Kootenai Falls Montana

Wednesday we took a drive over to see how the Kootenai Falls were falling. They were falling very nicely, thank you very much. The Meryl Streep movie "River Wild" was filmed here. We love Meryl almost as much as the river. Class acts are hard to find these days.

Kootenai Falls May 11, 2016

Kootenai Falls May 11, 2016

After visiting the falls we went around to the north side of the river and walked the Kootenai River Trail. It's a wonderful walk along the river where you can see just about anything from bears to eagles fishing. It's about the easiest, most beautiful trail you are likely to find.

Molly Montana on the Kootenai River Trail -Please obey the leash laws

We saw some big horns but they were not in the high cliffs along the river but in someones back yard! Smart little dickens.

Big Horn Grazing in someones yard

It was a great day and a serene walk. Saw exactly two people in two and a half hours we spent on the trail.

Kootenai River May 11, 20126

If you are traveling through Libby, Montana don't miss the Kootenai Falls or the Kootenai River Trail. Both are great places for a picnic.

Until next time,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Hungry Horse-Spotted Bear-The Great Bear Wilderness

For the very longest time we have wanted to take the drive down Hungry Horse to Spotted Bear. Last week we did just that. The road is paved about 15 miles of the 58 mile trip. Once you get on the dirt it's one dusty road you can count on that. But, we think you will find the drive worth it. There is actually a road all the way round the reservoir but the east side was not open yet so we retraced our drive on the west side. Just as well, the sun setting on the Great Bear Wilderness was spectacular. Something about that name "Great Bear Wilderness" just chokes me up.

The Great Bear Wilderness in the morning. Hungry Horse in the foreground.

It took over two hours to get to Spotted Bear but we were dawdling. Stopping to rubber neck along the way.

One stop we made was Handkerchief Lake. The lake wasn't looking too pretty this day but if you go back and click on the link you can see how pretty she can be.

Wheeler Creek

The creeks are just beginning to pick up speed as the snow melts in the mountains. There are a bazillion creeks along this road. If the sound of rushing water floats your boat, your boat will sail!

There is a Ranger Station at Spotted Bear and a couple of places where you can stay if you aren't of a mind to camp. Or you can make it a day trip and sleep in your own bed.

Spotted Bear Ranger Station

The entire campus at the station is very beautiful. And, it's isolated. I imagine things get pretty busy in the middle of summer but right now it's simply serene splendor. The station wasn't open yet but the ranger was there getting things ready. It officially opens May 15th as does the east road.

Kinsey & Me at Spotted Bear

The Ranger station sits up on a bluff over looking the South Fork of the Flathead River. How pretty is that. Right?! Of course, I lend extra beauty with my presence. The old gray mare? Not so much. :) Just below where we are sitting is a foot bridge that crosses the river. I wasn't too keen on walking on it. But, neither was Kinsey.

We enjoyed a short hike and a Subway lunch. It was divine.

It turned into an all day trip. Dawdle, dawdle. For our dawdling we were treated to the sun setting on the Great Bear Wilderness.

The setting sun reflects off snow capped mountains in the Great Bear Wilderness

If you are in the area you might enjoy this trip. Again, it will be dusty so if that would bother you I'd skip it. For those who could care less and know how to wash their trucks it's very much a green light.

Until Next time,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

We Love Solar!

On our way home from the Bitterroot we stopped in at Jordan Solar in Charlo to say howdy. Kinsey had a completely integrated system installed at the ranch a few years ago and Travis Jordan made it happen for us. We have the inverter with battery back up and a generator back up too. It's also grid tied so we get to bank our excess electricity to use when there isn't so much sun. Northwest Montana can be a wee tad dreary in the winter. With rising electricity prices this is getting to be a nicer and nicer feature.

As you might imagine the electrician is the most important character in a solar installation and Travis Jordan is a master electrician. It was a joy watching him work. He's the kind of man that takes his time to really think things through before forging ahead. A trait we truly admire. Travis isn't doing as much install work as he used to as he has a new enterprise MT. Solar which manufactures pole mounted solar panels. We were among the first to have one of his mounts. Below is a photo of out pole mount and panels going up. Very thrilling.

