wild... Ass... Guess!

We tend to be, naturally, pretty conservative with our power use.... but now with my 'computer addiction'... I spend quite a little time burning electrons! :-)

So... considering I plan to add at least two more panels, at 130 watts each... and likely the four more originally planned... we'll be sitting pretty! (The extras would be nice in the winter... when production is a lot lower)

And to tell the truth... this trip has driven home... one more time... How pretty we sit anyway. Between Flaming Gorge... and our sweet few days camp up in the Uintas it's gone a long way toward refreshing my 'perspective'.

I can sure understand when folks get their perspective twisted out of shape... 'cause mine sure gets bent up on occasion.

Ya think makin' sure you schedule in an occasional short 'refresher' once in a while, when you start feelin' cranky, is the best way to keep the 'bending' under control?

That's my plan anyhoo... if I can't get out ALL the time... a week or so like this, every little bit, is dang sure the next best thing! ... and if you take 'em in places like the Medicine Bow, The Uintas... or even Yellowstone... when you're lucky to live close enough, like me, for a quick run once in a while... it'll sure heal what ails you! :-)

Whoops... there goes the sun! Afternoon storms look to be comin' in... That's OK. The batteries are back up over 13V... not full... but in good enough shape for the girls I dance with!

Take Good Care
Brian

August 11, 2008 06:56 - Dinosaur National Monument...

... is sure a lot different than up in the Uintas! ... But, still a pretty place in it's own way.

Buck made his last runs Sunday morning... while I made most of the prep for pullin' out... and we were ready to go by eleven...

OOPS!

I put my foot on a dually to climb up into the back... to drag a hose out of a storage box... so I could top off our water tank... and it was sort of like steppin' on a marshmallow!... Dang!... an' on a Sunday mornin' too!

Well, I was about to start changin' tires when Heidi came back and said the consensus was... the super Wal Mart had a tire shop! ... Well DOH! Wally World to the rescue one more time. It's maybe a half mile from the rodeo grounds so I pulled over there thinking we'd be on the road pretty quick...

More like an hour and a half... Life in the West... Count my Blessings... I found it BEFORE we hit the road... and not out ON THE ROAD... with NO nearby Wally World Tire shop open on a Sunday! :-)

Had planned on fueling down the road... but a station right across the road as we pulled out had dropped 20 cents overnight... from $4.57 to $4.37... so I pulled right in and topped off... and they had a dump... so i un-topped those tanks too!...

Now... Finally... we're ready to roll. :-)

With tires re-inflated we headed east for Dinosaur National Monument... pulled in about 5 last night... for a four hour drive.

We're makin' the drive 'home' in 2 1/2 days ... that we made in a bit over one day comin' over... Much better!

Walked around a little last night... quiet here... that's a big thing for me... quiet...

Hush Mike!... I am too quiet once in a while!

Standing on a bluff, up above the Green River a few hundred yards away, you could still hear it rustlin' though it's banks. A sweet soft sound... even if the river it'self don't look too sweet just now... must be a lot of rain up in it's headwaters the past few days... the river is runnin' bank full and lookin' like like coffee with too much cream!

... and Bats! I don't think I've ever noticed so many Bats before!... we were toolin' along from view point to trail head... and I say this little guy flippin' around... thought it was an odd sort of a bird... just before sunset...

Well it wasn't a bird... it was a Bat! More of 'em overhead as we checked out a trail head for a possible walk this morning...Cool... and... camped here, with the river just a few yards away, through the cottonwoods... there's hardly any skeeters at all... so them Bats seem to be doin' their job!

... and Crickets! a whole dang symphony of those lil' noise makers serenaded us last night... odd though... at times in the past... they've kept me awake... here... in the cool, and quiet along the Green River... they're a sweet restful sound...

Think maybe it has something to do with where my 'head' is at? :-)

Dinosaur is not a real photogenic spot... but still, with a personality of it's own... We're gonna snoop around a little this morning, then we'll hitch up and roll toward Steamboat Springs... to find a camp for tonight...

Unfortunately, the requirements of makin' a living says Heidi has to be back at our store on Wednessday morning... I don't have to be available for service till Saturday...

How about this Verizon Air card? Here we are... tucked down in a hole along the Green River.. out in the middle of no dang where... and I currently have three bars on the meter... The places this thing has not functioned have been so few... and signal so close... if it didn't work... that something really big is gonna have to happen to get me to drop the dinero for a satellite system at this point... Less than $200 is a lot better than $1800 for a tripod ... or $5000+ for an automatic!

Time to go make an effort to capture the photogenic side of Dinosaur National Monument...

Take Good Care
Brian

August 12, 2008 07:37 - Nearing the End of Another Circle...

