Getting ready

Ok, so I made a list and worked on checking several things off as done today.  It’s not very exciting, I’m afraid.  So, this evening I decided to take a little drive to get some milk and check out the Island Park Dam to see what was around.  I’m still hoping to see a moose one of these days.
I drove through a pretty heavy rainstorm to get there.  I’m thinking that all these cormorants and pelicans were drying off their feathers after the downpour.  Some of these islands weren’t visible about a month ago when the water was higher.
 Along the shoreline was an osprey standing in the water.  I’m not sure what he was doing there.  When he flew off, he didn’t have a fish in his talons.
This poor great blue heron was really working away on feather maintenance.

As if getting everything done on my list for getting ready to leave wasn’t enough, another little issue cropped up last night.  As I was putting away the dishes, the top of one of my kitchen cabinets came undone.  The top hinge came loose, and the screws went flying.  I still have to track down one of the screws.  I thought I’d have to go to West Yellowstone to get some wood putty, but Jim, next door, suggested  this evening that I just plug the stripped holes with toothpicks and put the screws back in.  I’ll give that a whirl tomorrow.  :)

My friends, Gordon and Juanita Pierce, are staying at Red Rock all season, and Gordon reported in his blog that the biting insects have departed.  Ha!  He needs to come over to my side of the park and give a little blood!  They are still here!  :(

Well, that’s the Red Rock Review for today.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Happy 4th of July!

I showed my independence today by staying off of the roads and doing laundry instead.  :)
Red Rock RV Park and Campground had their own holiday parade this afternoon.
If you like four wheelers, this is the place to be.  There are plenty of back roads and paths to investigate.
The left two pictures are Gordon and Karen, the park owners.  And last but not least, was Newt, the park webmaster, on his segway.

It’s been a pretty calm day, all in all.
About the only real excitement has been watching Emma stand guard duty.  She feels it’s her job to make sure no ground squirrels enter our campsite boundaries.  These little rodents keep the foxes and coyotes well fed in the neighborhood.  :)

Last night there was a fireworks display at the ranch with the rodeo about a mile from here.
I’m thinking that you can guess that I haven’t gotten to the section in the camera instruction booklet that talks about night pictures.   :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

The check valve search

I had a list of three RV places that might have a check valve as Emma and I headed out this morning on our search.  The closest place was in St. Anthony, ID, which is over 50 miles away, and the furthest one was in Idaho Falls, which is close to 100 miles away.  I was crossing my fingers that Angell RV Repair in St. Anthony would have the valve, but it was not to be.  He had just sold his last one a couple of days ago, and hadn’t restocked since that one had been on the shelf for two years.  :(  However, he did suggest I go to Hathaway Inc. about three miles down the road to check there.  Hathaway’s wasn’t listed in the yellow pages that I checked at the campground office yesterday. 

So, I followed his directions and headed for Hathaway’s.  What an eclectic place that was.  Not only do they sell RV supplies, but they also sell modular homes, a few trailers, and they are also a carpet store!  I guess you have to diversify in a small town in Idaho.  :)  After about 15 minutes of scrounging around, they came up with the needed check valve.  I decided to buy two of them (just in case), and wiped out their inventory.  :)  Since the valves were only about $6, I figured what the heck.  I’ll have a backup that I can install myself if I need it down the road.  As I was about to pay for the valves, I decided to ask them if they had any discontinued carpet samples for sale.  (You know…those rectangular, finished edge, chunks of carpet that are about 18”X30”.  I like to use them under my bench table.  That way, they get dirty from my shoes instead of the installed motorhome carpet.)  Anyway, the salesman said “follow me” and led me to a stack of samples.  I picked out two that would go with the carpet in the RV.  He told me there was no charge!  Yahoo!  Two valves and two carpet samples for a total of $12, and I didn’t have to drive all the way to Idaho Falls.  I was a happy camper!  Sometimes things work out better than you think they will.  I’ve been looking around for carpet samples since I got the new rig, but hadn’t found any.
On the way back home, I decided to make a couple of side trips.  First stop was the Island Park Dam, and what a great stop it was.  I got this pic of a double-crested cormorant as it came up for air after diving for a fish for lunch.
Then I spotted a Western grebe in the water.  This is a new bird for me.  I’ve never seen one before.  :)
I wish I could have seen a pair of these grebes doing their mating “dance.”  They fairly rise up out of the water next to each other and seem to dance on their toes in perfect harmony across the lake on the tips of their webbed feet.  I’m probably a couple of weeks late for that, but it was a thrill to see one anyway.

