Skinny Dippin’ after Midnight

Made you look didn’t I?  A little bit about where we are staying in the North Carolina Mountains.  In our previous stays we have been located closer to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Blowing Rock.  Southern Living charm,  Instagram worth scenery and hip elevated cuisine abound.  Thinking chickpea fries with lemon saffron aioli,  Blackberry brambles and Korean Pork Belly Tacos with Heritage pork…not your typical fried chicken and greens.    Note, I did not say a thing about fly fishing waters.  While there are fishable waters close by, the whispers of the Watagua are 30-40 minutes away…on a good day.  So, the fish whisperer’s wife (Lauren) requested that we locate a place either on or with fishing rights to Watagua-cause nothing says Momma vaca like being with your three kiddos while the fish whisperer’s is out all day having meaningful conversations with various trout species.

After much looking we rented a lovely 2 year old home on the banks of the Watagua in Valle Crus, a mere five minutes from Mast General Store.  Mast General has been around since the late 1890’s selling a little bit of everything, outdoor gear,  gas, candy, soda pop in bottles.  The kids remember the candy barrels.  As Eddie’s childhood memories include a country store, the pot bellied stove, checker board-candy and bottled sodas, he is in charge of that field trip with the kids.  Kids are pretty excited about both Mast and Eddie being in charge.  They learn so quickly.  

The exterior dark wood and stone is repeated on the three floors.  Farmhouse meets lake house decor, with lots of on trend lighting (Edison lightbulbs)  that all point up….love the look,  but not practical if you need to do anything except spot spider webs on the ceiling.    The key word is dark.  Cozy, yes, shaded, yes, hard to see with all the lights on, yes…especially when you are of a certain age. The walk to the river and the stone fire pit are pretty level and easy.  IPhone gives you a handy flashlight app for that.  The ingress to the actual River, as I mentioned, is not as clean and clear.  The depth of the water in the three house on either side of us is probably only 18” deep-at the deepest…3-4 feet closer to the bridge.  So, that brings me to skinny dipping.

When did we start name all the full moons…July 23rd was the Buck Moon..I only remember Harvest Moons growing up.  Okay, I’ll bite.   Buck moon is when the male deer start showing their antler growth.  Well, we are post full, not to new moon (Sturgeon moon August for you moonie loonies), so moonlight is not that bright either.  Perfect conditions for skinny dipping.  Last night, around midnight, the house was dark, blackout blinds drawn, no moonlight to illuminate my way.  With my bare feet leading the way, I left the warmth of our bed.  After more than two weeks, I knew the way…I heard the floor creak with my progress.  Then, splash! my naked butt was wet…I am awake!    Yes, Eddie had again left the toilet seat up.  For 45 years, I have worked on this issue, but have given up and just remember to check. Except for when I don’t remember.    Others have tried, right Deb?  The lawyer responds simply, “Do I get upset when you don’t put it up for me?”  Wonder of Mast sells nightlights?  Perhaps some brain bleach-since you all have mental pictures than need to be erased.

Today’s conversation starter is-seat up or down?  As we are on Septic tank here, with the number of snakes in water and woods found here(no, I have not seen any), the better question might be-Lid up or down?

The Long and Winding Road

🎶The long and winding road, that leads, to your door…will never disappear, I have seen that road before…it always leads me here, lead me to your door.🎶

Yeah, like Beatle Paul yearning for the B842 in Scotland, we followed our hearts up the long and winding 194, 105, 321-to name a few— to again trade the sauna/steam bath weather of Houston’s summers for the mountain air of North Carolina.  Kinda like the Colorado thing, only lower altitudes, and less maintained two lane curvy highways.  

Believe it or not we have been gone from Houston for over two weeks…but whether it is spending so much “together time” during covid or there was something in my Covid cootie shot—-could  I have become immune, there have been almost no Eddie stories worth mentioning to this point.  Gaffe free?  How could this be?  You know what they say, two make one, and after 45 years….It must have been something in the shot…I am not seeing anything.  

