July in the Bitterroot Valley – July 2022

Bitterroot Valley

July is off to a good start when my daughter Ang and a friend come out to my sister Nancy’s place to remove one of the dinette benches in our RV so the table can be turned lengthwise under the big window. It had struck me that this would be the way to make more usable room in Cougar. When the job is done, I am pleased with how much more spacious our front room is. There is still some reorganizing that needs to take place, but I know this is a good change and I am looking forward to making our living space more pleasing and harmonious.

New Table Arrangement

On the mornings that I wake up before Clifford, I do a short Qigong routine before making coffee, being as quiet as possible so as to not disturb his sleep. Recalling a meditation from Holden Qigong, I breathe in, smile, exhale letting the smile melt into my heart as I think of something I am grateful for. My heart fills with gratitude and more “Pieces of Perfection” reveal themselves to me, such as a brief moment of sunlight on the wet grass. Other “Pieces of Perfection” these early July days – my first cup of French press coffee, light streaming though the aspen leaves and tall grass at the edge of the yard.

At the Edge of the Yard
Pieces of Perfection
At the Edge of the Yard

Morning is a time for me to read uplifting and insightful words. From the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra, I read: “Pay attention and check with the heart, with the actual feeling generated in regard to any decision or action.” My heart likes taking photos of trees and flowers. Many mornings, Nancy and I walk the dogs along the road or to the woods along the river, an activity providing many opportunities to be mindful of the beauty that surrounds us.

Views While Walking the Dogs
Pieces of Perfection Seen While Walking Dogs
Walking the Dogs

One morning, getting up a bit earlier than usual, I am excited to see mist rising from the nearby ponds and the river. I run out to take photos, but the mosquitoes are so bad, I decide to skip walking down the road. As the mist starts to lift, I change my mind and walk out to the highway, getting images that I really like. I am grateful to be alive to enjoy the beauty that surrounds me, despite annoying mosquitoes.

Mist in the Morning
Mist in the Morning
Mist in the Morning
Raindrops on Roses – Piece of Perfection

Sometimes one has to wonder the how and why of one’s vibration drawing unpleasant things, especially when one (me) is living with a positive attitude or maybe I should say trying to maintain an attitude of gratitude and appreciation. A thought that comes to mind is Allowing. I like sitting out, but the mosquitoes that keep me inside call for Allowing, mice inside despite traps call for Allowing, not hearing from my kids when I know they are facing challenges calls for Allowing — accepting what is, but not focusing on it, as that only draws more of the unwanted.

Cleaning counter tops showing evidence of a mouse (yuk!), I think of my friend Caroline’s comments on cleaning/cleansing one’s home being a spiritual activity as well as a physical activity, and I try to keep a good attitude about this additional work and enjoy the view out the window of the trees, green grass, and sparkles of moisture twinkling in the slight breeze.

Moisture Twinkling in Sunlight
Subtle Beauty
Amazing Piece of Perfection

An afternoon thunderstorm gives the gift of a rainbow, which is certainly a piece of perfection.

Thunderstorm Moving In
The Gift of Perfection after the Storm

Evenings bring sunset colors to mountains and clouds.

Evening Sunset Brings Color to the Mountainside
Sunset Lights Up the Cloud Bank

We are looking forward to going to the Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival coming up later this month, but in the meantime, we are pleased with this pleasant spot at Nancy’s.

Bitterroot Valley, Montana – June 2022

After the family days at Seeley Lake in northwest Montana in late June, my daughter Ang and I say good-bye to her sister, my daughter, Becka, who will soon be heading back to Hawaii.

Saying Good-bye to Becka

After our good-byes, Ang and I go back to her place for an evening solstice bonfire honoring the changing of the seasons. The next morning, she and I have coffee on her deck, enjoying the beauty of the trees that surround us and the geraniums that wintered in the greenhouse.

The Beauty of the Forest Surrounds Us
Geraniums Survived Montana Winter in the Greenhouse

 I admire the scenery along highway 12 as Clifford and I head back  to our RV, which is set up in my sister Nancy’s back yard.

