The Sounds of Silence

 After two weeks of nonstop family, fun and food, Eddie and I are alone in a house (condo) in the  Montana woods.    George and Team Drew are back in Texas with the hot temperatures that we annually attempt to escape.  Not to gloat, but we woke up to temps in the low 40’s with an expected high of 71...brilliant blue skies and just a hint of a breeze in the aspen trees, with the smell of spruce in the air....yeah, I know, being a Pickle is so hard during a Pandemic, heat wave, with 4-6 Tropical Storms/hurricanes in the neighborhood back home.  Life is good.

As advertised, Week 2 with George was nothing quite like week one with Team Drew.  That being said, I can now find my way back and forth to Glacier National Park blindfolded.  We have driven, or been driven, the Hwy 93 to Highway 2 route almost every day...so there will be no fire drills or getting lost in today’s report.  So mask up folks, and I will give you this week’s high points.  

While it did not happen all on the same day, we have partaken in the local waters—-beer, wine and whiskey tastings...seems everyone has gotten into dyi spirits in Montana.  Must be the long cold winters and nothing to do..unless you like ice fishing, snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling...Big Mountain where we are perched gets roughly 300 inches of snow a year.  As Eddie has said many times before, just because you can grow a grape, does not mean you are a wine maker...same hold true for a good number of the spirit purveyors in this neck of the woods.  I grew up on the Tennessee/Alabama line, with bootleggers making moonshine and those darn revenuers bustin’  up stills... (no, I did not go blind).  Some of the stuff we sampled burned going down, and gave you fire in the belly, for hours...yeah, just a little better than PGA and moonshine.  Some others...were pretty smooth, with an interesting mix of local flavors (not huckleberries but cherries)...those are coming home in our suitcases...as Glacier Distillery does not ship...the wine we liked will be home next week...beer was enjoyed locally and regularly...beer garden style, social distanced,  outdoor under the trees...wonderful temperatures, dogs optional.  We did have a fun adventure/scavenger hunt of sorts...if you are a American Whiskey (not to be confused with an Irish or Scotch whiskey) person...there are a couple of names that are legend (read rare or hard to find-expensive in the third market resale)

Pappy Van Winkle and Blanton’s.  Both are small batch...post era of merger and acquisitions, they are both owned and distilled by same company in same place.  Buffalo Trace (the distiller) has learned the lesson of fine wine makers...create a cult following and release only a very limited supply...well, apparently the folks in Montana does not have a bunch of sophisticated whiskey snobs.  The Montana state run liquor stores gets regular shipments/allocations of Blantons (not sure about Pappy’s)...heck, you stand a good chance of getting the entire collection of their oh so collectible stoppers.  (I’ll  wait while you go look it up on Wikipedia)The Blanton’s is a little more expensive that what Eddie stocks in his bar, so it stays on the shelf a good deal longer here in Montana.  So, there are 7 liquor stores between our condo in Whitefish and the entrance to Glacier.  So, guess that is what you do when your family leaves, right?  Nope, we did not find the bottle of Blanton’s to go with our other liquor souvenirs-we were close...but it was this week’s spin on the fire drill at a red light. 

