A Different Life II

[DaveP]

Curious as to where this is located.

[Lily&Me]

Devils Head Fire Tower in Colorado. ☺️

Maggie

[DaveP]

Interesting. You are about 20 miles northwest of me (as the bird flies).

[Lily&Me]

It’s a beautiful area, many enormous boulders strewn about and at high enough elevation that temperatures have been very mild and mosquitoes minimal.

The road in is slightly washboarded, so slow going, and it took me about an hour to get all the way down and into Castle Rock yesterday.

But, everything is now fully charged, which was the biggie, as we have had more clouds than direct sun so my solar panel has struggled to keep the battery topped off.

I made skillet bread last week, which was very well received, and am going to do it again this coming week…along with Spinach Lasagna Soup.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Back in the land of signal…are pulled in next to a tiny, old country church in northern Colorado for the night, as there is basically NOTHING else to be found, and after driving most of the day we are tired.

The Devils Head Fire Tower project the past two weeks was led by two young women, one the Project Supervisor and the other the Crew Leader… the latter whose responsibility it was to plan and prepare breakfast and dinner each day, as well as work a full day up the mountain at the Tower.

Very capable, very competent, warm and kind young women, who have been good friends for years and before they joined HC staff.

I really enjoyed and appreciated them both.

I made skillet bread both weeks, and Spinach Lasagna Soup to go with it the this past week. Very well received, and the soup night fell on one of several of fairly heavy rain, so it tasted especially good.

My first week up there included a man who had been on the Wyoming project with me the week prior, and also a man I had worked a project with several years ago.

The second week included a man I had worked with on my very first project, and two young people for whom this was their first project.

As I introduced myself as Kitchen Helper, one of the new volunteers characterized my role as “Camp Mom”.

I like that, and feel that it fits.

I got up early to tidy the cook tent, make coffee, helped cook both of the hot meals, did some mending and provided moral support.

Good groups, both…with our very good leaders, promoting cohesiveness from the start.

HC requires the past few years on the first morning of each session that all volunteers read and sign a Volunteer Code of Conduct that essentially reminds everyone to be kind, respectful, supportive, etc., of each other.

And forewarns that individuals may be sent home for failure to comply.

A good thing, a Code of Conduct, and something every group could stand to have.

Depending on the tone set by the formal or informal leadership, groups can devolve into nastiness, cliques, mean-spirited behavior, etc., which I despise and am completely uninterested in being around at this point in my life.

A reminder to be nice and that that is expected is a good thing, in my opinion.


So, we’re now done with HC projects for a few weeks, and are going to poke around the West a bit before my second week next month in the Wyoming ghost town.

The past few weeks have been kind of pell-mell, so I’m looking forward to some down time, catching up with the news, etc.

I’m also hoping to be able to visit a sick friend, who is fighting lymphoma for the second time, and my visit will be dependent on how she tolerates her current round of chemotherapy.

Right now, we are tired, and looking forward to not waking to an alarm clock in the mornings.

This was our campsite at the Devils Head campground, and a deer in the road and the fog on the way back up the mountain last Saturday.

[Lily&Me]

We had a day of choring in Laramie yesterday…laundry, WalMart, propane and water fill at Love’s…then headed out the Snowy Range Road, which I have wanted to drive again since I did this several years ago after leaving an HC project.

A beautiful drive, with sprawling herds of horses and cattle and snow capped mountains in the distance.

Was able to get a site late morning in a Medicine Bow National Forest campground for the night, where most of the sites are short and narrow…it’s good to be small, and the campground is mostly populated by “littles” of various sorts.

Absolutely quiet, and the primary feature of this campground is rock of all sizes.

There’s no mowing going on, so what isn’t rock or boulders is trees, grass and wildflowers.

It is unique and beautiful, at the bargain price of $5.00 with my Golden Age Passport.


Still doing some cleaning and tidying from three straight weeks of activity, including removing the detritus from items that burst in elevation…like those little, shelf stable creamers, which were fortunately in a bag tho it burst, too.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

After an absolutely quiet night, drove the remainder of the Snowy Range Road this morning, then hopped on I80 for a few hours and have just stopped next to a small town city park for tonight…where we will hopefully be undisturbed til morning.

Temps are so mild that hookups are not needed, and free overnights help offset the cost of diesel fuel.

If you have never driven this part of Wyoming, it is spectacular.

Wyoming has become my second-favorite state.

[Nelson428]

What a beautiful drive. I know you enjoyed it.

[Lily&Me]

I did.

There are a number of campgrounds up along there but I only looked at the first one I stopped at…because it was a holiday weekend and there were some empty sites.

It seemed the thing to do, but I will check out the others another time.

