July 18-23 PREF lab, Idaho

The experimental forest included a lab. They grew tree pathogens,fungus,  specited trees and plants, did biochemical testing. the lab was pretty old,they had been using it since the 40’s,  so it had older lab equipment some I recognized from my past.  I explored it and took photos.

lab and office building, lab bench with old equipment

now days there are no coffee pots in the lab, a museum of old equipment-before my time.

glassware closet, lab bench and hood, incubator and water bath


really  old microscope, an ancient safety poster

Interesting formula in the lab

Interpretive sign about the PREF

July 18-23, 2010 Priest River Experimental forest

I have worked as a cook for trail crews for many years on the Colorado trail. I met the retired smokejumpers when they worked on the Colorado trail. They invited me to Montana to cook, so for years I have been cooking for them once a summer. All of the other crews were in the woods, over a camp stove. This year I got invited to a very plush camp at the Priest River Experimental Forest (PREF). It was built by the CCC in the 30’s and lovingly maintained since.  We stayed in the lodge, I had my own room and bathroom, we had sheets, towels etc. I had a huge kitchen. I drove up with the crew and John was to pick me up at the end of the week.

Suep the cook. I always wanted one of these triangles when I was on trail crew. The lodge

Happy hour each evening on the porch of the Lodge, the kitchen-pretty fancy after camping stoves and camp fires.

The guys did dishes after dinner, I did the rest while they worked. Dining hall


The lodge, a deer between the lodge and kitchen. There is an amphitheater in the back ground

the office building and experimental lab, the wood shed

lodge at sunset, carpentry shop

July 13, 2010 on the road again

John got his rental rented, hired property managers. One of my crowns broke off at gum line and had to be pulled and an implant planted. The soonest I could see the oral surgeon was July, 13, so that done we took off for Montana for my smoke jumpers trail crew. I had to be in Missoula the 17th. Cutting it a little short.

On the road in WY, and Wyoming grasslands.

We spent the night at Glendo Reservoir out side Casper. It was dark, we drove in, paid at the gate to camp only to find out all of the camp sites were flooded out. We just parked beside the road and slept, John got up with the sun and started driving while I was sleeping. We drove to Spring Creek Trout Ranch and RV park outside Big Timber, Mt.  On the way we stopped at the Prairie Dog monument. I thought there would be a huge statue of a prairie dog, but there was just a prairie dog town. On the way to the campground I had the map upside down and we went the wrong way. John tried to do a U turn, had to back up and learned his first driving the RV lesson. You must take the towed car off the bus before backing up. The front headlight was broken on the car since the car does not back up in the same line as the bus. . . Spring Creek was a nice peaceful park on the river, lots of trees, a trout pond.

Prairie dog town state park, a prairie dog, and

the bus at Spring Creek, Spring Creek campground

John was exhausted, and sunset.

From there we drove to Missoula and parked at a KOA. We don’t usually go to KOA’s, they are really crowded and expensive. They have lots of amenities for kids, but we don’t really like the excitement. A decorated RV pulled in next to us. It was the Jelly Belly bus. It was towing a Jelly Belly VW bug. The occupants were touring the country’s candy stores and giving away free jelly bellies. They gave us some.

crowded KOA, John with a Jelly Belly

their bus by our bus,The VW toad,

my friend Hal, a smoke jumper and  skier extraordinaire , and the caution sign out side the brewery we had dinner at.

I rode to the trail crew in northern Idaho with the crew. John was going to meet his friend Carlos and kayak in southern Idaho. But he learned his second lesson on RV driving. He plugged the electrical hook up to the car for the lights upside down and it blew a fuse.  He tried to fix it and made it worse. He also ordered a new headlight for the car and when it came in it was the wrong one, so he had to wait for the right one to come in. Needless to say he missed boating in Idaho.

July 4, 2010 Fort Collins, Co

We and some natural fireworks early on the 4th, then went to Sylvia's house to watch the fireworks in Fort Collins. We were going to ride our bikes, but it rained, so we took the free bus. Since it was raining hardly anyone was there so we got front row seats.


rainbows

fireworks  and Mr. Grumpy                                                                                                                                              

June 26,27 2010 Aspen, Colorado Maroon Bell hike

We left Buena Vista and went over the pass to Aspen to visit Jimjim and Martha.

Here we are at the pass into Aspen. I had to force John in this photo, he did not want to take touristy photos in Colorado. The alpine tundra was at its peak at the pass.

When we got to Aspen we went on a hike to a lake above Maroon Lake-above. Aspens
Columbines and a small waterfall

Now where was that trail? Martha and Sylvia hiking ahead of me

the lake, Of course once we got there it started to rain. We took shelter under a tree. From the back left, Karen, Jimjim, Sylvia, Brian, Joel, Suep and John.

Sylvia forgot a rain coat so John gave her his space blanket from his pack. It even works on Mars. After the rain we had a lovely rainbow. Martha and Jimjim with  the rainbow.

rainbow, closer up of the rainbow

Suep with the rainbow,Sylvia and Martha,

Jimjim and Martha, yellow flowers