... Bummer! :-)

But then... I guess I can't start the next one.. till we end this 'un huh?

We did go out snooping around Dinosaur National Monument a bit... the original Visitor Center is closed... They had to condemn the building when they decided it was maybe about to fall down...

Problem is that it covers one of the biggest locations of Dinosaur Fossils! ...

They're supposed to get the new building built in the next year or two... I guess... as soon as they can break the money loose from more important things... like studying the breeding habits of South L.A. fruit flies and such... :-)

But... there are still some to see here and there...

Yeah... I know... exciting... ain't it? :-) I have to admit... I'm a lot more attracted to either the Living Mountains... or People History... Big Lizards that were runnin' around before Winchester invented the .308 ... just make me uncomfortable!

We did see something darn near as rare as Bigfoot though!

A gosh darn, genuine, mini-Dinosaur! :-) Ferocious lookin' lil' bugger... don't you think? Just imagine... walkin' out to the outhouse, 'bout 4 in the morning... in the 'Old Days'... and runnin' in to one of these fellers... only he's about 40 feet long!

Mostly, I just enjoyed walkin' around the countryside... Like I said, it ain't the Uintas... but it has something of it's own, if you give it time...

Last night, just before sunset we captured these...

Looking across the Green River from a bluff above camp, just at sunset...

and Heidi caught the moon over some red rocks along the road...

and a rocky scene that captures the mood of a lot of the area... almost a moonscape in places... but... it kind of grows on you... if you let it have the chance...

I found this one... thought it was interesting... then... Heidi noticed... It's a Harry Potter Rock! :-) If you look at it... it's got a face on both sides! :-)

The thing I found most interesting ... sorry Dino guys!... was the Pictographs all over... when you walk up close to these lil' butte shaped pillars...

They've been used by them Old Folks for Artistic Purposes...

We finally pulled out fairly late... almost 1 in the afternoon... We've kinda got out of sinc on this circle... I'm off balance anyhoo... might as well be out of sinc as well!

We rolled across through Dinosaur, Craig and Hayden... there's big wide spots along through there in several places for 'nite-camps' for anyone just looking to pull over for a few hours... we rolled on by... and pulled into the Meadows Camp... up in Rout National Forest for the night... getting here about 4:30 or so...

Yup... we're Forest Service Boondocking again! What can I say... there are so many of 'em... they're in such nice spots... and I'm gettin' so lazy in my old age... They just seem to fit!... and... since we're just rollin' through... it's awful dang convenient... If we were to stay for several days ... or two weeks... I'd go huntin' a straight up Boondock camp out in a dispersed area... but... heck... this camp... with that lil' Golden Access Card of mine... is only $5... can't beat that with a stick!

... and I'll tell you what... this is such a pretty lil' spot... I'm wishin' we had time to just stay put here for a week! The sun filtering through the pines out my window, as I 'write' this morning is as good as it gets for this Ol' buster.

...but... like they say... life is what happens when you're makin' plans... and 'life' says we have to be somewhere else for a while... and starting tomorrow! so... we'll pull out, maybe two this afternoon and roll back to Nunn...

...and I'll start getting ready for my Motorcycle Run to Yellowstone I'm planning for the end of the month! :-) ... as Tioga George would say... WOW! :-)

Oh yeah... I'm guessin' you noticed this post got published from the woods again! For those of you sittin' on the fence... and wonderin' how you might want to 'stay connected' on the road... we're about 10 miles or so... east of Steamboat Springs... up in the mountains... I'm sittin' here, in camp, with three bars on the meter... I've only had to fire up the Wilson Amplifier once on this circle through Southern Wyoming, NE Utah, and NW Colorado... and it ain't on now!

Unless you're planning on staying in 'Parks' with WI-FI... this Verizon Air Card is the cats Meow! I came close to dropping the dinero a couple years ago for satellite svc... The cell system just keeps on gettin' better... for the money... the ... only way to go that I can see! :-)

Take Good Care
Brian

August 13, 2008 07:39 - Our Last Camp was on the Routt National Forest

Yup... it's been a good couple of weeks... and as always... we don't want to go home...

Actually... we ain't! ... Heidi said the same thing... "I don't want to go home"... she said it as we pulled on to the pavement headed east...

My reply was "We ain't"... then I jabbed my thumb at the Eagle, rollin' along behind us and said; "That's home"... we're just headin' for where we have to park for a while!"...

Oh well...

The morning started off a mite less melancholy... mostly a morning of Mountain Flowers... I'm guessin' that Meadows camp is in the vicinity of 9,000 feet, though I'm not sure... the flowers are still in pretty fair strength around there... and lot's of water to keep 'em goin'.

The trail left out of the camp... just a few yards from our site...

Didn't have to go very far and we started seein' color...

