A Cool Sports Car; Montana Hiking; Big Fork - Fashions and Cinnamon Rolls; A Bicycle Fence in Rollins; Idaho Falls Temple; A Fallen Hero; Rising Fuel Prices; Dental Hygiene

Our summer 2021 tour continues.... We spent almost a month in the beautiful state of Montana. While there, we looked around at a few houses just for fun... and in the garage of one found something almost as desirable as the house itself - a beautiful, gorgeous, mint condition McLaren sports car, model MP4-12C. I fell in lust with this car, but it didn't come with the house, so the heck with that! At least I got to go home with the gal standing by the car!

We enjoyed 10 days in Missoula; one of the attractions there is the plethora of great hiking destinations close to town. This is a shot of Kootenai Creek, south of nearby Lolo, Montana. The creek and trail alongside it are in the Bitterroot National Forest. This is rugged country, with lots of rocky sections, but worth every calorie expended during our hike. Lots of small pools and rapids made for a perfect hike.

Another photo a couple of miles upstream... "almost Heaven"!

Back at the bus, My Lovely Bride is modeling a new vest that she had gotten in Big Fork, Montana, at one of her favorite boutiques. It even matches the paint on our bus! (She was especially pleased that she had gotten it on sale, but saddened to find out that the boutique would be closing permanently because their lease was ending.)

While in Big Fork, we took advantage of a local trail and hiked along the Swan River. This trail was much easier than the Kootenai Creek trail, but it was very pleasant and only 2 minutes from town. 

(Full disclosure: we had stopped at a local bakery, Lake Baked, for a cinnamon roll and had to work it off on the Swan River trail!)

While enjoying our tasty cinnamon roll, we observed this beautiful butterfly collecting pollen from a giant sunflower...

At a campground in Rollins, MT, we admired the fence made of old bicycles that the owners had put up; what a unique display!

On the way south, we stopped again in Idaho Falls. I went for a walk while Suzanne gave a reading. My turn-around point was the impressive Idaho Falls Temple, the first Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints temple built in Idaho.

My walk to the Temple took me along the Snake River, where in a small park I found this memorial to a young US Coast Guardsman, Boatswain's Mate Third Class Travis Raymond Obendorf, who died from injuries received during a daring and successful search and rescue of the crew of the fishing boat Alaska Mist in the Bering Sea, off Alaska. It reminded me how much every American owes to the young men and women of our armed services, police and firefighters who risk their lives unselfishly so that we can enjoy the freedoms and liberties that we have come to expect as our birthrights. The recent loss of thirteen service men and women in Afghanistan is yet another reminder of their sacrifices.

I am sure that everyone who shops for food or goes to a gas station has noticed that inflation is roaring back... this photo shows what gas prices are like out west. Diesel is about the same, mostly over $4.00 per gallon on the Interstate, and the fuel tank on our bus is 230 gallons. We're hoping that they aren't as bad back on the east coast when we get back home, but as the saying goes, "Hope is not a strategy."

Finally, a canine dental post to brighten your day - we all know how important it is to brush our teeth regularly. But our four legged furry friends also need their teeth cleaned daily, and it isn't part of Puppy School training. We have been brushing our Dachshunds' teeth for ages, and our second generation puppies, Nellie and Rusty, are used to Suzanne making sure their teeth are brushed before bedtime. Rusty, however, likes it so much that after Suzanne finishes, he grabs the toothbrush between his paws and works on it for another few minutes! Well done, Rusty!

Biking Along the Colorado River; Idaho Falls; Livingston, Montana; Bozeman and Bat Guano; Absarokas; Bozeman Waterfalls; Wildfires; A Cabin in the Woods; Trophy Husband

On our last few days in Colorado, we went for two bike rides, one along I-70. I can hear the questions now... "What? How much fun can that be, riding along the Interstate?" Well, for the uninitiated, Glenwood Canyon is a very narrow route for I-70 and the Colorado River, and there is a fabulous bike path that runs alongside the river, mostly below the level of the Interstate, which is an engineering marvel in itself. The ride was shorter than we had expected, because part of the Glenwood Canyon section had been covered in 5 feet of mud the week before our ride. Turns out a forest fire had left the mountain slopes denuded of vegetation, and when heavy rains came, the water washed tons of dirt off the hillsides onto I-70 and the bike path. The scenery was spectacular, and rafts were running the white water rapids just 25 yards from where we biked.

Another ride took us to a trail on the Roaring Fork River near Glenwood Springs. Suzanne took this photo of me riding across a bridge with a wire mesh web surrounding me. It was very cool seeing this photo later, because I was focused on the roadway rather than my surroundings at that point.

