Quirky

Maybe it's a sign that I'm starting to fit in...which I've never really been any good at but lately I've been noticing some quirky things about this new place on the planet for me. AND I'm starting to think that this place is a bit more liberal than my first impression, I like that. With MP in Helena nursing her mom from a fall two days ago I decided to drive to Stevensville just to see. Well, they call it Stevi and the 2 block downtown area is charming, it really it is. I came across a message or two...

The bottom pic didn't turn out so good but it was on a variety store and part of it said ' political humor always welcome ' . This day and age that's a pretty big statement and a bit chancy I'd say...As we walk along the river everyday we came across this fence. Now MPeasy has a theory for everything but this one left her a little stumped, maybe it was to scare off the deer when they jumped the fence and made them fall, or maybe the hole wasn't deep enough and they needed to be weighed down....or maybe somebody just hated to see a flat spot wasted, I don't know and neither does MP.

 In Alaska if you've got a truck over 20 years old with no rust or dents that's a pretty darn rare thing. So I get down here with that old truck I love and figure people will notice how nice it is and it's even from Alaska...Nope, that's another thing I was wrong about. Around here there's nice old stuff everywhere and it's way easier to keep it all nice and clean. I remember Denny Carlson giving us advice about moving things to Montana ' don't bring any old s*^# , there's lots of it in Montana '. Here's a pic of me with my white truck and an even older one that I parked next to at the hardware store the other day.

But...you do need to keep your stuff out of the sun and especially don't use the shade trees to do that. This neighbor of mine could plant a crop on his ride.

We went over Skalkahoe Pass to visit MP's sister at Moose Lake. Reminded me how big the country is. It was only 60 miles but on a winding dirt road it took 2 full hours and took another year off the life of my white pick up. I have NEVER seen corduroy so bad in my life. MP's niece Becky gave me some good ( but useless ) advice ' just drive fast enough that bounce over every 3rd or 4th bump.  But the drive was beautiful....we took the long way home on the interstate..did I tell you about  those 80 mph speed limits ?

There's something to be said about walking just a few blocks to downtown. The Saturday Market is much like Soldotna's but with just a more local produce. We walk and hold hands and it's familiar and makes me feel good. We come across what every one of these deals has, the send a shallow message on your t-shirt booth, I get a little tired of that.

So it was wonderful to then run into this fella playing the guitar. He seemed a bit nervous like he was new new to busking but his melodies were wonderful. I guess the only way to describe his handicap playing was that he plucked the guitar. He had tuned to an open key and it was like a good finger picker like my friend Chuck Sanders. As I threw some green into his guitar case I asked him if he sang at all...he said it was tough enough just doing this . So all I can tell him is this, thanks for reminding me how  lucky I've been and god love ya.

Speaking of guitars , I finally got all my stuff unpacked and when I played that first night I realized how much I missed it and maybe that's part of the reason I've not been feeling like my old self. So I promise you this, when MP gets back tomorrow we'll record a song or two and I will have it on facebook and my next blog for sure.

  And here's my new version of the eagle eating a salmon pic.

Several Osprey nest and hang out on the lights at the baseball field and the river is only a wing flap or two away...Now I'm wondering about winter, do you suppose they find the dump like Kenai's majestic  Bald Eagles ????

And oh, in the what ever it's worth department we kinda semi-ran -into Kevin Costner and his bunch filming Yellowstone. And I have some advice for you Kevin. Get rid of the black Suburbans and get some White or better yet maybe even some different colored ones so people won't think you're either a politician or a narco...or somewhere in between....

That would be a rocking Y

Humbled

That's the word for it. I've fly fished the Bitteroot River at least 10 mornings now and have yet to catch a trout, I'm about ready to do what I've always suggested to the unsuccessful...hire a guide 😏. It's beautiful to fish here and you know me, the morning is when I'm at my best but theres just so much to learn. I finally have the right floating line and I'm getting some distance, the challenge is getting the 4 pound tippet through the eye of the fly when you want to and ought to change baits. So then if you can't thread a #10 you end up fishing a #12 or #14 and ol slimey don't like that. So then you get it tied and you find that it isn't buoyant enough and looks fake to slimey so it's off to the store for fly ' dressing '.  Chuck the Fly Guy shared some simple strategy " if nothing works keep it simple and use caddis "...mmmmmm, I walked away without asking what a caddis was.  So what to do ? Road Trip !

My first Montana fish in 45 years. Spring Meadow Lakes are just chucked full of them and even with the Bass I had to call in support. Dan Stewart said use plastic fished slow so I got the rubber swim fish Ernie loves to use in the surf and Walla, Tom and I caught 10 in two hours. Next time we're going to keep some to eat so I could use some counsel on if they're any good etc. They bite great, they jump and on 10 pound test it's a noble little  fish. Here's Tom with one and a selfie.

You notice his shorts are wet ? Well he had an errant cast and had to lock the hubs in to try and retrieve the swim bait.

Being a boat guy we decided to take a trip to Kim's Marina on Canyon Ferry Lake and see what we need for the Big water, I kinda figure that more tools = more fish so I gotta know what kind of craft the locals use. The dock was mostly full of Ski boats, Pontoons and Sailboats .

