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!

 

  

 

Bat Guano??? Driving a Big Rig; "Roll Tide!" Gen Carl Mundy, USMC; Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); Major General Strom Thurmond, US Army Reserve (Ret); Photo Contest!!! Combat Training; Potenciana Cafe; Crawfish! Louisiana Friends

In my last blog post, I forgot to add one of the funniest moments we've had in South Carolina. Our dear friends Irene and Tony, who live three doors away, were chagrined to find that a colony of bats had decided to nest under their eaves. Irene reported that she was sweeping up piles of bat poop every morning. Tony called a pest control company, but after an inspection, they were informed that since some of the bats were having pups, they were protected, and could not be bothered or removed. Suzanne and I felt terrible for poor Irene and Tony, and decided to suggest a means of making the bats' stay at least financially advantageous for our friends.....

I also neglected to add a photo of Lynette Setzkorn's sister Margene, Margene's son Chad, daughter-in-law Mohana, and grandson Krishna. We had a nice visit with this beautiful family that we had first met last year.

On our trip, we often stop to let the puppies out for a walk. Interstate rest stops are preferred, to save time and because there is never an issue with low-hanging tree limbs, but we have often stopped along public streets in smaller towns. This is our Messages of Hope Tour rig at a rest stop, with Nellie and Rusty happily stretching their little legs...

I am often asked whether Suzanne drives the bus; many RV wives skip this opportunity, but My Lovely Bride enjoys driving our "big rig" (29 tons total, and about 62 feet long with the car attached), and is always ready to take over. Because of our size, the driving is pretty intense, and we normally don't even listen to music while driving.

We stopped for a couple of nights in Auburn, a charming college town in eastern Alabama. I had to send a picture of War Eagle stadium (Auburn University) to our friends Judson and Donna Jo Emens in Tuscumbia, Alabama, who are hard core fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide, arch rivals of  the Auburn Tigers.  (As a matter of interest, 'Bama's mascot is Big Al, an elephant - during the 1930 Alabama-Ole Miss game, an Atlanta sports reporter wrote,  "... the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity."   "Roll Tide"!!!

While in Auburn, we went on a hike through a park-like area adjacent to the campus. We saw a set of chin-up bars in the distance, and I said, looks like a Marine Corps ROTC O-course ("obstacle" course for civilians). Sure enough, here is a marker for the General Mundy Fitness Trail, named for General Carl Mundy, USMC, who served as a Marine for 42 years and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat in Vietnam. An Auburn grad, his last tour of duty was as Commandant of the Marine Corps; two of his children are Auburn graduates and Marine Corps officers. Gen. Mundy died in 2014.  Semper fidelis.

We stayed in Chewacla State Park, Alabama, for two nights, and got some exercise on a hike, crossing this beautiful creek. This park, like many in the USA, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which during the Great Depression provided honorable, meaningful, HARD manual work for unemployed men who otherwise would have to rely on "the dole". It is regrettable that today's citizens would generally prefer to sit on their couches and watch TV rather than getting their hands dirty..... but back then, men didn't wear "man buns" either.... (Complainers and Whiners please note: this is not a political comment... it is a personal social observation.)

One of the nice things about traveling in the South in an RV is the ability to camp beside a multitude of lakes and rivers with spectacular views. This shot was taken at a military campground on the edge of Lake Strom Thurmond. The lake is named for the legendary senior Democrat senator from South Carolina. Thurmond was a judge at the beginning of World War II. He resigned his seat on the bench shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and joined the US Army, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In the battle of Normandy following D-Day, June 6, 1944, he landed in a glider attached to the fabled 82nd Airborne, and was in combat against the German Army (the real Nazis). He earned 18 awards, including the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit, the French Croix de Guerre, and the Belgian Order of the Crown. He retired from the US Army Reserve as a Major General, and was one of the fiercest proponents for support of the US armed forces. 