As Eddie was the chief driver during Team Drew’s visit, I planned for a private guided tour of Glacier NP for George’s visit.  Eddie has long complained that when he is the driver, he only sees the traffic in front of him and tends to miss out on the sights in the sightseeing tour.  So, I found a company that would give us a  GNP tour and commentary.  Our guide, Andy, was a 42 year old Colin Hanks doppelgänger.  Originally from Maine, he came for college and stayed...he has a degree in American History and a minor in Native American Culture...so he fit right in with Eddie and George on the History channel.  Andy and George could exchange stories of the joys of History degrees in the job market....I do think Houston has more opportunities than Montana.  He made his way through his college summers as a Jammer in the park.  Jammers aka drivers of one of the 33 Red Buses (circa 1936) that are used to tour folks around the park...jammers because the jamming of the standard transmission can be heard all over the park.  This would have been my 2019 preplanned preferred way to go, along with the boat on Lake MacDonald...but this is 2020, there are none of this services available in the half open park...so, private Subura Outback driver/guide it is.  Andy said that in Late April, early May (about the time all various types of the bears start to come out of hibernation)  all the locals (and after 25 years or so here, he can claim local status) started to worry out loud that no one would come this year to GNP or the surrounding areas.  Business Owners started to prepare for Plan C, since Plan B had been deployed during the shut down.  The summer has brought recorded numbers to this little hamlet along with people purchasing second homes, so business is booming, as is construction.  Whitefish (along with the surrounding towns along Highway 2) are not like Jackson Hole or Breckinridge.  Think Splendora and New Caney...there are probably more Thrift Stores, Bison burger joints and Huckleberry Gift Shop/Restaurants than boutiques and high end dining establishments...which is kinda why we like it.    Andy’s tour was more of the roads less traveled or park personnel only roads,  sharing his unique perspectives and view points of the scenery in and around the park.    One of those areas was the guidebooks #1 must see, Polebridge Mercantile...an outpost on the north western fringe of the park that was a stop for trappers long before the park was establish.  Polebridge, cause that is what the bridge over the Flathead River was made from -Lodgepole pine trees.    It is now home to a bakery, and a half dozen rough overnight cabins.  When I say rough, it is not the glamping that’s you see in travel magazines.  It is  a no frills, kerosene lamp, outhouse affair-from $125 a night.  Stray cats, random rusting metal objects available at no extra cost, but those tetanus and rabies shots will.  While the huckleberry bear claws, huckleberry strudel bread are good, kinda of glad that this outpost wasn’t visited during week one...see part about shots.    Glacier NP (almost named Glacial Lakes National Park) is like so many of the original national parks, a step back in time.  The hotels and buildings are often 100 years old or older representing an era when travel was by train and horseback...slow and unhurried with natural unspoiled beauty, fresh clean water and air are the stars.  Funny,  how a pandemic can make you appreciate things like this in a whole new light...masks, hand sanitizer, social distancing and all.  

George also did a Whitewater (not scenic float ride) rafting trip one afternoon which allows us time back in the park.  We hiked down to the Scared Dancing Cascade and waded around in the crystal clear cold waters then were able to drive up the Logan’s Pass before having to turn around to get to the Blue Rafting place from the previous week.  Second time around, I knew the drill..no getting lost....and saw things that we had not seen or explored the other times.  As it is late into the summer, the rapids were pretty tame, but he had two boys (7 & 8) onboard that wrestled the entire time in the raft bottom, or wanted to be drug over the side of the raft...sound familiar.  Apparently,  this is SOP for the raft company.  Here I thought we were unique.    George played his part by hoisting the boys out of the water with their life vests....as he and the dad understood the drill better than mom.  Once a Boy Scout, always a Boy Scout.  

All that is left is to finish the 1,000 piece puzzle, eat the rest of the provisions we have purchased, and pack.  My fuzzy sock slippers and snuggly warm pants will have to wait until  November or December to see the light of day when we get back home.  Yeah, Montana is the Last Best Place.  

Rollin’ on the River

As my excuses have left the building...and the state..Team Drew with Kim and Tom have moved on for more adventures in Wyoming.  We have dropped 7 and picked up one.  George arrived yesterday for a week in the cooler mountain air....and adventure...  I have whiplash for the abrupt change in speed of our pace.  Yes, there will be repeat of some activities and a bunch of different ones, but since I have the control stick, nothing will be the same.  Eddie is in recovery...means he is napping as we have a Big Sky Brew Cruise this afternoon...four hours of beer tasting.  Like I said, we were have some adult adventures while George is here.  As promised, I have to tell you our rafting adventure story.

Before coming, I sent everyone a list/menu of activities that needed to prebooked with the rest more plug in based on energy and weather.  There are three different rafting companies in and around the entrance to Glacier National Park. All three have Glacier and Raft in their names, all are located on Highway 2 in West Glacier.    In this part of Montana the map of rivers and creeks looks like an old lady’s legs, with large bulging veins and spidery little veins everywhere you look...must be all  that glacier run off.  So, it stands to reason that you can choose your own rafting adventure based in age, ability and time of departure.  For those 3 years old and above, a 2.5-3 hour float trip in the Middle Fork of the Flathead River sounded like a winner, especially since our party of 9 would fill a raft (social distancing/family pod) and the bus ride to and from was a mask on affair.  Never mind that said 3 year old had been up since 5:30, hiked several miles and had maybe a 15 minute car nap before arriving at the appointed spot at 3:15.  Oh yeah, almost forgot...Team GO got lost again.  Figured that since the Rafting place was outside of the Park, we would be able to find it without much trouble...wrong.  Went to the wrong place.  Much to My amazement, Eddie was totally Zen/calm/curse free about me confusing the yellow and red bus Glacier rafting company, with the blue bus rafting company, which is not the solid red rafting company...must be that Team GO had a retired Episcopal priest (aka Tom) in the car...gee.  Team Drew found the blue rafting place, long before we did.  Lauren sent me a helpful pin drop from her AT&T phone, however, My Verizon phone got confused and fumbled the pin...we were back in  the line to enter the park...and I had already put our Senior NPS pass back in trunk...at the first (wrong) raft place...did not want it taken from the car... So, Tom hopped out (so high school fire drill at the red light, remember that?), Eddie popped the trunk and He (Tom) grabbed the black, not grey backpack.   Do you know how to make a preacher cuss?  Fire Drill do over...    Onward...Team GO...  We arrived, but there was still 30 minutes of standing around with our masks and comfortably warm life vests before boarding the short bus for the ride to the put in point.  

