The great pig race

When you complete the great Beartooth you land in the burg of Red lodge, Montana...or maybe Wyoming. You travel in and out of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho so often that I am never quite sure where we are. Anyway, Red Lodge is a great little town.

When we first checked into the Inn, I asked the innkeeper my usual question, "What should we make sure we do in Red Lodge?" She said that if we drive about ten miles out of town ( about 2 blocks in Montana distances) we could see the local Pig Races! It took a lot of convincing to get Marie to agree that this was a good idea, but after a couple of glasses of wine and some fine quick-talking, cajoling, and pleading, we were on our way.

It was a beautiful drive through mostly cattle country. Along the way we passed an old coal mine that looked like it was frozen in time. Then we saw the marker explaining the tragedy that befell the area. Very sad.

A few miles later we reached the Bear Creek Saloon where we were warmly greeted and put on a list for a table. The place was packed. We were also told to go order a drink and stand in this line.  Not sure what the line was for, but we ordered a couple libations, which were very inexpensive by the way, and stood in line as instructed. 

Turns out the line was to place a bet on the pigs! Really! When we finally got to the front, I learned that you bought one of 25 squares for a particular race and whether or not your square was in play was determined by a drawing. Only five of the squares are in play.  Not great odds, but we bought four squares anyway and after the drawing found out that of the five pigs racing, we had two of them.  A little more interested now.

We ate dinner and the races started.  We were in race three.  Palms sweaty, hearts palpitating, we lined the track to watch hoping that fate would bring us good fortune...actually it was way less dramatic than that. It was after all five pigs racing around a 50 foot track.

Race announced, pigs in the gates,

And they're off

Around the backstretch

And the winner is

Not us, unfortunately. Oh well, the pigs are happy and well fed. The place will serve no pork, out of respect.  Their motto is: the Bear Creek Saloon, where pigs DO fly!

Holy crap, Marie

Lets start with Friday and Saturday.  I already mentioned that the Utes were here for the week (University of Utah) and bought out the resort.  However, they were gone mostly during the days so lunches would have been a minimum EXCEPT for the fact that we had both days scheduled for a bunch of quaders for an event called Rally in the Pines.

We had 20 very muddy quad riders for lunches both days.  Really a mess!

The good news is that all the cabins were vacated today (Sunday) and guess what?  We are on our days off. Cleaning cabins is my LEAST favorite thing to do.  So, YEA!

We left this am at 7:00 to get an early start on our weekend trip.  The roads out of Elk Lake were awful due to considerable rain we have had the past 4 days...poor Utes.  We drove into West Yellowstone and filled up with gas and bought the car wash option because the Honda was a mess.  Headed through the park and out the Northeast entrance on our way to the Beartooth Highway Mountain Pass.

Charles Kuralt in his "On the Road" series called this road the most beautiful drive in America.  Having just finished the 64 mile drive, I cannot argue with the man.  It is incredible.  

You start by going through the Lemar Valley of Yellowstone. We have been through the park about 6 times and have never been to this corner.  We saw hundreds of Bison and numerous elk.  Apparently when there is a carcass along the river you will also see wolves and Grizzlies.

Part of a large herd of bison.

Not the best picture, but the light brown calf is nursing.

By the way, these are bison (species: bison bison) not buffalo. Apparently when the first Anglo hunters came to the region, most of them were from Europe and thought the large beasts resembled the waterbuffalo they  had seen in parts of Europe and Africa. Therefore erroneously called them buffalo. Not related at all.

From the Lemar Valley, you continue up the Soda Butte Creek river canyon and start to climb and climb. As we continued to climb past 8,000 feet, we realized that this inclement weather we had been experiencing was going to become something we had never seen in August...snow.

This is where we are heading.

Even with a fairly low cloud cover, the drive is amazing.  Beautiful waterfalls:

At one point we drove up to a fire lookout tower which was at 9,300 feet, above the tree line and experiencing its first snowfall of the season.

Beautiful wildflowers on the way to the fire tower.

