Week of August 17 to August 23, 2009

Monday, August 17, 2009
I slept well last night, that is until Zack joined me at 6 AM this morning, and then I had to fight for my half of the bed. He must have been cold downstairs and was trying to warm himself by combining our body heat. I finally covered him with the comforter and he was happy. It was 29 degrees at 5:30 this morning and things were covered with a layer of frost. It is 64 and sunny at 10:30, which is much warmer than the 40 something of yesterday.
Starting immediately, I have made a decision to only do a weekly update. I have found that I am spending too much time on the computer and not enough doing those things I need to for winter. I am also cutting back on the political things and will focus on most immediate issues.
I will attempt to summarize my week, Monday to Sunday, and send/post it on Sunday or Monday. Aside from allowing me more time to not worry about posting something everyday, it will also relieve those of you that tire from trying to keep up with reading it everyday.
If something special happens that needs attention, I will post a “special update,” but otherwise, look for my weekly updates on Sundays or Mondays.
I spent the day drilling four holes in 5/8” steel plate to put under the truck bed jack. I didn’t have a ½” drill bit sharp enough, so had to drill a smaller hole and then enlarge it so the bolts would fit. After getting the holes drilled, I needed to reinstall the jack and had to lay on the ground to tighten the nuts on the bottom. My neck and shoulders were stiff and aching before I could finish. Once that was done, I backed the truck up to the generator shed door, disconnected the Generac and used three 2 x 4s to form a bridge to the bed of the truck. I screwed them down to prevent them from slipping, which happened when I first installed the unit. I then slid the generator to the 2 x 4s and lifted one corner to get it on top of the boards. I then managed to slowly slide all 335 pounds into the bed of the truck.
I tied it down with cargo straps and parked the truck near the cabin for my departure tomorrow. Stiff and tired, I played one last time with Zack and then fed him and Zoey. I showered and sat down with a drink to rest before fixing my dinner and relaxing for the remainder of the evening.

Tuesday, August 18, 2008
It is overcast and feels like it will rain, but my barometer and NWS don’t reflect that. I have a doctor appointment in town at 12:30, so I’ll have a quick bite and then head into town.
I loaded the truck with trash to drop off at the transfer station in town, and then Zack and I headed in for my appointment. I stopped at Cowboy Harry’s to see if he had any trash I could take for him, but he had dumped all of his over the weekend. By the time I left his place in Marysville, it was noon, so I needed to go straight to the doctor’s office for my appointment.
I made it with 5 minutes to spare, signed in, waiting to be called. The air conditioner in the office was down and it was hotter inside than it was outside, which was in the 80s. Tammy, the nurse that works for my doctor, took me in, did the vitals, and told me that Dr. Brundson would be right in. The examine room was even hotter than the waiting room and the windows don’t open, so I felt like I was in a sauna.
Jennifer, my doctor, finally came in and examined my foot, agreeing that it was worse than before, but she wanted me to try one more thing before she referred me to a dermatologist. It is an antiviral and steroid cream that she hopes will clear it up. She set up an appointment for me to go back and see the gastroenterologist about my involuntary air swallowing and belching.
After that, we drove to the transfer station and dumped the trash, and then collected my mail and stopped at Safeway for a couple of items and fill the prescription for the cream and two gas cans. From there, we drove straight to Great Falls, arriving at the shop at 4:30. The owner, Greg, is a chatty fellow and we visited as he asked about where I live and did I live there year around. We transferred the generator from the back of my truck to the back of his work truck, where he could leave it there until he had a chance to work on it.
I explained my trip and that I wouldn’t be back until around the 18th of September, and he made notes to that effect on my paperwork. I was only a block away from Joe’s store, so we stopped by and I let Zack out to take a break. After a short visit, we drove home, taking the dirt road short cut, arriving home by 7 PM. Zack and I played and then I fed him, unloaded the items from the truck and sat down to relax before a shower and some dinner.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
It is still overcast, but I can see more sky than clouds compared to yesterday. After my breakfast, I changed clothes and drove back to the dozer to finish getting the track on. The cloud cover helped keep it from getting too hot, but I was soon sweating a river.
It took about 2 hours for me to manipulate the track back onto the drive gear, reattach the tension gear, get the teeth lined up so the track was riding in the groves, having enough slack to reattach and insert the pin. I then had to adjust the tension, drive it forward and then backwards, readjust the tension again and check all of the pins. I found three pins that had lost the keeper bolts, so installed new bolts and nuts to keep the pins in place.
