Montana to Utah – October 2018

October 3, 2018March 12, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Monday October 1: I am up by 7:30 and chat with the neighbors at their campfire before making tea for our thermoses. Today is a travel day and we plan to leave from our brief stay here at Divide Bridge Campground and make it as far as the Walmart in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Mist rising in the morning at Divide Bridge Campground

Traveling south through southwestern Montana

It is very windy and we are glad to pull off the highway when we reach Idaho Falls. We park along the grass on the back parking lot and then spend a few minutes picking up trash. It is too bad that some people abuse the privilege of overnight stays at Walmart, and because of that fewer Walmarts are allowing overnighters. There are many RV coming in this afternoon, perhaps because of the wind. We go to Panda for a late lunch and then pick up the groceries and sundries we will need for the next leg of the trip.

Tuesday October 2: We are on our way after making thermoses and tidying up. It is very windy, worse than yesterday, causing slower travel and poor gas mileage.

We stop at the rest stop before the Utah border, the rest stop that I call the Apple Tree Stop. It is a relief to get off the highway for awhile and just walk about. I check out the apple tree, an untended giant of a tree, and see that it is bountiful this year. I poke among the apples that have fallen and gather a bagful that will be made into applesauce.

We reach the Perry, Utah, Walmart in late afternoon and park along the edge of the lot. We can see a huge storm to the west, and we learn from my brother Rollie that he is in the midst of it on his parallel route through Nevada. Eventually the storm moves over us and I’m glad we are parked and not trying to drive through the downpour.

Last sunlight on the hills at Perry, Utah

Wednesday October 3: We leave Perry and begin the journey through Salt Lake City, and even though part of it is on a bypass that we have discovered, the rest of it is the main I-15 corridor made worse by construction. I am ever so grateful when we come out on the south end of this huge city complex and stop for lunch at Cracker Barrel in Springfield.

After lunch, we continue south of I-15, new country for us, a day of clouds and rain storms. We leave the interstate at the junction to Utah State Hwy 50, then take Hwy 24 to the small town of Loa where we are meeting Rollie.

A day …
of clouds …
and …
rain storms…
and more clouds.

Rollie arrives before us and as soon as we get there, we all decide to head onto our intended destination outside Torrey, Utah, near Capitol Reef National Park. Arriving at the BLM road, Beas Lewis Flat, where we plan to stay, we park and scout on foot, finding a couple of pullouts that will accommodate both rigs. We will have lots of privacy here, as well as great views.

Scouting out places to park the rigs
End of day

After we get set up, I make chili for dinner for all of us, glad to have the driving over for awhile and happy to have found such a scenic place to call home for the next couple of weeks.

Sister Hike – September 2018

September 25, 2018February 26, 2019 Carol Carnicom3 Comments

Tuesday September 25: One of the best things about camping here in the Bitterroot Valley is that I get to see my sisters, Lillian and Nancy. Both sisters have come out a couple of times and we have visited with our brother Rollie who is also camped here. I had planned to meet Nancy for another visit and hike, but that is being cut out by our leaving early. However, I do get to see Lillian one more time before Clifford and I leave Montana for the season.

Lillian and I meet for lunch at a nice place in the nearby small town of Florence and sit outside in the sunshine in the enclosed patio, protected from the breeze. So nice to have the time to visit with no rush to be somewhere else.

After lunch, she comes back to our campground and we hike up the Bass Creek Trail to the quiet spot on the creek where I hiked earlier this week with friends. We both take photo of the waterfall that is usually hidden and then continue on up the trail, taking photos of each other. What a fun day!

Lillian Taking a Photo
Hidden Waterfall

Lillian
Bass Creek Trail

Clifford went on a cross-country hike by himself today. It is good that we are both getting out and hiking some. He also made progress on the CI Legacy Project. After dinner, while I did the dishes, he played the dulcimer, which is always nice to hear. Most days I play the viola, but not today. Sister visits are more important!

Kootenai Creek Hike – September 2018

September 24, 2018February 25, 2019 Carol Carnicom5 Comments

Monday September 24: The low last night was in the mid-30’s and the high today is only 59 degrees with a cumulus cloud cover. In looking at the map and the forecast for cooler weather in Montana with rain and possibly early snow, we decide that we will have to leave Bass Creek earlier than planned and begin the journey south. I am not so happy about this, as it means a change of plans as far as seeing family goes, but I do understand the wisdom of the decision.