Wildflowers and snow...

Top of the treeline.

Here are some other nice pictures.

Lake Beartooth. Snow on the side slope.

Looking down to the road where we are heading.

Looking down to a river in the canyon.

At the top of the pass we were at 10,965 feet.  And in a total whiteout, hence no useable pictures.  A bit of a white knuckle drive considering it was mostly hair turns at 20mph with thousands of feet drops on one side or the other.  Truly breathtaking.

We ended up at Red Lodge, Mt where we have a reservation at a nice little pet friendly motel.  And yes, Zoe made the entire trip with us.  And did very well. Tonight we are told that there are Pig races at a local watering hole.  Stay tuned for the next blog entry.

Final gift: at one of the vista points on the pass, some college kids were returning from a softball game and had some sunflower seeds to entice the local chipmunks.  The 'munks look like they have had plenty of sunflower seeds in their past..

 

 

Odds and ends

We have an odd situation today as there will be no people here for dinner tonight.  The reason is because the University of Utah is doing a symposium in nearby Lakeview (basically a ghost town that used to be the stagecoach stop for people going to Yellowstone) and they all will be staying here at the lodge. Marie asked me if they call themselves yew yew (U.U.)  I am not sure about that but I do know that I will wear my Husky shirt a lot while they are here.  

This first night they will have dinner set up in their symposium tent in Lakeview. So basically we have a half day off. Gives me time to catch you up on a few things.

Yellowstone Park

We have been in the park twice so far this month. Once on our way back from the Tetons trip and also the other day when we took Maia and Johnny around the park in a (long) day trip.  We have seen a total of six animals there. Three elk, a ways off the main road and three bison we could barely see through the trees.  Not very exciting, as the last time we were here, two years ago, we saw a whole bundle of wild beasties.

Like I said, not very exciting.

This was our last trip. Now, that's exciting.

Artist paint pot, one of our favorite hot spots in the park.

Celebrity Alert

A couple of nights ago a group of people came in for dinner and everyone said that one of the gentlemen looked familiar. After a little brain picking we realized it was William Devane, the "President"  in the recent TV show  "24" and in many other movies and shows.   He made his reservations under "Bill" Devane probably thinking that we wouldn't know who he was but WE knew!  Pretty exciting out here in the middle of nowhere.

It was all very low key.  It took every bit of self control for Marie not to ask for his autograph. I wanted to ask how his Alzheimer's was doing (you had to see the show...) - he probably wouldn't remember.  Maia and Johnny saw him again up in Ennis when they were up there fishing.

(We also have a guest who is the spitting image of Ted Danson. Same voice, same height, same hair. His name is Jeff.)

Other ends

I found a new place to bump my head other than the hatch going to the upstairs. The boat shed door frame is only about 5'8 so it is a prime head target for me. Twice already. I was going to do a selfie of the top of my head to show off all my injuries but Marie says that would be TMI (actually I think she said gross...)

Maia and Johnny left this morning - miss them already. I don't get to see her that often so I cherish the times that we do get together. They are heading north to fish the Madison for a couple of days. They are going to spring for a guided float trip on Friday. I sure hope the weather holds for them. It has been pretty stormy the past few days.

The bat population has reduced markedly. They must be migrating south to sip salty margaritas on some Mexican beach. Won't miss the guano.

We took out Zoe's stitches last night. It was either that or drive a couple of hours on very muddy roads to get it done. It was actually pretty easy.

And the final end, for today anyway. Marie is off for a hike with Zoe. I am going to settle in with my baby Taylor and maybe do some drawing/painting. Later.

Fly fishing, part deux

PI had originally hoped that much more of this trip would be about my having the opportunity to learn more about fly fishing.  Unfortunately, that has not been the case up until the past few days.

A little background for this story. For the past number of years, Bob Jacklin, a local and nationally known fly fishing legend, had offered to the past owners that for as little as a comped dinner he would come out to Elk Lake and do a teaching demo/show on the sport. For some inane reason, the past owners never took him up on the offer.