Tim is now doing most of the install work these days and we've worked with him too. Excellent electrician. We would be happy to work with him anytime.

MT Solar Pole Mount Installation

We got to take a little tour of the manufacturing plant and it's pretty cool how they manufacture these mounts. We especially liked the laser that cut out the parts. Very cool. Actually, quite hot!

Me & My Pals Travis Jordan and Janelle.

Pictured above with Travis is Janelle. She's the one that co-ordinates the jobs and keeps the place running smoothly. Well, you know men. ;) If you're interested in solar give Janelle a call, she's a fount of information. (877) 215-8431.

I know this post sounds like an advertisement but we just can't say enough good things about these Montanans. And we think when you have good things to say you had ought to say them. Travis and his people exemplify everything Montana stands for; hard work, sincerity, loyalty and integrity. Also, we love solar and think everyone should have panels on their roof at least, even if it's just tied to the grid. If you do contact them let them know Molly Montana sent you. Who knows, I might get a great big dog biscuit if you do. ;)

Truly we stump for solar every chance we get. You folks down in the sunny climes really ought to jump on board.

Until next time .... which will be our recent trip to Spotted Bear. You won't want to miss it!

Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

After our hike up Bass Creek Trail we headed on back to the B & B for lunch and a nap. Kinsey passed out and I took a nap as well. What else was there to do?

Later that afternoon we went to check out the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. The weather lady was forecasting afternoon thunder showers so we thought we'd head out early and avoid the rain. We hopped in the car and headed out. OK, so Kinsey wasn't really hopping, her knees were hurting so bad from the morning hike she more like hobbled.

When we got there we took off on the first dirt trail we found and headed out. Depending on what publication you are reading there are 267 or 235 species of birds in the refuge. Close enough for government work, right? Anyway you slice it, its a birdwatchers paradise.

Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge Trail Map

The trail we took wandered around in a storybook forest of big old Ponderosas, cottonwoods and aspen.

Whitetail Deer at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

We trekked around through the lovely forest and meadows and eventually wandered over to the Bitterroot River. It's a big, beautiful river and look at those gorgeous mountains in the distance. Those would be the Bitterroots.

Bitterroot River & Mountains as seen from the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge

After awhile we came upon two local gals sitting on a log beside the river, eating their dinner. Kinsey being the Chatty Kathy that she is stopped and spoke with them for quite some time. One of the women was wearing a lovely, beaded medicine pouch. Kinsey admired it and was told that the lady had made it herself. She said it was made from "brain" tanned whitetail. Kinsey hadn't a clue what what brain tanning meant and asked. She promptly got called a "pilgrim" which I think is an insult of sorts for not knowing about brain tanned leather. She sure does now. In case you don't know either, it is hide tanned in a brew of the deers' brains.

We didn't see a lot of birds on our walk. Just the usual mallards, geese, turkey and such. But, on our way out we hit the jackpot. Looking out the window Kinsey says, "What the heck are those? They look like ostriches, maybe gnu." There was a car stopped and a fellow with a huge Cannon lens sticking out his window. We stopped and very quietly Kinsey got out an mouthed through the passenger window "What are those?" The fellow rolled down the window and said "Sandhill Cranes".  And, so they were. Really elegant  birds.

Sanhill Cranes Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge

As usual the weather lady was full of horse feathers it was an awesomely beautiful afternoon and evening. Kinsey says she thinks the thing to do in the summer is go have a nice dinner somewhere and then come down here for an evening stroll. If you are in the area you don't want to miss it. We sure as heck will be coming back.

 The Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge is located about 25 miles south of Missoula on highway 93.

Until next time.

Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Hiking Bass Creek Trail-Bitterroot Mountains

Brady, at the Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast, turned us on to the Bass Creek Trail in the Bitteroot Forest. He told us we could find a waterfall but we never did. That's OK because it was a great hike.

The trailhead was easy to find. Believe me this is not always the case. Clearly marked on 93 and a straight shot to the trailhead.