In the afternoon, Clifford and I drive to one of the other main drainages in the Bitterroot Range, Kootenai Creek, just a few miles further south in the Bitterroot Valley. It is a lovely hike with lots of autumn color and the creek seems especially lively as it tumbles around boulders and over rocks that form the creek bed. We left camp a little late for getting sunlight on the foliage, but at least we are here and have the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful scenic trail before we leave this area.

Kootenai Creek
Kootenai Creek

Clifford and Carol

Clifford on the Kootenai Creek Trail
Carol on the Kootenai Creek Trail

Bass Creek – September 2018

September 23, 2018February 19, 2019 Carol Carnicom2 Comments

Wednesday September 19 to Sunday September 23:

Clifford and I are camped at Bass Creek in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. We sure do like this campground with its mix of wooded creekside campsites and open ponderosa forest campsites.

Autumn colors at our campsite in the Ponderosa forest at Charles Waters Campground at Bass Creek Recreation Area

My brother Rollie is camped here, also, but leaves on Thursday. I make breakfast for the three of us and then we say our good-byes for now. It’s been fun playing music with him, sharing meals and playing cribbage almost every evening. We will see him again this winter in Arizona.

I’m having issues with my brand new cell phone. People can call me, but I can’t call out. I spend a long time on Clifford’s cell talking to Verizon trying to figure things out. Eventually it is somewhat resolved. I also send a few texts to family and friends from the new cell. I take a few photos, but have other things going on, so don’t really have the time to devote to it right now.

On Saturday we make a trip to Missoula for errands before driving out Petty Creek to see my daughter Ang, grandson Oden, and Ang’s friend, Rama. It is good to see them and have dinner together. We don’t stay long after dinner, as they were up late last night and we would like to get back to Bass Creek before dark.

My favorite display at Book Exchange in Missoula

Sunday morning I make coffee and a campfire, planning to sit out to write in the journal – and then it starts to rain. I hang a tarp over the clothes line for a shelter and sit out for awhile with the fresh air and the rain.

In the afternoon, long-time friends, Ken and Shelley Anne, come out to the campground to have lunch with us. After we eat, Ken, Shelley Anne, and I hike up the Bass Creek trail to a spot where the lively creek is calm. This year it is also very low and we are able to step down to a spot where we can see a waterfall that is normally out of view. It is so wonderful to spend time in this setting with these dear people.

Dear Friends
Yours Truly

During these days, I have also been editing for Ang and have prepared the first draft of a query that will be sent to literary agents for her epic fantasy novel Princes and Priests.

Our days are jam-packed with interesting and fun things to do. I am looking forward to a few more days here before we begin the southward journey to southern Utah.

More Seeley Lake Days – September 2018

September 6, 2018January 26, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday September 4: The night was chilly and autumn colors are becoming more pronounced. After a morning walk along the lake, it is warm enough to sit in the sunshine to write in the journal and send pics to my family.

My daughter Katie calls to see if I will come to the sibling and friends gathering in Wallace, Idaho. I had thought I would not go, but it is worked out for me to meet up with my daughter Ang and her friend Rama to ride partway with them. It will be good to see kids and grandkids that I might not otherwise get to see on our travels.

In the afternoon, I continue with editing Ang’s book Princes and Priests. Later, Clifford and I go to the laundromat in the town of Seeley Lake. After the baskets of clean clothes are loaded in the Suburban, we cross the highway to the gift shop for a really good ice cream cone. Back at camp, after dinner and cleanup, we both read/study until bedtime.

Wednesday September 5: Clifford is up earlier today, so I sit out in the morning sunshine to chat with him and then we tend to some CI email. For both of us, it is a day of our usual activities: Clifford works on the CI Legacy Project, plays his dulcimer, and listens to his ham radio; I edit, write blogs, play viola, and read. Dinner is simple and we are happy being here.

Thursday September 6: This morning I make a campfire instead of going down to the lake. Nice to sit here with my coffee and journal.

After breakfast I pack a bag to take to Wallace. As I’m getting my car tidied up, I meet the neighbor across the road, an artist currently living in a tent as she does large colorful lively paintings out in the open. She is quite an interesting and friendly woman, with a great idea for a foundation to help other artists.

