Posted by: this montana life | March 28, 2012

Snow Birds and Other Flights of Fancy

Snow Birds and Other Flights of Fancy

We have traveled around Arizona looking for the perfect weather and the perfect campsite—over 4,000 miles worth so far from our doorstep to the south. Sometimes it feels like we have driven a spiral of roads leading us to nowhere.

After weeks of searching and feeling dissatisfied almost every turn of the way my mind turned inward to the philosophy of camping. And I’m not talking about the philosophy of the physical part of camping. I want to talk about the types of people we have met on this trip and their reasons for being out under the blue sky of Arizona. We have met people from many parts of this world. And each is camping for a different reason.

We have met people that call themselves “full-timers” and they have given up their personal property by selling their homes and hitting the road in their vehicles. We have met people that are “homeless” living out of their cars in search for a new life or a new job—or both. We have met people that are rich beyond means and just playing cowboy in the Arizona desert (riding their four-wheelers around the campground to keep their shiny boots from getting scuffed up). We have met people from Europe who are seeing the U.S.A. in their Chevrolet. Just a few stories follow.

Meet Myra. She left her home in the Midwest with just her car and a bag of clothes. We didn’t get much of her story but she was living out of her car until someone gave her a tent. She was tucked, unbeknownst to us, into the junipers just a few yards from where we parked our trailer. She is looking for a new life and has found freedom. She bought a cello at a garage sale in Arkansas, adopted a wandering dog and called him Banjo, and is making just enough money to buy food and ice from playing her cello in the desert. She found a huge flat red rock and plays there daily. The tourists that fly by in their jeeps on the road see her, stop and listen to her, and throw her tips. I wanted to adopt her and take her under my wing. But she’s doing fine without a surrogate mamma.

Then there is Bill and Evonne. A lovely couple from California. He is a disabled vet from the Vietnam war and she is a self-professed old hippie. They are full-timers, sold their house five years ago and live in their motorcoach. They spend time visiting their kids and grandkids (otherwise known as “shrimps” if you listen to Bill).

My favorite person so far has been Ray. He owns a gift shop in Gila Bend—just miles from the Mexico border. Visit his shop. Cactus-n-Stuff. You can buy Mexican pottery, Mexican arts and crafts items, and little knick knacks that will remind you of the southwest. He told us a story of finding a rock. Well, it was more of a 200 pound skull-shaped rock with a row of teeth. He was kind enough to let me take a picture of him and his rock. Thanks Ray!

Ray at Cactuc-n-Stuff and his $3,500 rock. It's for sale if you want it!

And then there was the sweet and dry-witted shop owner that snuck me a few sips of Mexican Moonshine Tequila. Talk about smooth and smokey. Oh my! If only I could find some of that white fire north of the border.

The southwest has a way of sneaking its spines into your heart. And then it’s too late to deny that you’ve lost your soul to the red rock country, to the brown desert, to the desert creeks that snake through the desert and bring life to everything that gets in its way.

Posted by: this montana life | March 13, 2012

Windy and Cold Indian Point

Windy and Cold Indian Point

Neither one of us wanted to repeat our Coyote Ugly Camping experience so we started looking for a place to camp earlier the next day. We were at a bit of a disadvantage since our Delorme Gazeteer couldn’t keep up with the little dirt roads that criss cross over the creek feeding the Roosevelt Lake. We were thrilled to find a sweet campground on the northern tip of the Lake called Indian Point. Archie had to wade across the creek on his way to the campground.

Wading Tonto Creek

Wading Tonto Creek

We had just settled in for the night and got our hamburgers grilled when we had a visit from a couple of good ol’ boys from Punkin Center (yep–couldn’t get quite far enough away). They were cruising around in their three-tone pickup truck looking for snakes to shoot. (I kid you not.) I secretly named them Drunk Guy and Big Guy.  They decided we could be their entertainment and proceeded to fill us in on all the local happenings. Like apologizing for the cold and windy weather. And letting us know the best food in town was at the Punkin Center Café (might I had here that it is the ONLY food in town). And like how when Big Guy ran away from home at 14 he got a job picking cherries on Flathead Lake and gee he really missed Montana but not the weather but hell it was colder in Arizona now than on Flathead Lake–*spit, chuckle, spit again*.