Road to Bass Creek Trailhead Bitterroot Mountains

The weather forecast was for rain but as usual that was wrong. It was an absolutely perfect hiking day. Bass Creek is a very cool, literally and figuratively, trail.  As you might imagine it wanders along Bass Creek. The spring melt seemed to already be underway and the sound of the rushing water echoing off the canyon walls was awesome.

Molly Montana On the Bass Creek Trail-Bitterroot Mountain

You will notice in the above photo I am on the leash. This trail is also a popular horse trail, and well, Kinsey worries about meeting riders and me causing an accident with my enthusiasm. I don't blame her really. I do still forget myself when meeting new people and other critters.

I would rate this an easy trail even though there is a pretty good elevation gain. One can always just walk as far as they want and still enjoy the creek. The first landmark we found was the log jam pond. For some this is a destination. We trekked on by looking for that waterfall.

Log Jam Pond Bass Creek Trail Bitterroot Forest

The next Land mark we found was the sign notifying us we were entering the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.

Entering the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness

We kept on looking for a big boulder we were told we would find where we would go one way to the falls and the other to Bass Lake. It's eight miles to Bass Lake and no way we could make that trip in a day. Well, I could but Kinsey even in her best day couldn't make that long a mountain trip roundtrip in a day. For those looking for an overnight backpacking sort of trip this looks like a good one. Below is what we could not see for ourselves.

Bass Lake-Bitterroot Wilderness ©Helene Bazin-Lee Photography

About 3 miles in we found a stone arrow in the ground that pointed the way up the trail to the right, up being the operative word. Straight ahead was a trail but it was covered with blown down. Kinsey thought the falls must be on the low road but she didn't feel like scrambling over the trees. By the time we got back down to the trailhead Kinsey's knees were screaming so I guess it's just as well be turn back when we did.  It was after all our first mountain trail of the season.

The point of this story is; this trail has something for everyone and we highly recommend you check it out when your are in the area.

Until next time.

Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast - Missoula

A couple of year s ago or so I started a conversation with Elaine at Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast on Twitter, although at the time I didn't know it was Elaine I was chatting with. We found each other because Montana people like to meet and support other Montana people, we're funny that way. If it's made in Montana we're for it.

Anywayz, Elaine thought we should come down for a visit but we usually travel in Clementine, our RV, because I'm a dog. Good news! Blue Mountain BB has a dog friendly room! So, I said we would do just that. It took me a couple of years to get Kinsey on board but this week we made the trek and are glad we did.

The home sits high up on the mountain over looking Missoula off to the north and Bitterroot Valley off to the south. The Bitterroot River flows along directly below.

Entrance to Blue Mountain BB

Everywhere you look it is clear that this is a home where animals and all things natural are welcome guests. Oh, people are welcome too but can only to speak from my perspective.

We had a lovely room with lodge furnishings and playful bears hanging around everywhere.

Elaine and Brady run the place. I have to take Kinsey's word for it but she said the breakfasts, Brady is the chef, were to die for, real gourmet fare. Kinsey wishes she had taken photos of them. You can find lots more photos and info on their website.

Dining and living area

If you are coming to Missoula and the Bitterroot area you should check this place out for sure. If you do, tell them Molly Montana sent you. I'm not sure if this will get you a warm welcome or a boot in the butt but I did try to be a good guest!

If you are looking for good old fashioned Montana hospitality you couldn't go wrong at Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast. If you have never been to the Bitterroot Valley, take it from me, it's a hikers paradise. More on hiking in the next episode.

Until next time,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

The Perfect Gift

Oh, Boy! Oh, Boy! I've really hit the jackpot this time.

I found Kinsey the perfect gift! When I brought it to her I was knew I was a rock star. And, what was this perfect gift? It was a deer shed. Now I know this would not appeal to most people but my mum is a bit of an odd duck. She loves getting natural things, as long as no one is harmed in the getting. So when I presented her with this half of a perfect 8 point rack she was over the moon.

