It's warm, it's friendly at it's now

In Alaska you put your shorts on mid day when it gets warm, if it gets warm. Since arriving in the Big Sky I've worn shorts every morning and all day, haven't had pants on once...strange. Our first day here it was 94 and  that was a bit much but since then it's been 70's and 80's and with just a bit of Mexico in me it feels just right. Last night we watched the thunder storms role in over the mountains from the west and it was pretty cool....you could see the rain fall as it evaporated on it's way to earth.

Yesterday we went and found a new hike or two just up the road from us in Blodgett Canyon, this is how our new town looks from 3 miles away and a mile up....

There's clear cool water everywhere. I've been fishing 4 times now and yet to get the tug. So yesterday under the guise of buying MP some hiking shoes we went to Bob Wards Sporting goods and I got the skinny from a young expert who had of course fished the Kenai. I asked him that for the Bitteroot River right now if you could just have one lure or one fly what would it be ? He said for spinning it would be Panther Martin spinner and the fly would be some Muddler so when it gets light in another hour this is where I'll be, just 4 blocks from my house trying to figure it out...and you know for me the tug isn't that important, it's learning, watching, seeing what happens. Me and MP just yesterday saw nice big trout from the bridge so....we'll see. It might make me do a special edition of  Mile 14 when it happens.

Here's a pic of me and MPeasy at Spring Meadow Lake in Helena. It's a rehabed gravel pit that we skinny dipped in when I was a kid and now it's lush and restored and chucked full of Bass....that won't bite. It was driving me crazy...no...it's STILL driving me crazy, big bass you can see just suspended everywhere that won't take any thing I had. I had found my dads old tackle box so I had a mixture of of old spoons and few rapala's etc. Tried them all and was so frustrated I called in an over the air attack and called Dan Stewart in Bishop Ca. who knows the way. He said get rubber and when the fish are like that fish real slow and if you don't get bit fish slower....so I'm confident the next trip I'll be locked and loaded.

This mama goose gave MP a clear signal that any closer and she was going to nip one of her fingers.

There's Deer everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I took this shot early morning at MP's moms house. I tell people having those deer in your yards and on your highways like this would never work in Alaska. In Alaska they'd decide it was over escapement or whatever and would be executing them from helicopters...you know what Don Young said " you can't just let nature run wild "  ....mmmm....maybe that mind set is why the Kenai is closed again for Kings and the things we all loved about Alaska like Razor Clams and dungie crabs are gone. The politics of fishing doesn't exist here, in Montana fishing and catching is good thing and not something another person wants. I like that.

And Big country, boy howdy. MP's sister lives on a ranch near Gold Creek on the way to Helena from here. Here's a shot of her place from the road.

Now our place is a little more modest...Some might say my goodness, how could you move from a three bathroom 1500 square feet home with a river for a back yard to a one bath 800 sq. feet house in town ??? well it's easy, it's simple and it's us...in our back yard instead of dealing with 50 beetle killed spruce tree's we're deal with six plum trees and some huge Elm that shade us just fine.

We have two out buildings. The old garage is going to need some work like a new roof etc and fits MP's new car just right. The stucco building that I call Bert's house ( her grampa ) we're going to turn into a studio for me to play my music and MP will have her art work projects...so there's plenty to do on 7th Street Hamilton Montana USA. And ya know after we have this house fixed up if town life doesn't work out we'll move to the country, we'll see, no worries.

Well, I gotta drop the keyboard and head out the door, it's almost light and you know how I am about being on the water then. we get our internet on Monday so it will be easier to write and do the thing I enjoy so I hope you come back. I did this Mile 14 with a mobile hot spot on my phone...still learning at the age of  67... me and Beno agree it's the young side of old. I see I'm going to hit 200,000 views soon and that doesn't count the 25,000 I had in one day from being linked to national web forum a few years ago. So thanks for reading about our lives and loves....lets all carry on !

Touchdown

I've always thought that when you seem like the days fly by to fast it's because you're stuck in routines and in order to make time go slower you need to change your routines...well, this last 10 days has felt like 2 months to me. First off the Trip on the Kennicott was a long ways from the Love Boat. It was foggy / rainy / cold the entire way but gorgeous in a stark Alaskan way.

If everything in Alaska worked as good as it's Marine Highway system the State would be doing a lot better than it is. They are on time, had a protocol for the virus that seemed to work....but at the same time the service is about work and efficiency and for entertainment you better think ahead of you're using the Alaska State Ferry system. The covid policy was basically stay in your state room, wear a mask when out and stay away from people so....after about three days that room started to feel like the State Penitentiary. With no cell service I had not brought movies for the computer like I should have so it was reading and card game - Scrabble Marathons. MP and I have long talked of getting a motorhome, one of those cool roadtrek conversion vans and after being in a Ships cabin for 5 days we realized we're going to have to rethink that plan.

The ferry is all about work....this guy loaded in Whittier and got off in Cordova, I had no idea you could carry so much with a pick-up truck.

Today is my 67th birthday....yikes. I guess I might be feeling it, my ribs are better from falling out of the bunk bed but my backs sore again from working on the house. So today we're taking a day off and are going to get at the fishing program. I'm just now getting in the groove and will post pics of Hamilton Montana and our new place on planet earth real soon, So far MP and I feel good in spite of it all being a little stressful which is kinda crazy ....for the first time in my life I have absolute nothing to stress over but by jimminy I still seem to find a way.....I gotta stop that and I will. Fish / Hamilton / music next time.....We love you all.

First of firsts

I've had a lot of that lately... Right now I'm writing from Juneau where we're stuck on the boat because of the condition of our planet.  It's raining,  in fact it's been raining since we got to east side of the Whittier tunnel.  I was using my phone as a mobile hot spot but with just one bar on my phone it won't do it and it especially won't do pics so I'm using my tablet to blog for the first time.  I've learned lot about Marine highway travel... Like be careful with the bunk bed ladder,  I'm not hurt anything like I was when I did the Carl Wallenda in Mazatlan climbing down the rocks to grab a stupid fish but my ribs are pretty darn sore from bouncing off the couch,  good thing it's padded,  those rocks at Playa Escondido werent.

I really do have some great pics but they'll have to wait until I get connectivity so instead I'll do one of my favorite things.... A list, of a  few firsts. 

1. Who'd have guessed you can catch herring on bare hook ? Actually a series of small hooks tied with the loop knot.  And these ain't your Cook inlet OK nasty bait herring but beautiful great silver guys about5inches long and I bet they'd be great deep fried. 

2. My first line up of vehicles loading was different in a typically Alaskan way.  2 1969 Ford broncos,  one semi rusted out and the other entirely rusted out.  The laters  clutch was out and they engaged granny low with the starter when they had to.  And the there was the woman and her son with broken leg who were driving a mahindra off road vehicle loaded to the max and had a pretty hung exterior door tied to the roll bar to keep the rain off. 

3. Our first restaurant meal in five months was just fantastic.  A window seat on the Kennicott and Prince William sound with only a few other diners and great clam chowder and ceaser salad... We talked about us instead of business and that night I slept an entire 8 house for the first time in I don't know how long.

4. Artichoke - jalapeno -cheese dip

5. And oh... The first time I haven't fished the world famous in July for 44 years.... And y'all know what?  I'm OK with that.... Moving forward. 

This blog entry was a first for sure.  Finger typing just doesn't work for me.  A part of the creative process for me is the keyboard,  I learned typing in school and it just helps me create.  So,  I'll do pics and real typing on the next mmmmmmm....rainy stop,  Ketchikan.  Hope all my Alaska friends are getting their fish.