So, I guess I will just have to make you green with envy as it is currently 59 degrees on the covered deck, over looking the Watauga River (read: fly fishing Mecca) with the sun trying to burn off the forest haze.  See previous post for lessons on why they call this the Blue Ridge Mountains—-that would be “What are terpenes?, Alex”.  Yeah, I know there is the smoke from the western forest fires, pollution from fossil fuels, but this haze started long before that…promise.  The water is cool and crisp, even at the end of a warm (81 is a heat wave) day, with a clear rock bottom, that is walkable if you are a young goat-my water shoes are not thick enough to scamper across the rocks.  By the way, scamper and Karen are not used in the same sentence-not even if there was a snake involved.  I am not as sure footed as I use to be.  Eddie has spent most of the “River time” not fly fishing with the 40 pound duffle of equipment (to include the expensive River boots-more about that in a minute), but either laughing at my water bound  grace and agility or preparing to call 911.  I have forbidden 🚫 photos. 

In preparing for this journey, we realized that we have forgot how to pack!  After all the cruises and traveling we have done over the years, we had mastered the art of one large and one small for 4-6 weeks of traveling.  The one small was our carry on as we all have heard stories of folks that lose their luggage on a trip and are caught with only one pair of underwear that had to be washed nightly in the bathroom sink for the duration of the trip.  I am a southern raised girl. We know that it is a sin to have ratty undies, in case there is an accident and you have to go to the hospital—-amazing what childhood lessons stick with you.  So, Eddie and I are a pair and two spares packers…it takes time for undies our sizes to dry.  While we are sheltering in place for 6 weeks in North C-with a washer and dryer, mind you- the trip is bookended  with a few side trips—to include the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and New Orleans, so one large and one small evolved in to two, two, and two duffles, a plastic bin and a couple of Piggly Wiggly bags.  If you are from the Deep South, paper grocery sacks-not these flimsy plastic bags they give you now— were a part of car trips…and Piggly Wiggly-affectionately call the “Pig” was the “HEB” of the Deep South.  It was the designer tag of choice for disposal luggage.  No car trip was complete without at least two bags filled with “just in case” items that did not make the suitcases.  

Eddie is a creature of comfort—-just in case you did not know.  He has certain requirements.  He considers them basic or bare minimums.  For example, when determining which Property to rent this summer-besides AC, king bed, River access, the house had to have 5.0 internet, cable TV - hey, it is the 2020/2021 Not Fun Olympics from Tokyo, and because of the time difference, you can watch all 7,000 hours of coverage, and  comfortable seating-which is code for a recliner.  In fact, when we were looking if there was a place that met the basic list, but had no recliner, Eddie announced he would just buy one, then donate it before we left.  😳..which brings me to the 40 pound fly fishing gear duffle….not to be confused with the 20 pound hardback book Pig bag, or the  2-15 pound dumbbells for working outs.  You think I made that last one up-nope..they came naked, the Pig bags are strong, but not that strong.  They say new habits take hold within 21 days…we will be here for at least 21 days…soooo.    Eddie is a collector…see part about books, shop tools, piano music, foreign language books, college textbooks, cooking and grilling books .  When Eddie embarks on a new hobby or interest, he first researches the subject online, which usually results in 5-15 pounds of books on said subject-thanks Amazon-being delivered to our door step.  After a few days of study and list making, there is a frenzy of point and click activity-as Eddie enjoys the hunt of all things from the comfort of his recliner.  Once all the packages and books arrive, storage/carriers are acquired, devised or built.  A new hobby has hatched in Eddie’s world.  Fly fishing is/was no exception.  I fish…River, lake, ocean, I fish.   I have some of the same stuff (to include tackle box)I have had for over 55 years…to include a 70 year old fly reel.    It works-it catches fish, it lives in the outdoor box beside the raised patio/driveway side-with the dirt dobbers, spider webs, and extra garden hose.  Now, Eddie…he may not fish more than two days a year, but he looks the part of a Orvis calendar boy…must have been the night at Holiday Inn Express (YouTube the commercial if you don’t use Cable TV)   He is sporting all of the best equipment, down to his towel and underwear—-not part of small bag underwear.  It is all stored inside our bedroom cabinet, so that it will not mix with the elements of nature.  After traveling two years ago with the footlocker sized tackle box, I purchased and insisted he reduce his actual gear to an insulated lunch box sized tackle bag.  After much huffing and sorting, he had down sized his tackle gear, the rod, reel, heavy ass boots with spikes on the bottom (he won’t fall in the stream) , Batman utility fishing vest-(all filled and dangling from two years ago), and fish friendly fishing net were packed into the rolling duffle.  Remember the part about Kentucky bourbon trail and New Orleans-that and the two, two and two will be joining us in our hotel rooms nightly…we might leave the Pig bags and 2-15 dumbbells in the car.  