I took this photo on May 9, just before we departed Hilton Head.  I am offering a prize to anyone who can identify where this was taken.... but you have to send me your photo of this location, with you in it (NOT PHOTOSHOPPED), to earn the prize! The first fully correct reply wins the prize.

 

So, after Auburn, we headed down to visit our wonderful friends Ingrid and Mike Honkala in Picayune, Mississippi. Ingrid and Suzanne are very spiritual. Mike and I are not quite on their level of spirituality. In fact, we like shooting guns. We are both retired Navy. Mike did some serious time with the SEALs, in the Navy's Special Boat Units (SBU). SBU guys are hard core Special Operators who infiltrate and exfiltrate SEALs into and out of their mission areas, both in coastal and riverine operations. Those of you who think you might want to join this elite group of warriors should peruse their website, https://navyseals.com/ns-overview/navy-swcc-the-navys-elite-boat-warriors/. Please note that IF you qualify for training, after 22 weeks of "somewhat rigorous" training, you will have clocked 400 miles running and 100 miles swimming, performed 20,000 pushups, jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, eaten snakes, and fired over 170,000 rounds of ammunition... and gotten precious little sleep at night! Mike has spent years in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has a lot of deployment time in combat zones on contract. Here is Mike on the 200 yard range; and yes, HE CAN SHOOT! In fact, he trains law enforcement officers and regular citizens at his facility, the Mississippi Combat Training Academy, https://www.mctarange.com. I could not think of anyone more qualified than Mike Honkala to perform this critical training. 

While getting to know Mike and Ingrid better, we had them over to the bus for dinner with another friend, Dr. Mike Pannell, PhD (in the red shirt). Mike works at the Stennis Space Center and is a brilliant guy who also has a coffee plantation in Costa Rica with another super friend of ours, Bill Bayer. See our blog post from Costa Rica from February 12, 2018 for details of their efforts in that beautiful country. Oh, and their coffee, Potenciana Cafe, is world class! See https://www.facebook.com/potencianacafe

Next stop, Slidell and Covington, Louisiana, to meet up with family and enjoy a delicious crawfish boil. My sister Karen and Debbie had loaded the table with crawfish, sides and desserts for my sister Lynn, Suzanne and me to enjoy. It was a feast!

If you've never eaten crawfish, they are very spicy, but delicious. You have to pick about 14 pounds of "mud bugs" to produce a pound of meat.

Suzanne is fitted out with protective gloves...  and water rather than beer... you can tell that she isn't from Louisiana!  

We also had a chance to have an unforgettable gourmet dinner at Nicole and John Reilly's gorgeous home in Covington. Nicole is an outstanding medium and John is the owner of several 24 hour fitness centers (He's the man who introduced them to the South!). Our meal was exceptional, and their friendship even more cherished.

Our next stop was in New Roads, Louisiana, to visit a couple who had lost their son Kaleb in an ATV accident. Suzanne had given them a reading, and we wanted to stop and say hello when we were in Louisiana. They were a charming couple whose loss we fully understood. Kaleb showed us he is still right here with some stunning evidence during our get-together.

Our next stop was Natchez, Mississippi, where we visited Holy Family School, a small Catholic school where Irene and Tony's daughter Carly had taught. We picked up some mementoes of Carly's time at the school; she was a beloved volunteer there and will always be remembered for her warm smile and dedication to her kids. See www.carlyskidsfoundation.com for more information about how you can help with this worthy cause.

If you are ever in Vidalia, Louisiana, and in need of... well, almost anything.... I have a recommendation for you! Suzanne needed a piece of jewelry repaired, and we found this small shop where you can get jewelry, gifts, a fishing rod and reel, worms or suckers, and a U-Haul truck or trailer. Small town life is a bit different than big city life!

Finally, I have to show you that our little Rusty has recovered from a week of stomach problems following a "dietary indiscretion", as our vet described it.  He probably got ill after eating sun-dried worms or something even more disgusting. Thankfully, he is now "back on his feed". He and Nellie both love treats, but Nellie is more conservative in her eating habits.  Here they are waiting for meal time!