After our evening entertainment went off in search for snakes we settled in and enjoyed our time there. The highlight of this stop, for me, was the Arizona State University archaeology study site for an indigenous people they called the Salado Indians. Flat dirt pyramid mounds have been studied and are preserved near the campground. Pottery shards as well as tools and weapons were found during excavations during recent drought (due to low lake levels). When the lake was formed via dam in 1903 the government wasn’t very interested in preserving our indigenous people’s stories. Now they are and it is a delight to see the study taking place. I walked along the ruins and tried to imagine how they cooked, where they did their laundry and washed their hair, and how their social hierarchy worked.

It’s fun to escape every once in a while to a simpler time.

Posted by: this montana life | March 13, 2012

Coyote Ugly Camping

Posted by: this montana life | March 6, 2012

Headin’ South–to Arizona That Is!

Headin’ South–to Arizona That Is!

One week on the road and I’m having a hard time getting inspired enough to write about the trip down south. We left Montana last Saturday and spent the first night in snowy, blowy Willard Bay State Park just north of Ogden.

We knew the first night was just a “get it out of the way” kind of night.

Willard Bay, utah

Brrrr-first night in North Willard Bay State Park, just north of Ogden, Utah.

You can’t get to warmth in one day from Montana in the winter.

We knew this from last year’s trip. What we didn’t count on was it taking ONE WEEK to find warm weather. Yep, ONE WEEK. We tried to outrun the cold and biting wind. We tried moving west.

Campsite at Red Cliffs Preserve, north of Saint George, UT

Campsite at Red Cliffs Preserve, north of Saint George, UT

Camp spot from high up--a bit of a scramble but worth it!

Camp spot from high up--a bit of a scramble but worth it!

We tried moving south.

Camping on the Mohave Desert

Camping on the Mohave Desert

We even tried moving east.

Valley of Fire Utah State Park

Valley of Fire Utah State Park

Fascinating Rock Formations

Fascinating Rock Formations. This one I call "Baxter" in honor of my friend's amazing dog.

Mountain Sheep in Valley of Fire State Park, Utah

Mountain Sheep in Valley of Fire State Park, Utah

The wind followed us everywhere we went. But we pig-heartedly refused to travel north.

Seven days later we arrive in Sedona and find the sun, and the heat—but not the wind. Who would have thunk it would take that long? I really shouldn’t be complaining as loudly as I am. We did have about an hour of shorts-weather in Red Cliffs Preserve north of Saint George. Just long enough to get out the gin and tonics to toast the summer. But….that was not nearly as long lasting as we wanted. The forecast was for snow the next few days so we headed down to the Mohave Desert and flattened ourselves down in a sweet little canyon trying to avoid the wind. Hmmmm. Canyon. Wind. Whistling Wind. Rattle the trailer off its stabilizing jacks kind of wind. Whooeee. Two nights of that—albeit nice and secluded camping—we headed southeast to the Valley of Fire State Park.

Gorgeous scenery. Wonderful rock formations. Home of the famous Elephant Rock (of which I failed to take a picture!)

But I did get quite a few pictures of dinosaur tracks just steps away from our campsite in the Red Cliffs Preserve. I will only bore you with one:

Donosaur Track - Red Cliffs Preserve

Well, off we go hitting the road again. We have no destination in mind…just following the good weather. And since a snow storm is due in Sedona tonight it is time to head out. Adios–for now.

