Biking with Buffalo

Aiming a satellite antenna is like shooting a fly off a fence post a mile away.
Fortunately a friendly neighbor, Big Jack, got me lined up until a windstorm swung the dish around. Suzy has to have HGTV. Is there an HGTV for RVs? Hope not. Any way with satellite TV, internet, GPS, ipod, and the Kindle I really feel a lot like the original pioneers who were very techy too I am told. They only needed four wheels on their wagons unlike our fifth wheel.

A triathlon in YNP is Biking, Running and Fly Fishing all in one day. Or is it
three states in 20 minutes, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming on the way to fishing this morning. Fishing the Madison River in Yellowstone is THE fly fishing experience of my short life (so far). Morning fog burns off to reveal I am fishing at the foot of mountains (Mount Haynes) in the meandering Madison river with its muddy bottom that sucks your waders deep into the riverbed. If it wasn’t for my high arches I would still be stuck. Armpit deep holes in river with lots of vegetation. Finally found some gravel bottom and islands off the beaten track. Began fishing too close to the road and could overhear tourists. “Stop, he has a fish on, stop right now I want a picture.” Some of the sights while fishing were an osprey with a fish in its landing gear, elk on opposite bank, eagles overhead, and cutthroats, rainbows, brookies all hungry for whatever I throw out. Wet, dry, big, small, these fish are hungry. Back another day for sure.

Suzy and I took a 15 mile mountain bike ride off the beaten track to some geysers less seen. Herd of Buffalo cut Suzy off from me. She had heard about a buffalo attack a few days ago in the park where a tourist making a call was butted 20 feet by a bull. So she was happy when they left her alone to finish the ride.

Finished the day with dinner at the Bar N Lodge in a beautiful Montana mountain valley, Tom had the almond crusted walleye while Suzy chose the Beet Ravioli stuffed with cheese. Very good, a delayed 40th Anniversary dinner.

Jet put the run on a badger this morning on our run to Henry’s Lake. I have not seen one in the wild for years. The badger ran out on the road, saw jet, put up his gums revealing Jaws III and flayed his neck hair making him look pretty vicious, unlike the Wisconsin Badgers of gridiron fame. I yelled at Jet, thinking they would be the last words he ever heard that he didn’t obey. He came to his senses about the time the badger recognized the Northern Michigan Wildcat in me, and headed for the tall sage with Jet in a not so hot pursuit, but a slow “I showed you!” pursuit. We spent the rest of the run chasing prairie dogs into the sage. Jet is still unaware they hide in holes and not on top of the sage brush. He may learn.

One Day on the Road

386 miles from Boise is Island Park, Idaho only 20 miles from the West Yellowstone entrance. We rolled into our Redrock RV campground at half three and were set up by half four (English, you know). Views of the mountains on all sides as we rest in a peaceful valley. 5 miles off the main road is a good place to be this time of year. We visited Big Springs after dinner the headwaters of Henry’s Fork River and the Snake River. Last Sunday we visited Big Springs (Kitch it e Kip e) in Manistique, Michigan, headwaters of Indian Lake. Looking for moose in the river tonight but none to be seen. Did see an antelope, a pelican, and mother duck with her swarm of ducklings. Good to be out of the city and in the lap of nature again. Biking and Hiking tomorrow, so it must be Friday.

Weighed in this morning at 20,500 pounds with full tank of diesel and empty sewer tank. 8,000 for truck (the rattler), Jet, Suzy and I and 12,500 for the 5th Wheeler (the snake). Amazing how quickly we got used to towing the rig. Mileage went from 18 mpg without snake to 11.5 mpg with it. Suzy has yet to find her first book store on the journey. Tom has the Kindle so he is only a few seconds from the Kindle Bookstore.

Addendum to 24 June Posting

A few items of left off the last posting due to fatigue and faulty memory.

The great sailing caper, not a spicy green vegetable flying across the water but a group of guys sailing out of Shilshoe Bay in Seattle under the helm of Captain Ferdinand Magellan aka, Steve Martin. Accompanying Magellan was C. Columbus (me) and Vasgo Degama (Les) and a yet unnamed explorer from the Queen’s Navy. The winds were light but the flotsam and jetsam were heavy so we marked our trail through Puget Sound until we found the wind and some good jokes. A great time was had by all as Columbus said his good byes and headed for ports across the country.