Jake and Laurel, however realized that this is a relationship they want to develop both for their own sake and to the benefit of their patrons.  So with Maia and Johnny (who are true fishing enthusiasts) coming and knowing that I wanted to learn as well, they saw this as a window of opportunity to invite Bob out.  Yea for us!

So Bob and his wife, Sharon showed up about an hour before dinner last night and walked around the grounds to reacquaint themselves with the facilities. They met Maia and Johnny who recognized Bob from several of his videos on tying flies that they own. When Laurel and Jake brought them into the lodge, Bob presented them with a beautiful drawing someone had done of Bob fishing, and within the framing were embedded two hand tied flies, by Bob of course.  He actually still hand ties most of the flies that he sells in his fly fishing store, prominently located on the main corner in West Yellowstone. By the way, there are at least seven fly fishing shops in West Yellowstone.

As Bob and Sharon got to talkin' with Maia and Johnny, they invited the kids to join them at their table for dinner. What a thrill. Of course, Marie and I were working, dangitallanyway.  Bob gave Maia a video he made on several methods of fly casting.  He also gave them a "fly" that he invented and has been perfecting over the past several years.  He says that he has observed many larger fish eat small rodents that have fallen into the water, so he created a lure that resembles a small mouse! He says that he has caught fish with this lure in Labrador, Alaska and just within the past few days, in Yellowstone Park.

(Left to right) Maia, Johnny, Sharon and Bob.

Hot off the press mouse lure.  

Bob Jacklin is a quiet, gentle soul but when he starts talking about fishing, you sit up and listen.  I learned a lot from his demonstrations. He had to do the show inside because we were besieged by a thunder/lightning/rain/hail storm outside. But he adjusted well and was able to show casting methods using only the tip section of his rod.

Bob Jacklin demonstrating the "roll cast."

Quite a night.  Thank you Laurel and Jake. And of course, Bob.

Fly Fishing! Finally

We just finished our second "weekend." Great tales to tell, but I will tell them in two parts because both days were so different.

First of all, my daughter Maia and her beau Johnny arrived on Saturday. They drove straight through from Denver in about 12 hours and were pretty tired.  We all decided to get up early on Sunday, eat a quick breakfast and go fishing. My first real chance to go fly fishing.  Yea!!

Maia, Johnny and Butch.

So even though they have only been fly fishing since May, they are very well equipped and seem to know their stuff.  They even had a number of flies that they tied themselves (and continue to tie during their stay.)  and Johnny had an extra pair of waders that sort of fit me - the feet were a little small - so I could do the stream wading thing with them.  Marie was going to come with us, read a book and watch Zoe and Butch, Maia's little dog.  We got all packed up and headed out for a day of fishing.

Butch with his fishing pack.

Maia and Johnny staging for the trip.

We headed out of the lake area about 10 miles to Red Rock Stream, an area that had been recommended. It took me a while to gear up.  Getting fishing line through tiny fly hook holes is tricky.  You almost need a magnifying glass. Maia and Johnny are off fishing the creek and I am up at the car for what seemed like an hour trying to get my act together.  What a novice! 

Meanwhile Marie decided that there was really no place for her to set up so she left in one of the cars and took Butch and Zoe back to the resort.

So, finally I got all rigged up, got my feet into the undersized (for me) neoprene feet of the waders and headed down to the stream. Maia and Johnny had already caught fish. I am trying to maneuver through the muddy bottom water to find a place to cast my fly.  Finally got it going.

At first I was casting too long a line and whipping the flies right off my line. Plus I was tying the flies on the line wrong which all resulted in my losing about half a dozen flies and having to spend more time tying flies onto the leader. ACHH!!

Finally figured it out, mostly and was able to actually start fishing.  I see why people love this sport. There is a lot of knowledge that one needs to be good, so it is almost more of an art than a sport. Then the almost Zen feeling of being alone with one's thoughts and with all the sounds and inhabitants of nature is quite overwhelming.  Then when you actually catch a fish...OH YEAH I caught a fish!  A 10 inch (okay, not exactly a whopper) cutthroat trout who proceeded to swim around some logs and get himself free.  Oh well, I was going to let him go anyway...