We really like setting up out in the woods... regular Forest Service Campground... or ... Dispersed camps... the dogs can run... as soon as we're out of camp... and away from reg'lar folks! :-) ... I don't know where they get the energy... but If we walk three miles... they have to be goin' at least fifteen!

... the key with them is havin' control... We keep 'em close... don't let 'em run out of sight... and DON'T let 'em chase ANYTHING! :-) .... If anyone else... or anything else, comes along, we bring 'em in quick and back on leash...

... But... out where we walk... in the empty woods... or on desert trails... it's pretty infrequent that we run into other folks... generally, the only place we do... are the close in trails in parks... where the pups aren't alowed anyways...

... and... we pick up after 'em... anytime we are on a well used trail.... again... if we're out, bushwackin' across the woods... I'm not pickin' up every lil' 'deposit'... but it's just proper etiquette to pick up the 'dog dirt' if you're in an area that is used pretty often by folks.. trails, pet areas in rest areas... campgrounds etc...

... back to the flowers!

Heavy timber in this area... but on occasion, you get a longer view, out through the trees... Kept hopin' for another Moose... but... no Glory today!

... 'less of course you count these...

I suppose Butterflies count as Glory in the Boss's Creation... don't they?

All sorts of things to see... If you walk slow enough... Heidi usually gets ahead of me a good ways... the dogs keep her moving... most often... she ends up with both of 'em... 'cause I'm dawdlin' along takin' pictures... I guess, in my old age... I'm gettin' as slow on the trail... as I am on the road! :-)

What can I say... I just ain't in any sort of a hurry any more... fact is... hurryin' gets me as cranky as a she bear with triplets... My strong preference is to just stroll along... lookin'... and smellin'... and seein'...

If you rush and hurry... you miss lil' bits like these here...

.... Hmmm... somethings been eatin' at the edge of these... then quit... no bodies layin' around... wonder if they're poisonous? :-) ... you ain't gonna find me... findin' out I don't believe!

Neither one of us had much ambition this morning... so we didn't go more than a mile or so... probably the wish to NOT GO BACK... had us draggin' our feet...

...but... pretty flowers or no... we had to turn back for the rig...

and head for that 'Parking Place'... :-)

Trips like this... and the growing dislike I have for 'going back'... is what keeps me focused on the goal... One day Soon....

Till then...

Take Good Care
Brian

August 15, 2008 08:46 - Same 'stuff'... different day

Back to mowin', hoein', and rain!

Was a mite concerned while we were gone that things would wither in the summer heat and we'd come back to a burnt brown yard... I wasn't real sure that the little bit of watering we'd been able to get 'someone' to do would be sufficient...

Turned out... it's been dumping on the place while we were gone... and today... it's been raining without letup, since I got up... typical... I was supposed to go do the 'riding' for a permanent cycle license today...

I went so long without a bike that I no longer carried the motorcycle part... been ridin' on 'permit' for a while and need to get off the dime and get that taken care of! :-) Oh well... maybe next week...

Started mowin' ... blew a fuel line... fixed the fuel line... got most of it done... and, I believe, the recoil locked up... geeze! Does somebody think they need to keep remindin' me that this is NOT what I want to be doin' just now? :-)

The realtor apparently showed the place while we were on the road... can only tell by things 'moved'... no contact from the realtor herself... tried three times since we've been back to get a hold of her... no response... Arrrrggghhh! .... so I ripped off an email... rather critical of her 'methods'... first thing this morning got her response... spelled e-x-c-u-s-e-s ... typical... I guess the squeaky wheel gets the grease...

... so squeak... squeak... squeak! :-) Wah wah wah! :-) ... too bad a guy can't deal with that profession by just bein' an adult... sorry thing to have to resort to puttin' on a grouch to get some response/action... but... if that's how it are... I can be a Class A grouch! :-)

Speakin' of the rain... It's not just wet... it's cold! ... if 60 somethin' degrees can be called cold... guess it gives me the excuse I need to sit inside and get a lot of 'bookwork' done...

Days like this I like bein' up in camp... the smell of the pines in the rain... me all warm and dry... Free as a bird... It's a sweet thing... Yes sir... a sweet, sweet thing...

Well... back to the fun as I continue on the march toward Freedom Road!

Take Good Care
Brian

August 16, 2008 06:07 - The Wet Continues...

Hmmm.... been raining now... without stoppin'... for 24+ hours... mostly light... though just right at this moment, I'd call it medium hard! :-)

Can't remember it rainin' this much since the spring we moved in... that was the year we had the spring blizzard that caved in something like 40 roofs around town... so... I guess... no matter how bad it might be... it could get worse!

Gee... that's a comforting thought ain't it?

