Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Jesus for the dogs ...


Me and Lewis and the beasts atop Whitefish Mountain.

I'm back to school. My kids are ... really good. I won't elaborate; I don't want to jinx it. My little crew of ESL/ELL kids remind me why I do this ...

Slim Cessna's Auto Club came to the Flathead. It was, well, the best thing to ever happen in the Valley ... musically. Sorry Russ Nasset and The Revelators ...

Cyclocross is happening, but not so much to me. The Helena race was officially my worst, and shortest, race ever. I'll do my best at the Kalispell races and Rolling Thunder. Then the bikes collect dust until February ...

The Big Mountain season ski pass has been purchased. Now I just need to get skis. I'm planning on taking avalanche awareness courses in November. Winter is coming ...

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Labor Day weekend

My Labor Day weekend: scenic hikes, whiskey drinks, shotguns, and dogs.

Lewis and I and the four dogs spent the night at Rainbow Lake in the Ten Lakes Region along the border. Twenty-eight miles of dirt road 'til the trailhead ...


After a pretty easy hike in, we made it, awesome ... now we just need to figure out how to get down there.


We figured it out ... after one sketchy false start ... Cody nearly got clocked in the head by a softball-sized tumbling rock ...


We're a half-mile hike to Canada. We made chili mixed with macaroni and cheese for dinner. We brought a lot of beer. It was good.


Cody's psyched about life.

We hiked back out.

We drove 28 miles back down the road and then to Olney to meet up with pals at the Burk Family Cabin on the Stillwater. (Take note, local idiots: The Burk family owns 350 acres, 349 undeveloped. They've refused all offers to develop even one acre of the property, and even turned down one offer of more than a million dollars. It's good to know that "in this economy," it's not all for sale. Primitive areas > condos/toy ranches/multi-million dollar bullshit summer get-away mansions/buying this feeling called "West," etc.)

We shot guns ... shotguns. I'd never shot a gun before. I've always played the word association game: "I say 'gun,' you say the first word that comes to mind." While most say deer, food, fun, I've always said convenience store robbery, gang violence, death.


Terra's a total badass, I'm incredibly awkward firing the firearm.


Dale says, "Mind the gap." I did not mind the gap.


Cody and I then indulged in more quiet pursuits. Canoe over carbon bike next summer ...



Spent the cold night in my hammock and woke up to breakfast burritos on the wood-fire grill. Went home to recover with a long ride.

Good three-day weekend. Interesting ...

One week until I'm back to school.