With all the deer around here you'd think one would stumble on them all the time. We have not had such luck. And, often when you do find them they've been out there for a couple of seasons and have been munched on by hungry critters. Not this baby it was in pristine condition. In the photo it looks kinda small but it's really a nice size.

Molly Montana and Deer Shed Antler

In other good news Kinsey recently read that Australian Shepherds are among the top 20 longest living canines. This means I could have as much as another 15 years if I watch my P's and Q's. That probably still won't be long enough to see Kinsey off this mortal plane but she may have slowed down some by then, she'll be 82. But, after watching a video this morning of Queen Elizabeth celebrating her ninetieth I think Kinsey will be around long after 82.

Stillwater Forest

Well, at last I got to go someplace new. We took a nine mile walk in the Stillwater Forest. Actually we stuck pretty much to the road as there is still a lot of snow off the road. But, that was no problem. On the whole walk, which was a little over three hours, we saw exactly one pickup.

Stillwater Forest Montana

This is grizzly and black bear habitat and the bears are waking up hungry from their winter nap.  Kinsey carries bear spray and a .357 magnum. If attacked her plan is to use the bear spray first and if that doesn't work the gun. Over the years we have encountered lots of bears and never had any problems. We hope it stays that way but you never know so we are always alert and aware of our surroundings. We take nothing for granted including are great good fortune to live in such a fabulous place.

Along the way we passed a marsh where some trumpeter swans were a swimming.

Trumpeter Swan Stillwater Forest Montana

It was a beautiful day. And, the best news was the foot that had been giving Kinsey some trouble worked like a charm. She's been giving acupuncture a go and it seems to be paying dividends.

Thank goodness the good weather is here I should get to go explore lots of new places this year.

Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Lake McDonald - Glacier National Park

This past Sunday was an awesome day. Too beautiful not to just get in the car and go. Where we live it doesn't matter in what direction you go, you will be smacked in the face with incredible beauty.

Kinsey has a particular fondness for McDonald Lake in Glacier National Park. It was very beautiful at the lake. Maybe the snowy peaks could have been a little less shrouded in clouds but it was awesome just the same. There were lots of people with the same idea.

McDonald Lake-Glacier NP 02-21-16

Glacier National Park 02-21-16

We always marvel at our great good fortune to live where we can witness such incredible beauty at the drop of a hat.

After the park we went to some snowy woods near Hungry Horse and took a wonderful walk. I took a bit of a run.

Kinsey has been pretty focused on her painting project (see Following My Art) but I'm starting to detect a little spring fever in the air. That's gonna mean more exploring and getting out to do stuff. YAY for me!!!!!

©Kinsey Barnard
The Liberated Photographer

I Am Not A Stinky Pants! We Need a New Vet!

Kinsey has been running around here calling me "Stinky Pants". Sometimes at night I smelled so bad she shooed me from the bedroom. Because she thought she saw more yellow spots in the snow she decided I might have a urinary infection, I've had that before.

Away we went to the vet. Kinsey found this vet when my predecessor, Lakota Sunrise, was fading with old age and Cushings Disease. At the time she thought he was a Godsend. Personally, I've never liked the place.

Kinsey had said she thought it might be a urinary tract infection. They took me in to get a urine sample and then we waited for the doctor and the results. So, the vet came in and said there was nothing in the sample. He asked what the symptoms were and Kinsey did her best to explain. He looked at my teeth and said maybe it was bad breath because I have a lot of plaque. Kinsey stuck her face in my mouth and said no smell there. Surely if it were plaque it wouldn't come and go. Next he said maybe it was my ears. Kinsey says I have the sweetest smelling ears on the planet. Then he said I was overweight.

With that I could see Kinsey start to sizzle with annoyance. She is very fussy about my weight, believing that any dog owner who allows their dog to become overweight is cruel. Kinsey asks "How much did she weigh?" The vet looks at the file and says "We didn't weight her". Normally, that's the first thing a vet does. Then I got weighed and came in at 48 pounds. The vet in self defense says "She's been gaining with each visit". Yeah, like the first visit I weighed like ten pounds because I was a puppy. This is maybe the second time I've been there as an adult. The average weight of a female Australian Shepherd is 40 to 55 pounds. I'd say 48 puts be about dead center.

