Montana Thoughts

Still here!

2011-11-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it feels like forever since I was here and it looks that way from my last post date. Going to try and keep up on this, this winter.

We now return you to regularly scheduled blog

Helping a Friend UPDATE! (Pt 1)

2011-07-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

Let me catch you all up on my friend Albert's situation...... At the beginning of February while attempting to make it town for supplies, his ARGO broke and he ended up sliding down a hillside into a frozen creek and snowdrift and was unable to get the ARGO out. He ended up hiking back to his cabin. After accessing his situation and supplies at the cabin and with no other way out he contacted me through SKYPE and tell me what happened. Upon hearing about the ARGO and that he only had fuel to run the generator for a few more hours he decided that he would need to be rescued. We figured that if I could get some fuel to him to run his generator for a day or two that would give him time to gather some important papers, his animals and winterize the cabin.

I managed to get a hold of a friend that had two snowmobiles and after hearing the situation he offered to try and get some fuel to Albert and work out a Evac plan.

I got 15 gallons of fuel, met my friends son and with the snowmobiles we headed to the parking area out side of Marrysville and got the snowmobiles down and headed out to Albert's. It was a long slow ride with gas cans strapped to the back on the sleds but a little over an hour we pulled up to his cabin

Albert was happy to see us and fuel we brought. After filling the gas tank up and re strapping the cans to the sleds, we spent a little time warming up in the cabin and discussed when we would return for Albert, his pets, and get him out. We decided in two we would be back to get him out. In the mean time my friend built a makeshift sled to pull behind the sleds so Albert could carry a few more things he might need...............

It's summer already!

2011-07-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe that I haven't been on here in months! It summer time now and I will try and blog a little more about my travels. We are planing a trip on Amtrak from Shelby, MT to West Glacier, MT on July 8-10 and I will try and get some pictures and write about the adventure.

Helping a Friend!