Will let you know if we catch anything, fall in the river-with non ratty underwear as I am sure there will be a hospital visit involved,  or find wildlife or other cars in a blind curve on our long and winding roads here in North Carolina.  

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.....

Gloom, Despair, Agony on Me

For today's journey, I have chosen a trip in the WABAC machine with Mr. Peabody and Sherman as our mode of transportation.  If you are not a Rocky and Bullwinkle fan, perhaps Google or Wiki can give you a hand.  Since most of you that read my silliness are of that certain vulnerable age you will understand my references of both of those and to the trip back to the political incorrect time of the late 1960-70's...I know the Stone Age.  We are talking about the yahoos (before there was a capitalized "Y" in Yahoo) on Hee Haw...four country boys on hay bales sings the sad song of Gloom, Despair, Agony on Me...Deep Dark Depression, excessive Misery, if it weren't for bad luck I have no luck at all....Gloom, Despair, Agony on me....you can sing along...Grab your overalls and jug.   This current Pandemic just drags on and seems to drag all of our plans, thoughts and dreams right along with it...  So, instead of Patriotic tunes, we are singin' the blues.

As Camp A had a Covid Cutie during the first week of operation, Lauren and family have been self quarantining on site to prevent sharing with us old people.  On Friday the 3rd, they were 7 days from completing this new 2 week cycle of self quarantining.   With their 5 and our 2 plus George, we are at 8 people for a safe gathering number.  We have had them here for years, pool, Skippy, fishing, fireworks, and lots of food.  The number has ranged from 8 to 20 depending on the additional extended family members that come along.  This year, it would be quiet party of 3.  We would carry on, pool, bbq, Skippy and fireworks....but it is not quite the same.  Gloom, Despair, Agony on me...

During last week, we had the shop garage officially tricked out with true air conditioning.  The summer months, which here extends from April/May to October and sometimes into November, his shop is unusable. For the 14 years since we have been here, acquiring more toys, it would appear on the Eddie List of things to do.  We would have various people out to pitch us on their solution to our problem...none of them sounded good or reasonably priced.  During Ike, we had a window unit that we used in our Master (oops, we are not suppose to refer to it as a Master Bedroom these days...so we will call it the big sleeping room downstairs as Owner's suite is probably on the bad list, too) Bedroom for the 16 days without AC.  Those 16 days led us to acquiring the whole house generator...hang on to that little fact.  Post Ike we considered the window AC as a possible shop solution, too noisy on patio, eye sore for sure hanging out the patio window to the garage and not "allowed" according to our Home Owner regs.  And we are such rule obeyers.  Bottom line, Eddie could not go ghetto on the window unit... So, a very large fan was acquired from Home Depot....blew crap and warm air everywhere, but it was still hot.  So, it could only be used infrequently.  The Spring before Harvey, we acquired a penguin AC.  For those not familiar with my Pickle Lexicon of terms, that is the portable free standing AC unit that can be moved from room to room.  The fine print will tell you that you have to have outside ducting through a window....but the pictures don't.    Eddie constructed and painted a window duct system that would allow air out, no critters in and be pleasing to the eye and ear if you were on the patio.  Wasn't great, but it would do.  The hand washing of the foam filter to prevent issues ended up being a pink job, so I was not crazy about the entire thing...but it was a step in the right direction.  Post Harvey---it took on water, so the Penguin was no more.  We had not pursued a solution since then.  As we don't have lots on our plate these days, Eddie's list was brought out and reviewed....since the dock stuff was now completed.  Hmmm, Shop AC, Ed said he was ready to do something with that.  I put it on my list...10 days later we are sitting with new central Air and Heating, and a full insulated attic.  Do not mess with me when I have a task or items on the list...it will get done, at a reasonable price, by a properly vetted company.  Boom.