I do my walkabout this afternoon as a storm is moving in with a bit of a rainbow. By time I get to a spot clear enough to get a shot of it, the rainbow has faded, but it was still exciting to see.

Breakfast burritos for dinner and then I tidy up our cozy space before heading to bed.

Trip to Sun River – August 2018

August 29, 2018January 15, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday August 29: Early morning at the Seeley Lake Campground in the Seeley-Swan Valley of western Montana, I go down to the lake to take photos in the mist. The ambiance of mist and fog appeals to me.

I fix yogurt and fruit for Clifford and myself, make coffee for the thermos, pack a little bag of clothes, and wait for my brother Rollie to arrive with his motor home. He and I are going together to Sun River on the other side of the mountain from the Seeley-Swan Valley where this campground is located. Clifford will be staying at the campsite with Cougar, holding down the fort, so to speak.

Riding in the front of a class-A motor home is quite the vantage point for seeing the scenery, but it feels like a long drive from Seeley Lake to Sun River. There is certainly a lot of variety in the landscape and I especially enjoy seeing the rivers, something that I miss living in Utah.

Another lake in the chain of lakes in the Seeley-Swan Valley

Island in a lake in the Seeley-Swan Valley

Although I grew up in western Montana, I also lived within view of Crown view for twenty years, so there is a familiarity with seeing the scenes from the east face of the Rockies.

Birdtail Rock, the icon of the Birdtail Hills - East face of the Rockies — Birdtail Rock, the icon of the Birdtail Hills – East face of the Rockies

Crown Butte - East face of the Rockies — Crown Butte – East face of the Rockies

Once we arrive in Sun River, we find Matt and a fishing buddy, Lexie. It is good to see him. After Rollie gets the motor home set up, we all walk down to the river just to see the river. Tomorrow will be the fishing day.

I make dinner for all of us in the motor home and we visit until late. Rollie’s couch is my bed tonight.

Good-bye Cabin City-Hello Seeley Lake – August 2018

August 28, 2018January 11, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday August 25: Mostly sunny this morning and I sit outside for my quiet time. Have a good chat with my son Matt when I call to wish him happy birthday.

My daughter Merri comes out to have lunch with us. She brings some fresh produce and we make a good tasty lunch, eating out in the screen house.

After Merri heads home, I play viola and read. Nice day except for the mouse we found bumbling about near the steps. Mice are bad enough, but have to wonder if this one has rabies or is somehow demented. Creepy.

Sunday August 26: Today Clifford and I go to Wallace again, as we have to get more stuff out of my daughter Katie’s basement.

We visit with her a bit and great to see the grandkids for a minute. Then Clifford and I load my car as full as we can get it. We are back at camp in time for a late lunch. The evening is dinner, dishes, and reading for me, while Clifford works on his projects. We run out of propane in the night, which is inconvenient, and catch four more mice, which is totally creepy.

Monday August 27: We start packing as soon as we are up, as we are leaving today. No showers or breakfast or hot tea, since we are out of propane. We are on our way about 11:00 a.m. and once we arrive in Missoula, we go to Cracker Barrel for lunch, Bretz RV for propane, Barnes&Noble for the bookstore fix and a latte, and on to the Walmart parking lot where we replenish supplies and spend the night.

Tuesday August 28: Since we have two vehicles – my car and Suburban towing Cougar – we leave Suburban and Cougar at Walmart and take my car to a music store in Missoula. I want to get a shoulder rest, but when we get there, the fellow working there doesn’t know how shoulder rests work, so he is no help to me. Instead, I end up with a shaped sponge, which I hope will help with holding the viola properly. It beats me how a city the size of Missoula, a university town with a good music department, does not have a properly stocked music store with knowledgeable clerks.

Back at Walmart, we finish our shopping and then head out of Missoula, stopping at Bonner for gas. Heading north on highway 200 to the Clearwater junction, we then wind our way up the Swan Valley to the Seeley Lake Campground. We find a roomy spot near where we were last year, but with more of a view of the lake.

View from our campsite at Seeley Lake Campground

After we get set up, I walk down to the lake, taking photos to share with family, while Clifford gets his ham radio antennas up. It is so great to be here! After a simple dinner, Clifford continues adjusting his radio gear and I read until heading to bed.