My next little side trip was to drive up the road to Sawtell Peak.
Sawtell Peak is the highest mountain in back of my rig in this picture that I took on June 6 when I arrived at Red Rock RV Park.  (Sam, this is my new, to me, 2008 Winnebago Adventurer Limited)

The drive we took was on the other side of this mountain, and was a nine mile up hill climb on a nicely graded gravel road.  There were many, many switchbacks and steep grades.
This was the view from the top.  You can see the curvy tan road that I took to get up here.  The view wasn’t the best because of the heavy haze down below.  I’m thinking that that heavy haze is caused by all the pine tree pollen that was being blown about in today’s brisk winds.  You can also notice all the snow that can still be found at this elevation.
On the way back down the mountain, I was fascinated by the silvery windblown dead and dying trees clinging to the mountainside.   They had no visible bark, just the silvery smoothness.  How could this one on the right still be alive with no protective bark?  I don’t know.

When I got back to the rig, Jim, my neighbor, was sitting outside his rig, and was curious to find out if I had been successful in my search for a new check valve.  I gave him a thumbs up, and we both headed inside to install the new valve.  I want to clarify for some of my commenters, that neither I nor Jim knew anything about hot water heater valves to begin with.  It was only because of your comments, responses to my post on the Escapees forum, and each of our internet investigations, that we were able to come up with a solution to my problem.  We both learned a lot from this experience, and will both be prepared should this same problem arise in either of our rigs.  I didn’t have the proper wrenches nor the strength to accomplish the fix, and I am very grateful that Jim helped me out with this challenge. :)  In return for his help, I will watch over his rig while he and his family take a trip (without his fifth wheel) up to Glacier NP next month.  It’s all give and take out here on the road.  That’s one of the things I like about this life.  :)

A couple of folks have asked about Rick’s fix for sizing pictures to match their desktops.  My suggestion is that you read his instructions that can be found in the comment section of my post entitled “Asking for help with two challenges” which I posted on 6/28.  His instructions are so clear and easy to follow, that I can’t improve on them.  :)  Just click on comments at the end of that post and look for Rick’s comment.  :)

This post has been long enough, and I’m going to take a shower tonight thanks to my newly fixed hot water system!  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Meadow View Ranch Rodeo

Last night, about 6:30, my neighbors and I headed over to the Meadow View Ranch for their Friday night Rodeo and Chuck Wagon Dinner.  There were ominous clouds in the sky, but by the time the rodeo started, they had blown away, and the sun was shining brightly.
The rodeo  started off with the National Anthem sung by one of the young cowgirls.  For a small ranch, there was a nice variety of events to entertain the audience.
I’d have to say that the bull riding was my favorite.  :)  I believe this ranch has a summer camp for kids from all over the west that come here to learn about life on a ranch.  They all participate in the rodeo in one way or another.  Some of the older young folks serve as counselors and do the major performing.
A good ride by AW.
But all good things must come to an end.  :(
Then we were treated to a trick riding  demonstration.  This young man was the 2009 Idaho State High School Champion!  He did all sorts of fancy riding; first with two horses, and then with one.  I can’t imagine the number of hours and tumbles he’s put it to become this good!
Next came calf roping; for singles…
and pairs.  There were also two audience participation events where young, and not so young, folks scrambled around the arena trying to get a ribbon off of the tail of an elusive calf.  It was a very enjoyable performance.
Last, but not least, was the chuck wagon dinner.  Lots of good food, and conversation.  That’s my neighbors seated at the table.  That’s Jackie and Jim Smith on the left, and Jackie’s mother, June, across from them.  The other two folks on the right are from Red Rock RV, also, but are just here a few nights.  (It was Jackie that took me on the four wheeler ride into the mountains on Thursday)

As people finished up eating, the entertainment began.  The male country singer really got the whole audience involved in the program.  Jackie lost a whistling contest.  You know, it was one of those challenges where you have to eat two crackers and then whistle.  Well, Jackie can’t whistle to begin with, so eating two crackers really put her out of the running.  :( 

It was getting on toward dark as everyone began to head for home.  For a price of $23/person, we had a full evening’s entertainment and dinner.  Not bad to my way of thinking.  By the time I took Emma out for a good walk, it was too late to start going through the pictures and write a blog entry, so I waited until this morning.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Ordinary challenges

Today was a day filled with those little challenges that I choose to think of as making life interesting.  First up on my list was learning to use the on board washer/dryer.  You wouldn't think by this stage in my life that washing clothes would be a challenge, but it was.  :(  This is one of those all in one machines that first washes and then dries your load (a very small load).  I started out with socks, undies, a couple of wash cloths, and one pair of jeans.  Oh my goodness, what a long time that first load took!  It was over two hours, and you should have seen the jeans.  There's no way I could have worn that wrinkled mess of a pair of pants without steam ironing them first.  And since I've given up ironing in the last year, I wasn't about to start in again.  The second load, I did pants and a sweatshirt. (I rewashed the first pair)  I didn't put it on automatic dry.  After the wash, I pulled the stuff out and neatly folded the pants and put them outside in the sun to dry.  That worked...no ironing needed.  Then came the third load of tee shirts.  I've been dealing with that load for over three hours.  I think I need to talk to someone with one of these Splendide washers.  It has to be easier than this!

