You don't get there by accident

 Valier Montana....yup we've been on the road . Now Valier is in northwest Montana but it reminds me a bit of the towns on Highway 2 along the High Line of the State.  Some of the towns that are usually about 25 miles apart which is the time it would take to ride that horse that far have successful, vibrant downtown districts, but small....Well Valier isn't that , it's the one with the closed up buildings that people left the signs up when they left. Maybe they were in a hurry, I don't know . The towns motel is a 6 unit trailer and of course the biggest business in town is the Case Tractor franchise. All over Montana we see buildings like these .

So, there's a lot that Valier doesn't have. But what they do have is Lake Francis . It is 3000 acre impoundment that is chuck full of Walleyes , has beautiful campgrounds with lots of availability with boat launches and cleaning tables and....well it's just a great lake except for just one lttle thing it doesn't have....water !  Now I'm familiar with the fact that these type of lakes were designed and built for crop irrigation but I've only seen lakes " drawn down " like this at the end of the irrigation season and not at the start. It makes you wonder what the water level will be in September. A guy might be better off with a tracked Nodwell instead of a boat. Here's a pic of a boat ramp that ends right into a mud bog.

So I get to looking around and see this path of truck tracks across the lake bottom to what I suppose used to be an island . About that time I see a truck pulling a Lund slowly creeping back from his fishing adventure. You'll see him about mid pic.

So I guess a brave soul put the ol truck in 4 by and went looking for a spot where the  lake bottom was angled enough to float a boat off and also dry and firm enough to support the the F 250 along with the Lund Pro V angler....For years when I was cutting my teeth in Alaska we would Launch into the ocean from the beach and we learned it was pretty darn easy to get stuck but also putting the boat back on the trailer with a little surf rolling was a really great way to washout the inside of the skiff....one time I floated a tackle box right back into the ol briney.  Here's pic of the Lake.

And then I see something I've never seen on an inland lake, never....A lighthouse . And I guess it makes sense to have navigation aids in a place where people can run around just like the ancient Mariners would when they'd mistake a rocky shoal exposed at low tide for dry land . So if any of you are headed to Lake Francis just remember to keep the lighthouse to you eastern beam and you'll be just fine....I think...

And I bumped into this guy. I guess he kinda decided on the Nodwell over the boat approach. You talk about roughing it gently !  He's got 6 X 6 positraction, a 55 inch color TV and a kitchen stocked with everything you need for that gourmet Walleye meal this evening...

Now that's something I should warn you about. Here in Mooooootana anytime you get within 250 Miles of Glacier National Park where one of the last viable populations of Brown Bears in the lower 48 exists you start running into these signs. They're funny here in Montana. They won't tell you where you might catch a fish or shoot a deer but boy howdy they'll sure will tell ya where you might get ate by a bear. The signs are at the rest stops, in the parking lot at the Town Pump gas / beer cave , next to the lake , next to the park , next to the bowling alley....And it makes me wonder, if you're a non-resident visitor, especially one with California plates and you're responsible for ruining there State WHY the hell do they care if you get ate by a bear ????     Pro Guide Tip # 237  -  between Valier and Cut Bank keep an eye out for ' Sober Up Creek ' just in case you've been to the beer cave and are in need of that. 

So if you're up there in ' Bear Country ' this is the place to stay. Interesting western art and decor. A hot tub that's just perfect. A breakfast that has protein and gourmet coffee. a Happy hour with 2 dollar G + Ts .  And the old school multi-game machines where my running buddy won 48 bucks.

This is my serious face now : we really do love Choteau , they welcome us every time .

They have gorgeous central park with fields and rodeo grounds, ya can't be a Montana town with Rodeo grounds. The park has walking trails along a lush rambling creek and of course a watch out for Bears sign.