I will admit when I put on my winter coat it makes me look much beefier than I am. But, if you put your hands on me you can feel my ribs. Also, I might put on a pound or two in winter but so does Kinsey and it melts right off with the snow.

Even though the urine test showed no sign of infection the vet says I can give her antibiotics to take. Which he did. I was barely back in my car crate before Kinsey says and I'm quoting here "This is bullshit! This is all wrong". Then, apparently, a light bulb goes off and Kinsey takes my collar off and smells it. It didn't smell so good. A stinky collar could cause intermittent stinky. Lots of times I sit out in the snow and rain and I'm sure the thing gets wet.  We drove directly to Pet Smart and bot me a new collar.  And, I'm stinky no more!

Our next stop was back to the vets to see if we could get our money back because there was no way Kinsey was going to give me those pills. In fact she still can't believe the vet gave them to us. The vet Kinsey thought he was would have said "I can't find anything let's just keep and eye on things".

In conclusion let me just say, I am not a stinky pants!!! And, I want a new vet!!!

Meanwhile Kinsey continues to be obsessed with her painting project. You can check in on her progress at Following My Art


©Kinsey Barnard

I've Been Abandoned

My typist and photographer has pretty much abandoned me. She has gotten it into her head that she wants to learn how to paint. And, when she gets worked up about something there's no stopping her.

This entry is just to say I probably won't be posting here that much, at least until this painting insanity blows over. There's not all that much going on right now anyway. It's raining here in Northwest Montana to the point that we have flood warnings in effect. That's a first. Usually, by this time everything is frozen solid.

If I can get her to do anything with me I'll make her post it. Until then, if you want you can read the blog she started about her painting, you will find it here www.followingmyart.blogspot.com

Meanwhile Boo Hoo for me!

Cio for now,

Molly Montana

Rails to Trails Kalispell Montana

Yesterday, we took a walk on the Rails to Trails project in Kalispell, Montana. It was partly sunny and very blustery. On this trail you can walk, or bicycle, either to Kila or Somers. Pretty long walks but you don't have to go all the way. The distance is one of the reasons why we like the trail. We can walk as long as we want in one direction. Today we went three miles toward Kila for a six mile round trip. On this type walk we average three miles per hour. It was a nice two hour walk.  I know this because, last year, Kinsey bot a Bushnell GPS tracks this stuff. Also there are mile markers on the trail. :)

If it hadn't been for the wind it would have been perfect fall weather. For the duration of the two hour walk we only encountered two other hearty souls pushing against the wind. Wind makes me frisky. I tried my best to engage in the puppy crazies but alas this is a leash path so I wasn't very successful.

So far it has been warmer and less snowy than it usually is for this time of year. Kinsey says it's the El Nino. There is snow starting to build at the higher elevations but the valley floor is completely clear.

The Flathead Range as viewed from the Rails to Trails path 11-18-15

If you are looking for a nice, scenic walk this Rails to Trails path is the perfect place for it.

Aussie me on donated park bench. I promise my feet were clean.

As mentioned in my last post Kinsey has a new project for this winter. She is taking up acrylic painting. This should be good. Because she is a compulsive writer she is keeping a dairy of her adventure on a new blog Diary of a Would Be Painter. Mostly she is keeping it to track resources and experiences for herself. Some of the things she discovers might be of interest to other beginners.

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Winter Hobbies-Kindle Unlimited-Acrylic Painting

Wow, where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday we were welcoming spring. Now, winter is already here again. The days are already growing short and will continue getting ever more short until late December. Here in northwest Montana that means we barely have eight hours of daylight in the winter months, not a lot of time for outdoor activities. Which I suppose is alright since it's so "blasted cold" (Kinsey's words not mine). Personally, I don't mind the cold. My coat is thick and luxurious again. So much dark isn't all that great but it's amazing how quickly one adapts.

Tomorrow we will set our clocks back. That's a sure sign winter is on its way.

