Saturday, August 24, 2013

Still in the Bitterroot for a day or two.  The air quality was so much better this morning but it is starting to thicken up again.  I'll be in the valley for a couple more days before I head south to Salmon.  

Looking east this morning across the valley to the Sapphire mountain range.

Looking west from my front yard to the Bitterroot Mountains.  Can't do any better than this because the mail carrier sent my 3-day express package - my camera from Olympia - back to Olympia because I don't live here anymore.  Never dawned on her I might be visiting.  Soooo, no camera; it will go home to Minden when Susan gets it back.  Should give me a refund, don't you think?

I made it this morning to the Hamilton Farmer's Market.  Not using my head, I didn't get a picture with the tablet of the amazing vegetables, homemade breads and gorgeous flowers from around here.  Most of the farms in the valley are organic.  Should have seen the artichokes they grow up here!  Start in February in the greenhouse.  The folks from Dixon, Montana were there, thank goodness, with their Dixon melons of all kinds.  I bought a cantelope to take to Bud and Nancy and she ordered a few tomatoes.  The tomatoes in Salmon are struggling this year.  I love this farmer's market.  Such an assortment of things for sale; from veggies to jewelry to honey to huckleberries at $45.00 a pound!!!!  Probably worth it not to fight off the bears for them.

The mountains down south from Hamilton around Darby are starting to really sock back in with smoke because there is a fire up the west fork of the Bitterroot River.  In fact, the road is closed and the fire is working its way toward Darby.  I will stay in Darby tonight at an old rv park but leave tomorrow.  I sure don't want to get too close to that fire.  Most, if not all, of these fires are lightning started with the rain the other day.

Trapper Peak west of Darby.  Before the top blew off, it was one giant of a mountain; still is.

Fires, everywhere

Still in the Bitterroot with smoke everywhere.  A huge forest fire north of here on the Lolo highway with the loss of 7 homes so far.  Smoke coming up from the southwest also, from fires in Idaho.  Not much snow last winter so everything is extremely dry.  I've been gadding about visiting friends and enjoying my time with them.  I should have my camera back today from Susan in Olympia.  I left it in her car.  Then I can take more photos.  I took this one this morning with the smoky sunrise with my Samsung tablet.  Better than nothing.

My place up here is getting run down but I'm undecided on whether to put any money into it because the real estate market up here is still crappy.  The fences need a complete overhaul, some windows in the house need replacing, the roof lost some shingles in a bad wind storm this summer, the weeds in the lawns are winning the war and I think every tree and bush on the place needs trimming.  Funny thing about the tree trimming -- I paid a lawn service last year or so to do just that and they weren't trimmed.  I just live too far away to keep those people honest.

From here I will spend some time with good friends, Bud and Nancy Borden in Salmon, Idaho.  Bud worked for Kelly and A&K for years.  After that, I start my trek toward home.

poscript

I had every intention of continuing this blog until I arrived back home in Minden but, alas, true to Janie form, I left my camera at Susan's house in Olympia.  It seems less than worth the time to keep blogging without photos to share.
I did try a photo with my Samsung tablet when I crossed over Snoqualmie  Pass in Washington heading for Idaho.  I'll try.....

I know the photos won't do justice but the peaks at the top of the pass were so beautiful!
Arrived for the night in Couer d'Alene, Idaho and left Sunday morning for the Bitterroot Valley.  The home place in Victor is bittersweet to come back to.  It represents Kelly's and my dream but a dream not fully satisfied.   I do still love this place but it is where I lost Kelly and I hope that he would understand why I cannot return.  At this point in my life, I'm not real sure where I belong, but I know I couldn't keep this place up and having it look the way it deserves.
The valley suddenly got a lot more smoke than when I arrived on Sunday.  Yesterday, a fire north of here out of Lolo, "blew up" and really got out of hand.  I can hardly see the Sapphires on the east side of the valley because of the smoke.  It's hot up here, also.  In the 90's; just like in Minden.  It's been a bad summer up here for heat.  I'm glad my renters have air conditioning.
I'm getting around saying hi to my friends up here and sometime after the Hamilton Farmers Market on Saturday, I will hook up and stop over in Darby to visit before I head to Salmon.  Susan mailed my camera to me here and it should arrive on Thursday, so I can take some photos to send from here.  People hear me rave about the Bitterroot Mountains and I want to post some pictures of them.
That's it for today.......