And Camping that is ' almost free ' as we say in Mexico. They even have plug ins and availability which is run on the honor system , I like that .  Choteau is  like a secret paradise  for me and MPeasy. So if ya wanna escape and end up in Choteau Montana, go golfing, have a pizza at John Henry's , buy a T-shirt at the Choteau seniors thrift store and don't forget to tell them Jeff sent ya .

How long it been since you've seen a 1968 Ski Do Elan ? Ya gotta go to Choteau.

Walking for Life

 Years ago before we met them we would see Bill and Sharon Radke walking everywhere, and I mean everywhere in Soldotna Alaska. We were semi-running in the same circles so when we finally met them they were instantly our friends. They are wonderfully interesting and at 10 years older than us they are also incredibly physically fit....I was hard at the gym at the time  and was pretty darn fit but I was always hurt, my shoulders, then my neck and always my back....soooo...being the guy that wants to learn from success we started walking like the Radke's and now all these years later me and MPeasy average 10,000  steps everyday of the year. So, some days its 10,000 , other days 4000 and then the make up days can be 20,000....When  I hit my personal best of 25,000  I told Sharon and shouldn't have, her best was way longer than my best. Here's a screen shot of my Pacer App that highly recommend and traces my steps.

That average is about 5 miles and it generally takes 20 minutes to walk a mile which comes to about 1,825 miles per year and 580 hours of walking....So we walk, we chat , we notice and look for new things and we also try to do uphills a couple times a week for cardio exercise. When I walk on the treadmill in the gym I try to cycle my heart rate up and then recover usually by setting it steep until my heart rate reaches 90% which is about 120 beats for minute then I return to flat and within 3 minutes I'm back down to 92 beats per minute....all set at a fast walk. 

We have several routes we walk. Around the Lake, Prickly Pear trails, Mount Ascension and all the interesting neighborhoods in Helena Mt....and oh boy do we see some stuff and occasionally have to dodge a car that doesn't look out for pedestrians. This morning at the lake we came across this excited young gal with a way above average rainbow trout.

Up on the side of the mountain off of Pine street we run into a guy who made a life's work out of adding Clay artworks to the outside of his house. The pics don't do it justice but my goodness , what an extreme coolness that we'd never noticed.

5.8 miles and you can circumnavigate Helena's irrigation Holding Reservoir. When I came back to Montana after the fishing accident Bert Madsen gave me a job working for the irrigation district as a ditch rider. I was their there daily to turn on the days water and I guess I was just a different person then as I never noticed the beauty and remoteness that's so close to town....I guess appreciation for some people takes a lifetime.

They opened a new trail and of course we were there for the ceremony. It runs along the creek right behind the site of the old ASARCO smelter that was the entire town of East Helena back in the day...and I also worked there, briefly. As  walked the portion that abuts that slag pile you see I saw some metal by the trail and reached down and grabbed an instant flashback, so weird to remember that the slag clogged up all parts of the smelter and  routinely had to be burned away with oxygen torches that we would run into the furnace or reverb. The torches were lit with magnesium sticks that looked and acted like 4th of July Sparklers. On night shift we'd play with them and throw them into the air etc....kids...doing real work. The smelter job was a motivator for me to move on, Alaska . 

See ya'all on the trail.

That's a fish...I know because I've seen them b4

 

It's the last day of May so I've squeezed under the limbo bar and made my goal of at least two editions of Mile 14, the logbook of refuge Alaskans chasing smiles. That there is most likely the most popular sport fish in the world with a Berkley power Craw in it's mouth...I love the way they bite and like everything there's a learning curve. Dan Stewart showed me how to rig weedless and expose the hook that even though weedless it will still penetrate when bit. It's not as easy as he made it look in Mazatlan Mexico's Lake Picachos where he  is guide #003.  But I'm getting it, I go to our local Bass Lake almost every morning.