Stayin' in Forest Service Camps... ridin' the truck to the ranch store this morning... 'cause it's rainin'... I AM gettin' old! :-)

Still plannin' on takin' a 4 day run on the Yamaha, to and through Yellowstone in a mite over a week... I'm hopeful this streak of rain will have broke by then... even if ridin' in the rain... is fun? ... there is TOO MUCH of a good thing! :-) ... and 1300 miles or so of rain, on a naked motorcycle (that's a bike with no windshield of fairing... not me makin' the rest of you guys look bad :-) ! ) is a long way!

The last two weeks run was mostly a sweet time... discount the lil' gal who nearly run us down in the Wal mart parkin' lot and one flat tire and the rest was shinin' times! Ended up doin' something in the vicinity of 1560 miles at 15.2 mpg total average with the greatest amount of time at 8,000 feet or above! ... I'll take it... and the 15.2!

Not bad for a big 3500 draggin' an overweight fiver! ... all a fella has to do is stay on the two lane and under 60!... ok... maybe under 55 :-)

... 'course... if you stay on the Interstate... you give them other folks more room to get around you! :-)

The next month or so is gonna be kind of quiet... I have to haul Heidi back to Laramie for another trial the end of this week... then as soon as I bring her back from there I'm takin' my scooter run ... then a few weeks just workin' for the man... and then... (the 'man' don't know it yet)... we're takin' off for Scottsdale agian the first of October or so... for the National Agility Dog Asoc. Finals... and then another trial... up in Las Vegas the following week...

So... anchored here or not... we're not lettin' much grass grow under the tires...

and in amongst all that... I'm visitin' the sawbones on a too regular basis... I was feelin' kind of runty a few weeks back... a month or so now... I think them doctors have a racket goin' :-) ... they have to see you three or four times afore they'll say much of anything...

Some things just don't work the way they used to... big surprise huh? ... Just can't seem to get them sawbones to simply say; "Don't worry... be happy!" :-)

Oh Well... long as I'm still around for them to have me to send a bill to, I guess that's better than maintainin' daisy roots huh?

Well... time to go make myself pretty enough for those town folks to endure for a day...

Take Good Care
Brian

August 19, 2008 07:18 - Sunshine... Busted mowers and Motorcycle Tourin' Devils!

The rain seems to be gone... for a few days anyhoo. What had been burnt brown, is greening up considerable... and me with a busted mower.

I'm on the second junk mower... figured to play it frugal, and not spend the dinero to get anything good... since we wouldn't be stayin' long... You know how making 'plans' seems to work out... I may have to break down and buy a decent machine... or the place will get out of control... and that'll not help much....

Maybe... I should just get some sheep!... That a way, I could just set in the shade and watch them mow the dang grass!

Planning on rollin' Slick to Loveland some time today... I have to take a riding test to get a permanent license... yup... I went so long without a bike that I quit carryin' the motorcyle part... and now I gotta prove I can move the thing down the road without fallin' off! :-) Been puttin' it off for two years... 'bout time I just got it outa the way... don't you think?

Been following the work of a fella, way back east, a few weeks... He's doin' something I've contemplated and just never pulled the trigger on... He's built a wagon... assembled a team... and is gonna travel 'round the country with genuine horse power...

I'll be curious to see how he handles the west... or if he'll come out this far... at five or ten miles a day... that'll take some time anyway! :-) It's pretty interesting though... and I expect there should be some good lessons in his efforts for all of us...

I guess I can't try to convince him to slow down though, huh? :-) Heck... he's even got George beat for slowin' down!

Next weeks Motorcycle Touring ride is gonna be something I've not done for a while... It'll be a whirlwind motel trip! Plan is to introduce Slick to most of Yellowstone... in fact... I've got it penciled out... where he can meet all five gates! :-) I'm sure he can do it... the question is... can this Ol' geezer... hang on the back of a naked motorcycle for 1400 miles or so of highway over 4 days...

Why? ... Why not? :-)

Ridin' a bike is kind of the alter ego of goin' slow... a bike ain't about slow... it's more about makin' miles, with the wind in your face... grinnin' from ear to ear as you collect... BUGS! :-) .... good thing I seem to have multiple personalities! :-) ... slow one day... 90 miles an hour with the devil in the seat the next!

Some motorcycle jockeys got a sayin' ... "Shut up and Ride!" ... so that's just what I'll do... I'm hoping for shiny weather... and the buffalo... not too thick this time... It's a bit more exciting... you sittin' on a bike... hemmed in by cars... and that 2500 lb Bull comes strollin' by... then when you're sittin' in your truck!... there's no door for him to dent... just your jeans... :-)

Duboise, West Yellowstone, Chief Joseph Highway, Bear Tooth Pass, Old Faithful Inn, Duraven Pass, Cody, Yellowstone River, Lamar Valley... Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone... the names just carry so much for me, and bring back so many memories. It's easy to ride toward 'em... and I've always had a difficult time... ridin' or driving away...