Posted by: this montana life | January 8, 2012

Meet Winnie-1962 Shasta 16 SC

Winnie-born in 1962

1962 Shasta 16 SC

WARNING: Owning a vintage Shasta trailer can lead to an addiction. There is just something about a Shasta that says “AHhhhhh. More, please.” Some members of the Vintage Shasta Trailer Forum say we Shasta owners could be called a cult. While it’s very hard to admit I’m a member of a cult—it may be true.  After we sold our compact, Gina I caught myself (daily) skimming the Craigslist ads, over a three-state area, looking for old Shastas. I even thought I had found the perfect replacement for Gina and drove from Great Falls, Montana to Pocatella, Idaho—a 12-hour round trip–all ready to purchase and bring home a 1969 Shasta. That trip was a total bust since the trailer was in the roughest shape I’d ever seen—complete with a metal plate welded onto the wheel well to keep the floor from dropping to the ground.

I was disillusioned for about a week and kept my eyes averted from all trailer ads. The withdrawals were horrific and lasted for days. After a week’s recovery period my innate need for the hunt returned and I commenced the Shasta search. Imagine my pleasant surprise to find one within 3 hours of home. In a town where we have relatives and friends! Our niece and nephew-in-law lived within 1 mile of the target trailer. They jumped at the chance to be a part of the experience and undertook the job of checking over the trailer. They gave it the “go ahead it has potential” sign.  The timing was perfect as it was New Year’s Day weekend and we could combine two pleasurable experiences. Visiting fabulous people AND checking out a vintage trailer.

1962 Shasta 16 SC

We arrived in Bozeman, traveling on snow- and ice-covered roads, with plenty of daylight to check out the 1962 Shasta 16SC.  Embee and nephew-in-law crawled under the trailer to check out the belly and I checked out the interior. The trailer passed muster as far as restoration potential, but Embee was still tepid about buying it. I am a firm believer in Fate and so I suggested that we back up our Trailblazer and plug it in. If the trailer tail lights worked, we should buy it. If the lights didn’t work—then the trailer wasn’t for us. The lights worked!! So since we were all backed up and plugged in it was a small job to hook her up and head out. In the snow and ice.

The new trailer is now stowed securely next to our garage and is awaiting our TLC. Some of the work can be done in the driveway, but some of the work will require a shop or garage for the tear down. Now our search is for a smallish shop to rent for a few months to bring this lovely piece of USA’s history back to her former glory.

Floor Plan

Details on her are as follows:

  • Original paint job was white on top, white on bottom, with a bare aluminum stripe down the middle. Some previous owner painted the bottom a sort of poo-brown (hence the name, “Winnie”).
  • She has the original flooring/linoleum and it is in great shape.
  • Some of her cushions have the original upholstery fabric but it is really butt-ugly.
  • She has leaked in the past so we know there will be rot to replace and a few interior birch panels to replace. The entire inside will need to be sanded and re-shellacked.
  • She needs her round tail lights replaced since the previous owner removed them and put square ones on.
  • She needs wings. Her original ones are missing.
  • She will need all windows and j-channel to be removed and resealed.
  • She needs a new ice-box.
  • Her stove/oven needs checking out and certification.
  • Her little toilet needs repair/replacement or removal.
  • This list could go on and on and on—but those are the major items to start with!

Kitchen

Back bedroom

Back couch that opens up to double bed

Toilet in back

Small small mini toilet in even smaller closet!

Front couch/dinette

Front couch with fold-down tables. Opens into small double bed.

Sink

Double faucet. Does this mean there should be hot water?

I am so excited to have another Shasta on which to work! Deciding what theme to decorate will be a hard choice. I’m vacillating between Montana Fishing Lodge or U of M Griz décor. This would make a fabulous tail-gating trailer for the Griz football games.

Stay tuned for updates as the restoration process begins!