Winter coat back in fashion

Kinsey, is always trying to dream up winter projects to keep her busy. Last winter she went on a jigsaw puzzle kick. She did a bunch of them. This winter she is going to try something entirely new, acrylic painting. Beyond her camera I'm not sure she has much artistic talent but you never know.

One of Kinsey's year round hobbies is reading. She reads three or four books a month. A couple of months ago she took Amazon's Kindle Unlimited free trial and she loves it. She can read all the books she wants for $9.99 per month. Granted not all books are part of the program but so far there have been plenty of interest to choose from. Kinsey has no doubt she is getting her money's worth.

Kinsey has started her initial research into getting this painting thing going and discovered something very cool. She can get books on acrylic painting free with her Kindle Unlimited. Just one of those books is more than the monthly fee.  Below is an acrylic painting book Kinsey has downloaded to her Kindle. The hard copy edition is twenty bucks!

Acrylic Illuminations-Kindle Unlimited Selection

Here's the link if you want more info on this book or to check out other acrylic painting selections that can be downloaded for free. Amazon Acrylic Painting Books

To be sure the illustrations on a Kindle leave much to be desired but Kinsey likes to read many peoples opinions and ideas and then follow her own road. The Kindle Unlimited program allows her to do just that without breaking the bank. If she decides she really wants to be able to study on the illustrations she can always buy the book.

If you haven't checked out the Kindle Unlimited thing you might want to take a look see. I'll bet there are free books on just about any hobby or special interest you might have.

As for me, I just go with the flow.

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Hungry Horse Reservoir

This weekend we decided to take a drive over to Hungry Horse to check out the fall colors. There is the town of Hungry Horse, Hungry Horse Dam and Hungry Horse Reservoir. Hungry Horse is a local favorite for hiking, fishing and camping. Hungry Horse is about fifteen miles from Glacier National Park. If you're visiting from out of state you should check it out, especially if you are here in the Fall. Glacier is beautiful but there are so many other beautiful places with less traffic and Hungry Horse is one of them.

On the way over we crossed the Flathead River and it was looking mighty pretty all dressed up for Fall. If you look closely there is even an intrepid fisherman on the river.

Flathead River

As pretty much everyone knows the West has been plagued by drought conditions and northwestern Montana is no exception. All I can say is I'm mighty glad we are up river. In any event the reservoir was pretty low. Below is a photo taken this weekend and one taken at full pool.

Hungry Horse October 10, 2015

Hungry Horse at full pool. Tiny speck in the middle is the same little island in the photo above.

We traveled down the west side of the reservoir and only went as far as Doris Creek, which isn't very far at all. If you have the time and an adventurous spirit you can drive around the whole reservoir. It'll be over a hundred miles. It's 58 miles to Spotted Bear which is a the far south end of the lake.

We were only out for a walk in the woods in the autumn and had gotten a bit of a late start. So we hiked up 895A which goes along Doris Creek. Along the way we came across a young family cutting firewood. There was something very lovely about the scene. A family together out in the forest, in the beauty of a Fall afternoon, providing for themselves a warm and toasty winter. Also, warming is that the heat will cost them $5.00 for all the wood they can cut.

There's not a lot more to tell other than we had a really wonderful, colorful afternoon. I'll let Kinsey's photos do the rest of the talking. The point of this exercise was finding color and that we surely did.

Cottonwoods in full Fall color

A walk in the woods at Hungry Horse

Aspen in Fall color

Me stuck in the car whilst Kinsey fools around

Sometimes it's hard to believe we live in such a beautiful part of the world. We are grateful we walk in this world with our eyes open. It's truly a gift. Soon the snow will fly and all this amazing color will only exist in photos and memories. But, the gods willing, we will be able to experience it again next year.

And, would you believe this is the sunset we were treated to at the end of the day? If you are color junkies like we are it just doesn't get any better than this! Oh, how we love Montana!

Sunset over the Flathead Valley

Ciao for now!
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Flathead Reservation

So, we had to cancel our trip to South Dakota and it took twelve days to get Clementine road ready. We just couldn't let the Fall pass without some kind of adventure. We decided to make the Flathead Reservation and the Mission Valley our destination. We are very glad we did!