Once I was satisfied everything was adjusted correctly and in place, I began working the road again. In the time the dozer had been sitting there, it had rained and trucks had traveled over the area, causing the softer dirt to form mud ruts again. I worked the road until the sun started to disappear, and then parked the dozer and drove back to the cabin.
After playtime with Zack, I showered and sat down to relax before feeding him and Zoey and thinking about dinner for myself.

Thursday, August 20, 2009
A sunny and clear morning, with the temperature already in the 70s by 10 AM. After my usual morning, I changed into my work clothes and went down to where the Argo and trail mower were in the creek bed. I started both of them up and mowed on the opposite side of the creek and then crossed over and mowed most of the grass and weed growth on the cabin side of the creek. I took the trail mower to the garage and unhooked it, backing it into a spot, and then parked the Argo next to it.
I drove back to where I left the dozer, parked in the shade and then began to work the road. I finally managed to smooth out the ruts and bumps and drag it somewhat level. I moved from the area by the spring to the cattle guard that separates BLM from US Forest Service land. I parked the dozer, satisfied that I was pretty much done working on the road, and drove the truck back to the cabin. I’ll have Michele or Joe drive me to the dozer this weekend and walk it back home.
It was only 4:30, so I tackled the propane shed doors, which had been ripped from their hinges last winter. I had to deconstruct the log siding to gain access to the old hinges. I replaced the left door hinges, but didn’t realize that when I bought the new hinges, it was only one set of three, not two sets of two, as I had thought, so I’ll have to buy another set in town and finish the other door later.
I finished up, put my things away, and then played with Zack before feeding him and Zoey, showering, eating and relaxing for the evening.

Friday, August 21, 2009
It is overcast but very warm for 9 AM in the morning. By 10:30 my weather station, which is in the sun, says it is 94 degrees outside and with no breeze it feels like it.
I have a 2 O’clock follow up appointment with my allergist, so will finish my morning and get dressed for the trip to town.
Zack and I made it into town in time for my appointment and it turns out that they had scheduled me for an hour appointment, knowing Rich and I would visit and talk about ghost towns and old cabins. As things turned out his 3:30 appointment had cancelled so we spent two hours talking before we even got to my allergies. He gave me several more eye drops to help with itching and swelling, and then suggested I find the generic antihistamine that was a part of the allergy medication I have taken for almost 40 years. It is chlorpheniramine without the decongestant, which is what I need to avoid due to my high blood pressure.
Zack was waiting in the truck, which was parked in the shade, and probably thought I had abandoned him, as he smelled me all over like he was meeting me for the first time. We drove to Safeway to get a couple of things and then to fill two 100-pound propane tanks. From there we headed for home. It was hot in town, but driving kept it from feeling too hot.
We stopped at Cowboy Harry’s to see if he was going to be around this weekend and could possibly join us for a search of historic places. After I had told Rich, my allergist, about several cabins near me and showed him photos, he was convinced that he hadn’t seen them before and was anxious to have me show them to him. He had tentative plans to visit an old fort north of Great Falls, but if that fell through, he would email me and plan to come up and see the cabins this weekend.
Cowboy Harry said he was free this weekend and I emailed Joe and Michele of the possible activities as they were coming up this weekend. Michele was coming up this evening after work and Joe will come after closing the store at 3 PM Saturday afternoon.
Later in the evening, Rich emailed that his plans fell through and could I show him the cabins this Sunday. I replied that I could and we planned to meet in Marysville at 10 AM on Sunday morning.
Michele arrived around 9 PM and we visited until two in the morning before crashing for a good nights sleep.

Saturday, August 22, 2009
Michele and I both slept until almost 10 AM and then visited while having some fresh fruit, juice, toast, and coffee. The day was warm, but we had a mild breeze that helped keep it from feeling too hot.
We both enjoyed a quiet morning, with me on the computer and her reading a book. We would visit inbetween quiet times and ended up spending the entire day doing that. Joe, Michele, and I have a lot of interests in common and always manage to have stimulating conversations about one thing or another.
Joe arrived around 6 PM and brought up a couple of Papa Murphy’s pizzas for us to have for dinner. We all sat down with a drink to visit and then popped the pizza’s in the oven and enjoyed them while watching a couple of DVDs. Bedtime came earlier this evening than last night and we all went to bed at the same time.