The great sushi bar caper, not capers in your sushi but a night at Djomondi’s in Georgetown where Meg made friends with the sushi master and Tate, Jeff and I ate her sushi as she was talking too much. The SM was in fine form with Abacore Nigre and the Dragon (smoked eel) to mention a few. He ended the evening with a special serving of brown rice tea (not the green tea from China of all places). Seattle is a sushi port!

Back after 20 Days

Been Busy in Boise and Seattle and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Suzy retired and finished work on June 6th and we took off for Seattle driving the truck and Suzy's Element to leave with Tate and Jeff while we tour. I left for the American San Juans on the 7th with Les, Steve, Wayne and Sheila. Great biking group who set up base at Friday Harbor on San Juan Isle and then biked Lopez Isle, Orcas Isle, and San Juan Isle. Lots of miles, hills and elevation. Learned lots of history including the great Pig War in the San Juans, where in the end Kaiser Wilhelm adjudicated a settlement giving the U.S the American San Juans and Canada their own islands. The San Juan archipelago has over 170 islands, so much biking to do in the future. Suzy and I did some of the Canadian SJs years ago.

Back in Seattle for Tate's graduation on the 14th from Seattle U with Masters in Counseling (Education). Great time, with brunch with Grandparents, and Aunt Terry and Uncle Al and then party afterwords on Shilshoe Bay in Seattle. Tate did great job working full time and getting all her course work done. She is working hard on applications as I type.

Then it was off to Manistique, MI in the UP eh! My birthplace and home of my Uncle Charlie. His daughters from Canada were there and Aunt Betty also of Manistique and her four children. My sister Judy and husband Esly and their three children and my sister Helen and her son Eric and wife Angela along with nephew Casey, plus Tate, Meg, Jeff, and Rusty made up the TC Slining contingent. Jeff won the prize for coming the furthest, Anchorage, Alaska. All nine living cousins were there. We celebrated Charlie's 90 birthday and our 2009 Family Reunion Saturday night at big banquet and ended night with Karoke. Was so good to have three full days to meet and eat and get reacquainted since the 1994 reunion. We were all getting refreshed on family history and telling and retelling the stories that are the fabric of our family. And no shortage of stories are there.

Great time only made better by daughter Meghan's acceptance of proposal to marry from beau Rusty! Rusty asked our blessing the day before he popped the question to Meghan out on the breakwater in the shadow of the red lighthouse on Lake Michigan. Same breakwater I fished off as an 8 year old. Rusty designed the ring and it was a big hit with his bride to be. (She is very pick (discerning taste)). Memorial Day 2010 in Durham, NC will be a long time a coming. We are all excited about this union and new member of the family. I was more surprised then most......

Back to Boise yesterday to prepare the 5th Wheel for the road. Tomorrow we pull out headed to Yellowstone. More on that in the next post. We are well prepared and anxious to hit the road in the morning. Can't wait to hear "Wagons Hoh!" when daylight hits the swamp tomorrow.

Forty Years is 280 Dog Years

It is also the length of time Tom and Suzy have been married, exactly Today! 40 years ago Tom was young infantry lieutenant in Viet Nam and Suzy a student at WSU in Pullman, WA. They decided they couldn't wait any longer so met in Hawaii and were married at beautiful outdoor chapel at Ft. Derussy. (Note 25 years later upon returning to the scene, all that was left was a black top parking lot). Good thing we took a few pictures. Tom looking a bit gaunt at 128 lean mean fighting machine pounds (good case of amoebic dysentery will do that to you) and Suzy a slender, provactive, commanding, assuring, loving, etc. waltzing down the beach. 40 years later Tom weighs in 65 pounds heavier, but still lean, but no longer mean nor a fighting machine. Suzy weighs what she did 40 years ago and still the light of Tom's life. Along with the engine, the bumper, and the tires.

Ah, the secret to 40 years of marriage? We kept renewing the manufacturer's warranty! That would be good marriage counseling and open communication. We feel blessed; good kids, good health, and about to make the voyage of a lifetime.