Hopefully the first of many to come.

Zoe's accident

Wednesday and Thursday we had pretty low key days. Ralph and Mary were off on their weekend, Laurel and Jake were in Boseman doing a lot of shopping which left Marie and me alone at the resort, keeping the world safe and babysitting Canella and Zoe. The place was intentionally empty of guests to allow the owners time off for a little r&r and to pick up some needed supplies. Jake had put up closed signs around the place as well as down the road a piece to discourage anyone from coming it the resort.  A quiet day, right?

We had one group that had left that morning so Marie and I were "turning" the cabin. That means changing out beds, cleaning, dusting etc.  Zoe started barking so we looked out to see a man walking down towards us from the lodge. Now, I am not usually one to easily frighten, but this dude was scary. He introduced himself as Mike.  

Mike wore an Aussie style hat with one side buttoned up, a pair utility pants with at least 13 pockets, most of them holding something that I was sure was some form of weapon.   His shirt was what my friend Don calls a "wife beater" shirt...a sleeveless t-shirt with a slogan on it "Don't mess with Montanans."  He had several knife like objects hanging from one side of his belt and hanging from the other side was a holster holding what appeared to be a very large gun (I later learned it was a 45).

Mike wanted to rent a boat.  You bet you can! 

Turns out I was totally wrong with my first impression. Mike had actually walked to the lodge from the nearby campground with his very cool wife, Danni and their granddaughter who was over playing on swings behind one of he cabins. They are fairly local and the gun is for grizzlies, as they hike and camp a lot. Really great people and we arranged for him to get a boat for the next morning.

Early the next day, I went down to the boat shed to bail out one of the boats (big storm the previous night), gas it up and get it ready for Mike et. al.  Zoe and Canella followed me down and were playing wildly, running around, jumping in and out of the lake...just going wild. Zoe is still a puppy mostly but Canella is almost 11- so I worried for them maybe overdoing it. Still I was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

The dock down on the lake.

Mike and Danni showed up on the dock while I was working on a boat (cleaning off otter poop, which really stinks by the way) and noticed quite a lot of blood on the weathered boards.  At first I thought Canella had hurt herself, then we saw bright red blood running down the back of Zoe's hind leg. She had a pretty severe cut and was losing quite a lot lf blood.

We took Zoe up to the lodge area and I retrieved my rather piddly first aid kit but Mike informed me that Danni had headed back on foot to their camp sight to get their first aid bag.  Come to find out, they have several horses and always carry their horse first aid bag wherever they go.  It was a huge orange bag loaded with every medical supply imaginable. So get this...Mike is also a NURSE!!!

They bandaged up Zoe's leg very professionally but suggested we get her to a vet ASAP. I got them out on their boat (which I paid for, by the way as a thank you for all their expertise and help) and started calling around on the land line to find the nearest vet.  Cell phones don't work out here.  My subsequent calls met with no luck and were in towns further and further away from Elk Lake until I found a clinic in Rexburg Idaho, over two and a half hours away.

Having no other options, I packed up Zoe and headed out. 

Because of the rain the previous night, the roads were very muddy and slippery - quit a white knuckle event. But we eventually got to the clinic. The vet there, a young guy with a small staff, told me he needed to  sedate Zoe in order to cauterize the blood vessels and stitch up the leg muscle which was mostly torn through.  I left for about an hour and when I came back, Zoe was waking up and fully repaired.  He said it was a good thing that I got her in as her injuries were quite extensive.  

Zoe with her injured leg. Poor baby...

So if I asked you to guess about the bill for all that...the anasthesia, the surgery, the antibiotics and painkillers to take home, what would you guess? The total bill was $295...can you believe it?  Wonderful people, wonderful service. I am becoming a fan of small towns.