Cabin City Days – August 2018

August 24, 2018January 8, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday August 18: It is less smokey this morning and very pleasant sitting outside writing in the journal.

Later, when the temperatures warm up and the flies become bothersome, we set up the screen house over the picnic table, giving us place to eat, write, and play music without the pesky flies.

Sunday August 19: A walk in the forest is a lovely quiet time for me this morning.

In general, the day has the usual things going on: writing, reading, editing for daughter Ang, and taking photos (Carol); ham radio and CI Legacy Project (Clifford), with the addition of being stung by a wasp (Carol) and going bike riding around the two loops of the campground (both of us).

Monday August 20: It is hard to tell overcast from smoke haze this morning. In spite of the somewhat dreary sky, I walk around both loops of the campground. We are the only people here; even the hosts are gone.

In the afternoon, there is a knock on the door and we are surprised to see my son Saul. We invite him in and I make tea for the three of us. He is headed to an organic farm and has stopped here to spend the night. We have a nice visit and after he gets his camp set up, he joins us for dinner. Since he travels a lot, we get out the atlas and share thoughts about where he and we have been and where we all might be going in the future. Maybe our paths will cross again.

Late afternoon light at our campsite at Cabin City

Tuesday August 21: I walk about taking photos in the mist this morning. Then we invite Saul for breakfast and chat a bit more before he heads out.

Today I am going to Wallace to visit Katie and her family. Katie, her daughter Justice, her mother-in-law Sue, and I go to lunch. Really nice to visit with all of them. Being in Wallace also gives me a chance to go to the laundromat, my favorite second-hand store, and the market before I drive back over the mountain for a late dinner with Clifford.

Katie and Jeremy at the Wallace Coffee House

Wednesday August 22: After my morning quiet time and breakfast with Clifford, I start cleaning out my car. Katie needs to have our remaining stuff moved out of her basement, so yesterday I put as much as I could into my car. It it is too much to take back to Monticello, so I will be sorting and getting rid of books and other items. I find it hard to get rid of books, but in reality, it is not likely I will ever have time to read all of them.

Later, Clifford and I work on the back-up camera issue and find a spot where we can put the receiver (adhered to an aluminum pizza plate stuck in the bathroom door) so that the signal carries all the way from the back of Cougar to the monitor on the Suburban dashboard. It takes a bit of jury-rigging, but it works.

I finish the knit afghan for the newest member of the family, great-grandson Oliver. Bicycle, dinner, viola practice, and reading complete the day for me. Clifford continues with his projects and is up until the wee hours, as is normal for him.

Thursday August 23: It is smokey again and we have caught another mouse. Did it come with us from Bass Creek or are the mice a problem here? When camp host Susi comes around, I ask her about the mice and it does appear they have been a problem the last couple of years.

Today Clifford and I go to St. Regis again, as there is wifi at the Visitors’ Center. I send the completed Princes and Priests synopsis to Ang, while Clifford downloads a big music file. We have lunch at a cafe here, but it is not nearly as good as the meal we had at the $50,000 Bar&Grill earlier in the week.

In the evening, I make plans with Rollie regarding a trip to Sun River (near Great Falls, Montana) to visit my son Matt. Clifford will stay with Cougar at Cabin City.

Friday August 24: I make coffee and sit outside for awhile before getting ready for our trip to Couer d Alene. I have another doctor checkup, and once that is finished, we run errands in CdA.

On the way back to our campground, we stop in Wallace so Clifford can help make decisions about what to do with the rest of our stuff in Katie’s basement. We fit what we can into my car and the rest will be given away. Katie is cooking steaks on an outdoor grill, but due to the lateness of the hour, we have to head back to camp rather than staying for dinner. She sends a juicy steak home with us, which we thoroughly enjoy.

Cabin City – August 2018

August 16, 2018January 7, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday August 14: Today is moving day. Although we like where we are at Bass Creek Recreation Area in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana, we are heading to Cabin City, a campground on the Montana side of Lookout Pass. This will allow visiting with my daughter Katie and her family in Wallace, Idaho, without pulling Cougar over the pass.