Our guide/paddler Josh, was a tall thin drink of water...if he drank beer it didn’t show..likewise for his toothpick legs and grasshopper arms...but he was a very child friendly paddler...and NOLA crabber in the colder months, go figure. Like the watery rides at an amusement park, I chose a seat/raft side near the back.  I still don’t like wet underwear.  Eli and Tom were in the wet underwear section in the front of the raft, with Lucy and Drew next.  Kim and I were third, with Eddie, Lauren and Grace in front of Josh.  Lauren has said early on, she figured Lucy for a raft nap.  If only.  I would loved to have been a fly on Josh’s wall when he and the other  raft guides compared story for evening.  His story would win. Hands down...no contest.    There where three rafts in this group.  We were in the lead raft...our little group put on quite the show.  Lucy was a ball of energy in the raft...forget just standing up, she wanted to jump up and down to watch the water come in and out of the self bailing holes in the bottom of the raft.  She was happiest when she was allowed overboard to be drug along the River current..as siblings do, Eli jumped over and hung on to the rope on the side...quite the circus raft for sure.  Forget there were eagles overhead, mountains, blue skies, crystal clear water and fish all around us. I am sure the two rafts behind us were high fiving each other for being on Raft 2 and 3.    There were gentle rapids (which Grace called “ruffles”)...but most of our time energy was spent trying to keep Lucy in the raft.  So, who has time to worry about the  Covid virus, when we have a good chance of giardia..parasite anyone?  

A quick check of Houston’s double threat of hurricanes (really? This is so 2020), wake up Eddie, and head to the meeting point for our beer tour.  

Going to the Sun Road...or is this Canada?

While I know it has been almost a week since my last post...and we are actually traveling as many of you have emailed me asking where’s the beef...but just like the “Dog ate my homework”...I have a really good excuse, actually 3 good, no make that excellent,  excuses...Eli, Grace and Lucy aka the grands...and I am not as young as I use to be.  While I could go on here about our days in the shadow of Glacier National Park under a beautiful big Montana sky, hiking, playing, fishing, rafting, exploring and escaping the season of confinement and COVID-19 (are you green with envy?), I will jump to our featured story of the week.  A fact that I may have not shared, Drew’s parents, Kim and Tom, previously from League City, now Bristol, Tennessee are here in Montana with us.  Even with 6 adults to 3 kids, using WWF Tag Team/Covid-19 protocols, it has been a busy week.  