Last stay on Vancouver Island

My last night on the island is in Nanaimo, which is close to the ferry terminal.  I'm staying in the same rv park I stayed in on the way up to Telegraph Cove but this time I got the very, very last campsite available because of something they call the "French Camp" which must consist of at least a bazillion kids and bikes.  Maddie and Jaxson's heart rates are sky high.  They don't know what kids are and they scare them to death.  And I'm wondering what the heck happened to my peace and quiet except for the occasional bear.

Good Bye, Marty and Patti.  Good Bye new friends.  Good Bye to my fishing guide, Roy.  Good Bye, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada and Good Bye to Telegraph Cove.

Such an unique experience and one that my terribly forgetful mind won't misplace the memory of, I'm sure.  I was at such peace up at the Cove. I don't know if it was because of the people, the ocean, the magnificent mountains, the animals or the fact that the tall, tall trees in the forest made it seem like a church.  I would have loved to stay forever but one needs to furnish a million dollar bond for medical expenses OR find a Canandian man to marry.  I ain't got neither, so I'm on my way home.  Connie, I tried to rope in one of those Canadian mounties the other night but no such luck, again.

One more island animal I forgot.  They're pretty scarce but I got a quick picture of one.

Mary said, in 20 years of coming up here every summer, that's the only elk she's seen.  I asked a local how the mountain lions got on the island.  He said they swam over.  Did the elk swim, too?  Nope.  They were planted.  Good soil up here; wonder why there aren't more of them.
My ferry reservation is for 5:15 A.M. tomorrow.  It was that one or 10:30 p.m.  So I set both alarms for 3 a.m. and hopefully won't run into a snag.

View of the mountains on the mainland of British Columbia from Telegraph Cove.
                           Beautiful, beautiful sight, eh?

And then there was 4!

I've definitely been bitten by the salmon bug so I went out again, with guide Roy and his 10-yr old granddaughter, Jillian.  Not far out,  a huge humpback whale decided to show off and that monster breached not once, not twice but more than 3 times.  I just wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch it but now that item is definitely crossed off of my bucket list.  What an astounding sight that was!!!  The fishing wasn't bad either.  I caught another king salmon about 14 pounds and another 24 pounder!!  Talk about excited.  That's my limit on king salmon (they call them springs and no one can tell me why), so now I can catch and keep for the freezer, bottom fish or pink salmon.  The pinks are still wonderful for smoked salmon or BBQ.  I'm am so thrilled I came up here and did so well

                                                                    Jillian and our fish  

                                                                      The 14 pounder

                            My 2nd big bull king salmon - all 24 pounds of him.

This has been one of the most amazing and enjoyable trips of my life.  The moisture in the air, the sea, the amazing mountains (on an island yet), the people, the dolphins, the orcas, the humpbacks, the harbour seals, the eagles, the fishing; oh, the fishing!  My freezer won't hold anymore fish.  In fact, I need to eat or give away some of the "other than fish" food in the chest freezer.  I put these last two in the cove's giant walk-in freezer to freeze them fast.  Burrrr. It's called a walk-in freezer but at 40 degrees below zero, it's a run out freezer.   It's about time to stop fishing for this gal because I'm starting to get tendonitis in both elbows and my fingers on both hands keep going to sleep.  A neighboring fisherman has given me 3 nice pink salmon for the BBQ, so I can treat my friends.

I call the forest floor campground the "percussion forest" because I finally figured out what the noise is that I keep hearing.  The squirrels climb the tall, tall trees and drop the pinecones to the ground and they hit the roofs of the trailers and rvs and make the loudest noise.  Sounds like hail.  I guess that is their favorite pastime.    The dogs have discovered the squirrels, the robins, the blue jays and also feel they have to protect the trailer.  Typical terriers - they barked their heads off the two times during the daytime that two different bears ran through my campsite.  They are around almost every night but during the day is unusual.  I have bells on the puppies' collars so I can tell where they are at home, but up here, the bells serve as a notice to the bears and cougars that we are coming and to hide OR the bells are announcing " lunch is served".  Doing my best to keep them safe, on the leashes and never out of my sight.