Scenery Along Highway 12 – Lolo Peak

In the later afternoon, Nancy and I walk her dogs along the road to the wooded area along the Bitterroot River.

Walking the Dogs with Nancy
Roadside Beauty

Although the big back yard where we are parked is lovely, the mosquitoes are anything but lovely, and Clifford and I spend much of the day inside Cougar (our RV) working on indoor projects. When the mosquitoes settle down in the afternoon, Clifford, Nancy, and I play bluegrass music outdoors. Although our repertoire is limited, it is a fun time for us.

Playing Bluegrass Music Outdoors

Nancy and I walk her dogs mornings and evenings, striding along to keep ahead of the mosquitoes. Of course, I have to dawdle to take photos, especially on the mornings when mist is rising from the river and the nearby ponds. Despite the mosquitoes, this is a favorite time of day for me.

Walking Along Carleton Creek Road
Mist in the Trees
Misty Mornings are a Favorite Time

On our travels as we were heading through Nevada on our way to Montana, my almost new Gateway laptop hard drive totally crashed. I have been using an older laptop to get by, but now that we are close to Missoula, we take it to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. Sadly, all my data is gone, including my editing of books for a couple of authors, edited photos, and already-written blogs. Fortunately, the book editing is recovered from emails recently sent to these authors, but the edited photos are gone, as are the recently written blogs. The next step is sending the laptop back to the company to have the hard drive repaired or replaced. Due to the weeks that I’ve been without the laptop plus the weeks it takes until the repaired laptop is returned, I have gotten quite far behind on the travel blogs. Losing so much data is very disheartening and it will be a while before I write and publish blogs again. In the meantime, I have other projects to work on, and taking photos is something I do no matter what.

Nancy’s Iris
Bitterroot Ridgeline – St. Joseph Peak

Meadow Valley – part 3

Globe Mallow at Meadow Valley Campground

Some days here at Meadow Valley BLM Campground are rather breezy to windy, just as it was in Arizona. I am trying to be more at peace with the wind, seeing it as mother nature’s “wild child,” talking to it as though to soothe a petulant youngster.

One chilly morning, 34 degrees, I walk down the road where I can catch the sunlight on the vegetation on the rock face. As I wait, the chilly wind nearly drives me back inside. Brrr….

Waiting for Sunrise
Cliff Basks in the Sunlight
Claret Cup Waiting for the Sun

However, the daytime temperatures have been in the 70’s, so no complaints there. I enjoy sitting out with yerba matte tea, having more time to read inspirational material since I don’t have internet to distract me with texting or checking email.

Sitting Out in the Sunshine

And then my laptop hard drive fails, so I can’t even work on projects like editing or writing blogs. This is not a happy event, but now I have even more time for reading and journaling. I contemplate the Buddhist Eight Noble Truths, as well as dwell on my own daily intentions of mindfulness, the  allowing of well-being, and surrounding myself with beauty. Well, this is certainly a place for that to be easy and joyful to accomplish. I also think about the Martha and Mary quandary I have faced for years. Here I have more opportunity to find a better balance between these two aspects of myself.

One of our projects is to make a mountain-man shirt for Clifford. I read (like reed, not red) the pattern and pin, he cuts and sews.

Working on the Mountain Man Shirt

The shirt turns out quite well and he wears it when he and I go for a longer hike up the drainage. We see a rock cairn in the wash at the beginning of the trail.

Rock Cairn in the Wash

The trail is rugged and wildflowers are abundant, including prickly pear blossoms seen for the first time in all of the walking about that I have done. Eventually we arrive at a spring where the landscape and dense vegetation force us to turn back. Great hike.

Clifford Heads up the Drainage
Dense Vegetation
Great Hike for an Old Lady
Intrepid Hikers Pause
Wildflowers Along the Trail
Canyon Walls
Prickly Pear Blossoms

.Besides the daily hikes, I look forward to sitting outside with reading material, my journal, and French press coffee, adjusting for sun or shade as need be. Lizards and birds, butterflies and ladybugs come to visit. Life is quite delightful and our allotted two weeks passes quickly. I am sorry to leave the rugged hills with their blooming shrubs and wildflowers, but we have Montana with family to look forward to.