Four driving days took us from Carbondale to Helper, Utah; Hill Air Force Base in Layton, Utah; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and finally to Livingston, Montana. We don't like long drives, which can be very tiring when at the wheel of a 28 ton, 45 ft long bus pulling a car, especially in the mountains, so we try to stop for the night at a reasonable hour. We NEVER drive at night, both because of the fatigue factor and the numerous carcasses of road kill deer we see along every highway and Interstate.

Helper, Utah, is named for the "helper" train engines that were used to supplement regular engines pulling heavily loaded coal trains over the mountains onto the Wasatch Plateau. It is a picturesque town of 2,200 souls whose rich history as a mining center includes many immigrants from Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Japan, Slovenia and China who settled here to mine coal and follow the American Dream. The Cretaceous sandstone escarpment behind Helper is called The Book Cliffs.

 

Idaho Falls has a scenic riverfront greenbelt along the Snake River, and several sets of waterfalls, backed by the beautiful architecture of the Idaho Temple, the first temple built in Idaho by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We really enjoyed Idaho Falls and wished that we had had more time there. (We will be stopping back there after our Montana stay).

Livingston, Montana, is one of our favorite destinations. Sited along the Yellowstone River, it offers world class trout fishing; Tony Vouvalides and I had floated/fly fished the Yellowstone a few years ago, but this year the temperatures were in the 90s and hardly anyone was fishing due to the heat. The extra stresses placed on the trout when hooked in warm water results in many dying, and since most fishermen practice catch and release, they would rather not fish than unnecessarily kill trout. Hiking was thus our preferred pastime, and here we see Hiker Chick enjoying a beautiful trail outside of town.

Our destination that day was the Pine Creek waterfall, but the creek crossings (fortunately we didn't have to wade) provided lovely views as well.

Our last hike in the Livingston area took us into the northern part of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness, part of Gallatin National Forest. A pristine area because it's so rugged, the Absaroka mountains are part of the Rockies, with 46 peaks between 12,000 and 13,153 feet in elevation. Lots of bears here, but we didn't see any during our hikes, even though we were very near Yellowstone National Park. The name is derived from one of the names of the Crow Indian tribe.

Bozeman, Montana, was our next stop, and although our campground had firewood, there was a burn ban due to extremely dry and hot conditions, as well as a number of wildfires raging across the Northwest. English teachers will shudder at this sign for a "Bathouse"... I am pretty sure that people showered here, but the sign made me think of Tony and Irene back in South Carolina with their bat guano business.....

While Suzanne was working, I went on a short walk around the neighborhood, on Bear Canyon Road. I think they call it that because the canyon is shaped like a bear... well, maybe not. Anyway, I remember a couple of cars driving by as I was crossing the road, and that afternoon Suzanne got an email from Jennifer and Tony Hines, both lieutenant colonels in the Air Force, asking if she might have seen me on Bear Canyon Road. We had never met the couple, but Jennifer had emailed Suzanne a few times after discovering Suzanne's work.  The couple was on vacation and by some crazy timing drove right by me on my walk. Suzanne asked them to visit us at the bus when they got back from Yellowstone. Turns out they were staying nearby, and Jennifer recognized me from a mug shot in a post office. Anyway, they came for a visit and we had a delightful chat. Jennifer, a flight test engineer, is into metaphysics and Tony is an F-15 Eagle fighter pilot. 

Bozeman provided several great hikes, including two waterfalls as destinations... My Lovely Bride LOVES waterfalls!

From Bozeman we headed to our next stop, Missoula, Montana. We were fortunate to be able to link up with an old friend, Brad Bernardy, for dinner at the bus. He was leaving the next morning for home after a stint organizing the logistics for a Blackhawk aviation firefighting helicopter. Brad has retired from the US Forest Service, but his wife Leslie still does a similar job with USFS organizing the ground logistics for wildfire firefighters, and is currently working fires in another part of Montana. 

The wildfires have created heavy smoke throughout the West; here is a photo that Suzanne took from our campground in Kalispell. The snow-capped mountains that we have seen in four previous visits are hidden behind palls of smoke; our car was even covered with tiny cinders carried by the wind.

Our next stop was to visit Dick and Alis Arrowood, who have a beautiful ranch in the woods north of Missoula. They are expatriate Californians; Dick was a Master Winemaker in Sonoma Valley for 5 decades, and Alis was an expert in wine marketing. Together they made Arrowood and Amapola Creek Wineries famous, and their wines are exquisitely delicious. 