Up here, I have trouble keeping track of the date and I'm never sure what day it is, either.  I'm walking the dogs so that's the only explanation for me losing inches. I'm down almost two pant sizes.  No shorts worn up here.  Daytime temps in the 60's.  I absolutely love it.

Morgan Hill Family Band

One evening the Cove brought in a group with the B.C. Fiddlers named The Morgan Hill Family Band.  Father, Mother and 23-year old daughter.  Dad played guitar and mandolin, the mom played big bass, accordion and guitar and the daughter played guitar and fiddle.  At 23, she teaches violin and fiddle and they all sing.  A real wide range of music but much of it was along the sounds of bluegrass.  Very entertaining and outside at the end of the pier.

Last Saturday, the Cove hosted a craft fair and on Sunday, a fishing derby.  A woman from Calgary won the derby with, I think, a 34 lb. King salmon and it was her very first time fishing for salmon.  The Cove also has private contractors that offer whale watching, grizzly bear watching tours and even a reconditioned whale-watching boat that  offers private, individual berths for extended sea trips.  

On Wednesday (can't remember the date) for the mere price of $5.00 for an "old lady" ticket, I got to watch the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "Musical Ride" up in Port Hardy, which is almost up to the end of the island.  17 men, 16 women, all on extremely matched black, tall Hanovarian horses specially bred in Canada.  The promoters had the performance timed to the tide because the riders rode on a 200' by 300' stretch of beach when the tide went out.  It was just spectacular!!  The horses were so matched that except for a few white socks, I don't know how they can tell them apart.  One horse in particular was 17-3 hands tall!!!

Hopefully, the rider has lonnnnnggg legs.

The view from the shore across to the mainland of British Columbia was stunning along with the beautiful horses and uniforms and watching the drill routines the riders put the horses through.  What an experience!  

There were so many horses and riders that I could not get them all in the same shot.

Port Alice, B.C.

I took a day trip with the dogs to a place toward the west coast of Vancouver Island called Port Alice.  What a quaint little village with a very long inlet from the Pacific and a very active pulp mill.  The fog was still lingering and it just made the spot even more interesting.

The drive over to Port Alice and back to Telegraph Cove was so beautiful.  So relaxing.  Good thing I drove the time of day when I did because the worker's commute to the pulp mill is something the locals say to avoid.  The highway from the main highway is very winding, narrow, up and down and around.  But so beautiful!!

A Little Sightseeing

A couple that is here visiting Marty and Patti from Sacramento and I took the BC Ferry over to Alert Bay on nearby Cormorant Island.  The view from the ferry was so beautiful!

Alert Bay is the name of the fishing village - back in time,for sure.  We went to the U'mista Cultural Centre where there is normally a fabulous display of hand-carved wooden masks  among other treasures.  Unfortunately, someone deliberately started a fire at the end of the building where the masks are kept and they suffered smoke and water damage so we didn't get to see them.  Cormorant Island has been a traditional home of the 'Namgis First Nation from "time out of mind".  From 1870 onward, Alert Bay became the main trading and service center for nearby logging camps and First Nation communities in the North Vancouver Island region.  It is North Vancouver Island's oldest municipality and boasts a population of 1,3000.

On a sad note, There is a "Residential School" building still standing, that represents a time years ago, when the Canadian government would  forcibly seize children from their families and force them to live in this building and go to school instead of being raised by their families.  This building is one of the few still standing and is a huge debate between people who want it torn down because it represents the severe abuse caused by the government  versus those people who want it to remain standing for its historical value.  The Canadian government wanted to erase the culture of the First Nation people but now wants the buildings torn down to rid itself of the embarassment of what the people consider to be bitter scars.

 A very quaint little village and even it has it's problems. Alcohol is strongly regulated but even this small piece of history has it's problems with prescription drugs.  Hard to believe way out of the mainstream of civilization.

And now it is August

Hard to believe I have been gone from home over a month.  The puppies have established a routine, somewhat.  Jaxson whines to go out so Maddie lets him do the talking, that way she doesn't get into trouble for whinning.  I have to keep an eagle eye on them because just yesterday at 11:00 in the morning, a big, black bear lumbered right through the campsite.  Could hardly believe my eyes.  He was being barked at by the neighbor dog, so he didn't stick around long enough for a photo session.  The camp manager says it is unusual to see one out in the daytime.  We have a bear (probably the same one) visit almost every night.  Their garbage system in the park is very elaborate.  Now I know why.