Ladybug Visitor
A Visiting Butterfly
Saying Good-bye to the Rugged Landscape and Vegetation at Meadow Valley

Meadow Valley – Part 2 – May 2022

Stansbury Cliffrose at Meadow Valley Campground

Clifford and I are camped at Meadow Valley Campground east of Pioche, Nevada. We are have only been here a few days, but we really like this scenic setting. In the early mornings, as the rising sun lights up the hillsides, evening primroses are abundant, adding to the delightfulness of my morning walkabout.

Formations Silhouetted at Sunrise
Evening Primrose at Dawn

Every day I hike somewhere, sometimes through the campsites beyond us before winding through the tent sites on the other side of the wash and then further up the drainage where it deepens into an arroyo. Walking the path to the far side of the wash, I discover a pocket of claret cup, also known as king cup cacti.

Claret Cup Cacti

Every day there are more wildflowers; such fun for me!

Fleabane
Indian Paint Brush and Stansbury”s Cliffrose
Mormon Tea in Blossom

A project Clifford takes on is turning dirty water to much cleaner usable water via filtering through various types and layers of fabric. It looks messy, but it is surprising how well it works, as he started out with dirty water and came out with clear water.

Clifford’s Water Filter System
Mud Water to Clear Water

One of our first days here, we walk up the highway to the border of the Spring Valley State Park.

State Highway 322 to Spring Valley Nevada State Park
Clifford Waits for Me in the Shade
Warm Day for a Walk

It is a very scenic walk and a patch of red catches my attention. I am excited to find Indian Paintbrush not far off the highway,

Castilleja (Indian Paintbrush) Near the Spring Valley State Park Boundary
A Healthy Clump of Indian Paintbrush by Sagebrush

If we weren’t still hitched up, we would have driven there to further explore the state park. As it is, it is a good long walk for us and I am glad it is downhill getting back to camp.

Relaxing in the Shade

Back at camp, we enjoy sitting in the shade of junipers, relaxing after our outing.

Claret Cup

Nevada Adventures Begin – May 2022

It is time for us to begin the journey north to Montana. Clifford and I spent the winter in northwest Arizona, staying longer than intended as we waited for snow and cold to leave northern Nevada. Well, the Ruby Mountains are still cold and very snowy, so a change of plans is in order. We will still go to Nevada, but stay to the east side, traveling north to Idaho on US Highway 93.

Time to Say Goodbye to Black Rock Road, Arizona

May 10th we say good-bye to Black Rock Road and pull out, traveling through a landscape of red and black lava west of St. George, Utah, before winding through juniper covered hills, crossing over the Bull Valley Mountain Range, and across a large  valley to Enterprise, Utah. Once past this farming valley, as we take a westerly direction, the landscape with its dead trees does not impress me. Our first stop in Nevada after crossing another smaller mountain range is the small mining town of Pioche.

Pioche, Nevada

Thanks to Clifford doing a little research, we find an RV park on the edge of town allowing a week stay by donation. There are no restrooms, but there is water and garbage cans, a big plus after months of boondocking. The RV park has about ten spaces and we are pleased to find a spot available. We get settled in without unhitching since we won’t be here long.

City RV Park on the Edge of Pioche

The next day, as I am interested in seeing the restored area of town with its museum and old buildings, I head toward the heart of town. While I learn a lot about the town, it is a cold windy day and everything is uphill from the RV park. The walk was stressful on my heart and I realize I must take better care. The following day is a day of rest and indoor projects. A couple days later when the temperature and wind moderate, Clifford and I go to the museum together. It is still a long uphill hike, but more enjoyable than my previous visit to the museum.

Nevada Club in Pioche, Nevada
Before the Days of Cell Phones
Pioche Museum Display
Pioche Museum display

The old Lincoln County Courthouse is now also a museum and we pay a visit there, learning that Pioche was a violent nearly lawless town in the 1870’s when silver mining was the rage. There is a Boothill Cemetery we’d like to see, but since we didn’t unhitch, it will have to wait, as it is too far to walk.