2010-11-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

Creek Near Albert's Cabin

The Truck

The Dozer

Albert, The Argo, and the Truck

I helped a friend this past weekend . My friend Albert who lives off the grid above Marysville, Montana in American Gulch ran into a little trouble. Albert usually lives at the cabin year round but this year he planned to travel in his RV to visit family and friends in California. He was in the process of ferrying supplies from the cabin to the RV sitting at a local RV park in Helena when the first major snowstorm in the Helena area hit. Albert started making a few trips in his Jeep Grand Cherokee- which is the vehicle he tows behind the RV- with supplies and thought he would have a few days to get everything to the RV and be on his way before the snow and snowdrifts blocked his way.
As (bad) luck would have it, the storm came in faster and brought more snow then expected and put a damper on his travel plans. During one trip to the RV in the Jeep with snow chains on, the rear tires slid off the road and got stuck in snow and he could not get it out. Albert then had to walk the 3+ miles back to his cabin... in the dark... in a snowstorm.
The next day he returned to the Jeep with his Chevy 4X4 equipped with chains on all four tires and a winch in hope of getting the Jeep unstuck. After a few tries he put the Jeep in gear and then hopped in the truck and pulling forward with the truck, the Jeep got back on the road. When he stopped the tuck he had to jump out and chase the Jeep down, hop in and stop it! With the Jeep free and back on the road, he decided to drive further up his road in the chained-up Chevy in hopes of clearing anymore obstacles. He got to the top of his road and crossed the Continental Divide. At the Divide he has two options as to where to go. From living at the cabin for over 5 years he knew the regular route was already drifted too much to pass so; he opted for the alternate route. He got a little over two miles and got the Chevy high centered in a 4ft snowdrift. After a few failed attempts of getting out of the drift with the winch and darkness falling he quit and had to hike to the Jeep then drive back to the cabin.
The next day, he started out for the truck with his dozer with the intent of getting the truck free and also plowing the road to Marysville where the roads would be cleared and maintained. He got to the truck and tried a few times to free the truck, but the truck and snowdrift is angled at a steep slant so that every time he pulled on the truck the dozer slid down the mountain side and into some trees. On his last attempt the dozer started to slide and when he tried to turn quickly one track popped off and rendered the dozer useless. Without proper tools, which were at the cabin, he had to quit and leave the dozer and truck where they sat and hike 5+ miles in a snowstorm and blowing wind back to the cabin.
The next three days the temperatures plummeted to 20 degrees below zero and he could not work outside in that weather.
As I stated earlier, Albert lives off the grid, and he relies on a Generator and batteries for his electricity. The electricity operates the lights, satellite TV , Internet, and the water pump supplying water from the nearby creek. Albert also uses propane for his stove, hot water heater and refrigerator. The last thing he uses is a wood stove for heat the cabin. On one of the sub-zero nights, the main generator froze up and quit. Albert had no choice but to go out to the generator shed, unhook the frozen generator, and hook up the back up generator with nothing but a flashlight. The back up generator uses more gas then the main one.
When he stays all year he keeps one vehicle at a friends house in Marysville and uses an Argo ATV with snow-tracks to go from the cabin to the vehicle in Marysville. He had not planned on staying all winter at the cabin this year so he did not have the snow tracks on the Argo or a vehicle in Marysville.
While waiting for the temps to get above zero so he could put the snow tracks on the Argo he used up a lot of wood in the stove and gallons of gas in the the generator. He also began to run low on medication. Being that he didn't plan on staying the winter he didn't have a lot of wood cut and split for the wood stove or gas for the generator.
We had been trading e-mails throughout the days and he asked me that if he could get the tracks on the Argo and make it to Marysville would I come up to the cabin, stay a few days and help him with the dozer and truck. I said of course I would.
Late this past Friday he e-mailed and said that after 5+ hours he got the tracks on the Argo and would try and get to Marysville On Saturday afternoon. He could bypass the long route where the truck is stuck and go cross country making the trip to Marysville faster. He also said that when he got the Continental Divide he would be able to get cellular service and would call and let me know he made it. Albert called about 4pm Saturday, said he made it to the divide, and was heading for Marysville. He asked if I could pick up a few things including something to mix up some adult beverages before heading up to meet him. While I ran into town to get some gas for the generator, and other things he requested, Michele packed a box of leftovers and canned food for the couple of days I'd be there.
After stopping at the house and grabbing my cold weather clothes and the box of food, I headed to Marysville. Albert was waiting at his friends house when I showed up. We transferred the supplies from the truck to the Argo and headed back to the cabin. It took us a few tries in some spots and we even had to get out and dig about 10ft in order to get to the top of the Divide. Once at the top it's all down hill to the cabin. What is usually a 20 minute drive in the summer ended up being close to 2 hours in the Argo and digging when we had to.
We got to the cabin, had some dinner from Michele's box, went over our plan for the next day, then headed to bed for a good nights rest to be ready for the coming day!
We got up Sunday around 9am, had breakfast, and, after short time on the Internet letting people know our plans and our expected return to the cabin, we got our cold weather gear and tools and headed out in the Argo. We encountered our first drift about 500ft off the short cut on the main road. Both Albert and I got out and had to shovel a 15ft length. We had to shovel the top 3ft off the drift so the Argo could go over the bottom 4ft. After that one, we ran into some drifts we could barely get over. After a few more roller coaster drifts that we had to make numerous attempts to get over, we almost passed the truck and dozer because we were in a white-out! Once we saw the truck and the dozer we knew we could not get them out at this time. Albert accepted it, but he wanted to get all the items out of the truck in case it got vandalized over the winter. We tried both doors on the truck and could not unlock or open them. We decided we needed a propane torch which was back at the cabin. Since we had a few hours of daylight left we decided to head back, get the propane torch and give it another try. After retuning to the truck and using the torch to melt the snow around the doors and locks we managed to get the passenger side open. Albert climbed in and after a few kicks and some more torch we got the driver's side open, which was on the side the Argo was on, which would make transferring items easier. While transferring items Albert decided to see if the truck would start after being in minus 20 degree weather for 3+ days. To our surprise it started and we let it warm up while we finished transferring the cargo. After we finished loading the Argo Albert shut off the truck, locked it, and removed the battery to take it to the cabin so it wouldn't freeze. We stopped at the dozer and after digging down about 3ft we retrieved it's battery, too, before returning to the cabin.
At the cabin we unloaded the Argo and went in, got out of our winter clothes, and started a fire before fixing dinner, an adult beverage, and emailing friends and family to say that we're safe and home.
Discussing options over dinner I offered my truck for Albert to use since he can get to Marysville in the Argo, but we didn't get any of his vehicles there. With the use of my truck, he can get to get to town for Food, Gas, and meds. I am staying at Michele's for now and we usually go places together in one vehicle... and if I needed to go somewhere by myself, I could use Michele's car. I really don't need my truck right now and Albert can use it!
Monday morning we headed down to Marysville in the Argo which was filled with empty gas cans and boxes for groceries. After having to shovel a bit in one place, we made to my truck. We got it loaded up and headed to Helena. I had Albert drop me off and he visited with Michele before heading off to get his supplies. Albert called a few hours later and invited us to Macaroni Grill for a late lunch before he headed back to his cabin.
Albert is feeling a lot better knowing he can get to town and get supplies. He thanked me for all my help and use of my truck. I said that I was glad to help and that's what friends are for.
He has decided to stay the winter and Michele and I will continue to help him get squared away and help him through.