The dampness is really a welcome change here but if anything gets wet, it almost never dries.  My hands are so soft here; not rough and scaly like at home.  I'm still waiting for the face wrinkles to disappear.  Long wait, I bet.  The longer my hair gets, the curlier it is.

Day before yesterday, I scored big time!!!  I went out with Roy, the fishing guide and caught two, beautiful king (chinook) salmon.  The first one was 12-15 pounds and the second one was 24 whopping pounds!  The first and biggest of the day.  I'm surprised people didn't hear me whoop and hollar clear up to the cove.  We were only fishing in 80 foot of water out from one of the bigger islands in the Johnstone Straight.  I'm still walking on air and my wonderful catch is in the freezer!!!

                                                This is the "smaller" of the two.

And, my big boy!!  Glad I went out with Roy instead of Marty cause I had a banana in my lunch for on the boat.  She says it is bad luck to have a banana on board a fishing boat and she has made people leave the banana behind when they go out in her boat.  I guess Captian Roy, his boat and my salmon hadn't heard that one.  WOO HOO!!!!    Besides, I was too busy catching fish to eat the banana.  Talk about excitement when it showed up on the surface.  Glad I didn't have dentures.  I would have lost them.
Today is Saturday and today and tomorrow there is a craft/garage sale on the boardwalk.  Some really neat things, too.  Such a sense of community here.  Tomorrow evening there is going to be a salmon BBQ potluck in the campground.

Next week, up in Port Hardy, the Royal Canandian Mounted Police are putting on a drill show for the public.  $5.00 per ticket.  What a bargain. Should be great!!  I'm going.

I think I am caught up now.  I am going out fishing with Roy again, next Thursday.  Besides no radar on Marty's boat, they like to fish for rock fish (bottom fish), their favorite being Ling Cod.  I have to admit when she fixed it one night blackened with cajan spices, it was out of this world!!  My main target is the salmon.

Some of the crafters on the boardwalk this morning

Oh, and I got my picture with my big fish pinned on the brag board in the office.

I'm on a roll!

Back at the office for another try and some more photos.  I just need to post where we fed the bald eagles.  Marty would catch a "trash" fish and whistle at the eagles up in the tree top and then throw them the fish.  I caught most of the action with the camera set on action setting.

                                                                         Going ......

                                                                     Going .............

And gone!!

The fog has been so thick as of late and Marty and Patti's boat does not have radar so I went out with a local guide.  The ladies went with me and we got a couple of halibut and some sole.  These gals like the rock fish varieties and their favorite is rock cod.  This is a fish I have never heard of and it isn't a keeper -- suppose it's because it is so ugly?  Never did find out.  It's called an Irish Lord.  I still thought it worthy of a photo because it is so different and colorful!

I didn't have to pay to go out on one of the whale watch boats because we saw so many killer whales (orcas) on one of our days out in the boat.  There are some resident pods and then some pods that are migrating.  All the locals seem to know who is who.  Don't tell anyone, but they all look alike to me.

The first time out with Marty, we saw a tail wave of a humpback, just barely out of the cove.  Hopefully, I will get to see more.

Speaking of the fog, this shot is of a commercial fishing boat anchored just on the outside of the cove.  I thought it was so neat looking.

I'm planning on another charter fishing this coming Thursday, the 8th to try for more salmon.  I've really got the bug now.  I also want to drive to some of the quaint little villages on the upper island, as the locals call it.  Quite a few little villages that cater to tourists and rv'ers.  Lots of little museums, too.  I've made two museums so far.  There is an awesome ocean mammal discovery collection here at Telegraph Cove.  Skeletons of all the ocean mammals in the area.  I'll post pictures of them later.  Hope you are enjoying these photos that I finally was able to post.

Internet, I hope

I've resorted to purchasing the resort's internet service, which isn't very good, but I'm hoping I can post some photos.

This is my campsite in the forest.

                                                                 Telegraph Cove from the ocean

                                                Part of the village from within.  Love the boardwalks.  Most of the buildings and houses are now used for overnight/weekly guests.  All have kitchens, baths and maid service.