Next on my list was to change the outside light by the door.  The bulb had apparently blown out.  Hmmm...do you know the term vertically challenged?  There is no way I can reach that bulb even with a step stool placed on the outside stairs.  Luckily, a six foot neighbor has volunteered to give it a try tomorrow.

Remember all those beautiful birds I had visiting my feeders?  Well, in the last couple of days a gazillion cowbirds have moved in and are hording all the seeds.

See all those dark dots in the field?  They're cows, and that's where the cowbirds should be!  Until they leave, I'm not putting out anymore seed.  Can you tell I was a teenager in the '60's?  I've had enough and I'm not going to take it any more!  :)  Move on, you blasted cowbirds.

When I arrived at Red Rock RV Park, I asked if I could extend my stay for another six weeks.  I thought it would be nice to stay in the Yellowstone area for a good share of the summer.  I was told that probably wouldn't be possible.  So, this afternoon I pulled out my maps and campground books and started looking into where I might go with a final destination of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by the last week in August.  Then this evening, the owner stopped by to inform me that I was now number one on the waiting list to be able to stay.  Okay, I don't wish anyone ill will, but I hope there is a cancellation in the next two weeks.

About 4:30 this afternoon (while I was waiting for load #3 to finish), Emma and I were sitting outside enjoying the balmy temperatures and sunshine when an unbelievable blast of wind suddenly began.  Remember those three pair of pants that I had drying in the sun?  Well within seconds they were air born!  I was chasing them all over the front yard.  Then I rushed inside to roll up one of the window awnings before it took off and landed in Iowa!  Sheesh!  That blast lasted about a half an hour before the rain arrived.  As quickly as the wind and rain arrived, it moved on.  It's amazing how quickly these fronts arrive and depart.

The view out my front window shows yet another round of rain clouds approaching.

I had several other little challenges today that I won't go into.  It's a little after 8:00 right now, and I think load #3 is finally done.  I wonder what a wrinkled mess my tee shirts are in.  :(  I'd better go check.


Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

More rain

The rain started again yesterday afternoon and has continued with only a few breaks until now.  It doesn’t look like it’s going to let up until the weekend.  Ugh!  There is even the possibility of snow showers tonight and tomorrow.  Pam and Stan left in the rain.  I hope they had a safe journey down to the Grand Tetons.












During a break in the showers, this afternoon, I was able to get a few shots of the birdlife around the campground.  Several Lazuli buntings have returned to the feeders.
This female black-headed grosbeak seems to be perplexed about something.  :)
 As Emma and I walked around, we came across this poor bedraggled black-capped chickadee.  He was just soaking wet!  Makes me appreciate having my  portable shelter a little more.  :)

I received a comment from The Bayfield Bunch this morning saying he was having trouble with the comment button on my blog.  Is anyone else having trouble posting a comment?  He also said that sometimes my pictures overlap on top of the text.  That overlap doesn’t show up on my computer, nor on my sister’s.  Does anyone have any ideas about that?
During our brief respite from the rain this afternoon, Emma took advantage of the little bit of sun to bask.  She is, however, always on duty keeping track of those tantalizing ground squirrels.  :)  If she ever caught one, I’m not sure she’d know what to do with it.

It’s been a pretty lazy day for me today.  I did finally catch up on all the blogs I follow this morning.  I haven’t had much time for that the last two weeks or so.  I think I’ll be heading into Rexburg tomorrow to pick up some bird seed.  I’m just about out.  Wouldn’t it be nice if this storm front rushed through and didn’t last three days?

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

What an adventurous drive Pam and I had today on our trip to visit Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.



















The refuge was only 22 miles from the RV park, so we thought we’d take a quick drive over to have a look.  Ha!  We were in for quite a surprise.  After a little over a mile, the pavement ended, and we continued on good gravel roads.  That didn’t last long, though.  That 22 miles took us well over an hour to traverse.  The nice gravel road soon deteriorated.  We found ourselves behind a grader working on the rough road.  We soon passed him, and continued up over the mountain.  Top speed was about 20 mph as I dodged rocks and holes in the roadbed.  After about five miles, we found ourselves crossing over into Montana.

 
Eventually, we made it to the Upper Red Rock Lake.  The lake itself was a very unusual color.  It was opaque and kind of milky looking.  Not the pristine blue that you might expect up in the mountains.  As you can see, clouds were flying past with an occasional sprinkle.  We pressed on to the refuge headquarters.


