The vet said to keep Zoe calm, like that could ever happen, and keep her bandage dry.  We started with a plastic bag wrapped and taped over her foot.  Lasted about an hour.  So I went to the old tried and true solution: duct tape!

An authentic Montana redneck bandage.

What a great "weekend"

Our days off are Sunday and Monday and boy did we need some time off! We started off driving to Driggs Idaho, but on the way we were advised to take a loop off the main highway to avoid some construction. This by-way went by some falls called Mesa Falls so we of course had to stop and take a look.  So glad we did because they were quite spectacular.

Mesa Falls.

We got to Driggs which was mostly shut down because it was Sunday - small town stuff. That, combined with a huge bluegrass festival up the mountain at the Targhee ski area, meant that hotel/motel rooms were at a premium, especially one that accepted a dog.  Finally found the last room in Teton Valley at a place called The Pines which turned out to be a very cool old house run by Nancy (which reminds me of a Beatles song...)

In spite of the thousands of people gathered somewhere up the mountain, we drove up to the ski area to check out the sights.  There, we got our first view of the Grand Tetons mountain range. Very impressive but nothing in comparison to what we would soon see.

It was so nice to sleep in a large room with its own bathroom.  I certainly took all that for granted until this trip. Our "accommodations" in the lodge are a 10 by 10 bedroom which is barely enough for a queen bed and two small dressers. Plus Zoe! It doesn't really "accommodate" much of anything.  AND the ceiling is slanted from about 6 feet at the door (barely enough for me to stand upright) to four feet at the outer wall.  I have smacked my head so many times that I am sure what little hair I ihave left on the top of my head has been efficiently scraped off. 

Oh, there is also a cubbyhole of a closet that I could never get into...maybe when I was 15. I have to ask Marie to go in there to get anything that may be hung up.  It is, however, good for Zoe during thunder storms.  Small, dark, confining, sort of a womb for her.

Anyway, on with the weekend. So we left early and after picking up some needed provisions at the local store which was shockingly nice...even had a sushi bar...we headed up a mountain pass that was to eventually lead us to Moose, MT. Ya gotta love it.  Moose Montana. The road at one point was so crude, I was sure we had made a wrong turn.  One lane, dirt, single lane bridges, it was both scary and exhilarating.

 

Eventually we did emerge in Moose and found ourselves on a modern road that was paved and even had painted lines. This took us to the entrance of Grand Teton National Park. We had never been in the park before, so it was very exciting. Here is a GOOD thing about getting old. At a certain age, you are eligible for a Golden Age (though it doesn't always feel so golden) pass to all the parks for only $10.

As we drove farther into the park the scenery became ever more dramatic. These mountains are so craggy and you are so close - breathtaking.

This was a great trip.  For out next Sunday/Monday weekend, my daughter Maia and her beau, Johnny will be here, so I imagine we will be doing some fly fishing and visiting Yellowstone. The following weekend will be a trip over the Bear Tooth Highway Pass which we have heard from several sources is the most beautiful and dramatic road in the world. It goes over 10,000 feet with many hair raising switchbacks for 65 miles.  More to come on that.

It's Friday!

Theoretically, we get off two days a week, Sunday and Monday. In that we arrived on a Wednesday and started working on a Thursday, we did not get those days off last week and have now been working 10 straight days. And I am not talking about four hour days like we erroneously thought it would be.

Typically, we get up at 6:00, shower, have a cup and get started prepping for breakfast and the rest of the days meals. We have had as many as 26 for dinner, so prepping can be quite involved.  Laurel Is the kitchen general and is a wonder at making things hum and keeping people organized. Usually there is a couple hour break before lunch which goes to 1:00 plus an hour cleanup. 

Two local cowboys at lunch. Backlight does in the faces but check out the hat on the left. The trail boss was paying for their meal (a rare treat, apparently) for these 19 year olds. They ordered filet mignons.  Duh...

Three hours later we eat dinner, prepared by one of the three couples on a weekly rotation.  A great time to be creative and have some great social time with just the six of us.

