August 31 - September 13, 2020 Wrapping Up Our Summer at Echo Lake, Montana

Most of our days are pretty routine. We get up and  have breakfast, get dressed and walk the dogs. Then we do our chores

So I am going to try to hit the highlights 

When we got up today (Monday - 31st) it was overcast. So after the routine items were completed we went to town and did chores and went to the grocery store. I also mailed birthday cards to Kristi and Parker. By 1:00 PM it was 53 degrees. I made us some chili for supper - yum! 

Tuesday I did the WW Zoom meeting. Later I texted the car count to our boss, Tony. We completed our laundry today and then went home and ate leftover chili. After supper we drove down to Horseshoe Lake. During our drive we saw lots of deer! We returned to the RV and  watched a few episodes of Longmire. 

On Wednesday, Tony and another guy were here sawing trees just outside of the Lake access on the loop. They were trying to find the collapsed lateral line for the sewer. They didn’t have any luck. We walked up where they had been sawing the trees - but we didn’t see anything interesting either. I renewed my RD license online. Then we went to town and picked up pizza for supper.  After supper we walked the dogs along the shoreline to the north of the RV.

 Thursday - nothing much too unusual just went to town and cleaned that access site and stopped at the grocery store. Later I helped Steve pick up more rocks for his retaining wall project. Friday, John, from Big Dog RV called and said the air conditioner part had arrived. He will be here Tuesday, Sept 8th to install it. After supper we went on a long walk over on the trust land. The dogs really enjoyed it!

 Saturday we made a run to town to pick up the mail. Then we stayed at the RV and monitored the dock. 

Sunday (6th) Steve worked on the no parking post. It was about to fall over. I monitored the dock and we walked the parking lot two times to make sure everyone was behaving. It was a lovely evening and we also walked up on the loop road. 

Monday  (7th of Sept.) we all celebrated Labor Day! The high was 53 degrees today and after our routine duties we pretty much stayed inside until afternoon. It was rather cool most of the day and therefore we didn’t have many people at the lake. We picked up our supper from the Dairy Queen in town and then went back to the RV. 

Tuesday arrived and I did the zoom meeting with WW. While we were walking, John from Big Dog RV called and said he had arrived. So we hurried up our walk and got back to the RV to watch them install the fan blower motor. He was about an hour earlier than he said. That was OK with us. It’s very seldom a repair person arrives earlier than expected. The installation took most of the morning til noon. Then he was off . We visited with him quite a bit. He is out of Frenchtown, MT and they also do bus conversions. Some of their busses are made with handicap accessibility. He also makes the busses where you can use them off grid. He told us about his pellet stove and some other products he uses. For supper we went to  town for pizza. When we returned we walked around Echo Lake to the Osprey tree across from the RV. 

We went to Walmart on Wednesday, that is always is an undertaking. Steve checked the oil in the pickup and also checked the tow bar to make sure it was good for the drive home. On Thursday we put all the firewood we had in the little plastic shed. We picked up a few more rocks for Steve’s retaining wall. Then we got the window air conditioner out of the RV and into the bed of the pickup. This took quite a bit of re-arranging, but Steve got it done. We moved the picnic table, trash can and fire pit up to a tree and put a chain and lock on it. We also checked out the Bigfork access and took care of it. Later Kristi called and her car is messed up. She had a terrible bad day with it. So we sent her to Perry to pick up my car. We were on the phone with her most of the evening to help her get it charged and underway. Sometimes there is more excitement than you can imagine.

 On Friday, we waited to hear from our boss, Tony. He finally called about lunchtime and said he couldn’t make it down because he had the sniffles. So we went to town and did the laundry and I gave the lady who works there, the flower from this summer. She was so happy to have it.

We put away some stuff and checked the oil in the RV. We also checked the air pressure on all the tires. Saturday was filled with preparations to leave - putting away the mat, the window shades, awning on the driver’s side and etc. Steve also dumped the black tank and flushed it a lot. On Sunday (13th) we called Kristi and wished her a Happy Birthday! We also did a Facetime call with her last night while she opened her presents from us. Today the  smoke from California, Oregon and Washington has moved into Montana - so the pictures don't turn out too clear. We did the chores and other final preparations to leave. We had to lock the water hydrant and electric power pole and the shed. Then we put the dish down, the slides in and the jacks up. Next we hooked up the pickup to the RV and drove to town for gas. Steve drove to Deer Lodge and we stayed at the same campground (Indian Creek RV Park) as before. We also arrived in time to watch Dallas get beat!

August 17 - 30, 2020 The Last Half of August!

Most of our days are pretty routine. We get up and  have breakfast, get dressed and walk the dogs. Then we do our chores

So I am going to try to hit the highlights 

Monday (17) we went to town and did chores there plus also hauled off the trash. Today I spent time on the phone with the VA to order shots for Steve. This is sometimes a hassle when we are gone, hoping for the best. 