If I had any sense at all... I wouldn't!

Well... I'm off to see if they approve of my ridin' style :-) ... I suppose no wheelies... right?

Take Good Care
Brian

August 20, 2008 08:37 - Legally Licensed ... Again!

:-) ... I can't brag about the performance... but it was good enough to get my ticket... :-) ... Pretty pathetic... all I had to do... was all I have to do ridin' the scooter around ever' day... and there I was... all wiggly and nervous like a schoolboy gettin' grilled by her Ol' Dad before the first date...

... with him cleanin' his shotgun!

I didn't do the test without gettin' some 'points' ... but I only got a few :-) and a lot less than you can get and still pass...

That pattern is pretty darn tight! and that V Star... at least when it's under me... is kind of tough to ride, real precise, at real slow speed... so I bumped a cone or two... OOPS!

But... with the speed up... doin' the 'emergency' manuevers... I sailed right through that part... it was weaving through the cones at about 2 mph that gets me in trouble...

... No problem... I'll just go fast all the time! :-)

So.... I went from there to REI... and picked up a couple new bags to improve my Touring outfit... actually five... one duffel and a few light waterproof stuff sacks to line my saddle bags...

I still don't have a proper Motorcycle Touring tent... what I have, is pretty much, bigger than the bike!... what I want is more than a tight wad like me can squeeze into the budget just now... so it will have to wait a bit... so... this little 'side trip'... away from home and rig will be motel to motel... :-) ...

What the heck... it's wandering... on a Motorcycle... which are, in fact, one of the worlds best RV's! :-) ... so I can't complain even if I wanted to...

This trip won't be Boondocking of course... Not stayin' in rented rooms! ... but I'll be rollin' through some of the best Boondocks out there... so I'll take it!... it would be a lot finer if the Boss Lady was settin' on the pillion seat behind me... but, 1. Slick just ain't built to haul both of us very far... and 2. I've not got herself, totally convinced that my hand on the throttle can be trusted! :-)

As for that (gettin' out Boondocking and full-time) ... and our 'situation'... I am seriously considering a wholesale re-direction of what we've been tryin' to do...

I spent a lot of time, on our last circle, thinkin' 'bout this... and quite a bit since we've been back... Haven't made any 'cast in concrete' decisions yet... but we're close...

One way or the other... something has to change... 'cause this sittin' in limbo just ain't gettin' it done for me... so... I'll be dedicatin' a whole post to where my head is wanderin' to now... Tomorrow! :-)

Till then... I better get to my chores...

Take Good Care
Brian

August 21, 2008 06:30 - When you look up... and you don't recognize where you're at...

... Maybe it's time to pull over and study the 'Road Map' a mite?

Well here it is... been on this 'road' now... the better part of two years... and here I sit in the same Ol' house... NOT where I had planned on bein'.

Not from lack of tryin'... just that old deal about 'Life is what happens when you're makin' plans'...

Somewhere along the way... if you've been thumpin' your head against the wall... without any measurable progress for a good long while... it's probably a good thing to stop doin' that!

I mean... cavin' your noggin' in ain't likely to improve your situation.

With us... between the Real Estate Market, Fuel costs, management issues with our store... yadda yadda yadda... it's just thrown up roadblock after roadblock to goin' full-time on the road... and at this point, I'm a bit weary of it all.

I figure... it's gonna be another two years, more or less, before this lousy real estate market turns... Now, for a lot of people the house is maybe a small deal... for us... it's the kingpin. Those years on the ranch didn't build our 'account' in any sort of a way that made us 'wealthy'... The house was/is our 'pot' at the end of the rainbow...

By world standards I'm sure we're far better off than most... but.. still not in a situation where we could just lock the door and drive away for a year or two.

Our Calculatin' was cuttin' things pretty thin two years ago... Now, the value of our place is down, maybe 15 to 20%... depending on how you figure things... and that's IF we could sell it in the first place... which... ever'body knows... ain't happened!

The drop in the value of our property... combined with the rise in fuel... which thankfully appears to be moderating for juuuuust a lil' bit! :-) and some other minor issues with our store (our main source of income... good thing Heidi is good at makin' the donuts!) and some naggin' medical 'issues', has kept us from Pursuin' the Dream.

So... is the Dream Dead?

No Sir! Not Even a Little Bit! ... THAT, just ain't gonna happen... That said, when you come to realize that things just aren't gonna work out the way you wanted... You have got to accept that and adjust... and THAT is just what I'm whittlin' on now.

We still want to travel around a lot.