Life-like Manikins in the Historic Lincoln County Courthouse Courtroom

In the morning, I go for a walk and find my way down into the pit next to the RV park where I take photos of a few wildflowers at sunrise. It is one of those places that could be made into a lovely walking park, if anyone cared enough to do it. When I am a rich lady……..

Sunrise from the Pioche City RV Park
Catching Sunrise at Pioche
Wildflowers at Sunrise
Evening Primrose Greets the Day

Our friend David had told of us a place he camped east of Pioche, so after staying a week at the RV park, having taken advantage of cell service to get caught up on email, blogs, and texts to family and friends, we head to Eagle Valley about 15 miles to the hills east of Pioche to find a place to camp. As it turns out, we find a small free campground, Meadow Valley Campground, just outside of Spring Valley State Park. The spots are small, probably designed for tent campers. We are fortunate that no one else is camped here, as it gives us the opportunity to park in the only spot big enough to accommodate our RV. Since we don’t know how long we will be here, we don’t unhitch, but get set up to enjoy whatever time we have. The rugged hills look like a great place to go exploring and we are pleased to have such a scenic setting as our home for a week or two.

Scenic Setting at Meadow Valley Campground

May Flowers in the Virgin River Gorge – May 2022

Views from Black Rock Road

Spring has arrived at Black Rock Road in northwestern Arizona where Clifford and I are camped. The acres of creosote that surround us are now in full bloom, the tiny yellow blossoms like sunshine sprinkled across the landscape.

Surrounded by Blooming Creosote

Warmer days encourage us to spend more time outdoors, including a picnic at Cedar Pockets, the campground in the Virgin River Gorge, about 10 miles to the south of our campsite.

View of the Virgin River Gorge from Cedar Pockets

Clifford takes his kalimba so he can accompany himself as he sings while I hike down to the river. The trail is narrow and steep in spots, but it feels good to be outside and to the see the mesas from the river bottom vantage point.

Clifford Playing and Singing with Kalimba at Cedar Pockets
Views of Mesas from River Bottom
Virgin River

I am not the only one enjoying the river. A cow and her calves splash across the river. When the twins see me, they stop to stare like I’m an alien, which I am to them. Then in mirror reflection of one another, their heads turn to watch the direction that big mom is taking. So fun to see them, as I play a silly game, called Cow Game, with a couple family members, and today I win Cow Game!

Virgin River
Today I Win “Cow Game”

It is delightful to be near the river with views of the mesas all around, and the frosting on the cake is to find flowers – globe mallow and desert marigolds. Although Cedar Pockets is not so very far from Black Rock Road, it is a very different ecosystem.

Globe Mallow at Cedar Pockets
Globe Mallow at Cedar Pockets
Desert Marigold at Cedar Pockets
Desert Marigold at Cedar Pockets

While Black Rock Road vegetation is acres and acres of creosote, the gorge displays a greater variety of desert plants with Joshua trees and many types of cacti, including cholla and a blooming hedgehog cactus along the trail from the upper campground to the lower camping area where we are picnicking.

Hedgehog Cactus in Bloom Along the Trail
View of the Virgin River from the Trail

For weeks we have been talking about camping in northern Nevada on our way to Montana for the summer. We thought we would leave in April, but northern Nevada has been too cold and snowy, and now it is May and the place we thought we’d go — the Ruby Mountains — is still too cold and snowy. However, Montana is beckoning and it will soon be too warm here in Arizona anyway. So, we begin preparations to leave our winter home. Besides picking up our mail, we also take a day for errands with a picnic of sorts at the back of the laundromat, and Clifford brings the kalimba and sings. Who can resist a picnic and music? Not us, apparently. 🙂

Our friend David pulls out just a few days before our departure date. It’s been good having a friend as a neighbor for the winter. We wish him well and safe journeying. Very soon Clifford and I will also be saying good-bye to Black Rock Road. Although the Ruby Mountains and Ruby Valley are out of the question for us, still too cold and snowy there, we know other places are waiting to be explored.

