Jane Seymour

We stopped in Houston for some medical appointments and for some RV maintenance. While parked in The Woodlands area, we were fortunate to find our favorite actress, the beautiful Jane Seymour at a local mall. She was there to promote her line of jewelry and more importantly, spend some time with local kids introducing them to oil painting and water colors. Our favorite Jane Seymour movie is Somewhere In Time. It's a great movie. Carmel obtained her autograph on one of her new books.

Wilson's Creek Battlefield, Springfield, Missouri

We traveled to Springfield, Missouri to spend a few days with my sisters. While there, I visited the Wilson's Creek Civil War Battlefield. While not a large battlefield, it is well preserved and interesting.  Below is a picture of the Ray House. These folks had the battlefield in their front yard. Must have been an experience.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

In my travels around the world, I've visited many historic battlefields. No where have I had an experience as educational and moving as when I visited this site. The National Park Service has reserved this battlefield in such a way that you can visit the key points in the battle, see where it started, how it developed throughout the day, and get a feel for what the soldiers and Indians were seeing and thinking. It's clear that Custer should have and could have avoided the disaster, having been warned repeatedly by his Crow scouts of the ever increasing mass of Indians headed to the Indian encampment on the river. It would take too long to go over the battle and many have written volumes on the subject. Suffice it to say, like Gettysburg, the Little Bighorn Battlefield is a must see for those interested in American history

Bittersweet Departure from the Bitterroot

Well, our service as "Workampers" at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife refuge ended Sunday, and we departed Monday at noon toward Missouri, then Texas. We had a great volunteer work experience at Lee Metcalf, and came away with a renewed appreciation for the federal employees charged with protecting our national wildlife heritage. We were so impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the staff. Their focus is on the wildlife and they do a great job with limited funding. If you have the opportunity, stop in at Lee Metcalf. There is parking for big rigs, an easy turnaround and a great trail near the visitor center parking area.

Bitterroot River Walk

We took a walk down to the Bitterroot River today. The following photos we took along the trail.

Raisin Pie in Montana

Carmel made my favorite pie today, raisin ! It is outstanding !

Traveler's Rest State Park - Lolo, Montana A Rest Stop for Lewis and Clark

Travelers' Rest State Park in Lolo, Montana marks the location of a centuries-old Native American campsite which Lewis and Clark's used in 1805 and 1806. They called the nearby creek "Travellers Rest." In Summer 2002, archaeologists found evidence of the Corps of Discovery's latrine and central fire, positioning the Park as one of the the few sites in the nation with physical confirmation of the group's visit--a truly unique designation.

The deer in the photo are standing in the exact spot of the main campfire.

The archaeologists discovered mercury in one location which led them to believe that location was the are dug by the expedition for their latrine. Sure enough, they discovered the latrine. In the pictures below, we are sitting on Lewis and Clark's latrine !

Glacier National Park

Smokey Bear Lodge
Along the Avalanche Lake Trail
Bighorns at Logan Pass

We hiked to Hidden Lake


McDonald Lake at sunset

Just returned from my favorite (so far) national park, Glacier National Park. We stayed at a great lodge, the Smoky Bear Lodge near West Glacier. Smoky Bear has the best breakfasts we have had in a lodge for a long time and moose and bear frequent the property. Glacier was great as always.

Some Thoughts on the Fulltime RV Lifestyle

Just wanted to do a reality check on this fulltime RV lifestyle we have embarked upon. The best way I can describe it is the feeling of total freedom. To be able to literally plan your environment based upon weather preferences, historical attractions, natural wonders and locations of friends and family is a real luxury. Each evening when I sit with a glass of wine and watch the sun set behind the mountains while the owls hunt the surrounding fields, I am reminded of how lucky I am. The cool, fresh air and the smell of the pines can't be duplicated watching TV or even by reading a good novel. They have to be experienced and what better way than from your own traveling house, complete with your familiar bed and the little things that make you feel at home. It's a great lifestyle, and I love it. This is my perspective. Carmel still has days when she longs for a nice sticks and bricks home again and I suppose we will do that one day. In my case however, I cannot now envision a time in the future when I won't have an RV of some type, a means of getting to the mountains and to the fresh air that makes me feel more alive.

Bitterroot Sunset

The Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge is bordered on the west by the Bitterroot River, and then the Bitterroot Mountains. Last night we took a walk down to the river. On the way, we saw deer, and walked upon two Great Horned Owls sitting on low branches. I managed to get a picture of one of these before he took flight. These are my favorite birds. They are great predators and beautiful to observe.

We have a fire burning near us in the Bitterroot Mountains. We watched the sunset through the smoke as it set behind the mountain. Great, cool evenings here !

One Evening at Lee Metcalf NWR, Montana

Bannack and Virginia City, Montana

Bannack
In the history of the Old West, there is no better example of vigilante justice then in the events that took place in and around the Montana town of Bannack in 1863. After reading The Vigilantes of Montana, I had to see Bannack where Sheriff Plumber operated his criminal enterprise before he was strung up



This rafter was used to hang five robbers. At the time of the hanging, the small building under construction did not yet have a roof, but it had these large rafters installed. You can see the rope burn on this one. Th building is now open to the public and a section of the ceiling is open so visitors can view it.




Charles Beehrer was one of the original vigilantes, actually, the last surviving member. He posed for this photo at age 92.

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge

We left the Dungeness Recreation Area the first week of July and headed for Stevensville, Montana where we began work at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Reguge. This refuge encompasses 2800 acres of habitat for migratory and native birds. We work three days here and then enjoy four days off the explore Montana and Idaho. Our duties include operatiung the Visitor Center and shop on the week-ends and occasional maintenance and project work. The refuge is a beautiful spot on the Bitterroot Valley. Missoula is only thirty minutes away.












We left the Dungeness Recreation Area the first week of July and headed for Stevensville, Montana where we began work at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Reguge. This refuge encompasses 2800 acres of habitat for migratory and native birds. We work three days here and then enjoy four days off the explore Montana and Idaho. Our duties include operatiung the Visitor Center and shop on the week-ends and occasional maintenance and project work. The refuge is a beautiful spot on the Bitterroot Valley. Missoula is only thirty minutes away.

Dungeness Spit Lighthouse

Dungeness Lighthouse Keeper June 20-27, 2009

Carmel volunteered for one week to work at the Dungeness Lighthouse which is operated and solely maintained by funds provided by the New Dungeness Lighthouse Association. Early in 1993 the Coast Guard was closing the doors on this historial site, and the citizens of Sequim, Washington decided to arrange for upkeep by local, area, and out of state citizens to handle the daily operations. The officers of NDA schedule a party of seven people to work the lighthouse every week for seven days. The shift changes on Satuday when a new group is transported from the main land via four wheel drive SUVs.

Carmel was approved by the association to work the last week of June , so she headed to the lighthouse for seven days. Carmel's duties included conducting tours, watering the lawn, mowing, and cleaning the buildings at the end of each day. Carmel enjoyed meeting the various visitors that made the five mile hike along the rocky beaches. Carmel felt she did a great service in helping keep the flame burning at this historic lighthouse. She gives thanks to Barry Dove and Dr. Larry Bouma for allowing her to join the members for a wonderful experience.

Loading up for the trip on the Dungeness Spit.

Often viewed from the lighthouse.