Two quick pieces of background before I get to the point of this post. Towns Change; We Change You know that I lived in Missoula, Montana for grad school and loved it, but, when we visited a few weeks ago, I found it crowded, with terrible traffic. So we spent most of our time at […]
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Most Excellent Free Campground
(Marred by Racists Hate-mongers) After we left Lake Koocanusa, we drove down that lovely, long, valley lake, past Libby Dam, and into a Corps of Engineers campground right on the Kootenay River near the town of Libby, Montana. It’s a practically perfect campground. It’s one paved oval road, with level pull-through spots right on the […]
Packing up and Moving On
Goodbye Lake Koocanusa Today’s the day we leave Lake Koocanusa, outside of Eureka, Montana, where we’ve been for two weeks. Two whole weeks! That’s longer than we’ve stayed anywhere since we were in the Florida Keys this past winter, and it’s longer than we’ve stayed anywhere boondocking (without any connections to water, sewer, electricity). I’m […]
We Think We’re Such Badasses (Hiking to Bluebird Lake)
We decided not to hike the local trail here outside Eureka after Tracy rode his bike up and back and found evidence of the reported grizzly bear all along the way. Tree branches pulled down so the bear could get better access to the chokecherry bushes. Mounds of fresh scat. When Tracy rode the trail […]
Our Longest Stretch Since a Campground, and Other Firsts
As of today, we’ve hit these firsts: the longest we’ve been camping not in a campground, the fourth time—in the nearly 100 places we’ve camped—that we’ve stayed for longer than one week, and the most north and west we’ve camped. That last one is not surprising, but the others could use an explanation. What Is […]
All the News from Lake Koocanusa
It’s been a quiet week here at Lake Koocanusa. Wait, wrong part of the country! Plus it’s been only a weekend since I posted last. But we’ve enjoyed the weekend, and it’s worth sharing, especially with real-world news depressing enough to need a reprieve from. Weekend Neighbors Cause Scare The scare is that we had […]
On Lake Koocanusa
A beauty of a day! (And, yes, I spelled “Koocanusa” wrong on my weekly email. Duh.) Kayaking Koocanusa Bridge Evening
Every Campsite Should Have a Predator View
I read once that the ideal home base for a family of predators (I think it was lions, in this example) is on a high plateau, with a wide-ranging view so they can keep an eye on grazing prey below. Plus the location should have drinking water nearby and some kind of cover where the […]
Camped at the “Secret” Fishing Spot
It’s a secret, yet this road happens to be named Fish Creek Road; the guy in line at the dump station in town told us about it under his breath, putting his finger to his lips with a dramatic “shhh”; and my old friend David, whom I caught up with briefly in Missoula, said, “Oh, […]
Tracy Labors on His Birthday
The University of Montana I’m excited to be near Missoula, where I lived for two years getting an MA—which was not especially practical, but, damn, I had fun. All until the last three weeks. That’s when I learned a lesson that saved me from the wrong lifelong path. Although I love taking classes and researching […]