Saying good-bye to Black Rock Road

Autumn on the Horizon – September 2021

Life in the Bitterroot Valley

After two great weeks camping at Bass Creek Recreation Area in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana, Clifford and I move to my sister Nancy’s back yard, once a horse pasture, now a great lawn surrounded by trees. Not only is it a pleasant place to stay, we have electricity not dependent upon solar panels, a rarity for us.

Camping in Nancy’s Big Back Yard

Sitting in the morning sunshine with our hot coffee, Nancy and I begin looking through the photos albums that were once Mom’s. These albums go back many years, including photos from our childhood. It is fun and interesting to see these photos before passing the albums onto our sister Lillian.

Looking through Mom’s albums
My Siblings: Left to right: Rollie, Eddie Nancy, Lillian, Diana

The morning light is delightful as I walkabout for photos, and sometimes Nancy and I walk through the woods down to a side channel of the Bitterroot River.

Cattails along the road showing autumn colors
Walking to the side channel of the Bitterroot River
Reflections on the side channel of the Bitterroot River

For my daughter’s Ang’s birthday, we have a small family get-together at the Lumberjack for lunch and then we play music on the deck. It is really quite a fun afternoon for all of us.

Music at the Lumberjack: Bebose, Ang, and Carol
Clifford plays his dulcimer at the Lumberjack

Our days are filled with projects. Clifford is reviewing some of his research papers, while I work on edits for a couple of authors, do Qigong, especially appreciating the benefits of the Healthy Heart Routine, and write in my journals.

Writing in the journals

In mid-September there are a few smoky days, but not nearly as bad as what Montana was experiencing earlier in the summer.

Full moon on a smoky night

When the weather cools, misty mornings provide photo opportunities.

Misty morning in the Bitterroot Valley
Mist at dawn
Mist at sunrise

One Sunday, Nancy and I go visit Ang and grandson Oden.

Ang and Oden
Ang, Oden, and Carol

It is delightful to have dinner cooked over a campfire with the ambiance of the mountains and trees all around us.

Dinner cooked over a campfire
Carol and Nancy surrounded by mountains and trees

Nancy and I also admire oil paintings that Ang has completed in recent months.

Original oil paintings

Near the end of September, I  spend several days with Ang, staying in Terry, the old RV that Clifford and I bought after we got caught in a blizzard in our pop-up a couple of years ago.  While I am here, Ang and I enjoy the warmth of the wood stove as we work steadily on the edits for her epic fantasy series, The Novels of Shannon.

Warmed by the wood stove

Soon it is time for me to head back down the mountain.

Autumn coming to the mountain

October is just around the corner and other family get-togethers are in the works before Clifford and I head to Arizona for the winter.

On the Road – Arrival at Bass Creek – August 2021

Tuesday August 17, 2021

Yesterday afternoon, we discovered that our intended destination, Divide Bridge Camp-ground, has been converted to a forest fire staging area. We continued driving north on I-15 to the rest stop south of Butte, glad to find a place to pull over for the night after a long hot day of driving through the heavy forest fire smoke that has obscured the landscape since we left Provo, Utah, a couple days ago.

Stopping at the rest area south of Butte, Montana – smoke haze in the background

We spend all day (Tuesday) at the rest stop, as it is too windy for safe travel. I help Clifford with rewiring the old backup camera, as the new one is still not working. We are outside with wires and tools spread out when a thunderstorm blows in making the work more difficult, but the cool moisture is much appreciated.

The rain continues into the night and this morning (Wednesday) there is a drizzle. A photo taken yesterday, pale grey with smoke, is almost indistinguishable from a photo this morning of the drizzle, but the drizzle sure feels better!

Drizzle feels better than smoke

We leave the rest area about noon and as we travel west, the air quality improves and the 90+ degrees of the past days is replaced with a high of 58 degrees.

Smoke gives way to clouds as we travel west
Air quality improves with every mile west

I thought we might stop at a rest area east of Missoula to spend the night, but Clifford decides to push on through to the Charles Waters Campground in the Bass Creek Recreation Area in the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula. We arrive about 4:30 with only three sites available to choose from. Although I prefer the creekside camps, we choose a campsite that will receive enough sunlight for the solar panels.