Sunday, August 23, 2009
Joe is an early riser, so he was up and off on a hike before Michele and I even thought about getting up. I knew that I needed to get up and ready if we were going to meet Rich and Cowboy Harry in Marysville at 10 O’clock, so I got up at 8:30 and Joe had just returned from a hike up the hill to photograph the cabin from up high.
A quick bite to eat and packing fixings for sandwiches, along with water and drinks, into the cooler and we were on our way. We got to Marysville a little after 10 and met with Rich and Harry in front of the Marysville House. We all were introduced and discovered that Rich and Harry had met several years ago, so had been visiting while waiting for us. Harry had a forgotten appointment and couldn’t go with us, but told me that if we found the Indian teepee rings that Rich was sure were up on the Divide, to let him know so he could see them. Harry grew up in Marysville and knows a lot of the history and places that others have forgotten, which is why I hoped he could go with us.
Harry needed to go so we said our good-byes and then Rich followed us in his Jeep up the mountain. We didn’t even get around the corner when I decided to stop and point out the old cabin below the road that is on Guy and Mary’s place. None of us had been in it before, including me. The cabin is almost impossible to see from the road and Guy told me that a deer and her off spring were using the cabin as shelter. Sure enough, there was momma deer laying next to the cabin, but left when we came over the railing and down to the cabin.
The cabin was an old miners cabin and very low to the ground and small inside to make heating it in the winter easier. We almost had to crawl to get in the door and there are some bedsprings, a small table and a few other items, with obvious signs of deer being the inhabitants. The door is unable to be closed and I guess Guy and Mary don’t mind if the deer and small animals use it as shelter.
Our next stop was up mountain to Peggy’s property, where there is an old cabin along with much mining evidence. There are several loading chutes, an old mineshaft that had caved in, and a pond full of water. We investigated all of it and then headed to the Divide, looking for the spot that Rich remembers being shown the teepee rings some 20 years ago. From his description of the area, I narrowed it down to two possible spots and we stopped at both. He believed the second spot was where they are, but the grass is so high this year that it would take a good deal of time to locate the remains of the rings, so we drove on to the big log building and mining remains just below the Divide.
Rich was unaware of this site and we explored the area. I mentioned the old miners cabin just a little further on the same road, so we went there. It is still in fairly good shape and most of the roof is intact. When I explored these areas before, the remains were in much better shape, but the weather and inconsiderate people have caused their further decay into what will eventually be just a memory.
Rich was driving the newer of two jeeps that he has. This was his newest and he became nervous about some of the places we drove. He admitted her still had the “new car” mentality and didn’t want to go anywhere that it would be damaged. He wanted to drive his own vehicle because he had all of his camera equipment in it, and because he planned to part ways with us at Blossburg, heading home in one direction as we headed back to the cabin in another.
We continued on the same road, which ends up at the meadow area near my place, and stopped at the cabin to have lunch, rather than picnic outside somewhere. Rich had packed a lunch, but was driving so slow, careful not to scratch or damage his car, that we were at the cabin and had our sandwiches made by the time he got there. We had our lunch and visited and he presented me with two of his three published books (I already purchased one) of photography, as a thank you for spending the day taking him around the area.
After lunch we left and headed out the Dog Creek side, planning on crossing at the old woodcutters bridge and then heading to Blossburg. Rich was nervous about driving his Jeep in that area as I described the makeshift log bridge and climb up the rocky hill on the other side. I told him that it shouldn’t be a problem, but that it had been over a year since I had gone that way, so didn’t know for sure what to expect.
We slowly made our way to the bridge and I was shocked to see what poor condition it was in. The bridge had shifted down-stream even more and people had just thrown in additional logs to gap the space. Even I wasn’t comfortable trying to cross it, so I knew Rich wouldn’t want to go that way. Our other two choices were to try and ford LaSalle Creek and head out that way, or double back and drive all of the way to the Divide and go the long way around, taking at least an hour longer.
We turned around and drove the 40 or 50 yards back to the creek crossing and Joe walked it to see what condition the it was in. Most of it was gravel and Joe was convinced that crossing it wouldn’t be a problem. This is where we all found out that Rich is NOT an explorer and adventurer like us. He seems to only want nice easy roads to a location that he can hike into. I say that not just because of how protective he was of his car, but his inability to even attempt things that the rest of us take for granted when we are exploring the back areas. For him to bring his new Jeep should have been an obvious sign, but I really just met the man and didn’t know what he expected.