They graciously put us up in their beautiful new guest cabin, since our bus would not have been happy transiting the back roads to their home. (It was a tough assignment, but someone had to do it!)

We had a delightful time with the Arrowoods. Dick took me out shooting sporting clays while Alis and Suzanne went shopping in Big Fork. Dick is a master shotgunner, and I was humbled when we took turns on the clays. (My excuse for my poor marksmanship was that I am used to somewhat larger guns, Navy 5 inch and 16 inch, but I didn't bring them with me this trip....). Alis prepared gourmet meals for us, and we hope to reciprocate when they come to South Carolina one day. Suzanne and I did some more hiking, of course, and one of our favorite trails is along nearby Holland Lake. (I could live here...)

I know that I am a lucky guy... I keep running into this cute female hiker - this time on a trail near Seeley Lake.... 

We also enjoyed hiking with a couple of enthusiastic young Dachshunds. Rusty is now 8 months old, and weighs 20 lbs, making him a standard Dachshund. Nellie, at 18 months, is a petite 11 lbs, and is still a "mini". They were both tired but happy puppies at the end of the trail! 

Finally, we passed a guy on the street wearing this tee shirt... I said to him, "Dude, your wife must really think you are a super catch!" He replied sheepishly, "Actually, my mother gave it to me..."

Cruisin' on the River; It's a Sign; Arkansas State Parks; Puppies are Chick Magnets! Blue Beacon; In the Treetops; Burnt Ends with Great Friends; W-holy You! Aurora, Colorado - A tale of Mosquitoes, Friends and EMTs; Steamboat Springs; 25th Anniversary; Carbondale; Mt. Sopris; No Beer for Nellie!

For those of you who haven't had the privilege of living on the Mississippi River, here is a shot of a river cruise ship off Natchez, Mississippi.  I have never spent any time on these ships, but I suspect that the food ain't too bad and the booze flows readily.... 

The City of Natchez obviously has rule(s) about mask(ing)... but if you're an English teacher, beware!

Next stop, Marianna, Arkansas, at Mississippi River State Park. This bench has a terrific view, and was located only 25 yards from our campsite. Lots of boating and fishing here, and bike riding along lightly used trails and back roads. 

Okay, so everyone has cute puppies, right? Well, Rusty and Nellie are in that category as well... Rusty (on the right) is only 7 months old, while Nellie is 19 months. She is a svelte blonde, while Rusty is a "tank"... sort of a canine "Arnold".... and he is all boy! But they are both "chick magnets". MLB is careful not to let me out with them unchaperoned for more than five minutes at a time, because the girls flock to them!

Here is our new/old (2008) coach just after getting a bath. The guys/gals at Blue Beacon truck/RV washes around the country can do the job in 10 minutes, whereas I would take two hours; let's see, who gets the job?... duh! Well worth the moderate price!!!

Hiking is one of my passions; it's nice to find another hiker along the trail to enjoy it with! (She is cute...)

This old fire tower in Roaring River State Park, Missouri, provided a nice hike and climb to the top. You are literally in the treetops when you get to the top of the tower!

Okay, onward to Lee's Summit, Missouri, for Suzanne's W-holy You Retreats at Unity Village. On our first night there, we had a great BBQ dinner with Guy and Mary Swanson (Guy is the COO of Unity World HQ), and Jim Velghe, a dear friend, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. If you've never had Jack Stack's Burnt ends, you haven't lived!  

Suzanne's two W-holy You retreats were both "sold out" and very well received. (Special thanks go out to Bev Garlipp, Lynette Setzkorn, Debbie Henson, Nancy O'Neal, and Mindy Spitz for their extraordinary efforts to make the two weeks go so smoothly.) Participants were very receptive and eager to learn. An added bonus was Candace Blair, a friend from Hilton Head. Candace is an amazing kundalini yoga instructor, and also a gong and sound healer. Candace and Suzanne performed a gong bath/sound healing session at both retreats.

In between retreats, My Lovely Bride and I got out for a couple of long bike rides on the Lee's Summit Bike Trail, which runs along the old Rock Island Railroad line for about 18 miles. Not too bad a climb, and much of the route is shaded, a real advantage during summer heat. It was hard keeping up with her, but putting lead weights in her bike bag helped!

Our next stop was Aurora, Colorado, where we stayed at Cherry Creek State Park, a beautiful oasis in the Denver metro area, but which had the most vicious and prolific mosquitoes I have ever encountered (and I grew up in the South!). "Oh, we had a very wet Spring." "And do you spray insecticide here, like we do in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina?" "Oh, no, that would be hurtful to the environment..." Duhhhhhh........