We still want to change the way we live... not a Minimalist Thing... but a lot Simpler for sure, and focused more on doing things that feed the Spirit and maybe not the belly quite so much! :-)

We're just about finished with focusing on selling the house... I am OVER that!... What a pain in the kiester that has been.

It's likely we'll leave it on the market (back burner sort of thing)... current contract runs out in a few weeks with an agent we're greatly displeased with... and haven't really looked for another... but... with that... there's no rush anyway!

The way were looking now... is to simply pull back as much as we can. Continue knocking down what debts we have... simplifying as much as we can, to open up our time... and go yondering Part-Time. (in other words... dump the crap we've realized has no value... and grab on hard to those things that do!)

We've already 'divested' a lot... most of what's left is the debts that would have been wiped out with the sale of the house... and then the cost/labor of maintaining the house itself....

So... It looks like I'm going to re-start my Leather Shop that I closed a couple years ago... in pursuit of the income we need to follow the new 'Road Map'... and offset those remaining costs of living...

I won't be doing the full custom leather I used to... this time around I'll be building Hand Crafted, Art Grade Albums ... Only.... I really enjoy the carving... so again... grab on to that which pleases... and abandon that which don't! :-)

The 'Idea' is... cut our cost of living as low as we possibly can... while remaining, effectively, in place... and 'bump' our income a bit (while returning to full self-employment to put us in full control of our schedule).... In affect.... Work Part-time.... and get goin' RV Boondocking... Part-Time.

We'll travel... as we have, in 'Circles'... Roll out, easy, usually to some pre-determined location... and eventually, when the time is up... roll back here to 're-supply' for the Next Circle! :-) If every month or so... we can take off on a two or three week run... with a wider circle thrown in, occassionally, that's actually a pretty good life... now ain't it!

I mean... if you tell the fella who can't even take off for more than a week or two ... once a year... that you've got it tough, 'cause you can only take off for two weeks... every fourth or fifth week... he's not likely to have much sympathy for you... is he? :-)

It's not what we'd (I'd) envisioned... but a smaller diamond... is still a diamond... and when I look at it... there's ways it just might even shine brighter!

I've got a lot of work to do... and difficulties to be overcome... but these are a lot smaller... and they are within my small 'circle of influence' you might say... so I'm off to do some influencing!

If that's you, in the same boat that we are... move over... your sitting on my hand! :-)

Then... just look at things... there's a way around. There IS a way to shape your life into Shining Times... you'll only fail if you quit. Don't cave in your head bangin' on that wall... 'cause you insist on doin' it JUST how you wanted it done... back off a bit... take a breath... put your ego on hold... and find a way that will work...

I know it's humbling... I'm in possession of an Ego myself that gets a real regular bruising. Take my word for it... you'll get over it... just keep on trying... hold tight to your circle of family and friends... and it will work itself out.

Take Good Care
Brian

August 23, 2008 06:17 - Just Ramblin'

Hauled the Eagle up to Laramie yesterday afternoon, for Heidi and Buck.... for another trial... I have to do that 'stuff' to make ends meet... so I'll stay here... and go back up Sunday evening to bring 'em home...

Heck, I didn't even have the rig set up yet and they'd already collected their first 'Q'... a 'Q' stands for a 'qualifying run'... They're maybe halfway toward collecting the Q's they need to acquire Bucks next big title...

Piddling with my gear so it'll be ready... I'll head out as early Tuesday as I can summon the ambition to roll out, and head for Yellowstone! My built in clock is slowin' down... what used to be 5:30, automatic... is now about an hour later :-) ... hmmm... if I live long enough... wonder if it'll get to 9 or 10? :-)

Hey! Bought diesel in Cheyenne on the way up for $4.03! ... Did you ever think that you'd go rippin' in to a place to grab it... 'cause it was such a bargain... for $4.03? :-)

But .... Shhhhhh ......Let's not talk about it too much though... Don't wanna 'jinx' it do we? :-) ... Just buy it kinda ... quiet... and pull away real slow so nobody notices!

Had another one of those days the other day... as of the 20th of August... I've been stumbling around the planet for something like 20440 days...

In celebration... and to help conserve water on our travels... I've been wanting to go back to an electric shaver... so... In celebration of all those days... Heidi gave me a new 'Lectric shavin' gizmo! :-) ... first time in 38 years... I used one before I enlisted... but it got stole, soon after I went to basic... and the DIs said it didn't cut close enough anyway...

Now... it cuts as close as I need... for the girls I dance with! :-)

Nice thing though is... it'll save that much more water... less out of the White water, as Heidi calls it... and less into the Grey... 'course... it'll have to pull something out of the batteries to charge it up... ain't no free rides are there?!