Shasta emblem

Posted by: this montana life | January 8, 2012

Camping at Wally World (for a bad night’s sleep)

Camping at Wally World (for a bad night’s sleep)

It’s been quite a while since I’ve put up a post here. Main reason—it’s winter in Montana! However, that said, I do have to admit that the Burro has made two pretty major trips in the cold weather. Embee took Archie to the coast and visited friends and family in Portland and Eugene, Oregon. And I dragged Archie through snow and ice over three mountain passes to visit my daughter in Spokane. While in Spokane I decided to try a new type of camping—in the Walmart parking lot. Hrmph. I really would not recommend this as a preferred camp spot. Sure, it was convenient…..and easy to level out the trailer. But…..quite noisy!! I am amazed at how late people shop at Walmart. And how loud they talk at o’dark thirty in the morning. And how bright those over-head parking lot lights are. And how low-minded people like to peel out and slide around the parking lot with their souped up cars. Oh well, live and learn, right? At least it was marginally better than sleeping on the couch in my daughter’s student housing apartment, maybe.

I think.

Posted by: this montana life | September 4, 2011

Saying Goodbye to Gina

Saying Goodbye to Gina

Vintage trailers are more than just wood and aluminum. You put your heart and soul into fixing them up. You decorate them to suit your style (and their era). You pull them around to places you never dreamed you’d ever see. They become your home away from home. They follow you to the Anasazi ruins of Arizona. They barely screech around the tight curves of the Apache Trail. They keep you warm and dry during rain storms in the Sedona desert.  You even take them home to visit your family.  They bounce and roll their way into your heart and soul.

And then comes the time when you have to say goodbye to them; to something that has become a serious part of your life. That time came today for me and Embee. The rule is we can only have one trailer. There is only room for one trailer on our small city driveway (this is a mantra I have to keep repeating to keep me from a serious disease Embee has dubbed VTAS—Vintage Trailer Acquisition Syndrome).

So we placed ads for Gina on Craigslist and on Tincantourists.com. New owners found her the first day. And great new owners they are.  Gina is their second vintage trailer and I knew they were perfect to take over the care of Gina when they showed us pictures of their last trailer still on their iPhone! (Not unlike wonderful grandparents, huh?) After a multitude of phone calls and a bit of negotiation they headed north to Great Falls and I could tell it was love at first sight. Following over an hour of visiting and a walk through, Curt and Linda drove away with Gina in tow.  They live close enough (180 miles….which is close Montana style)  that they offered visitation rights. I might just have to meet Linda and Gina for a few nights of camping to visit with a new friend—as well as an old one.

Gina and her new owners

It’s true that parting is such sweet sweet sorrow.

Posted by: this montana life | August 31, 2011

The Burro

As a child my love of adventure knew no bounds.  Fortunately, I guess, my mother set boundaries for me. It seemed that I wanted to be outside every hour of the day climbing trees (or tree stumps), riding bikes, roller skating, or building forts with sheets and chairs. My Dad even built us girls a play house in the back corner of the yard to help slake our sense of adventure in a safe way.

Tree in campground

Soon I found that daily sojourns outside wasn’t enough. So I would take my plaid flannel-lined sleeping bag to the back yard and spend the night gazing at stars and sleeping safely inside the 7’ tall fence. No critters other than our cat, Tiger, would find me there!

Now that I’m grown I find that my deep-rooted need for adventure is still strong–stronger than my need for roots. Since I’m married to Embee this requires either his “buy-in” to come along on my adventures or a fair amount of marital separation.  My trailer shopping and subsequent renovations have been a slight source of discord in the marriage. Eventually Embee got on board with each trailer. However, the beginning of each trailer purchase caused small earthquakes in the household.

Finally, though, WE purchased a trailer together—as a team—and it was instant love all around. How did I find this new trailer?  I have to make a confession. My name is Diane, I’m 54 years old, and I’m addicted to Craigslist. There—I admitted it freely to everyone!! And that’s where I found the Burro. I not only regularly search the local Craigslist area but also the Spokane area. The East Idaho area. The Oregon area. The Burro was in Rexburg, Idaho just waiting for me to buy him.  Ok, he didn’t’ wait long. I answered the Craigslist ad within two hours of its posting. But look at him! How could you resist him??