Campsite in the Bass Creek Recreation Area in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana

After a visit say Hello to Bass Creek, I get the kitchen set up while Clifford gets antennas and ham shack functional.

Saying Hello to Bass Creek
Kitchen is set up
Clifford’s ham shack and desk area ready for action
A mix of Ponderosa pines and meadow

This site has a pleasing mix of meadow and tall Ponderosa pines as well as shrubs and other evergreens. It will be a very nice place for us to spend the next two weeks. We are happy to be here!

Last Days at Monticello – August 2021

View of Abajo Mountain at Monticello

It is August now and western United States is hot and dry with many wildfires, but it has not been too bad here in Monticello, Utah. Even though Monticello and nearby Abajo Mountain have thus far escaped the ravages of wildfires, there are a couple of days when smoke lies heavily in the valley, obscuring Abajo from view.

Forest Fire Sunrise
Abajo Mountain is obscured

Clifford and I discuss whether we should stay in Monticello longer or begin the trip to Montana and hope it cools off by time we get there.

The sale of the house is underway, but there are many things yet  to take care of such as moving the last items out of the house and getting Cougar (our RV) ready to be our full-time home, including a major readjustment of living space functionality.

Original Living Space
Redesigned Living Space

Downsizing from this place, once a small church, to a 24-foot RV has been a real challenge. We have given away hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of stuff – furniture, lab equipment, clothing, dishes, books, and so on. There is no turning back at this point, so it looks like we will aim for the small break in the temperature that we see shaping up in Montana in about a week.

My source of greatest peace during these last days is the time I spend in the backyard either on the deck watching the birds, sipping coffee and journaling, or sitting under the pine and spruce trees at the back, grateful for shade and their ambiance.

Coffee on the Deck
Or Under the Spruce Tree

As I journal, I think about the difference between being motivated and being inspired. Being motivated comes from need – the need to eat, the need to have clean clothes, and so on, while being inspired comes from some deeper richer place. I seem to be doing most things based on motivation (need) rather than inner source (inspiration). In sitting quietly with the question of how to move from motivation to inspiration, I find the answer is that feeling satisfaction is the only gauge I need at this time. If the activity is satisfying, do it if I want to (cook, wash dishes, play the fiddle); if not satisfying, let it go for the time being. That makes sense given the current circumstances.

Some days I walk early while it is still cool, one day going as far as the cemetery, a peaceful place where I’ve never been before. Maybe I’ll come here again before we leave.

Cemetery – a Peaceful Place
Wildflower on the Roadside
View of Abajo on the Cemetery Walk

We make the final trip to Clifford’s storage unit in the nearby town of Blanding and stop at Recapture Reservoir on our way back to Monticello – one last chance for me to take photos there.

Recapture Reservoir near Blanding, Utah

On August 10, we do the final walkabout of the house and yard with our checklist, repack the Suburban, and get Cougar ready for travel. I say good-bye to the backyard, the trees, and all that is being left behind.

Saying Good-bye to All That Is Being Left Behind

Tomorrow begins a new stage of the life journey.

Green Thermos – February 2021

Arizona Desert

C,amped in the desert at La Posa South, south of Quartzsite, Arizona for the winter, Clifford and I have a busy lifestyle despite being retired. He works with his ham radio every day, plays music on his dulcimer, and enjoys flying with a simulator.

For me, daily walking continues, taking my fanny pack with a little thermos of tea and a small book of uplifting readings, and finding a place out of the wind to sit for quiet time. I have some favorite spots, but many days I look for a new place to sit.

Thermos, hiking sticks, and desert hat are my walking companions
New places
A favorite place

I’m always on the lookout for flowers, but this February the desert is devoid of blossoms and trees remain the focus. A type of barrel cactus and the ocotillo provide a little additional color.

Ocotillo at sunrise
Color in the dry desert
Ocotillo and a great blue-sky morning

Old trees and saguaro still capture my attention.

I call this one Bird Leaping
Ancient grace
Saguaro skeleton

Other than the daily desert walks and music, playing fiddle tunes on the viola and occasionally taking out the cello, my time is spent editing, writing blogs, and domestic tasks – and thus does February pass. 

February sunset glow