Then comes dinner. Prep time, orders, serving, desserts, cleanup and usually done by 9:00. Long day, sort of like this paragraph.

This is tonight's dinner for staff. A delicious tropical jalapeño watermelon shrimp salad prepared by Mary and Ralph.

A nice picture from this morning's sunrise. Did I say we are up by 6:00?

So after 10 straight days of indentured servitude (not really) we are SO ready for some time to play. Our plan for tomorrow was going to be to visit a ghost town called Bannack one day then Yellowstone the second as day trips. But after talking with our compatriots, we are going to do a two day trip down through a town called Driggs and back up through the Tetons and Yellowstone on several back roads where apparently we are guaranteed seeing wildlife. The next blog entry should be very fun.

Bats!!

I know, I've heard...a single bat can eat over 600 insects a day. And in a part of the country where blood sucking mosquitoes can run rampant that's got to be a good thing, right?  Well, if that statistic is true, over 60,000 insects a night are being consumed right here at the lodge, because we have hundreds of bats flying around our heads outside every evening. The good news is that neither Marie nor I have had a mosquito bite since we arrived at Elk Lake. 

Bats in the great outdoors don't really bother me or Marie either.  Zoe could care less. But the bats are not confined to the outdoors, unfortunately.  At least every other night we have a bat that has managed to find its way into the lodge itself.  It will fly around and around and if we are downstairs we are continuously buzz-bombed by the little beast who is probably as scared of the potential for a life altering contact as we are.

They are very small, brown and apparently can fit into a hole the size of a dime. I think I have identified the little critters from amoung the 15 species of bats that live in Montana (it's the biologist in me). They are the Little Brown Myotis whose common name is conveniently the little brown bat.  

This is one of the little buggers on the inside of a window screen in the dining room of the lodge (no guests around, fortunately). Soon after this picture was taken, we captured it and released it outside.

They have found their way into the lodge attic and rafters and can actually be observed emerging from under a log beam after the sun goes down. Jake has been battling these guys for some time.  He sprays insulating foam in spots where he thinks they are getting into the rafters and built a couple of tubes with little revolving doors so the bats can get out but not back in (in theory.). 

One of Jake's "bat traps."

He has not tried dynamite yet, but the hilarious comparison of Jake and his bats to Bill Murray and his golphers in Caddy Shack are unmistakable.

They really appear to be harmless.  They can be flying all around you and never come close to touching you. The lodge actually has bat houses on both sides of the building where the little dudes can sleep and breed.  Bats are mostly a boon to the ecosystem.

So here's the ultimate experience we have had so far with the little guys.  Last night a bat found its way into our bedroom!  Our room is very small, about ten feet square. So when there is an animal with a nine inch wingspan flying erratically around the heads of two humans and one dog, there is not much room for error.  Fortunately I was able to capture him (her?) in a towel and hustle the little dude outside. Sure did get the blood flowing, I want to tell you.

Batsky checking out the vino.

Mountain storms and other cool stuff

We have been besieged by a series of mountain storms for the past several days.  They are quite different than those that we frequently experience back home.  Usually there is a lot of very loud thunder and occasionally bolts of irredescent lightning. And it is so loud...it sounds like it is very close.  And maybe, in that we are at 6500 feet elevation, it really is closer.

Zoe doesn't like the thunder. She finds a small dark place to hide while she waits out the serenade.  For now that place is the cubbyhole of a closet in what we call our bedroom (more on our accommodations in a later blog) . Her reaction is essentially the same as it is for the weeks on both ends of the Fourth of July where people on all sides of our home in Bremerton set of thousands of dollars worth of illegal pyrotechnics. She apparently is not a fan of window rattling, chest thumping wall bending consussions.  Who is?

So far, one of the great aspects of this adventure is meeting all sorts of interesting people from all over the continent. Our current group of guests is a family of 26 people that holds a reunion every three years.  They come from all over the country, driving from New York, Minnesota, Nebraska and many other states.  Ages range from a baby to the seventies. Lots of fun.  They are having a great time and say this is the best reunion ever.  And they are loving the food. We make really REALLY good food.

Zoe gets to make new friends as well. The current group brought a seven month old Border Collie/Australian Shepard named Jethro.  Jethro is a wild child who needs a job. Zoe is a very fast runner but Jethro is an entirely different league.  Zoe will be chasing a ball at full gallop and Jethro will be literally running circles around her, seemingly trying to herd her somewhere.

I don't think Zoe likes to be herded.

Jethro on the hunt.

Did I say tell you yet that the food is really REALLY good? Last night was barbequer ribs, chicken, BBQ beans (by yours truly) , cole slaw made by Marie that people are still raving about, homemade breads and several desserts. Tonight is prime rib, salmon and several sides.  Marie made a blueberry peach crumble that looks and smells delish. Jake is a barbeque-er par excellence and Laurel is the head chef and an unbelievable baker.  Her cinnamon rolls, breads and other treats are to die for.  But she makes sure we all get a chance to cook as well.

Marie prepping something for dinner.

Ralph and Mary working in the kitchen.

Zoe

Our biggest concern has been how would Zoe respond to all these changes? Long drives, hotel rooms, a new dog (hopefully) friend, new sleeping arrangements, etc.  and then when we get here we learn that Zoe must stay outside during the day, roaming unsupervised over many acres of land.  She can only come into the lodge when she is with us going upstairs to our bedroom where she sleeps. We try to check in with her often but sometimes it is so busy that she is alone for long periods.

The first day she would spend time whining outside the doors or an open screen window where she could hear our voices.  She snuck into the lodge several times - we have learned she is quite skilled at using her nose to accomplish this.  Although she is learning her boundaries, this morning she came sauntering into a packed, action-filled kitchen only to be met by a  cacophonous chorus of "Zoe, get out." She'll learn. This is, after all, only day two.

Jake and Laurel have a dog as well, Canella a 12 year old boxer/pit blend. She is real sweet and is usually found lying in the shade with a tennis ball in her mouth.  Marie and I brought 3 tubes of tennis balls because we knew that we would need them with Zoe, who will chase a ball all day, and Canella who perpetually has a ball in ber mouth, much reminiscent of WC Fields and his ever present stogie. I don't think we brought enough.

Canella in her typical pose.

Zoe and Canella playing fetch.

So, Zoe seems happy.  She is learning new skills and will continue to become well socialized as it is apparently common  for visitors to bring their dogs as well. She is getting continually loved on by the guests that are here and gets many back scratches a day as well as lots of suckers to throw a ball for her.

First day in paradise

Friday, Aug. 1. 11:39 am

Second day of travel went much better than the first for Zoe.  Last night in her first hotel she settled down after about an hour of barking at everyone who walked down the hallway outside our room. I bet room 211 was real popular for a while... Then in the morning we gave her the Benadryl early so she had a much easier travel day.  Better living through chemistry.  Stopped in Butte for a few last minute things.  What a pit - in oh so many ways.

Pulled into Elk Lake around 4:00 to a resounding welcome from Jake and Laurel.  Met Ralph and Mary who are the other workers at the lodge.  They are a couple in their 50s who have traveled the world care taking at resorts and private residences.  They are quite the characters and I am sure more than one posting will be dedicated to them. 

Within the past 48 hours people have seen bears, elk, deer and a MOOSE! within sight of the lodge.

So when we woke up this morning, this was the portrait provided by the lake.

Wow. Is it beautiful here. The lodge has a dining room, a large kitchen, loving room, bar area ('with a pool table) and upstairs is where the employees live. It will definitely take some getting used to, as quarters are small and a little cramped.  I have already banged my head twice in the slanting ceiling in our bedroom.  More on that later.

A view of the lodge and one of the cabins.

Looks like we will be spending much of our time in the kitchen as food prep and dish washing are needing constant attention. Need to go now as it is time to start prepping for lunch.  The resort is full, totally bought out for a retreat/vacation by a company in Virginia.