Meet the newest addition to the trailer family

Embee was almost as enamored as me with his pictures. So after about an hour of consideration and quite a few phone calls to the owners we packed up the Trailblazer and headed south on I-15 to buy him. We threw in the barest of necessities for a night of camping as we knew we couldn’t make it to Rexburg, Idaho and back in one day.

We tried to lower our expectations just in case the Burro wasn’t as clean and sharp as it looked in the Craigslist pictures. We kept questioning our sanity about the drive and forthcoming purchase. “Why are we doing this?” “Do we really need a different trailer?” But these questions didn’t turn us around at any point in this trip. And I think we are both happy we didn’t.

The Burro turned out to be everything we wanted/needed/desired. He’s clean, he’s light-weight, he’s cute, and he’s all ours.  He has a built-in 12-volt system AND  a propane/electric fridge! The fridge can even run off the 12-volt system—although I can’t imagine the battery charge would last very long with the fridge running off of it. After a brief briefing by the owner we hit the road and spent the next two nights exploring eastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, and giving Rex the proper trailer initiation.

Our first night was spent in a campground near the Idaho/Montana border just a mile off of I-15 called Stoddard Creek. A more quiet campground couldn’t be found (except for the occasional sound of jake-brakes from the trucks on the highway). There was a trail that went above the campground on the ridge which Embee embarked upon in the morning as I slept snugly in.

After poring over maps we decided to head home by heading in the opposite direction. This way we could head home on the Sacajawea Scenic Byway and follow the Lemhi and Salmon rivers. This route would take us through Salmon, Idaho where we figured we could stock up on a few groceries for one more night. Wrong. The owner of the Saveway is Mormon and the store is closed on Sundays. I’m a fan of stores closing on Sundays for the benefit of the staff. Truly I am! But we had to scramble to find a small convenient store to buy toilet paper, a can of soup for dinner, and a package of cookies for dessert. Armed thusly we continued our adventure skirting the Salmon River which is quite lovely. It seduced us to pull into a fishing access site and take a dip to cool ourselves off. Quite refreshing.

Our 2nd night was spent in May Creek Campground off of Highway 43 just a few miles from Lost Trail Pass. As we pulled through the campground loop looking for the best spot we simultaneously said, “I smell huckleberries.” And there were. Little itty bitty dwarf huckleberries growing fairly thick right there in the campground. Embee immediately got down on the ground and started picking the tiny berries. After an hour of picking we had about half a cup of berries. It takes a long time to get your fill of these little berries.

Embee picking berries

Those are small berries!

The night brought a heavy but refreshing rain shower. I am pleased to announce that not a leak was to be had. He kept us quite dry.

So now we’re home and we have two trailers again. The Burro is still attached to the car and Gina is getting spiffed up to find a new owner. All we need now is a name for the Burro. I’m torn between Rex (as in Rexburg) or Pedro. Which do you think would be best? Embee calls it Hee Haw (The Burro is Hee Haw 1 and I’m Hee Haw 2).

Fron the front

The Dining Room

The Living Room

The Kitchen

The Closet

So, what’s it going to be? Rex? Pedro? Or Hee Haw?

Posted by: this montana life | August 22, 2011

Sprague Lake Resort, Washington

Sprague Lake Resort

After a 300 mile drive from Bremerton, Washington (and a wonderful visit with my family) it was refreshing to find such a welcoming place to park as Sprague Lake Resort. Even though it is only 3 miles off of I-90 (you can still see the cars stream across the asphalt in the distance) it offers up shade and spectacular sunsets. Not to mention the ducks swimming feet from the shore and the big trout being caught just off the dock. Since I didn’t want to buy a Washington fishing license I took the owner’s word on the huge trout available.

This resort is only 30 miles from Spokane and was a perfect alternative to trying to find a city RV resort late in the day. The sweet Austrian lady made sure to mention that the mosquito-shaped insects flying all around really were only midges and not to worry. She was right. What she didn’t mention was that I would be kept company in the wee hours by a great horned owl. My oh my hearing his hoot was soothing and eery at the same time. I could follow his trek through the trees as his whooooo moved around.