Maggie

[Nelson428]

Maggie, I don’t blame you Independence Day is a big holiday out west with rodeos and parades the campgrounds book up fast. Enjoy your holiday tomorrow.

[Lily&Me]

Thank you, tho we will be driving I am anticipating lots of small town celebrations to enjoy as we go.

We were not routed out in the night here, but were awakened well after dark by teens whooping and hollering, playing with fireworks in this little city park…tho they did not approach our rig nor otherwise harass us, thankfully.

It is 4th of July, after all.

Maggie

[Nelson428]

As you say it’s Independence Day after all. I still don’t like to be awaken late in the night or early in the wee hours of morning. But kids will be kids. I remember when and look at it more as pay-back [emoji6].

Hopefully you will be able to catch a parade or two. Tonight will be much as last night. Folks out and about celebrating. Keep safe and enjoy as you travel.

[Lily&Me]

We had a very, very long day from western Wyoming north, then thru Idaho and Montana and are parked near Missoula for the night.

Went thru many small towns before hopping on the interstates for pure speed, and the chairs were lining Main Street, vendors set up, flags waving, folks gathered on horseback, etc.

Fun to see, but missed every parade.

I have to say, I have never seen so many BVans in my life as I have this trip.

They are everywhere.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

We have covered about 1500 miles the past few days, but are going to be still today, do some cleaning and meet up with my friend tomorrow for a couple of days.

Lily has twice been so tired at the end of a long drive day that she has put herself to bed without finishing her dog food.

Beautiful, spectacular mountain scenery, with steep grades and tight curves, and my little Diesel engine performed flawlessly.

And turned over 100,000 miles a week or so back.

Maggie

[Nelson428]

Very good for you I am sure a down day will be a welcome site for you both. Even though Lily has retired early for a couple nights. I know you are enjoying the scenery. You just gotta love the mountains. 100,000 miles on your Diesel is just good break-in mileage. Enjoy your friends and days off.

[Lily&Me]

We drove “up the Okanagan” into BC on Thursday and have just returned from a very nice visit with my very sick friend, who is between rounds of chemo but felt well enough for us to spend two nights together at a lovely little campground in the town she was raised in…and where she returned to live a year ago, in widowed life.

We talked and talked, shared food, talked some more, visited with her friends, and discussed the shadow life our dead husbands now inhabit…just generally enjoyed each other’s company.

She has a long row to hoe yet for full recovery, but she is a tough bird and we are hopeful…and if you are a praying sort, send one up for Ricky, please.

We went in and out thru Osoyoos, and if you have never driven that stretch of 97 north that runs out of there it is as beautiful as anything I have ever seen.

Filled with orchards, vineyards, fruit markets and wineries…none of which I sampled, as I didn’t want to hassle with getting things back across the border.


We left there early morning and are 6 hours south of her at this time, where we happened upon a tiny local campground which couldn’t be prettier, and which had a lovely paved spot with patio vacant… where we have stopped til the morning.

My next HC project session isn’t for two weeks, so we’re going to poke around Idaho a bit and generally take it easy until then.

We deserve it. ☺️

Maggie

[Nelson428]

Yes that is a most Beautiful drive. I will be praying for Ricky and her care givers during her recovery and traveling mercies for you and Lily.

[Lily&Me]

Thank you. ☺️

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Did laundry and some small choring in Spokane yesterday morning, then headed into Idaho to mosey along some of the water-hugging off roads, and just generally slow down a bit.

My left rear tire was noticeably low, and no tire place open on a Sunday, but after some consultation with my son and advice from a very nice gentleman at an air station, I purchased a tire pressure gauge.

I then checked the pressure on all my tires and filled the one that was low…to the specification on the door frame.

I have avoided learning to do this in widowed life, preferring to go into a shop and have a guy do it …but as things we avoid tend to go, eventually said thing slaps one in the face and must be dealt with directly.

I haven’t looked at it yet this morning, but if it is low again I will need to find a shop.

New tires in May, so hopefully I haven’t picked up something in it that is causing it to leak.

But, I now have a tire pressure gauge, know how to check the pressure, and to add air.

Sigh. The things I dont want to do myself.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

That left rear tire was down 10lbs pressure this morning, after sitting two nights.

I topped it off with air at the first gas station I came to, then pulled into Baldy Mountain Tire in Plains. MT, to have it looked at.

A leaky valve stem was the diagnosis, so they did the repair and rotated the tires for me while they were at it.

The rotation wasn’t quite yet due, but it seemed the prudent thing to do.

Checking tire pressure…a new skill.


Saw a small herd of elk this morning, my first wildlife this trip but for deer and antelope.

Maggie