The Lake is popular. I arrive 1/2 hour before sunrise or ' book time ' as we say. I always have about an  hour  or so before I see any fisherman ( these Montana pescadors don't get out of bed so good )  and the whole early morning ritual I love. It's quiet, the Osprey and Bald Eagle are hunting and with my new hearing aids the birds are loud...and it's warm here....now THAT's a good thing.  In the last few days I've caught up to 6 or 7 per morning in an hour and a half. Gotta get back and take MPeasy for our walk and then gym time .  I've had the boat out just two times now,  just haven't had the right days but we'll do more soon.

This Lake is well used, maybe over used . Every morning I pick up  trash , usually 4 or 5 styrofoam worm containers. What is the matter with people ? How'd they ever get to think that litter was OK ?  So. if  they had a Board like the KRSMA I served on to deal with things like this on the Kenai River I'd suggest a few changes after the public see's the problems....Take the bait away, they ain't fishermen anyway. Close and lock the place at night when it all goes on. Kill the free wi-fi, what the hell does State Parks need to help people set up there dope deals and how does free wi-fi  help the State Park....explain me that one...but it's weird here in Montana, nobody seems to care.... I took this pic just this morning, the garbage is only 15 feet from a can and I assure you it wasn't a bear, if it was somebody here on Montana would've shot it !

In the right of way on our walk the other day we came across this. Now I'm not saying MP has an answer for everything but I will say that this one stumped us both. I've seen underground locate sprayed can messages that look like ancient hieroglyphics but this ain't that . In Mexico I've seen ' reunion ' spots which are really points for people to go to in an emergency but this ain't that. Soooooo.....mmmm.....any idea's ?

                                           10   GOOD THINGS

1. MP just turned 70...she's wonderful.

2, My neck  procedure was magic- I'm pain free.

3. We're both finally happy here.

4. I'm rekindling friendships and relationships that kinda languished while chasing life in Alaska.

5. I'm growing radishes...white ones.

6. My music is finally what MP calls ' fit for human consumption'.

7. We got rid of that garish blue carpet. 

8. Seattle Mariners are in 1st place....for now

9. I'm working on perfecting homemade french fries...now that will be blog worthy when I'm satisfied with them.

10. Our boys are well, happy and ahhhh...approaching middle age.

I'll do a Walleye fishing edition real soon so come back and check ....You know how I like lists so maybe I'll do 10 Bad Things...or not...bad idea...ooops . 

Wells Fargo update : We banked with them for over 40 years, business and personal accounts. Well, last fall we sold a camper to a Canadian couple who came with a Counter check for the Royal Bank of Canada. Wells Fargo took it up on themselves to assign us a " non competitive exchange rate " of  $  1200.00 American.....yikes . The people at the bank were just as stunned as we were but said they had no authority to right a wrong but said I would get a call to explain what and how this happened. Of course the call never came......So, we waited until a CD matured and went in and closed all accounts and went to a different bank, one that wanted our business. Now I know we didn't hurt Wells Fargo and revenge really wasn't my message but what it was about was being empowered to run your own life and not do things ' just because' . Our new bank has every facet better than W.F. savings interest, CD rates, free service with minimum balance etc.......But Wells Fargo was nice enough to send this....

A check for 1 cent . Hell of a way to say good bye.

Never say wooo in a horse race

 That's what Charlie Lane used to say for just about everything . Ya gotta keep moving, keep trying and keep learning...which brings me to the story....I've had a huge breakthrough in my music and I'm playing things I never thought would be possible , especially when approaching my 72nd birthday.

For years I just kinda chewed around the edges of music. I was convinced all you needed was 3 chords and all I really wanted was enough guitar skill to allow me to sing, I love to sing . There's a famous story out there about a guy named Red that grew up playing with Hank Williams. When Hank hit it big he called Red and invited him back to the band and Red told him  "jeez Hank, you know I only play G, D and C " and Hank told him " hell Red , that's all there is ".....well I was Red for a looong time . Then once I quit hanging around with a bunch of fishing guides that only drank beer and talked about who ever wasn't there I had time to play more, work more. I got to where I could roll the chords which is really just a mix of magors, minors, flats and augmented chords. I wrote some silly songs but realized it was taking time away from what I really like to do and that's sing. I've always been able to belt out a song.