Summers slippin' away... This weeks run'll likely be our (my) last of the season... then a month or so layin' low... maybe an early fall circle... somewhere... then at the end of October we roll down to Arizona for a BIG Trial and then up to Las Vegas the next week for another... and the week before all of that... is a Memorial Motorcycle Run I'd like ot ride again... in Arizona as well...

Onliest problem... as always... things bein' how they are, is the dinero... can I afford to take off the three weeks? ... and then the question that sits right behind that one... Can I Afford NOT TO? :-) ...

I've got time to find that lil' pot at the end of the rainbow to buy the diesel with...

So... I better get to lookin' for it!

Take Good Care
Brian

August 25, 2008 19:16 - Ready to Roll...

... Just Waitin' on Sunrise!

Got my gear packed... and Slick's loaded and ready to head north... and it looks like a bit of North is what we might end up finding...

My road partners for this trip... Mike and his wife Cathy, told me a bit ago, when they called, that the Highs in Yellowstone this week will be just into the 60's... that ain't a problem... but... generally... they don't get there till a bit into the afternoon... :-)

... and since the lows are goin' to be down in the 30's... :-) ... I get to prove I like a Naked Bike!

... Hmmm... so I might just have to run quick enough in the mornin's ... to build enough air friction to keep warm! :-)

Laramie... up over the Snowies to Saratoga... to Rawlins... to Riverton... it's a "long and winding road"... through some awful soul fillin' country...

Hope my butt don't freeze to the seat... while my soul is fillin' up! :-)

That's OK... that's why they built all them quick marts every hundred miles or so... so guys that ain't got sense enough to buy a windshield can catch a cup of coffee and warm up! :-)

Don't Slick look fine with all his 'Travelin' gear'?

I'll see ya on the road!... I'll be the purty older gentleman... on the Black V Star! :-)

Take Good Care
Brian

August 26, 2008 21:53 - They write songs about...

... The Wyoming Wind...

Some folks like it... others curse it... I can live with it... Though... a little less today would not have drawn a complaint from me. I believe it had to be runnin' nigh on to a 30 to 40 mile an hour head wind much of the 402 miles Slick carried me today... and when it wasn't comin' head on... it was bouncin' me around from the side.

Discounting the wind there was some nice country along the way... I was thinking it might get cold... but except for up on top of the Snowy Mountains... where I got a good case of the shivers early this morning, it stayed pretty warm... fact is... about Sweetwater Junction I had to pull off my jacket... just too warm!

It looks pretty nice with the sun shinin' in a near cloudless sky... but even the skeeters were wearin' long johns up there this mornin'! ... and I couldn't find mine! I've got probably four pair... but could I find 'em for this trip? Not a chance... and nobody has anything in stock yet... short of some fancy silk stuff...

Heidi tried to talk me into borrowin' some she has... but... I'm just not willin' to wear pink insulated bloomers with lace around the cuffs... just to stay warm! :-)

From start to finish, I battled the wind... Make many rides like this and I'll be pumped up like Ol' Arnold Swartzennegger from hangin' on to the bars! :-)

I tried tucking in behind a big truck or two a couple times... The turbulence there was more work then just hangin' it in the wind... so that's just what I did...

... and pulled in to the Branding Iron in Dubois for the night... at about 4pm... Simple little 'log cabin' place. Nothin' fancy... but the cabins are clean and the price was right. I had to wait a couple hours for Mike and Cathy to catch up... they got hung up along the way for a bit. Once they got here we ran down the street to the Cowboy Cafe for supper... Nothin' fancy there either... but the food was real good... leastways it was to me!

Then again... I didn't mind C rations all that much. :-)

The way I came... especially from Sweetwater Station Jct. to Riverton... I figure most people would describe as bleak, deslolate and barren... and to some degree it is all those things... It's badlands kind of country for sure... It's hard for some folks to see it... but... If you give 'em a chance... they have a special beauty all of their own.

I will admit, it's a mite easier to hear the silence, the solitude and the serenity in those empty lands... when the wind ain't throwin' things at you... and the sand isn't flying around quite so much...

I guess it comes from growing up in Arizona... but desert country still competes well with the mountains, when I think of beautiful, Far Country.

The breeze had it pretty hazy all day... so I failed to get any other pictures worth publishing... but tomorrow, Yellowstone should offer up some nice ones... hazy or not!

Found a hole in Verizons air card service this evening... and Dubois Wyoming is in it! I've posted this, 'cause I managed to get on via somebody's wi fi... but, though my phone works... the air card don't... go figure.

Till next time...

Take Good Care
Brian

August 28, 2008 23:28 - Wednesday was a mostly grey and windy day in Yellowstone

Started morning climbing up over Togwotee Pass... which took a bit of time, as they're doing some heavy reconstruction of the road... Was fairly sunny on the east side... but the clouds piled up the closer we got...