Tuesday was WW Zoom meeting and then to Bigfork for haircuts. It cost us $55 for haircuts and shampoos. We have nothing much else to spend our money on, so no complaints! We were glad to be able to get haircuts! I also called my doctor for medication refills and then worked with Walmart to get them ordered. 

On Wednesday we woke to rain and thunder. I enjoy staying in bed a little longer when the weather is like this! Later we drove to Walmart at Kalispell and picked up lunch at McDonald’s. The remainder of the day was recovering from Walmart! LOL! 

Again on Thursday morning, it rained! We went to town after the chores, and did laundry. I mailed a birthday card to my sister and checked in at UPS for Steve’s shots. They have not arrived and the VA does not know when they were mailed or will arrive. This evening we drove around with the dogs and saw over 20 deer! On Friday we checked in with John Runningbear from Red Dog RV Repair to see the status of the fan blower motor. He says it is on its way but doesn’t know when it will arrive! Sound familiar?  About 2 PM, Tony (our boss) showed up and we visited with him. After he left we took it easy inside the RV. After supper we drove to Lakeside, MT (the west side of Flathead Lake). It was a really enjoyable drive and Flathead Lake looks awesome from either side! 

Saturday we did some extra trash pickup to the stop sign. Later we cleaned out a bin on the drivers side and stored our dog food in a plastic bucket with a lid - the mice are trying to eat it! I dislike mice! 

On Sunday Steve fixed the bear proof trash can. It hasn’t worked right even when it was new last year. We can’t open it sometimes, but I am pretty sure a bear could open it! We monitored the dock about every hour and also walked back up to the stop sign to see how many folks were here. It was busy. 

We topped of the evening with  Yellowstone. We like that show, even though it is a little over the top with some of the portrayals of cowboys and the language is rough.

Monday (24) Steve did more weed eating today while I picked up trash. Then we went to town and did the chores. I was able to track Steve’s shots online and found out that they had arrived - so we went to the UPS store and picked them up. After supper we went for a short drive around the neighborhood (country roads). 

Tuesday started with the WW Zoom meeting and other  routine items. I Call my sister Pam and wished her a Happy Birthday. Steve did some more weed eating. Then we stayed inside most of the afternoon. When evening rolled around we went to town and picked up pizza for supper and DQ Burgers for the dogs. 

Wednesday (26) was my birthday. I am officially old - 65. I now qualify for Medicare. We left the RV about 11 AM and started the trek to Polebridge, MT. I wanted a huckleberry bearclaw instead of cake for my birthday. We stopped a couple of places when we went through Glacier NP and finally arrived at Polebridge Mercantile about 1:00 PM - or so. After using the restroom, I waited in line to get our sandwiches and bearclaws. This pandemic has made everyone count how many people can go inside at one time. Oh boy. Then I drove us up a horrible road to Bowman Lake inside Glacier NP. The lake was beautiful! We parked in the closed campground like everyone else and took a little walk then drove down that miserable road again. Then we drove home and took it easy. We were pooped. Sightseeing can be tiring.

 On Thursday we went to town and checked out Kehoe’s agate shop. I have seen their sign on the highway and wanted to check them out. A very pretty little Montana Sapphire bracelet set in gold was only $8,800. Needless to say-We did not buy it for my birthday. I don’t like jewelry that much. We also checked the access site and went by the grocery store. We returned to the RV and I took a nap. Later, Nathan, one of the game wardens came by and I visited with him.  I found out my meds were ready at Walmart, so Friday we went to Kalispell Walmart and picked them up along with some supplies. We called Tony P and told him we wouldn’t be here if he came by. That was OK with him. We also checked Cabela’s and Steve washed his pickup. I didn’t buy a thing at Cabela’s - couldn’t find anything I wanted. We put away all our groceries when we got home and then rested a bit. Later I called John R. about our RV Fan Blower motor for the air conditioner and the line was busy. I had left a message earlier in the day. Later he did return my call. I told him we plan to leave here about Sept 14, so we need to get that part installed. He now claimed it will arrive on Sept. 8. We will see. I am hopeful that we get this fixed before we have to leave in case the weather is hot. When we drive, we usually run the generator and operate the air conditioner so we can be cool. Otherwise, we will be getting up really early to make miles before it gets too hot. 

Saturday, seemed like a long day today. We basically stayed inside a lot today. We did check the dock and walk the dogs a couple of times. After supper, we took the dogs to walk the north shoreline. The sunset was beautiful tonight. 

Sunday we slept in a little bit later than usual, til 8:30 or 9:00 AM. It was cool. After completing our chores we pick up branches down in the parking lot area. Then we had lunch and rested. Later we went to town and got a hamburger and fries at Burgertown. It is a great place to get a burger. There is usually a wait of 25 - 45 minutes to get your food, but it is worth it! We let the dogs ride along and got them a burger also. The are pretty spoiled. After we got back to the RV we walked along the north shoreline like we did last night and enjoyed our evening.