As we all know, traveling with kids of any age can be a balancing act...a variety of activities and experiences so everyone is suitable exhausted, but not cranky...those of us of a certain age, understand what old cranky is.  On Tuesday evening before our “big day” in Glacier National Park...which is only half open due to Covid, with some concessioners open, others not, some in the maybe category (check back daily) ...we (meaning the adults) had a discussion of our plans for Wednesday.  When asked when we wanted to leave for the park (about a 30-40 minute drive from Whitefish), Eddie and Kim together said, between 9:30 and 10:00.  Tom and I were flexible, and said we would go whenever.  It was quickly decided that the two cars would be used, and the 9 of us would be divided between mini van Team Drew (complete with the sound track from Hamilton playing (loudly) in the background) and Team Grands Old (Team GO for short) We decided that trying to meet along the Going to the Sun Road (the major/only road that goes from the Western part of the park up the mountains to the glaciers and out the eastern side-except this Covid summer when you have to turn around and come back the same way) for a picnic lunch was probably not going to happen, and that we would meet at the Rafting place right outside the park at 3:15.  So, basically, each team was only responsible for arriving at the appointed spot by 3:15...it was up to each Team to manage their time and opportunities.  Casual mention was made that gas stations were non-existent inside the park, so fill up before leaving-limit fluid intake, because bathrooms maybe limited...likewise, cell reception was not available inside the park...got it, no problem, right?  Well, at 6:45 AM Team Drew was out the door and Glacier bound...full tank, water and picnic lunch.    Lucy running down the condo hallway yelling, “Going to the Mountains, come on, hurry”...As if the mountains and the glaciers would disappear...yeah, glaciers were suppose to be gone in 2020, but they still are here....take that global warming.      At 9:30, and not a moment soon, Team GO in a suitably hip Subaru sedan would collect all of the senior delegation and head for Glacier National Park..with gas, water and picnic lunch.  I have never left home without my trusty paper road maps, atlas, or an Eddie created Map Quest meets AAA flip trip book.  Yes, we actually had a 150 page bound (thanks For the assist Office Depot) 8.5x11 turn by turn instruction book for  a cross country road trip...but this time, call it Covid brain, I did not have any of those things.    Silly me.  I pulled up Google Map, punched in Glacier National Park, plugged my phone into Car Play (so Eddie could hear the lady speak) and we were off.  As we had been here 5 days, we had been out enough to know our way around...heck, I knew enough to get us there without any help..but Eddie insisted, as he swears I am directional challenged so I pushed ”GO”.  Our first “Turn left at the next light”, made us go, hmmm...maybe a alternative route around town, a “Whitefish Beltway or loop” to get us there faster.  7 or 8 turns later, we were no where near the Highway I thought we should be on.  But, Eddie is driving, and there have not been any gas stations or directional signs to guides us on our way.  Eddie logic—-it is over 1,000,000 acres and has lots of mountains and glaciers, lakes, and rivers, we can’t miss it.  First clue that something was amiss...end of paved road...clue number two...total drop of any cell signal...Now remember, Team GO has a lot of collective brain, experience and reasoning power...and of course, Eddie, who may not always be right, but he is never in doubt.  We could see the mountains in the distance on the passenger side of the car.  We were following the Flathead River that we knew to be the western boundary of the park...therefore,  we knew that we had to make a right hand turn to cross over said river to get into the park.  Easy right.  No map, no GPS...but there was the car’s compass, the sun and our joint logic...we would be on the Going to the Sun Road in no time.  We kept heading north...on roads that make Camp Allen’s gravel back roads look good, gravel dust hanging from the various evergreens and our trusty Subaru...no bathrooms (yeah,Eddie had to do the bush thing) or gas stations,no farms houses, few other cars.  Did you know that part of Glacier National Park (not the Native American Reservation Part) is in Alberta/British Columbia, Canada?  And kinda like the Blackfeet Nation portion, the Canadian portion of the park/border is Covid closed to Americans...yikes.  So, at 11:30, a mere two hours into to our trip, we figured we were just moments away from a Border crossing without passports or Covid permission slip...but we had our NPS Senior pass, masks and a gallon of hand sanitizer...that should count for something.  At the first sign of civilization (read an old country store which was not open, gate locked, but had a map posted on their outside board), Eddie stopped the car.  I found an opening in the fence and went through to examine the map.  I was doing fine, but Old Ye of Little Faith Eddie joined me to determine where we went wrong...and how to get back to the actual Park and the Going to the Sun Road.  One well executed three point turn, a cloud of gravel dust and we were off, retracing our steps, putting distance between us and Canada.  Sure enough, there was a right hand turn, which was marked on the southern route guiding us into the Parkvia the Camas Road entrance...which is the road less traveled when entering the park...no guard shack or only one other lone car on this 13 mile stretch—-that and an adolescent black bear crossing the road. Score one for Team GO on our Wildlife Bingo game...part of my Mary Poppins bag...thanks Pinterest.  We made our way to Apgar Village within the park and walked around Lake McDonald—-since the Park boats were not running this summer.  For the next few hours, we joined the caravan of cars (sorry, the Park’s red tour buses are another victim of the Covid closures) up the Going to the Sun road, up and over the Continental Divide, stopping at several locations for pictures and picnic lunch on a covid free red rock table.  The four of us thought that was a smarter covid move than using the well used wooden tables at various stops...even with Clorox wipes.  As we had used an additional hour or more finding the entrance, we turned around at the Rising Sun point and made our way back down the road...towards our 3:15 rafting meet up place...which will be my next story.  Our day in and around the park...Yeah, pretty spectacular....Eddie and I feel pretty thankful that we have had a chance in our years together to visit almost all of the national parks...it makes you realize how special this country is..America, the Beautiful...for sure.  