The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. The tribes are a combination of the Salish, the Pend d'Oreille and the Kootenai. Of the approximately 7,753 enrolled tribal members, about 5,000 live on or near the reservation. It covers over one million acres.

The Flathead Reservation is somewhat unusual, least wise in our experience, in that more white people live on the reservation than Native Americans. If you are interested in how this came to be check out this check out this article in the Missoulian.

Highway 93 runs through the reservation, down to 90 and Missoula and is really the only way to get anywhere if you hail from our part northwest Montana. Kinsey has been traveling down that stretch of road for 15 years and really never thought of the area as anything but a place to drive through. We found out on this adventure we were very wrong about that.

Much of the reservation is in the Mission Valley. The Mission Mountain Range is one of our favorites. You will also find the National Bison Range and Ninepipes Wild life Refuge. If you are a nature and wildlife lover you will love them both.

Mission Mountain Range as viewed from Ninepipes

We also visited the towns of Polson, Ronan and St. Ignacius.

The next few posts I will be going into more detail of each of the places we visited.

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Clementine: The Gory Story

You may recall from my last post, we were headed to South Dakota and the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary to meet out little sponsoree Lakna's Liberty. We got as far as Deer Lodge when Clementine went kaput!

Lakna's Liberty with her cousin Running Road

Clementine was towed to Don K's in Whitefish, 210 miles. We arrived after closing on Thursday night. We didn't hear back until the following Monday afternoon. The repair estimate was just under $800. Ouch! A couple of sensors needed replacing as did the house batteries and air filter, labor was $470. The air filter needing to be replaced was interesting as Clem had just been in for serving three weeks before departure. Anybody ever hear of an air filter not being check with an oil change?

Now the house batteries being defunct well that was just plain dumb on Kinsey's part. They were the original batteries and Clem is now eight years old!!!!! I mean duhhhhh! We like never dry camp so she just thought the batteries were fine because they always worked as we went down the road. Kinsey knew she would pay more to have the dealer replace them but I guess she was feeling pooped so she decided to pay to let someone else handle it. We were told Clem would be ready on Friday.

On Friday we showed up to claim our Clem. The first thing we noticed was that she was filthy inside and out. They hadn't put down paper on the floorboard nor had they even washed the windshield. On the drivers side someone had sat in the drivers seat with a ball point pen in their back pocket and left ink marks all over the seat. Clem has the most beautiful leather seats we have ever seen. Soft as doe skin. Kinsey was incensed.

Clementine & Shadow at Lake Hebgen 2014

She got the service guy to come take a look and while they were trying to get the ink off the seat Kinsey was looking under the hood. Turned out things had not been put back the way they were supposed to be and things had to be put right there. Meanwhile the seat cleaning guy said he was taking the color out of the seat. An outside professional had to be called in. The seat cleaners came to the house and the seat was taken care of and you can't really see where it happened.

By now Kinsey has absolutely no confidence in what has been done to Clementine. She starts to wonder if the batteries were the right kind for an RV. Once back at home she checks the batteries and notes they were bot from Napa. On the Napa website she finds the batteries and, will wonders never cease, they are the right kind for the job. But, what she also finds is that the batteries sell for $82 at Napa but Don K charged me $130!!!!! A nearly 60% mark up! She could of lived with 20% for the convenience but 60%? That's plain highway robbery!

Now somewhere well north of incensed Kinsey calls the service manager, Greg. She told Greg, as calmly as she could, the whole gory story. To his credit Greg was contrite and completely diffused Kinsey's anger. Clementine went back on Monday for a good front end cleaning and the cost of the batteries was adjusted back to $85.

Now you may wonder why we were at a Dodge dealership. It's because our RV sits on a Dodge 3500 chassis and is powered by a Mercedes diesel. In 2007, when we bot Clem, there was exactly one authorized service location in the whole of Montana, and it was in Livingston over 400 miles away. Now there are maybe four of which Don K is one. We love the Mercedes diesel. It's a hard worker, pulling Shadow up and down steep mountain grades with ease and it gets great mileage. But, it is a pain in the neck to get serviced.