'bout the last sun we saw, for most of Wednessday was just as we were entering Teton park, on our way to the South entrance to Yellowstone

When we turned north the temperature fell, and the wind kept cranking... I sure wouldn't have wanted to be out on Lewis or Yellowstone Lake that day... the water was whitecaps from bank to bank... made me thankful for my coveralls! :-) ... and in August!

Caught a lunch at the Grant Village Restaurant and then rode the bikes over to Old Faithful just in time to watch an eruption... I may be mistaken... but I do believe Ol' Faithful might be wearin' out... It appears to me the Old Geyeser just ain't as big as it used to be...

The road construction along the highway from Dubois ... and some chip and seal work inside the south end slowed us down considerable... so we had to roll pretty steady NE ... Heading to Cooke City...

It was grey and cold... so I can't say that the sight seein' was very prime, this trip, anyway...

Lamar Valley was it's usual beautiful self though... and was where the sun, finally decided to reappear for a bit.

I took this picture, while we were waiting for a Buffalo Jam to clear... We'd pulled up to a 'jam' about a 1/4 mile east of this position... but turned back for a bit to wait it out... The Buffs Climbed up on the road, and were walking down the pavement, side by side, shoulder to shoulder... NOT a good place to be on a motorcycle...

Sitting on a motorcycle, it's not like you're sitting in your car and can just wait for 'em to pass... you really need to deal with it a little differently... as in... "Tarnashun! Ya gol durn idjit! Git your ownself out'n the way!" :-)

So... We did! We made a quick decision to exercise a bit of discretion and give 'em some room. Took most of twenty minutes for 'em to decide to go back out into the valley, and leave the road to us two legged critters.

I'd just started taking a few pics... took this one... then looked up to see a wall of Buffalo coming down the road... and decided... post haste... to vacate that area for a while! :-) Failed to pop a pic of the 'roadblock'... as I was busy hustling to not be run over by it!

I was kind of bummed by the lack of pictures for the day... but the grey skies just didn't co-operate with me and my Nikon... That's OK though... sometimes, maybe it's better to put the camera aside and just look. Yellowstone, like a lot of places has a lot of personalities... you just have to accept what you get... not much choice anyhoo... don't know anybody who has managed to successfully change the weather in Yellowstone... Do You? :-)

Finished up the day with a fine piece of Salmon at the Beartooth Cafe in Cooke City.

Then... DOH!... Cooke City, Montana has no cell service... so my air card failed to work there as well... but some nit wit... also failed to notice that the dang motel had wi fi... all you had to do was ask for the password to use it... by the time I figured that out... it was way late in the evening and we were pulling out in the morning... so this post just had to wait till I returned to the land of the internet. :-)

I'll catch up the rest in the morning...

Take good care
Brian

August 29, 2008 07:00 - Thursday... I Rode the Beartooth!

Beartooth Pass is a pretty fine run on a motorcycle. You cross the border between Wyoming and Montana right up there near the top... so I guess you can argue about 'where' it is.

Bottom line... it's a whole bunch of twisties all stuffed into one chunk of road.

Something that makes it a bit more difficult to run are all the views... your attention keeps getting distracted by another Far View... but if you don't keep it on the road... it's a long way to the bottom! :-)

Even so... with all the gorgeous country... my 'Photograph building' part is on the fritz this trip... I keep pushin' the button... but it just ain't happenin'. The good pictures have been in the great minority this time....

There's scenes like this one here... 'round every bend... another one of those "Prettiest Places I ever saw"... But... I just couldn't capture 'em with a camera...

I kept tryin'... Leanin' around the corners... huntin' for another good picture...

Slick and me even got caught ourselves... leanin' around one corner... but the picture makin' juices just didn't get flowin' this time.

Coming out of Cooke City, we could see the smoke from a big fire off to the south... We rode Beartooth Pass both ways... back tracking... so we could take the Chief Joseph Highway down to Cody... just down that road a ways, we got a pretty good view of the thing...

Completely silent... the beast still looks like it has an awsome amount of power, even from this distance, don't it? I guess at this point it's sizzled something over 50,000 acres. It's in awful rough country, so fighting it is more than difficult.

Mike and Cathy and I stopped for an early supper in Cody... and when we came out the bikes were speckled with falling ash from that fire... the smoke trail went right over the town... and dissappeared over the horizon off to the south east... so if you're south east of Cody... and it's hazy... it just might be a fire in Wyoming that's causing it.

a fast run to Thermopolis for the night... and then this morning... They'll head back NE for Pinehaven ... and I'll climb on Slick and roll for Nunn!

Take Good Care
Brian