On the positive side, while in Aurora, we linked up with Anne and Mel Wernimont - Anne had attended Suzanne's retreat, and asked that we stop and see them in Aurora. Mel and Anne are both psychologists, and their lovely home and garden are right out of a magazine. Our dinner was "over the top gourmet", and we had great fun sharing stories.

While in Aurora, Your Humble Correspondent had a serious lower back problem... I had never before experienced pain level 10 of 10 - it was like a knife stabbing me in the lower back. Unable to get out of bed one morning, I asked Suzanne to call 911, and we had a fire engine and crash truck at our campsite in about 10 minutes. The firemen and EMTs were super, and wrapped me up like a burrito in a portable stretcher (really just a tarp with handles) and delivered me to the Aurora Medical Center ER. Six hours later, after being treated with morphine, Flexeril, Prednisone dose pack, local anesthetic, Tylenol, Advil, and lidocaine patches, I was back on my feet, albeit a bit unsteady. The really amazing thing was that I had been in the exact ER treatment room five years ago, being treated for a mountain bike injury.... I'm thinking that Aurora isn't in my travel plans for a few years!

From Aurora, we went up to Longmont to have some work done on the bus, and to visit our dear friends Charlie and Elaine Cunis. Regrettably, I forgot to take pictures, but we owe Colonel Crusty and Elaine at least one (if not two) more dinners for Navy's losses to Army in football; we are looking forward to that opportunity in the future!

On to Carbondale, Colorado... but due to I-70 being closed due to mudslides, we had to add a day to that trip and rerouted through Wyoming and Steamboat Springs, CO. Steamboat is one of our favorite stops - it's a neat ski town with lots of great shops. Our campground was small and intimate, 7 miles out of town, just what we needed after the hustle and bustle of the Denver metro area with its traffic and weed shops on every corner...

On to Carbondale, about 30 miles north of glitzy Aspen. We always stay in the city's Gateway RV Park on the Roaring Fork River; this was our fourth visit there. We were there over the Independence Day weekend (older readers may recall the significance of that holiday... it's much more meaningful than "just a day off".)  It was gratifying to see Old Glory proudly displayed on Carbondale's main Street.

But wait... there was another celebration that meant a lot - our 25th wedding anniversary, which we celebrated in a gourmet restaurant in nearby Glenwood Springs. (Am I a lucky man, or what?) Neither of us could believe that it's been 25 years... 

On the way back to the car, Suzanne posed for this great photo.  Yellow butterflies have special meaning for us, as they were signs sent to us by our daughter Susan just after she died.... You'd think Suzanne planned her outfit for this photo, but we had no idea the wings were there until we "just happened" to stumble upon them.  Thanks, Susan!

Suzanne did a presentation for the Davi Nikent/Center for Human Flourishing Group at the Third Street Center in Carbondale. About 100 people attended, some flying in from California. Thanks to Rita Marsh for all her efforts supporting Suzanne, and also for being our mail collection agent!

Mt. Sopris (12,966 ft.) towers over the Carbondale area. This was the view from our campground of this spectacular mountain. (I would have loved to climb it, but after my back issue the week before, didn't feel I was up to a 2 or 3 day, 26 mile round trip backpack... sigh... but thanks to Rita Marsh, we now have a beautiful print of Mt. Sopris to hang in our home back it South Carolina! 

We did get a couple of day hikes in; in this shot, Suzanne is standing atop Mushroom Rock, with the Roaring Fork River Valley a thousand feet below.

It was in the 90s during the day in Carbondale, but we thought that a 15 mile bike ride on the Rio Grande Trail would be fun... then we decided that we really needed to have lunch in Basalt, Colorado, which turned the 15 miler into a 27 miler. We look fresh here, but we were both a bit frazzled at the end of the ride...

We took Nellie and Rusty on their first big hike of our summer trip, on the Twin Lakes trail on the flank of Mt. Sopris. Both puppies did very well, trotting along for a couple of miles.  When they slowed down, we loaded them into special backpacks so they could get a lift but still see all around. Mountain wildflowers were in bloom, and it was a beautiful, if warm, day to hike.

Finally, a candid shot of Nellie... she loves to sit between us, and after our hike, I was enjoying a cold brewski - her nose alerted her to something interesting in that bottle that Dog Dad was holding, and he wasn't sharing! Too bad, Nellie, you're not old enough to drink beer!