Week of Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, 2009

Monday, October 5, 2009
It is still snowing this morning and 27 degrees. A quick check of NWS tells me I should stay home today, instead of making the planned trip to town. NWS has a storm warning posted and predicts a possible 10” of snow this afternoon. I can last another couple of days on the gas available for the generator and my medications so will wait and see what the weather is like tomorrow or the next day.
The chipmunks and birds, Juncos and Pine Siskin, are out in full force, regardless of the weather. I have been trying to get a good photo of a chipmunk and Junco eating out of the bowl by my window at the same time. Every time I get set up, the Junco takes off, so I’ll just keep trying.
Zack alerted to something out on the mountainside, across the creek, and as I looked I saw a wolf making his way west about 200’ up the mountainside. I attempted to get a good picture, but he was moving fast and soon too far away. I have spent most of the day on the computer watching videos from my drawing instructor. So far, the storm hasn’t blocked my internet connection, for which I am thankful.
By 4:00, the snow stopped and the sun made a weak attempt to melt some of the snow. Zack got additional playtime and Zoey got a lot of lap time. She has had an upset stomach and throwing up for the past two days. I am sure it is hairballs and have given her Petromalt, which she loves. She hasn’t been active and wants to be in my lap all the time.
I received an email from the shop that is fixing the generator and he informed me that after replacing the oil tubes the engine still leaked (factory defeat from the get go) and Generac decided to send him a whole new engine rather than replacement parts. If they had simply taken my word for it and replaced the entire unit, they would have gotten away cheaper. Anyway, the engine hasn’t arrived yet, but as soon as it does, he will replace and test it, notifying me when I can pick it up. NWS is predicting more snow for the rest of the week, so I hope I will be able to get the pickup in to town and collect it, and then return without getting stuck.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The wind picked up to about 20 mph in the early morning hours and the outside temperature dropped to a low of 8.4 at 11:50 PM, last night. I managed to sleep through the night with my bedroom window open, but knew it was colder than usual. Zoey snuggled all night long, while Zack was happy to stay downstairs next to the propane stove in the living room.
The wind is kicking up all the loose snow and while the sky is mostly clear, it still appears to be a snowstorm outside. I need to get into town for supplies and gas for the generator, so will head out and hope for the best.
Zoey is back to her old self this morning, chasing things and running up and down the stairs. She hasn’t thrown up since Sunday, and I am allowing her to eat small amounts of canned food and watching to see how she copes with it. Cleaning her litter box shows me that things seem normal, so I just need to give the Petromalt on a regular basis so this doesn’t happen again.
Well, we got back from town with only some white-knuckle driving. The gumbo mud was more trouble than the snow and ice. Going out, I slid into a rut from water run off and got momentarily stuck. I managed to back out of it and then slid my way back onto the roadway. Going down my usual short cut, I followed several other tire tracks and while the snow was deep in spots, my down hill momentum managed to get us down the mountain.
Once in town, I ran my errands, purchasing the items needed, picked up the mail, stopped at Safeway for groceries, medication refills, and gas, then stopped at Costco to buy oil for vehicles and equipment, before heading home.
Coming home, I took the long way, which takes me up the county road to the Divide and then to my turn off. The snow was wind blown but passable, until we came to the cattle guard on top. The snowdrift was a couple of feet deep and I took a running start to get through it. After getting through the deepest part, we slid sideways and into a ditch. Once again, I managed to back up, rock the Jeep until I got out, and back onto the road. The next obstacle was at Windshield Hill, which is where I have gotten the truck, Jeep and Dozer stuck before. I decided to take the short cut over the hill instead of following the road, as it usually has much deeper snow due to the wind drift. I could see tire tracks going both directions, so followed the ones taking the shorter route.
When we got to the top, I could see that other vehicles had been stuck in the deep snow, so built up my speed and headed down. My down hill speed got us through the snow and onto the Divide road. The remainder of the trip was without incident but still a slow and careful drive.
I unloaded the gas and oil and then moved the Jeep to the cabin and took out the rest of the items. Some playtime with Zack brought us to sunset and after feeding him and Zoey, I built a fire and sat down to relax.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I awoke to more snow and probably an additional 6” sticking to everything. NWS is predicting snow for the remainder of the week and I am now beginning to think that winter is officially here, verses the usual snow then warm spell that October has traditionally brought us.
My wind yesterday reached over 31 mph, but in the afternoon, the temperature soared to 52 degrees. Last night wasn’t nearly as cold as yesterday, but because I hadn’t cleared the low temperature from my weather station, I have no idea how cold it got.
It is now 7:30 and it hasn’t stopped snowing, so the ground is covered to about a foot deep. I had to shovel a path to the generator shed so I wouldn’t have to put on boots just to go out and start the generator. I really don’t know if this will stop and melt or just keep going until next spring, but hope it clears up so I can get the other generator back to the cabin.
I spent time researching possible publishers for a friend of mine. Ken, who lives in Canada, takes really great photographs and is always hiking into backcountry areas. I think he needs to share his photos with the public and maybe make a little money on the side, so I am trying to talk him into publishing them. If you are interested in viewing his photos, go to his album on his My Space account at http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=51318660
I will end today’s update and shower, then fix myself some dinner as Zack and Zoey have already had theirs.