I took the lead and easily drove through the creek and up the other side, it took much convincing, trimming of brush, and us guiding him before he would attempt to cross. He made it without getting so much as a little mud on his mud flaps. As we continued, we came to a very muddy area that looked like vehicles had gotten stuck. I had been over this area during spring, summer and fall, so was familiar with it. I believed that if I stayed to the right, I shouldn’t have any trouble crossing the area. I was wrong. The “puddle” on my left side was about two feet deep and I became quickly stuck. To Joe, Michele, and myself, this is just part of the adventure and we knew we could get out. To Rich it was nightmare, for a second I thought he might just turn around, and bolt for the pavement home.
He carries a full size shovel with him and I had a tow strap, so Joe started digging the back wheel out, sinking to his knee in the soft mud. We connected the tow strap between the Jeeps and after a couple of tries, managed to pull my Jeep out. Rich’s Jeep has “automatic four-wheel drive,” which I am not sure how that works, but he slid sideways on the grassy area as he tried to pull me out, and I know that scared him. We were still willing to go around the mud hole as Joe had walked the area and it was firm enough to drive on, but Rich would have none of it and wanted to backtrack to the Divide and go the long way.
We understood and agreed, although if it were just the three of us, we would have gone for it without a second thought. We turned around and guided him over the creek again, after moving small rocks and little branches, and he made it without a problem.
We drove back to the cabin and then up to the Divide. Going NE on the Divide, we reached the fork in the road, and then drove down into Dog Creek and the Blossburg county road. The county hasn’t maintained the road for years and all the summer rain, mixed with travelers, has caused it to become filled with ruts and slow to drive. We made our way to the county bridge that crosses Dog Creek and then headed towards Blossburg, which is nothing more that a rail crossing with the remains of a few foundations. Rich wanted to show us some clay pits where the clay was processed into bricks and used to line the railroad tunnel through Mullin Pass.
As we traveled, we stopped along the way to share information and when we came to the summer pasture that his father had owned, we stopped and he pointed out the old homestead buildings that are still used by range riders when the cattle are grazing the area in the summer. We continued on until we were close to Blossburg and stopped to look at the first of two clay pits. If you didn’t know what you were looking at, it would go unnoticed. Rich also pointed out the wagon ruts of the original Mullin Pass Road. As you followed them with your eyes, you could clearly see them going down into the valley and off into the distance. If he hadn’t pointed them out to me, I would have just thought it was an old road that had grown over.
Rich shared a lot of information about the area with us, giving us direction to many interesting locations, but he didn’t have the time to show them to us. I was looking forward to having him show us the old train trestles that were still in place but no longer used once the tunnel was completed, along with the tunnel itself, but they are widening and making the original tunnel taller, so the area is closed to the public, with warning signs of explosions and traffic.
At this point, it was about five O’clock and he bid us goodbye and continued on to Highway 12 and home. Because it was Sunday afternoon and we saw no evidence of work or anyone at the construction site, we drove in and around the area, viewing the work on the tunnel from the car. Once finished, we headed back and talked about what to do next. This area is filled with interesting, at least to some, history. Not far from where we were is the first Masonic meeting place in Montana, along with the site where the first man flew over the Divide, landing in the area in 1911.
Neither spot spurred my interest, as I didn’t care where the Masons held their meetings nor the landing site, which is just a stone with a plaque, so we headed back towards the cabin. Joe and I had found and photographed an old car in the woods two years ago, and thought Michele might like to see it, so we headed that way. My memory failed me, and Joe wasn’t sure which road it was off of either, but we finally found the right spot. We got out to explore and take photos, but to our shock someone had actually cut down the ring of trees, that had grown around the car all these years, and took the entire frame and body. It must have value to a car buff that wants to restore it or something, because that was a lot of work for a rusty old car.
After walking the area, we continued on the same road, which follows the northwest side of Greenhorn Mountain and takes us back to the Divide just above the turn off to American Gulch. We arrived back at the cabin around 7 PM, Joe and Michele rested a bit and then loaded the rest of their stuff in their cars, and headed back to the rat race they have to exist in to make a living.
I played with Zack, showered, watched some television, and then fixed some leftovers for dinner around 9 PM. By 10:15 I was having difficulty convincing my eyelids to stay open, so I went to bed.
Post Script: My allergist, the photographer, Dr. Richard Buswell, did not take a single picture the entire day. He never even got his camera out of the case. He shoots with a 35 mm film camera and may not wish to “waste” film, but I would have thought that two or three of the places I took him would have warranted a picture. Oh well.