Will keep you updated on the truck, dozer, and of course Albert.

Our First Taste of Winter!!

2010-11-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

As I write this I am sipping hot chocolate and the temperature is 9 degrees below zero and the wind is blowing at about 10mph making the wind chill about 29 degrees below zero. I haven't spent a lot of time out side the last few days due the wind chill temps. I have made sure my trucks starts and drive it to the check my P.O. box everyday. I think I may have to plug it in tonight because it barely turned over this morning! I will also get one for Michele's Subaru because it did not start this morning!
As some of you know I love the wintertime and snow! It could snow 3ft and I would be very happy. I enjoy walking in the snow. What I am not a fan of is the 10 below zero or colder. When it is that colder you can't go out and enjoy the snow.
We are two days away from Thanksgiving and I talked to my family in Pennsylvania yesterday and found out what their plans are for turkey day. My brother Paul is a semi truck driver and he will be driving somewhere along the east coast and will try and get some kind of turkey dinner along his route. My mother and father are heading to my sister Mundy's house to have dinner with her and her daughter Abby.
I will be sharing Thanksgiving with Michele, her parent's and maybe her youngest daughter Krystle. The local grocery stores had specials on turkeys so Michele bought one and I bought two. The special was if you purchased $25 in food the price of the turkey was $.29 per pound. We stocked up on a bunch of things for winter and got the deal on the turkeys.
On other news we had a meeting with MBAC (Montana Business Assistance Connection) and the SBA (Small Business Administration) about the progress of the business we are hoping to open soon. It seems that MBAC might have found an investor for us which is great news. One step closer. I am keeping up my "Power Of Positive Thinking" and we have another meeting the week after Thanksgiving. We were also contacted by a local bank and have set up appointment to meet with them. How all this came about was I met a guy who works in the loan department of this bank and I mentioned our business and kind of gave him an overview of the business. He seemed really interested and asked if we had a business plan he could look over and possibly pass on to the loan supervisor. So the next morning I dropped of our business plan for him to look over and two days later I got a call from the loan supervisor wanting to set up an appointment to go over the business plan and fill out some paperwork for the bank. We are keeping our fingers and toes crossed that one of them can help us!
Well that all the news that's fit to print right now!
Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving.

November!

2010-10-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

This month has been a little slow but fun none the less. Still recovering from my Hernia surgery so have still been to taking it a Little easy. We did however get a hike in at Glacier National Park. We hiked to Avalanche Lake. It's 5 round trip from the Trail Of The Cedars walking trail. I did better his time than my last trip up here so I consider that a plus.

We also got in a trip to our friend Albert's cabin before the snow blocks the way. I really enjoy it up there. Michele, Albert & I have a lot in common and always have great conversations! We are planning another trip this Tuesday, Election night for a party while watching the results. Should be another great time!

It's been getting colder here and soon winter will be upon us. I am slowly getting my truck stock. I always carry a few heavy blankets, a propane heater with extra cylinders, extra clothes, some M.R.E.'s, water, boots, extra coat, socks, and glove. I know, thank god I have an extended cab truck. LOL. You just never know about Montana Winters.
Until next time.... Joe

August, September: Glacier, Seattle, Hernia Surgery

2010-10-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe fall is here already.

August I really did do much. The Biggest thing Michele & I did was we went to Rockin' The River's, a three day Rock 'N' Roll festival near Three Forks, Montana. Michele has gone the last 10 out of 11 years and I've gone 9 out of 11 years.
The Headliner's this year were Brett Michaels, Collective Soul, The Doobie Brothers, Dokken, Cracker, Commander Cody, and a ton of local bands. As always we met new friend as well as chatting with old veterans like us. I did some real cool and funny this year. I happened to bring my Boris Karloff Frankenstein Mask and decided to wear it around the festival. It was awesome! It seems everyone loves Frankenstein and girls love to kiss and get their pictures taken with the monster. Everyone invited Frank to their campsite for free drinks. I had a great time! I think Next year I'm bringing Frank, the Mummy, and the Wolf man. I can wear one mask a day!