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Ittt isss ccoold this morning. It was 6 degrees at 9:30 and the low was 1.5 at 8:55 AM. As the sun reaches the weather station, the outside temperature has climbed to 30 degrees at 10:30. The cold isn’t keeping the birds and chipmunks from having their breakfast, and they are here in numbers.
One reason it got so cold is that the sky is completely clear, allowing all the heat to rise. The sky is clear and bright with that Montana blue, so I am hoping the sun will bring the temperature up and melt some of the snow. After yesterdays snow, I have about a foot, maybe a little less. NWS is calling for 20% chance of snow today and 90% tonight, with 70% tomorrow. Other than a 20% chance on Saturday night, the weekend is looking clear.
I built a fire and then fed the critters before making my coffee and sitting down to enjoy the beauty of my view. I watched the first chipmunk of the day starting to hunt for the peanuts and thought he was smart to be early and have all of them to himself, but then realized he wasn’t too bright as he would find a peanut and hide it in another spot on the wood pile. He didn’t eat it; he simply moved it to a new spot . . . as if another chipmunk won’t find it.
A noisy Jay showed up to scare all the birds and chipmunks away, and then after hopping onto the table to get some seeds, he flew away when he saw me pick up my camera.
I spent the day doing this and that, working on the computer and watching some television. In the afternoon, after playing with and feeding Zack and Zoey, I made a big pot of my seafood chowder and boy was it good. I have enough left over to have a couple of more servings.

Friday, October 9, 2009
The morning low was 4.2 at 7:18 AM and there are snow flurries with a completely overcast sky. NWS is promising more of the same for the next couple of days. I knew I should have winterized the RV when I was in town. A quick check of Helena’s weather and I see that they are having the same cold weather as I am, but the lows aren’t quite as low.
If I have more freeze damage to the RV, I can only blame myself. I hope that it doesn’t do any damage, but won’t know until I get into town and check on it. The roads are deep enough with snow that if I did try to go into town, I’d surely have to put chains on before leaving the cabin. If the weather turns decent tomorrow or the next day, I’ll try to get to town and deal with it.
I spent the majority of the day reading the owner’s manual and using my new camera. This is like any other single lens reflex camera and has many settings and all the bells and whistles, so there is a lot more to remember than my simple point-and-shoot digital camera. It has been a long time since I have used my 35 mm camera, but this new digital camera is much the same.
In the afternoon, Zack alerted me to something outside and when I looked I saw what I thought was the wolf, but then realized it was smaller, so thought it was a coyote, but when it got into the clearing, I got some decent photos and realized that it was a Red Fox.
I opened the sliding door so I could step out and get a good picture and in doing so, Zack bolted out and went after the fox, barking loudly. I called him and he stopped short of it by about forty yards. It was frightened and let out a yip while tucking it’s tail between its legs and almost scooting down the snow covered hill in a submissive posture, and disappeared into the willow brushes by the creek. Zack followed the tracks for a short distance and then at my insistence, returned at a full run to the cabin. He had defended his domain and was satisfied the threat was over.
This is the first sighting of a fox that I’ve had since living here. I have seen what might be fox scat, but it is difficult to tell it from coyote scat, so I am never sure. I think I have seen more wildlife this fall than ever before, and enjoy being able to get better photos with the new camera.