Tent camping area at Sprague Lake Resort

This was a serene spot on a Sunday night to sit on the grass and read while watching the sun slip under the horizon.

Just follow the signs and you're there!

http://www.spraguelakeresort.com/

It’s funny, but as I travel around alone in Gina and search for secluded spots to tuck in for the night I find that I think twice about the “free” and isolated campgrounds. Even though I’ve often driven up a dirt road and trolled through looking at spots, thoughts of my safety pop into my brain. If it’s completely isolated and no other campers there—that’s not a good thing for a solo woman. What if some ax murderer is lurking in the woods just waiting for someone to attack. I know this is an unreasonable fear but I think we women have grown up with this and steer clear of situations just like this. And if there are other campers around I’m also afraid. THAT doesn’t assuage my fears of camping alone.  What if THEY are the ax murderers? Why do I want to be so far away from civilization all by my lonesome?

So this time I am completely satisfied staying in an RV campground with facilities so nearby and a mothering owner just yards away in her house.

Ahhhhhh I think I hear my comfy bed calling me. Good night mommy and daddy.

 

Posted by: this montana life | August 7, 2011

Kreis Pond – Nine Mile, Montana

Kreis Pond – Nine Mile Montana

Good morning world. Gina and I are sitting next to a lovely mountain lake called Kreis Pond. We pulled in last night around 7:30, just in time to don a swimsuit and loll around in the warm warm perfect swimming temperature lake.

View of the campsite

View of the campsite from across the pond


The previous part of the day was spent driving from Great Falls, Montana to Livingston, Montana (just north of Yellowstone National Park) to purchase a pair of kayaks offered on Craigslist for a song. Our family of four loves to float the lazy Missouri but we only had two kayaks. So now we don’t have to draw straws to see who gets the kayaks and who gets to stay home.

Trailer? check. Kayaks? check. Fun on board? Definitely!

Ok. Back to Kreis Pond. This is a serene campground with spots right on the lake. Unfortunately a very un-serene family was camped right across the pond from me. I will never understand why people bring loud voices and stereos to a campground. Oh well, one thing I’ve learned is that not everybody thinks like me. Heck—only about 8% of people think like me.

Ok. Back to Kreis Pond (again). This campground is not too far off of I-90 just west of Missoula. You take the Nine Mile Road exit and head up the hills. Don’t pass by the Visitor Center at the Nine Mile Historic Ranger Station. This little interpretive center is staff by friendly volunteers and offers you a glimpse into historic forest fighting in Montana. You then drive on a dirt road about five miles and voila’! You are at Kreis Pond. Someone vandalized one of the signs naming the pond something a little more biblical.

Someone renamed the Pond.

Once tucked into a campsite and after my swim I set out in the kayak on the calm waters. Trout were jumping ahead of me and it was an effortless float around the lakeshore. I was harkened by two little girls swimming across the lake as they were thrilled to see someone other than their loud family, I believe. They kept yelling at me, “Girl! Girl! Come over here!!” “Oh Girl! We want to meet you”. How refreshing for my old person to be called a girl! Needless to say I did not heed their beckoning as I did not want to burst their bubble. This way they went to sleep thinking there was the possibility of a new friend to make—instead of the reality that a gramma was cruising the lake in a pink kayak!

Gina--all tucked in for the night

I recommend this campground—but only if you fare better and find it sans obnoxious families. The volunteers at the Visitor Center said that dispersal camping is available at the CCC Camp just above the pond and is sometimes a quieter alternative. He also made sure to mention that the pond is stocked with cutthroat trout and there are some lunkers in there. Oh, and there are a number of mountain bike trails–non-motorized. They have maps at the visitor center to show you the routes.

There were very few bugs here, but a very bright and beautiful green insect found its way into my trailer. My oh my! I wish the camera had captured the colors better, but this will have to do. Good night sun. Good night bugs.

My new friend. No stingers either.

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