But through the years I was always kinda jelly of the guys who had the ear and talent to tune the guitar to open chords and create entirely new sounds. But, I struggled just with tuning a guitar traditionally and even thought I was kinda tone deaf...so...being a lyric guy I'd look for songs that fit me and my views of life, my experiences , my hopes and I found an arsenal of about 300 songs that I learned in the last 20 years.  But I was a little bored with it and kinda tired of playing all the drinking and gizmo songs to my audiences in Mexico....

And then the magic....I was on the treadmill in the gym a month ago and I bumped into this song by Jason Isbell. I haven't heard such a cool song since I got Gary Allan singing Todd Snider's Long Year . I was inspired...but there was a problem....I'd watch the video's and Jason was playing rhythm guitar but up the neck which meant he had to be using open tuning . Now days you can find just about anything on U Tube so I found a tutorial then got out my trusty Snark tuner and tuned to open D and walla, magic. It's like other things in life that you're intimidated by , once you get going on it it's not as hard or intimidating as you thought and then you're off on a whole new level. New opportunity, new sounds, new stories to come...

Jason Isbell's Speed Trap Town in open D with a nice double bass sound. A haunting story of real life decisions, the good in people, the bad in people.....

Good Pics

 

That's my old Minolta Dimage Z1 that I purchased for our first visit to Mazatlan in the the year 2000.  I've taken literally thousands of pictures with it and kept it in the boat with me and taken it everywhere since I started this blog in 2009. And yes...that would be caked on salmon eggs that you see on the handle. The camera has 10 power optical zoom and 40 more power digital zoom and it has two ways to shoot, either with the screen or with a viewfinder which I prefer as it helps you aim when you use a lot of zoom. Also the camera being 25 years old has only 3.2 mega pixels of definition which for me is nice in that I don't have to manipulate the pics to post them on the blog or Facebook .......Well me and MPeasy went to Freeze Out Lake to do our new yearly bird watching trip and I got one shot in and the camera told me my SD card was full. For some reason the camera will not work with the new micro SD cards on an adapter so I'm stuck with the 1 gigabyte card that's been in it since 2015, ten years ago. So the other day as I watched the Seattle Mariners struggle through what can barely pass as a baseball game as they start another season I went through the card and deleted doubles and poor pictures.....and there were a lot of them . BUT, there were also some real beauties that I'm going to share on this edition of Mile 14 . First a short list of my thinking....this won't take long naturally.

1. find something interesting...and what's more interesting than fish ? right ?

2. Take a lot of pics

3. focus on the subject then move it to the side. don't want it always centered.

4. put the light to your back.

5. Don't abuse your zoom. a lot of it you can do with your computer instead.

Park Rangers being Park Rangers...what else can say. does the lady in the back ground look kinda guilty ? 

A cute lady with a fish on.

An Eagle on Eagle Rock...now that's the only time I ever saw that and you know I have thousands of hours on the world famous and have boated by that rock hundreds and hundreds of times.

Catching Trumpeter Swans ( or any birds for that matter ) in flight is a good trick.

It's the morning....full of promise and a nice reflection.

You can see how the salmon eggs got on the camera.

Don't ever clean your bait bucket.

Lighting...the flash...a nice pesca...Keith Holtan

Got the light right on that one too.

Now that's unusual....ya can't go wrong with wildlife.

Sunrise...sunset....H2o....

A jeez...not another $%^#* Park Ranger.

Low tide...Mt. Redoubt.

Here's to looking at ya....

Is that baby smoking ????

Get out of the road...

It rains a bit on the world famous.

That pic makes me cold...

Me with the new boat...let me count....ahhh....the Minnow 7

Spent my life in that baby ....the Minnow 6.......Hope ya enjoyed the pics....Walleye season is right around the corner so I hope ya come back....