Saturday, October 10, 2009
The sky is perfectly clear this morning, with that Montana blue that I have only seen here. I knew it got cold last night and I even closed my bedroom window when I went to bed. At 11 PM, it was 4.3 degrees, so I stoked the fire well before retiring. This morning, when I checked the max and minimum on the weather station, I discovered that at 6:24 AM, it was MINUS 14.2 degrees. For it to get this cold in early October is not normal, at least since I’ve been here, and I didn’t hear of any Canadian cold fronts moving in, which is usually when I get below zero readings, so was somewhat shocked.
I don’t even want to know how cold it got at the RV Park, as I can’t bare the thought of having to replace all the items I had to replace last time. The main reason I didn’t winterize it, was that Joe and Michele had talked about going up to Glacier National Park before snow closed the roads. I have been looking forward to doing that for some time now, but will probably have to wait until next summer or earlier next fall.
I have spent a great deal of time familiarizing myself with the camera and taking lots of photos. I have also spent a lot of time trying to identify a bird that is unfamiliar to me. I have four or five different species coming for seed and have been enjoying their antics and how they interact with each other, and the chipmunks that want to share the food. So far, I have Juncos, House sparrows, both male and female, an as yet identified type of sparrow, and a Steller’s Jay, all coming for the seed. The jay scares off everyone, but so far, the other birds are sharing and don’t even leave when a chipmunk shows up to eat.
Because I have scattered seed all over the table, just outside my window, I have an excellent view to watch their behavior. Even though it hasn’t gotten above 24 degrees in the sun, they all have been feeding all day long. I know that birds have the ability to slow, or shut down, the blood flow to their feet; but it still amazes me that they don’t freeze in this weather. I have observed them feeding while standing on one foot and then the other, and even flying to a chair back, which doesn’t have any snow, to relieve their feet.
One last play time with Zack before I feed him and Zoey, and then I’ll settle in for the night.

Sunday, October 11, 2009
The high temperature yesterday was only 31 degrees at 3 PM, and that was in the full sun. My other outdoor thermometers never got above 20 degrees. Luckily, there wasn’t any wind or it would have been really miserable outside.
My weather station recorded a low of -5.8, at 10:54 PM, last night. This morning is cold with snow flurries and completely overcast in all directions.
My concerns for the motor home over took my desire to stay home, so I put the chains on the truck and headed for town. I was very glad to have the chains on, as I would have never made it without them. The drifts on the Divide were deep and I could see where other travelers had gotten stuck. I managed to white-knuckle my way over the Divide and down into Marysville, but before getting down the road to where the pavement begins, I saw a car that had slid off the road and into the ditch. Remember, this is the first snow the new road has seen, so you could expect almost anything. The guardrail should prevent vehicles from going over the side and down the ravine, but the way they graded the road, you slide towards the mountain and into the deeply cut channel for the run off.
A woman and her three children had slid off and buried the front wheels in the snow. I was glad I was in the truck as I had the winch to help get them out. After turning around so I could connect my rear mounted wench to the back of their car, I pulled out enough cable and instructed the woman on what to do as far as steering goes. It was a Honda, with front wheel drive, so I didn’t want her to give it much gas, but at the same time, she was close to a steel marker and I didn’t want the car to slide into it.
I used the winch alone and managed to get her past the steel post and then I played out more cable and moved the truck up the road. As I did, she maneuvered it out of the ditch and back onto the road. She thanked me profusely and told me that she had let her newly licensed 16-year-old son drive, which probably wasn’t the best idea. I told her he needed to learn how to drive on ice and snow at some point and was just glad no one got hurt and there was no damage to the car.
They carefully drove down the hill and I turned the truck around and followed them. The paved part of the road was free of snow and ice, so I stopped and removed the chains. Zack and I drove to the motor home and I had planned on starting the engine and generator, leave them running and the water heater on while we ran to town for a few grocery items.
The generator refused to start and finally flooded, so I left the engine running with the coach heater on full and headed to Safeway. I had loaded the two empty propane tanks into the truck but then realized that it was Sunday and they would be closed. I bought the items I wanted and we headed back to the motor home.
I tried to start the generator again, but had no luck. I decided that I would just open all the drain valves and leave it that way, hoping for warmer weather. I first tried to remove the water filter under the kitchen sink, but because the water was still frozen, I couldn’t get it loose. I could see a split in the side, so I know it is a loss. Next, I tried to drain the fresh water holding tank but its valve was also frozen solid. My last endeavor was to remove the drain plug from the water heater, but I didn’t have the proper tools with me, so gave up on the whole thing and shut it up to suffer whatever fate it will.
Because I had done two loads of laundry and run the generator to charge the batteries this morning, we had gotten a late start for town, so it was now getting dark. I drove back to the exact spot where I had removed the chains and put them back on for the trip home. I followed my path back without deviating and while it was deep in some spots and slippery in others, having the chains got us to the cabin without incident.
By the time I unloaded the truck, it was 7:30 and dark enough that I needed lights in the truck to see what I was doing. A quick check of the temperature indicated it was already 5 degrees, so I parked the truck in the garage and then moved the Jeep, which had been parked in front of the cabin, to its parking place in the garage.
It was late and I was too cold to give Zack his playtime, but he didn’t complain when I told him we had to go in. I fed him and then showered before sitting down to watch television before bedtime.