Alberton Railroad Days – July 2018

Saturday July 21: Yesterday my brother Rollie moved his motorhome to Lolo Creek Campground, and this morning he and I are heading to Alberton to participate in Alberton Railroad Days. He picks me up in his S10 and we head over the mountain on back roads to reach Alberton before the parade.

A trip over the mountain

It is great to see my daughter Ang, who is the organizer of this event, a money-raiser for the non-profit that she established for the benefit of the Alberton community. Rollie and I are happy to add to this event and we get set up in the park to play bluegrass music. Besides playing music, I take photos at the parade and the “Shoot Out.” I am happy to see my daughter Merri and her family, including my youngest great grandson for the first time, as they stroll through the park.

The End
Shoot-out author and “hero”

Later, Clifford joins us and we walk about to see the vendors, listen to music, and have a great lunch, courtesy of Merri who lives just up the mountainside from the festivities. Rollie plays with the Old Time Fiddlers at Trax, one of Alberton’s bars, and I am invited to join them for one tune on the viola, which was fun.

Over the mountain and back to camp

Clifford, Rollie, and I leave about the same time, driving back over the mountain and back to our campground, satisfied with the events of the day.

Montana Here We Are – July 2018

Tuesday July 17: Although we like Divide Bridge Campground along the Big Hole River in southwest Montana, we are on a time schedule and leave fairly early.

Raining as we leave Divide Bridge Campground
Montana – Big sky, big mountains, big rivers
Clarkfork River as we approach Missoula area

We arrive at the Lolo Creek Campground north of Lolo, Montana, about mid-afternoon. This is a great location, relatively close to siblings in the Bitterroot Valley and kids on the west side of Missoula, as well as friends in Missoula. The drawback is that there is no cell service, so we have to drive back to Lolo to let everyone know we are here and begin making plans for getting together.

This is home at Lolo Creek Campground

Later, my brother Rollie and his pal Ninja drive up to see us and we play music – first time together since March. Since we are going to be doing a “gig”in a few days, some practice time together is a good idea.

Rollie and Ninja play the mandolin

We share a late dinner and I wrap up the day with the usual evening routine of reading, journal writing, and so on. Clifford works with his ham radio since we will be here long enough for him to set up his big antennas.

Happy to be here, happy to be in Montana, and soon I’ll be seeing my kids and my other siblings. Montana, here we are!

Wednesday July 18: Today is a day of settling into our spot, as we will be here for two weeks. We walk to Lolo Creek, just a short ways away, but other than that, we hang around camp, enjoying a relaxing day. 

Clifford on the bridge over Lolo Creek near the campground
Lolo Creek – western Montana

Clifford is focused on his ham radio communications and playing his dulcimer. I finish getting the inside of Terry set up, read, and write in my journal, having gotten behind while traveling.

A big bug joins Clifford on the dulcimer

In the afternoon, my brother Rollie comes out to play music and have dinner with us. A peaceful day, and it sure feels good to know that we do not to have to pack and be on the road in the morning.