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

You know how a song from your past will just randomly pop into your head, and your wee little brain is stuck in a never ending loop of said song?  Well, on our first travel adventure during the current Pandemic Code Red, that childhood ditty has been stuck in my head.  To refresh your memory (not about the Pandemic...cause if you need refresher about that...you might consider another type of testing...nasal swab not necessary...just sayin’)...Eddie and I have been pretty much housebound since March.  With each passing week, our paranoia about doing anything that involved exposure to people, even folks we knew, has increased.  Planned trips were cancelled, deposits refunded, shopping was limited to pop your trunk pick up or point and click and eating out meant we ate on the patio...with the lone exception on the 19 day trip to Montana that was planned to complete our 6 weeks away from the Houston summer heat.  If it was just me and Eddie, we would have pulled the plug on that in June (last cancellation with no penalty date)-but this was the family portion of the trip.  The 3 adult (George, Lauren, Drew) and 3 kids (Eli, Grace, Lucy) quivering lips, and sad puppy eyes at the mere whisper of cancellation kept us from doing a lift and shift on dates until next year.  So, despite a whole lot of reservations about flying, sleeping in strange beds, being around people we did not know, we left our Covid free cocoon yesterday morning and headed for Glacier National Park in Montana.  Talk about jumping into to the deep end of the pool...

We arrived at Bush Terminal C at 9:15 AM for a 11:15 flight.  I can say without a doubt that we have never planned, discussed and packed for a trip quite like this.  My carryon flight bag had Chub of real Wet Wipes, 10 pairs of disposable gloves, 6 disposable mask, 4 cloth masks in two styles, eyeglass covering protection goggles, 2 buckets hats with detachable face shields, 4 splash and dash hoodie disposable rain ponchos (No, I did not buy them for the trip, they were leftovers from trips to a couple of rainforests), several 3 oz bottles of hand sanitizer (in case we just had to bathe in it-kinda like exposure to  radioactive material or Ebola), a can of nuts and protein bars, so that we did not have to purchase food from the airports, my iPad with a plastic wrap on the cover, charger cord also wrapped in plastic, and our travel materials.  Our actual wearable wardrobe is pretty limited...there is a washer, and Eddie had determined that we would only eat out if it was outdoor seating...so no formal night on this land cruise.  My regular suitcase had a giant ziplock with Clorox wipes, Lysol spray, more hand sanitizer, wet wipes, face masks and gloves.   There was also zipper bag of bear bells and lifeguard whistles, which will be joined with my $50 can of bear spray that I have reserved for pick up in Whitefish.  Side note...bear spray is different that personal pepper spray...while both are pepper sprays, the bear spray works at a long distance...kinda like ant vs. hornet spray...you kinda don’t want to get that close to the bear with personal pepper spray to make it work...makes sense...maybe everyone knew that, but it was an ahh moment for me.   Amazon, Dick’s, even Academy were all out of stock of said 50 ft. Bear spray-must be the Protesters around the country using it on theIr evenings out in the various cities round  this country...so I had to locally source my bear spray, complete with attractive holster.  Apparently, it is not advisable to have to dig in your purse or backpack for the can of bear spray if the bear is headed for you.  My auxiliary small suitcase is more of my rolling Mary Poppins stuff for the kids...a couple of collapsing coolers and the snacks favored by the kids that were not available on the Safeway grocery app that I preplanned and purchased our groceries from...here again, popping the trunk To avoid in person shopping.  Eddie planned for himself—I know, you are shocked—-to include a couple of heavy hardback books...lots of just in case medications, for stomach, head, ear, throat, lung, blisters, sunburn, bug bites... the medical equipment to include thermometer, pul oxy finger machine, snuffy, hearing aide equipment and his electric toothbrush-yes, 19 days and he is afraid that his teeth or gums will develop disease if it does not come along.  Has tooth decay been added to the list of Covid symptoms?  It is so hard to keep up these days.  Remind me again about spontaneous travel adventures in your golden year.  So, here we are with 2 large suitcases, two small suitcases and my carryon flight bag at Terminal C.  Up the ramp, no crowds, no curbside check in, no honking cars or traffic cop...hummmm, this is different.  Typically Terminal C is busy, regardless of time of day, nope, only one side of the terminal was open, your luggage tags are printed at a touchless kiosk, no lines at TSA-plain or with precheck...most of the shops are closed, some of the food concessions are still open, but is it all grab and go.  The Terminal and gates have probably never been as clean and clutter free, but it was sad but also extremely entertaining.  As we were out of C1, we decided to sit down in a row of seats on the wall at the beginning of the concourse to C1-21....it was the best seat in the house for people watching...and mask wearing.  Which brings me to my song....Head, shoulders, Knees and Toes, knees and Toes...Eyes, Ears, Mouth and Nose...I have mentioned before that if your are wearing a mask, do it right.  If it is mandatory, just do it, don’t complain. It is like a seat belt...I know that took some getting use to, it was not comfortable, particularly when they added the shoulder strap, but just get over it and do it, it is for your own good...or those around you.  The folks in the airport need to remember where their nose, mouth and chin are...your mask needs to cover all those things (mouth and nose) if they do not, adjust the mask or get a bigger mask (yeah,  big bubba - your chubby chipmunk cheeks and double chin are not  covered by that kids mask, you are not fooling any of us) Additionally, do not give your child bubble gum when wearing a mask...chewing gum, perhaps, but no bubble gum, particularly in a paper mask.  As for the knees and toes...fluffy house shoes are not good pandemic foot wear....what are you thinking...I know the Kardashian girls do it, but they are on a private jet...and there is that kid trying to get the bubble gum out of his mask and slinging it on the floor, and don’t get me started about folks sneezing,  If you are going to wear those form fitting, knee length athletic outfits, check the mirror first and make sure your pandemic pounds are not showing.  My goodness..I did not know that material had that much stretch in it.  Eddie and I enjoyed to show, but of course, we had to go to the bathroom before boarding the plane.  After all that has been written about toilet flushing, we had actually discussed our strategy for the trip.  Of course, that went out the window when we decided that we needed to go before we got on the plane.  Guys have it easy....me, however, I just about had a panic/heart attack when the potty stall I selected (and there was a process for that)  auto flushed when I enter and shut the door, again when I was in hover mode, and again as I departed.  Could not decided if I needed to break out the wet wipes or go full immersion in the hand sanitizer before returning to our designed area.  BTW, IAH bathrooms are far superior to Denver’s, even with the fast to flush toilets.  