We took a trip Glacier National Park to drive the Going to the Sun Road from Start to finish and back again. Something we never got to do last year. We got to the top of Logan Pass and decided to hike to Hidden Lake but quickly found out that not all the snow had melted and we had to cross snowfields to get to the lake. We were fine with that because we came prepared with hiking boots. Some of the others hiking were wearing shorts and flip flops and were sliding and falling all over the place.....Tourists! We had a great time as always and enjoyed our time relaxing in Kalispell, 35 miles outside of Glacier.

In late August I found that the hernia I've been living with for almost 2 years decided to double in size and move. I finally got scared enough to visit the E.R. in Helena. Surprisingly they were a better bunch of people compared to Benifis in Great Falls. The E.R. Doc was really concerned and after listening to his diagnosis I immediately made an appointment with a surgeon working in the hospital the next day.
I saw the surgeon and we both decided that the hernia needed to go. We set a date of Sept 23 for the operation. After having the hernia fixed I would be laid up in bed for a few days before i could get around without a lot of pain. I would also limited to lifting not more than 20lbs for 6-8 weeks.I needed to put off the procedure two weeks because Michele, Her father and I were planning a trip to visit friends in Washington Sept 10 - 19 and I didn't want to miss that. While we were in Washington we went to the famous Pike's Place Market, walked the Pacific Coast picking up sand dollars and visiting with our friend. It was awesome as usual.

Well the 23rd came and I had the surgery. Now I am getting the staples removed tomorrow but will still need to watch what I lift for another 3-4 weeks. That's going to be hard.

July: Pacific Northwest/Geocaching Trip

2010-08-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't gotten any better at keeping this blog up tp date it seems.... I have been busy though. Took a trip to Seattle, WA and to Portland, OR at the beginning of July. I had never been to the Pacific Northwest and it was Awesome. The trip started as a Geocachig Event that Michele and I were looking forward too. and we cached our way to the Event and back home. It was the 10 year anniversary of Geocaching and it was held in Carnation, WA, just outside of Seattle. GeowoodstockVIII, as it was called was a 3-day Event and brought geocacher's from all over the world. We stayed at a local campground just south of Carnation called Fall City, WA with a fellow Montana geocacher. We also took a side trip to Snoqualmie Falls, to check out an awesome waterfall taller than Niagara Falls.
We figured while we were in the area we would visit a friend of Michele's family that lived in Montesano, near Aberdeen, WA. Michele's friend Judy took us up the 101 along the coast of Washington to a cool beach called Kalock were we kicked off our shoes and waded in the Ocean collecting shells and sand dollars before a nice little lunch at the bearby picnic area.
After spending 2 days with Michele's friend Judy, we decided to head south to Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument and tour the Volcano. I can honestly say that I don't remember much about the volcano's eruption in 1980. I was only 10 and living in Western Pennsylvania and probably had better thing to do. It was a great experience to see the volcano and read more about the history and devastation it left on the surrounding community.
We knew that we wanted to tour the Ape Cave near Mount St Helens so we headed that way after a quick lunch the Mount St Helen's visitor center. The Ape Cave is actually a lava tube that you can walk through. It requires that you bring strong flashlights with you because once you enter the cave it is pitch black! The tube was awesome and even thought wasn't looking where I was walking while shining the flashlight at the ceiling and trip over some good size boulders and face planted on the hard volcanic rock I had an great time.
After hobbling back to the car with rip in the knee of my jeans and a few layers of skin missing and some blood we were on our way to Portland, OR to find the original Geocache. The "Original Stash" as it is called is the holy grail of Geocaching. and if a geocacher ever gets the chance, they have to stop by and get it. We were on our way. We got there mid Morin and met some fellow cachers making the trip from Geowoostock. After getting some pictures of the cache ans plaque we headed out on our return trip to Montana through the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway. Only when we were well out of range of the "Original Stash" geocache and wanting to grab a few more caches did we realize that I had lost my GPS and we could only figure that it was left at the "Original Stash" geocache back in Portland, OR and we were almost half way through Washington. We decided not to go back for it and hopped that another geocacher would find it. No one has reported finding one and I purchased a new one. We didn't do anymore caching on the way home, so it made for a quick trip home. All in all it took us 8 days and it was well worth it! It was our first Vacation in 3 years so we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Lately