But I found the weapon...this is big water Lund, a Pro V. 21 ft. long with a 6 and 1/2 ft beam, 250 hp Yamaha 4 - stroke and one of those sweet 8 horse Yamaha kickers. This guy looks like it's take some lettuce but it's just what you need to get 20 miles down the lake to where the Walleyes live. Here they are considered invasive and they have a liberal limit of 30. Ya know I've butted heads with this ' invasive ' thing a bit with ADF+G poisoning out me and Keith's favorite Pike lake etc....seems to me it's kind of a make work project. It seems to me the invasive species around here is us....

One thing was obvious to me at Kim's Marina...I stink at business. Now these guys know how to turn a dollar. I went into the office to see about boating and was handed their list of services and prices. Wow not only do they do a lot but they charge a lot...and they charge for EVERYTHING except maybe the air. Enlarge this and you'll see, makes Stewart's Landing look a revenue free zone.

We found the Blodgett Canyon Overlook trail and for the first time here I was feeling the elevation. Hamilton is at 3200 ft. and we were easily 2000 ft. more up the mountain. The hike was 1.6 miles in and 1.6 miles out and although short it wasn't for the unfit. We came across your basic black bear skat in the middle of the trail, we all know what it looks like when they're on the berries. A half mile after we see the fresh bear sign the trail hits an area with absolutely no visibility. The brush is high and thick and you can't see ten feet to the side or to the front...just the way people get killed in Alaska. But, this day it felt just right , the chances of finding a Brownie here are a fraction of what we're used to....but that's not saying that next time I'll have the Heater along.

This morning we had a couple of these guys climb the tree in front of what we're calling ' the small house'. They spent the day sleeping like they've done it a hundred times and I guess they have. They're kinda cute but I got the feeling they're nasty little buggers. I have no experience with them but in Mexico we have their larger cousins they call coot-a-mundy and I know for sure that they're nasty critters that'd chew your arm off if given the chance.

And in the ' no matter where you go, there you are ' department here's pic of a sign in town...Now what kind of coward uses 8 pages ?.....mmm.... I guess the one that has a lot to say.

One ruled out,, 2000 to go

In Jeff's world the chase, the expectation, the anticipation is the best part...what I'm saying is that reality and my life don't usually collide in the same sentence and a good plan turns into a...ahhh....an experience. Kinda like the vision I had of 5 days on the Alaska State Ferry, we'd stroll the decks and hold hands, we'd chat and play music for the passengers, we'd eat nice food and see whales....NOT...it was like a prison ship, with rain.

So having said that part of our new plan to find happiness ever after was to look around the Pacific Northwest for the idyllic town nestled in the woods and a river city to boot. Well, Salmon Idaho ain't it.We'd been around western Montana but had never gone down to Salmon Idaho which is only 100 miles form us here in Hamilton. The drive is gorgeous and Lost Trail Pass is steep and exciting and lush with Pine and Aspen  forest. But as you get down into the Salmon River valley it gets arid and high desert looking, it certainly doesn't look like salmon country much like the middle Columbia River. I'm sure there were salmon here at one point but I didn't have to ask. As we picnic ed in the City Park across from the City Hall and took in the river the left side of my brain said to little water, to many people, to far from the ocean to....darn hot, it was 88 as we had Heineken and Vienna Sausages with Swiss cheese.

But like Sloooowdotna Salmon is a river city, nobody has an exclusive on that deal. If you think we have the fish theme compulsion in Soldotna let me tell you, it spread or maybe we even stole it ourselves. Lotsa fish in the this river city.

So as we drove the streets we see Salmon is a little more of a working city than Hamilton. Hamilton is more lush and full of affluent retiree's of which we aren't one. But the Bitteroot river just blocks away is way prettier, quieter and cleaner. I'll show you what I mean.

I fish and then we walk our 3 miles every morning, it's the active lifestyle we've talked of. We've found several different river trails and a one hour bike ride that looks down on the river valley and then it drops down and  we ride along the river and canal's right back to our house. Because of the braided nature of the river and Montana stream access laws you can walk and fish virtually anywhere, I have yet to fish around a single person ....of course I've also yet to catch a fish.

So all of that is cool, metaphorically, it's been really hot here... But what isn't cool and which is something I don't know what to do about so maybe somebody can offer some advice. What isn't cool is my neighbor. She has no idea how rude she is when she goes to work and her yapping  Heinz 97 type dog sits in the window and barks all day. Now day time maybe I can handle but he barks all night long as well when she's in the house. How in the hell can somebody live like that. The dogs barks at me every time I leave the house, every time. Then to give you an idea of the hood here her next door neighbor has the year round yard sale going on so we have traffic and people walking around all the time.....yikes, maybe I'm just not a city guy and our experiment with civilization ain't going to work and we'll end up buying a house away from town...darn it, because theres something to be said about walking to the market and the river like we do everyday.

At the Saturday Market I met the ' Fly Guy ' . Chuck gave me good counsel and sold me some ultra expensive hand tied flies. And he even offered solace when he said that even the guides ( of which I'm gonna hire one ) are having trouble as the warm air = warm water = no bite and like every dedicated pescador he said it would get better and fall fishing will be red hot. In the meantime I'm using worms tomorrow at a new place I gotta drive to.

Finally, maybe, hopefully we're getting Century Link internet tomorrow so in a week or so I'll post video of a new song and I'd bet a few fish pics. Like everything it ain't what we're used to but right now nothing is....Hope everyone stays safe and happy.💚😎🐟🐠🎵🎵🎸🎸 OH, how's about that haircut ? At least I'm tucking my ear lobes into my shirt yet like my grandpa and my dad did.

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.