Eddie and I had purchased (as in a revenue ticket—-I am sure United’s thank you note is in the mail) first class tickets for this trip, not so much for butt in bucket time, as the “social distancing” that came from being in the front of the plane, with a curtain to stop the dreaded sneezing covid cooties from attacking us.  We are in 1A &1B...our “planned” strategy was to be last on, first off, sanitize our seat area, and not accept food or drink unless it was bottled water.  Some of you have traveled with Eddie, we all know and accept that “last” is not in his vocabulary. Even after all of the discussion, I thought this time would be different.  Nope, nope, nope...the boy almost mowed down the guy in the wheelchair and the service man in uniform to get onto the plane first...while he did not say a word, I saw those looks from our fellow passengers...”Ken” is in the house...or at least on the plane to Denver.  Speaking of Ken behavior, we had a true “Karen” on the plane.  As we were on early, we had a front row seat to the action.  “Karen” and her 3 pre teen and teen children boarded the plane.  “Karen” was maskless, with her cell phone in her hand.  She jammed the screen of the cell phone into the flight attendant’s face and exclaiming “This says I do not need to wear a mask”.  Since we all electronically signed the “I agree to wear a mask on the plane” and “I have not have covid in the last 14 days” pledge, the poor flight attendant was caught off guard and said, “oh, okay, sure”.  Her 3 kids, had masks on, under the nose or on their chins, but had masks on...a few minutes lasted, the supervisor and gate attendant approached her and ask her to bring her documentation and accompany them to the front of the plane.  Once out of cell video camera range (looks like United has learned those lessons, no dragging or physical assault...times are tight, they can’t afford negative press or lawsuits).  Her documentation was copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights on her phone...she aggressively challenged those in authority that it is not stated that she had to wear a mask, but could carry a gun.  Yikes! In their best and calmest happy but firm grown up voices, they asked if they could get her children so she could be escorted off the plane with them.  United training during shutdown, I guess.  “Karen” backed down, snatched United paper mask and put it on, only until she reached her seat.  Her kids had pulled up their masks, had heads down in their phones...my guess is they are use to it.  To answer your question, I did not get a picture for our Montana album...there are enough wild animals in Montana...Karens are becoming way too common. 

Lauren and fam arrive in a hour, the kitchen calls....Goin’ on a Bear Hunt.....