After viewing the displays at the headquarters, we drove on to view Lower Red Rock Lake.  There were two campgrounds on this refuge that are most suitable for tenters.  There are no hookups of any kind, but there is a pit toilet at the Lower Lake campground.  I wouldn’t suggest the drive for any motorhome or fifth wheel to get here.  There is a fifteen day limit for camping, but apparently no fee involved.  If you like tent camping, what a magnificent location these two little campgrounds would be!

I was hoping to see some trumpeter swans and Western grebes during our visit, but it wasn’t to be.  :(  This refuge was established to help the dwindling population of trumpeter swans back in the 1930’s.  It also exists as an undeveloped wilderness tract that serves as a corridor for migrating elk, bison, and other animals between the Yellowstone area and the northern Rocky Mountains.  I just may try to make another trip back to this refuge earlier in the day in the next couple of weeks.  It all depends on whether or not I want to do another bone jarring 50 mile trip in my little low to the ground car.  :)  There were a couple of places where I couldn’t avoid scraping bottom.  :(

As the skies began to look ominous, we headed back for Red Rock RV Park. 
This time we stopped for a picture at the Continental Divide.  Wouldn’t you know it, the skies opened up and the rain began in earnest just as I snapped a picture of Pam.

In the time it took us to get to the refuge and visit, the grader was able to make two passes up the road to Red Rock Pass.  That made for a slightly easier drive down the mountain, but I’m glad we got it done before too much of the rain came down.  What a muddy mess it would have been in a short time.

So, our quick trip to the refuge ended up taking a little more than four hours.  Stan didn’t accompany us on this trip as he wanted to just relax today in preparation for his and Pam’s getting back on the road tomorrow.  They will be heading out to the Grand Tetons, Utah, and then back home to Illinois.  It has been very enjoyable for me to have fun traveling companions for the last two weeks.  I will be sad to see them go.  :(  And Emma will be sad to see her boyfriend, George, leave.  I’m thinking she won’t miss little crabby Mitzi, though.  (I’m going to try to get some pics of them in the morning.  George is a smooth collie and Mitzi is a Corgi.)

A little update for all you helpful folks about my dry, cracking hands.  I’ve always used bag balm for this problem, but it just wasn’t cutting the mustard this time.  So, I took the suggestion about the cortisone cream, and it is having a positive effect.  Thank goodness!!  Now, if it would just work on the arthritis in my hands, I’d feel like a young whippersnapper!  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

At Home on the Range

We headed out of Red Rock RV Park this morning with Ennis, Montana, as our destination.





As we passed through the sage brush covered valley, we encountered several small herds of antelope.  (click pics to enlarge)



Antelope are pretty skittish, so I’m pleased that I got these shots.
After about an hour’s drive we approached Ennis, Montana.








Our mission there was to go to Resveldt’s Meat Market for authentic German sausage.  Sorry to say, it turned out that the butcher shop was closed on Mondays.  :(  So, after visiting a few of the shops on Main Street, we turned around and headed back to camp. 

As we were driving to Ennis, I had noticed a sign for a National Fish Hatchery along the way.  I suggested we stop there on the way back, and since I was driving, no one objected.  :)  It turned out to be a 7 mile drive up and down a gravel range road to get there.





This is where the 11,000,000 trout come from in Ennis!  This National Fish Hatchery works with six strains of rainbow trout.


This is the bluff where early Plains Indians herded buffalo over the cliff.  That was probably before the advent of horses.


Pam and Stan had never been to a fish hatchery before, so they found it very interesting.  I enjoyed it since I had volunteered at Bandon Fish Hatchery in Oregon.
We took one of the back roads home that was a little more scenic in this very scenic area.
Henry’s Lake is located just one mile north of our campground.

Emma and I sat outside in the afternoon while I tried to make some more adjustments on the new camera.  I finally got the manual focus set to match my eyes.  I like to use manual focus when I’m using the telephoto lens.  If I use automatic, the camera often focuses on something other than what I’m interested in.  Then I had to practice a little.
 

Luckily, a few birds were around.  :)  That’s a singing male white-crowned sparrow on the left, and a male black-headed grosbeak on the right.










As I sat at the picnic table, a pair of Cassin’s finches approached very close.  They wanted to use Emma’s water dish for a drink of water.

The weather we had today was the best we’ve had since we left Minnesota.  I hope it continues tomorrow.  Maybe summer is finally on the way in this neck of the woods.

I’d like to thank everyone for the suggestions for my dried out, cracking fingers.  Today I’m trying the cortisone treatment.  I sure hope it works.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy