Friday Foto Flashback

Stumbled on these pics from August 18, 2007 in my old files. Thought you might enjoy them. Taken in Kalispell, MT during a pretty big firestorm outside of town. Imagine being at an outdoor wedding reception with ash raining down.

Next Projects on the List

There are always projects awaiting around here. Some are more pressing than others, but they all need to be done.

We have our old camper, nicknamed “The Casa Siesta” that we have decided to part out and junk. It is 31 years old and has seen better days. Paddock Boy and I honeymooned in it. It was our $400 wonder. We got lots of good use out of it, but its most recent occupation was growing mushrooms. Not good. Now we are taking it apart piece by piece attempting to recycle as many parts as we possibly can. So far so good.

My other major project that needs to be done is to put a new floor in the horse trailer, and get the removable dividers back to being removable! We have had it for a few years and it has its original floorboards.

On our recent trip around Montana I just never was comfortable with some of the squeaking I heard in the floorboards. We only had Buena in there, but still, I had minor panic attacks flashing through my head. I pull up the mats at least yearly to check the boards and I knew there was a little rot going on already. When I started taking out mats and checking the boards yesterday not much was a surprise. I don’t like seeing any rot, but the wood in the floor isn’t pressure-treated so some is expected since the trailer is 14 years old.

During my dismantling I broke a star bit on the power drill. Off to replace that today. And I also stripped the manual version of the star bit on the screwdriver. Rusted screw heads and too much strength/torque I guess. :)

Pictures and progress reports to come.

Oh, and one set of used HiJacker camper jacks are for sale. Make me an offer.

New Additions

I have alluded to something in a couple of posts recently. During our trip to Montana we made an effort to take the horse trailer and Buena with us. I didn’t get much ride time in, but I did get horse time. Some folks may have wondered “Why haul that big trailer 2400+ miles around the state? Seems kinda silly to use up all of that fuel with prices being what they are.”

Well, the intention was to possibly bring home a horse or two from the far northeast corner of Montana. We have distant relatives that raise AQHA horses and we had been interested in a couple of them. The intention was to bring one home if we liked what we saw in person. While the horses we looked at were nice, they weren’t exactly what we wanted right now. However, this relative has lots of horses and we did like what we saw out in a couple of the pastures where mares and babies were turned out with studs for next year’s foals.

One of the horses we had originally thought about getting was a 2 year old bay roan filly. We quickly spotted her and watched her very closely over the course of the 2 days we visited. I spent a few hours working with her in a small pen and eventually got her haltered and did groundwork as well. Nice big filly, but there just wasn’t a compelling connection for me/us. If we were in a different place financially and lifestyle-wise then she probably would have come home with us. I got quite a few really nice changes with her. Whomever takes her home will probably have a lot of fun with her.

Another horse we looked at while there was a big black 2 year old filly. I really liked the way she moved and how she was put together, but I never did get a halter on her. Heck, she wouldn’t even really let me touch or pet her. A very sensitive filly, but also very scared. Just hasn’t had much handling at all. Too bad, because we really liked her. Just too much of a project for us being such a big horse and being so scared.

What we did end up deciding to do is get a couple of weanling fillies! They won’t be weaned until August, but that is just fine. We have quite a few projects going on here and a few new ones to accommodate weanlings now. We discussed it in great depth and decided that getting them really good and halter broke when they are smaller will be much easier on us (well me) and then we can have that much more of a foundation when it comes to getting them started under saddle.

They don’t currently have names, but when they do, I will for sure let everyone know. In the meantime, I anxiously await new pictures and updates from northeastern MT!

NOTE: The second filly is pure AQHA, not an appaloosa. I have had my fill of appies over the years, since I was a kid in fact, and I am not likely to own one any time soon. Sorry to disappoint (ducking).

And I am sure quite a few folks may be shocked to see me stray from my Arabian preference, but I am the first to admit that it takes a very special Arabian to be dog gentle with green riders and little kids. When I find that horse, I will get it, but in the meantime, we’re going to give some quarter horses a try. Oh, and Arabs don’t come in bay or blue roan colors!

Around MT in 10 Days

Here are some photos from our trip.

Home Again

I had sporadic internet access while on the road last week. So much so that the Dillon post didn’t get posted until we got home.

No rest for the weary, either.

We spent our first day back doing laundry, unpacking (sort of) and getting ready to harvest and stack hay. Plus, we have a masonry company supposedly coming this morning and we had a demolition project in the kitchen to get done. Most all of those projects got pretty close to being completed.

Our hay guys started swathing early this morning. Now I await the chimney repair guys to show up!

Over the next few days I will post some snippets about the rest of our 2400+ mile trip around the state of Montana.

Greetings from Dillon, MT

My first official post from on the road! This is way cool!

Our original plan had been to leave by 9 a.m. Enumclaw time. That did not happen. I think it was probably noonish by the time we finally hit the road out of town after stopping to top off diesel ($4.82 with a discount).

We made our customary stop at the Post Falls Flying J to fill the tank again; $4.55 I think, I’ll update the post after I check the gas log.

One more stop at the Subway in St. Regis for an easy dinner and then we made Sloway in time to set up camp well before dark.

Yesterday we drove from home to the St. Regis area of Montana. We camped at a little campground called Sloway. I camped here last year on my return from a 7-day clinic at Buck Brannaman’s in September. Last fall there wasn’t the fancy horse corral there was this time! This is a little Lolo National Forest Campground right off I-90. You do hear the trains and the highway traffic, but I could have slept through that!

What Ben and I weren’t able to sleep through was the arguing campers next to us. This campground was practically empty, and we were the only ones in the horse camp. However, we had to get stuck next to the testosterone charged arguing males! I think I finally got good sleep around 3 a.m.

Buena traveled well once on the road. I did indulge her with a bit of hay on the first few stops. It’s been since the September trip that she’s been in the trailer for a long haul (more that 3 hours). She didn’t drink much at Sloway, but I gave her a hay pellet mash with her hay and didn’t expect her to drink much because of that.

We made a few stops between Sloway and Dillon. First, Quality Supply in Missoula. I could do some serious damage to the credit rating in that store! Tack, feed, hardware. That store has it all. And to top it off, they have remodeled and expanded since I was there in September. I swear that it’s bigger than the Big R/Murdoch’s stores in Yakima and Spokane. For sure bigger and better than anything on “the coast” as eastern WA folks like to call the Puget Sound area; we are no where near the real coast!

After Quality Supply we got back on the road. Next stop, Deer Lodge for diesel and lunch. Town Pump was $#.##. We hit A&W for lunch. Back on the road again.

We arrived in Dillon about 4ish and stopped in at the Police Department to pay for boarding Buena at the Beaverhead County Fairgrounds. Once she was settled, we hit the Patagonia outlet to get Ben checked in for the RATPOD ride.

Day 8

Sheridan, WY to Sloway, MT

Departure Day

Enumclaw, WA to Alberton, MT

C arrived around 7:45 or so to help with last minute packing and loading of the horses. My intended departure time was 8am, but I was not holding fast to it as I was going to wait until Little Cowboy was up before pulling out of the driveway. Got all the last minute details taken care of (mostly just clothes) and C helped by gathering and cleaning buckets for me. Buena and Mercy stood tied at their respective stations. Mercy, to the tie post and Buena to the trailer. Both were happily munching/slurping on their hay pellet mashes. They both knew something was up. Buena was a pill about being caught. Mercy was just antsy while being tied before she got her breakfast.

We commenced with loading Mercy around 8 or so. It was a bit hairy at first. I didn’t even go near the trailer, just did some groundwork. Very UP and very back, but not much forward. Once the forward came, then it was time to attempt the trailer. Just walked with intent up into hoping that Mercy would just go on in. Front feet got in just OK, but that was as far as it got. Cathi drove with a little bit of body energy and Mercy flew backwards. C then went and grabbed a lead rope for reinforcement. In the past, I had tried using a flag with Mercy and I didn’t think that would be a good idea. The lead rope worked and she got better. We did lots of in and out and eventually more in than out. Time for the door. Mercy is real pushy with her hindquarters and every time I would wiggle the divider she would blast backwards out. If the trailer door was there, and closed or held firm, then she would eventually come forward off it. That worked this time. And eventually the wiggling divider didn’t cause a panic reaction. We went in and out a few times. After about the 4th or 5th time, I decided that it was good enough and we secured her in and then loaded Buena. Buena wanted to be nosey over the divider so I ended up tying her shorter than I would have liked, but better that than an agitated Mercy.

Said my good-byes to Little Cowboy and Grandma Montana while the horses hung out quietly in the trailer for 20 minutes or so. Ariel was eventually quiet until I drove past her paddock.

I pulled out of the driveway at 10 after 9. Stopped in Four Corners to top off the diesel. Said my good-byes to C and thanked her for her help (and for the chai) and hit the road.

I made really good time for the most part. I had to stop at Indian John Hill Rest Area to pee because of all the chai I had that morning. I stopped again at Schrag RA to stretch my legs and pee. And grabbed a bite in Ritzville from a burger joint. My appetite wasn’t that great, but I at least needed some fries and more soda. Stopped again at the Flying J in Post Falls, ID to fill the tank. Getting decent mileage considering the load. And made good time over Fourth Of July Pass and then Lookout Pass. I stopped at the RA just on the Montana side of Lookout. The truck got warm and so did the tranny, but not bad. What concerned me more was having to put on the brakes coming down the pass and having it pull pretty hard to the left. There is lots of construction and narrow lanes on the highway, so I needed to get that looked at on Wednesday in Missoula if possible. That was my last stop before arriving in Alberton, MT.

Mercy got the privilege of staying in the trailer and Buena was tied outside. Worked perfectly. I wasn’t sure I’d get Mercy back in or not, so it was better to play it safe. She ate PLENTY of hay overnight (and wasted some onto the floor) and drank a little from a bucket when offered through the drop down feed door. Buena was pretty much quiet and did her usual good camping tied to the trailer right outside Mercy’s window. She spend a good portion of it making snuffling noses at Mercy through the open window.

I slept maybe 4 hours. Nerves were setting in big time already!