Forest fire smoke as we drive from the Bitterroot Valley to Cabin City

When we arrive at Cabin City, there is almost no one there, but the spot we would have chosen is already taken. Oh well, that is the way it goes sometimes. We pick another nearby spot that will allow both shade for the RV and access to the sunshine for the solar panels, a bit of a challenge in this forested campground.

After we get set up, we have tuna sandwiches for lunch and proceed with our usual activities. In the evening, the hosts, Susi and Tom, come around and we chat with them for awhile. We met them here a couple of years ago and discovered at that time that Susi is the youngest sister of a really good friend of mine from high school days. “Small world….”

Wednesday August 15: Pretty light on the forest this morning, in spite of the forest fire smoke.

Today we are going to Wallace to visit Katie and her family; my son Saul is there, also, doing some work for Katie. My wellness visit is in Kellogg, just 12 miles down the road. The doctor at the clinic there was my doctor when we lived in Wallace and I still want to see her, but it will be the last time, as she is moving to Texas and I am one of her last patients in Idaho.

After the doctor visit, Clifford and I go to dinner with Katie and her friends. There are several conversations going on at once, so it is hard to talk to Katie to see how she and her family are doing. We’ll be back next week, so will visit more with her then. It is late by time we get back to Cabin City, but I read until midnight before heading to bed. Clifford, as usual, stays up with his projects until the wee hours.

Thursday August 16: Today we take care of the mail that we picked up in Wallace yesterday, having forwarded it there. Later, we make a trip to post office in St. Regis, the nearest town with a post office, and then dinner at the famous $50,000 Bar & Grill at the nearby Haugan exit. The food is plentiful and the gift shop has lots of fun stuff. I buy a top for myself and a T-shirt for Clifford, kind of a splurge, but worth it.

Back at camp, I walk about taking photos and then read most of the afternoon. While it might not be the most productive way to spend time, it good that I have the option to do just that.

Sibling Time – August 2018

August 13, 2018January 6, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Sunday August 12: Smokey and a few puffy clouds this morning at the Bass Creek Recreation Area where we are camped, but other than the smoke, it is a nice day and good that it is not so hot as it was in Missoula yesterday (100+ degrees).

Today is a gathering of my siblings and spouses at my sister Nancy’s house, just down the Bitterroot Valley a few miles from where we are camped. Daughter Becka calls and we chat while I make a quinoa/fruit salad for the potluck with my siblings.

Brother Ed, Sister Lillian, and her husband Cliff

Nancy and Dick’s place is looking really nice; tall shade trees and a beautiful big lawn provide a pleasant outdoor space for the gathering. Besides Nancy and Dick, my brother Rollie is there, brother Ed and his wife Sheryl, and sister Lillian and her husband Cliff. Lots of good conversation and laughter as we partake of the potluck. Rollie and I play music for a bit. It is such fun having this time together.

Back row: Rollie, Lillian, Carol. Rront row: Ed and Nancy

Back at camp, we hang out until my bedtime, and just as I’m getting into bed, I hear a noise (Clifford is outside) and looking toward the kitchen, I see mice coming up out of the heat vent. I have a mouse phobia, so my scream brings Clifford back to the camper. Two mice are caught in glue traps that we put out, as I suspected there was a mouse in the house. All the years we had Terry, we only had one mouse one time; we’ve only had Cougar two weeks and have already caught two mice with possibly a third on the loose. I’m kind of freaked out about this and it is midnight before I finally go back to bed. More bigger better mouse traps are high on the shopping list for tomorrow!

Monday August 13: It is still smokey, but otherwise a pleasant today. Today I am going to Lillian’s place, also in the Bitterroot Valley, a ways out of Stevensville. I stop at a thrift store in Stevensville to drop off stuff that is being discarded due to the move from Terry to Cougar. Need to simplify a bit. Then on out to Lillian and Cliff’s place in the slopes of the Sapphire Mountains, the range facing the Bitterroot Range, forming the wide Bitterroot Valley.

Lillian and I have a great visit with show-and-tell time, since I haven’t been there for at least a year, and then we sit in her outdoor seclusion area, enjoying the peacefulness of the place as we talk. All too soon it is time to head back to camp.

Lillian’s flowers

I stop at the Super 1 on my way and buy mouse traps, hoping that we really don’t need them. Clifford and I have a late dinner and begin packing, as tomorrow we must leave. It has been great being here, but we have other places to go and people to see.

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