Westward, Ho!
The beginning of the planning and dreaming for a motorcycle ride across the United States, along the Northern border.
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Midland Tridge. January lighting.
Renewal
After a short hiatus, a relocation, and a restart of sorts, I decided to return to writing and posting to my blog. Luckily, hitting the ‘restore’ button brought back older stories, so all I needed to do was pick a new domain name. I settled on BORN IN THE SIXTIES, which can hold a broader range of content topics than my previously used Montana Rider domain.
I'll still post plenty of articles about travel and adventures via motorcycle, but will also include a more information about about health, aging, retirement, technology, fitness, relationships, and humor. Not in that order.
I'll focus on being positive not grumpy, silly not serious, and factual not fearful. As always, as I move around, I'll try to capture what I can in photo or video, and share that as well.
The Myth of Local Elk
I may be new to living in SW Montana, but I wasn’t born yesterday. Almost to a person, everyone in this area has commented on my immediate location with a story similar to “Oh yeah, there are big herds of elk, right on the flanks of Mt. Fleecer (right across the road).” Yet 8 months later, even with a scope, the only animals I have seen on Mt. Fleecer have been cows. Plenty of cows.
Several of my neighbors have mentioned that once the snow pack grows, the herds make their way to lower elevations to graze. So I let the myth of elks continue. Our Winter has been very dry, rather warm, and not enough snow to move the big herd. Or even one elk.
Until today. While minding my own business, I glanced up at Mt. Fleecer today. There were a bunch of spots on the upper portion of the mountain. So I grabbed my spotting scope and much to my surprise there was a huge herd of elk. More than could be counted. Hundreds! Most were grazing; many were just lounging in the sun.
So I hooked my cellphone up to the scope and tried to get a few photos. Not the perfect system for getting great photos, but otherwise, I’d just be another neighbor next to Fleecer, telling a story about the mythical elk herds.
The initial scope view. To see the whole herd, quite a bit of panning was required.
A wider view of part of the herd.
As I scanned around the upper hillsides, it was quickly apparent that there were elk everywhere. While easier to see in the sunny spots, they were all over the nooks and crannies of the terrain.
One portion of the herd started moving North. Pretty soon, they were all on the move.
The herd was located just above the area marked - Fleecer Mountain Wildlife Management Area.
Lumberjack life
Earlier in the summer, I started looking for firewood. I had a big, central fireplace in the cabin, but the previous owners had burned all but a solitary piece of wood. Time to stock up.
I had no idea how much I would need, so I settled in on “a lot”. I had one vendor drop off 2 full cords of 6 foot logs. A second vendor dropped off 2 full cords of rounds. The logs required the extra step of running a chain saw before the splitting could start. I cut all but a small number of logs and got busy splitting. It would be a few more weeks before the rounds would be delivered anyway.
Piles of wood and work to do in August.
Lumberjack Crossfit
Since I’ve been working at home since March, having an activity to counter-balance sitting at a desk, staring at a computer has been a blessing in disguise. Although swinging a log splitting maul is work, it actually has many benefits. Yes, it is a decent workout, as is gathering up all the pieces and stacking them. But it is relaxing and satisfying, too. When a round comes flying apart after a well-aimed swing, you can’t help but smile. The next log may be a twisty, knotted up mess, so no need to get cocky.
The Science of Stacking
I saw a video online about building Holzhousens as a storage method. It looked more interesting than just stacking in rows. After filling up the storage bins in the house, and a couple racks on the porches near the doors, I had enough split wood to build two Holzhausen’s, each about 5 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter. Some people also toss odd shaped pieces in the donut hole. Mine are mostly empty, except for some old fencing cut to 8 feet long used as cross-braces, a few feet off the ground.
That season between summer and hunting
My closest getaway is the nearby Pioneer Mountain, so on a recent sunny and warm Fall day, I went in search of the colors of the season. While I didn’t locate a big area of birch or larch that was blazing orange, there were a few patches sprinkled in the pine.
There may be a few weeks left to try and do better. Otherwise, it will be photos of snow covered mountains.
Grand Vista day park, along the Scenic parkway.
The Pit
There is something decidingly odd about Butte. While it is nestled in a very pretty corner of Montana along the Continental Divide, most of the folks I've met and talked with never mention the largest and most obvious feature -- the enormous open pit mine known as the Berkeley Pit. It is not the largest mine in the US, the widest, or even the deepest. It is, however, the most poisonous. My point isn't to relay all the science, if you are really interested, I've found this site has a very honest and detailed review: Pitwatch.
I think I will adopt what appears to be the more common practice in the area. I will go about my recreation in the areas surrounding The Pit. You don't really have to go far in any direction to become distracted. If you drive more than an hour however, what you'll quickly notice is that mining is not just a Butte thing. It is all over the West, in Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah (location of the deepest mine), and Minnesota (location of the largest).
I don't think people are ignoring the obvious. And recently, the former mine owners, and local & Federal governments have agreed to clean up some aspects of the Pit and surrounding waterways. Everyone is watching and hoping for the best.
All you need to do near Butte is look the other way. In this image, I am only turned about 1/4 of the way. And all you see is green mountains with snow-covered peaks.
The Maud S Canyon Trailhead is easy to get to and offers a nice 4+ mile loop up the Rockies on the Western slope of the Continental Divide. At the top of the loop is a spur that goes another few miles to link up with the CDT. And link up, as in uphill in a very steep, set of switchbacks. Regardless of whether you only do the loop or proceed higher, can can look across the valley and see most of Butte, and also down into The Pit.
The Hills are Alive
As Montana folks ease towards June, we stop worrying about snowstorms and start worrying about bears. At least I do. Wandering along a skinny trail, moving through heavy brush towards a meandering stream, it is hard not to think, “Hey, if I were a bear, where would I be?” I wonder the same thing every time I come across a flat area, with a peaceful pond - “Hey, there should be a moose in that pond!” For some reason, never a moose.
The nice thing about hiking along a stream are the sounds. A little bit of a breeze through the trees and the rush of water heading downstream. No people. No noise. It is my weekend goal. To disappear into the woods.