All was well, until Friday afternoon.  Eddie decided to get into our pool which is kept at a lovely 85 degrees during hot summer months with a Heat/Cool system...post Harvey Upgrade to the unit that chilled the water and threw up water in the side yard in equal measure.  Eddie doesn't do cheap and technology caught up with his desires post Harvey.  Another little 220 fact to hang onto as we tell our story.  Eddie puts up the umbrellas and jumps in...and immediate comes out and back into the house squawking and dripping  about the Cooling system.  He figured that the system had been taken off line when the AC system was added to the breaker box.  Let's review so we don't lose track---we now have 3 AC units, one chiller unit, a designated 220 circuit in the shop for toys, the 220's on the boat dock for those toys, and assorted regular 220s in the house for the stoves and ovens....we have a gas dryer, so no 220 dryer connection...we are so Green...  Hmm.  While he is attempting to bring the chiller back on line,  I notice the house is a little warm...like 80 degrees and you know Eddie, 72 is considered the minimum accepted summer temp indoor.  Yes, we pay for the privilege, but a hot Eddie is not a happy Eddie.  Hmm.  To the breaker box, Batman.  The previously pleasant 80 degree shop is now 92....home to the breaker box.  Eddie starts flipping circuits breakers, has me checking all the GFI and Arc breakers switches...I so love a Friday afternoon fire drill!!!!  So, half the house is down, the other half (mostly the 110 lines) are all operational...the switch game resulted in the sub woofer making large clopping noises and the freestanding 110 volt ice maker having a wetting (no ice and drainage) problem.  It is now 6:00 PM Friday before the 4th of July on a very warm day in Houston.  Excellent.  Phone calls were made to the AC installation company.  Hmm.  I reminded Ed that when we lived on Tree Lane, we experienced a similar outage.  Half the trunk line---also called phase, leg, etc.  by the "electrical professionals".  They love a good "phase outage" it is like digging for gold, as a new trunk has to be attached to the utility post/pole and routed to your home via a hand dug trench or shot under concrete.  Yikes!  We called the electrical bubba (our AC contractor referral) and he confirmed our suspicions and told us to call Center Point, as they would give us a temporary line until electric bubba could come dig for gold in our yard.  I worked the Center Point route, and at 10:00 PM, Center Point, sans mask, gloves and hand sanitizer arrived to fix the problem.  Eddie sprang into action opening the shop (16 foot garage door---the big one) so CP could examine the breaker box and the things inside the shop.  BOING!  That would be the large spring on the garage door breaking in half.    Folks, I can't make this stuff up!  15 minutes later, with limited social distancing on Eddie's part, the diagnosis was in, the Generator relay switch was out and was blocking the 220 power leg from getting to the box.  This will be a morning call, and a double overtime call on a holiday to our Generator people-that are based in Conroe.  Remember the big fan that blow crap everywhere, they come in handy still...warm but not totally unbearable night in our big sleeping room downstairs.

An early morning call to our generator switch board said the "on duty" technician would contact us.  An hour later, he called a mentioned the price for service on a holiday without a service contract.  Okay, we will sign up for the service contract, just get out here and fix the problem.  Of course, Eddie doesn't do a Ken or Karen, but a Smooth Eddie and once he explained the problem, Josh asked Eddie to perform some trouble shooting.  Josh did not want to come to Kingwood/Humble on his day off...even at the price quoted.  Eddie did as asked, with live 220 and 110 legs coming into the house.  The results was an early fireworks display...in the switching box.  Nope, you are going to have to come this way, Josh, the box is on fire.  Josh said he would need to call the owner as this was above his pay grade...which part, Josh, the fire or the repair?  At 11:30 AM Josh and the owner arrived in two trucks, two hours later, problem solved, all the toys are back online. Eddie inquired about the relay---as it was now 12 years old, they do go out...the addition of the new AC probably added stress to the 220 leg and it broke.  Yeah, all 220 toys of Eddie's are all operational... House cooled down by dinner time.  However, the ice maker and subwoofer are still on the TBD/wounded list.   Before you ask, we have known that a trunk line or outside box issue is on our dime (Been here, done that --- no lesson learned before goes unused, as my mother would say) , but the fire in the relay box, subwoofer and ice maker are usually covered by homeowners.  So, we will only be out the garage door spring, insurance deductible and the smaller garage door spring, as it was causing the garage door opener control to have error messages...and the repairmen for the big garage spring said that it would probably hit Eddie's car when it broke, in not too distant future....so Springs on Tuesday.    What was it that my Mom and Grandmother use to say, Tragedy comes in threes. If my math is correct,  I think we are done.

As the heat and positivity rate in Houston cranks up, remember to be a rule obeyer, wear your mask, use hand sanitizer  or wash your hands frequently, use social distancing and take care of yourself...we are in this for the long haul...like a marathon, we want to see us all make it to the finish line..together.    We miss our friends!