By now it is twelve days past our South Dakota departure date. The bloom is off the lily. We've lost our reservations, it's 900 miles to the Black Hill Wild Horse Sanctuary and they days grow short. Much to everyone's chagrin Kinsey officially aborts our trip. Hopefully, we can try again in the spring.

I'm really disappointed too. I was looking forward to meeting Liberty. I kind of think of her as my little sister. I was also disappointed because I really like these road trips. We have so much fun meeting new people and learning new things. Kinsey can't bear not to go somewhere either so she decided we will go down to the Flathead Reservation in the Mission Valley for a few days. It will also give us an opportunity to check out all systems

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

A Major Disappointment

We were all set to meet our little sponsoree Lakna's Liberty at the Black hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

Lakna's Liberty

 
Rather than re-invent the wheel Kinsey has written all about it on her blog The Liberated Photographer.

Some things are meant to be and some are not.

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

Fires, Heat & Bears

Well this summer has been one for the record books. So hot, so smokey and so very dry. We've been looking at everything through a smokey haze.

But, we haven't had it as bad as some. Friends of ours have had breathing problems from the smoke and we've not had anything nearly that bad. Our area has been under Stage  2 fire restrictions. Basically that means you can't do anything involving combustible engines in the forest between the hours of 1:00pm and 1:00 am. So, we've been working until 1:00 and then hiding in the house from the heat for the rest of the day. It's been in the 90's or higher all of August. The restrictions weren't any inconvenience to us as you know who is only good for about 4 hours of hard labor anyway. The crummy part was staying in for the rest of the day.

Finally, some cooler weather and rains have arrived and what a relief. Also the bears have come to our meadow to steal apples. Last night we spotted an absolutely huge black bear sitting under an apple tree. It was too dark to take a photo but we did get one on another night of this cute little guy. He looks like a person caught with his hand in the apple jar.

Small black bear about half the size of the one we saw last night.

It is really a privilege to get to see these beautiful creatures every evening, even if they do raise Cain with the apple trees. The bears climb up in them and their weight just breaks all the branches down. We tried shaking the apples off so they wouldn't have to climb the trees. Didn't work though. Those silly bears would step over an apple on the ground and climb a tree just to get one little apple way on the top. Kinsey doesn't mind. Watching them is just too precious.

I have really made myself poopular (intentional spelling). I started running down to the orchard in the morning and rolling in the bear poop. Man, you should see the size of those poop piles. A poop rollers dream! Now Kinsey has to go down to the meadow and pick up the poop before she lets me loose. BUMMER!!!

Ciao for now,
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Hiking the Blacktail Trail

We had an awesome hike this morning, before the heat arrived.

The first thing we saw was a young black bear. I barked, jumped up and down and scared him away. Did not make myself popular with you know who. I do admit for such a little person I put out a heck of a deep bark. Poor little bear went flying off through the trees.

Kinsey saw this fungus growing on a tree trunk and thought it looked like some kind of baked meringue. Looking at things in terms of our stomachs is something we have in common. Probably if she ate it she would have been frothing at the mouth. It was pretty though.

Tree fungus

As we walked along we heard the screech of a hawk. We love that sound. For awhile we couldn't see through the trees but then it dropped down and lit in a fir tree. It perched in dark shadows so that it wasn't easy to see or take a picture. Kinsey called out to it "Hey hawk, can't you lite somewhere that we can see you?" No sooner did she say that than the hawk rose up and flew to a nearby tree top. I swear, sometimes I think she is a wildlife whisperer.

Hawk

 We went as far as an old mine shaft. Kinsey tried to get me to go in but I was not having any of it. That tunnel looked dark and dangerous to me. One time when Koty was with her the two of them went in until something growled at them and they high tailed it out for there. Never knew if it was a bear or a mountain lion. What idiots!

Old Mine Shaft

On the way back down the mountain Kinsey couldn't resist a selfie. I swear.

Kinsey & Molly Montana on the trail.

It was a great day and a great hike. Life is good in Montana

©Kinsey Barnard