2010-06-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Have been keeping myself busy lately doing yard work and cleaning up around the house. Head a lot of things to just get rid off and finally said "toady I'm doing it!" After 3 full loads to the transfer station (The Dump) I decided to rake the yard and pile up all the dead tumble weeds and other debris and take them to the compost pile.
Next came helping Michele plant two fruit trees in the front yard and trying to fill in some of the prairie dog holes near the trees. There are eight acres of property around here and the yard uses about an acre, so i think the prairie dogs can use the other seven acres.
While Michele has been working on her raised garden, I made a nice brick area for the fire pit so we can start having Little fires in the evening. also did some minor repairs to the picnic table and benches to shore them up for the coming summer. I may have to look at getting a new set next spring.
In between all this work we have managed to so some Geocaching trips to Dillon, Montana as well as other parts of the surrounding area.
My next project is getting the area around the hot tub cleaned and adding some benches and some fencing to keep Brooke, our Rottweiler Malamute cross from joining us in the hot tub.
I will write again shortly, and stay tuned.....

2010-05-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Mainstreet in Bannack Saturday May 22, 2010

Mason Hall in Bannack Saturday May 22, 2010

I know that I haven't been on much and I promise I'm going to try and write more, but I just had to share these photo's.

We went to Dillon, Montana Saturday for a Geocaching Event and decided to stop by the Ghosttown of Bannack and by the time we got there from Dillon, which is only 21 miles away it was snowing to beat the band.

I guess that's what we here in Montana call the Month of May. It MAY snow and it MAY rain.

It's been a while!!!

2010-04-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I had almost forgot about this blog. My life has had some wild changes lately. In the beginning of February I got laid off from my job of over 5 years. I have since relocated back to Helena, MT were most of my friends are. I have been living off my savings and unemployment. Thank GOD both my vehicles are paid for, and not many bills.

My former co-worker Michele and I are trying to open our own business going the same thing we did in Great Falls, MT. We have the knowledge and experience, and now looking into the SBA and banks for money. I am hopeful.

We also hope to do a lot more traveling believe we get our business going. I'm going to try and make it to Seattle, WA this year. The closest I've been in Spokane, WA. It should be a fun time. Will be posting some new pictures soon. Got tons to put up.

WOW! A new year already!

2010-02-25T13:09:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't posted anything since late last year and not much has really changed. Well, Somethings have I guess. I have been laid off and moved back to Helena. After not having a vacation in over three years I'm thinking of enjoying my unemployment for a while and try to open a business with my friend. Will try and keep this updated because of the free time I'll have in the near future.

Fall is upon us!

2009-10-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

I really haven't been doing much since cabin sitting for my friend Albert. I tried to get to Glacier National Park before they closed Going to the Sun Road but missed it by a week. It wasn't a lost trip though. We decided we would take a drive up to Polebridge, and Bowman Lake. Polebridge is an awesome little town located just outside the Park. It consists of a big mercantile building, a small bar called "The Northern Lights", a Hostel, and a few other homes. The mercantile has fresh baked goods everyday and a small store for necessities. In the summer, the mercantile rents out little cabins for guests exploring the north west side of the park. The Northern Lights Bar is great too. About 5 years ago we ate dinner there on our way to Bowman Lake and it was the best food I've had.
After a little stop at Polebridge we continued on toward Bowman Lake. Right after the ranger station the road branches off. One way takes to you Bowman Lake and the other goes to Kintla Lake. Now the road to Kinta is no picnic. It is barely a road in any stretch of the word. We have gotten 2 flat tires in as many days traveling that road and out here I use 10ply LT tires on my trucks. It didn't help that weekend. We opted for Bowman today but will return to Kintla next year. The road to Bowman is a little better but it as a one lane road with turn outs every so often, and we made it to the lake with no problems. We spent a couple hours there walking the trails and relaxing by the lake before heading back to Kalispell.

Cabin Sitting!

2009-08-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

View's of Albert's Cabin

I will be relaxing off the grid in the Helena National Forest the next few weekends. Our friend Albert has asked Michele and I if we would cabin sit while he visits friends in the mid west.

I really, really enjoy the time I spend at Albert's place. Albert, he is a wonderful man that has had a interested life and it is great to hear the stories. I think a movie about him would be cool. Albert, Michele, & I share a lot of the same interests and views so we get along well.

We decided to go up to his place last weekend to get a little training on how things run out in the woods. Albert uses batteries and a generator for his electricity, so he gave us a run down on the generator and the inverter in case the batteries go dead. There is also a spring nearby that supplies Albert's water and he gave us a quick course on the water pump and the filtration system so we have safe drinking water. Albert also has propane that fuels the stove, refrigerator, hot water heater, and a small heater in the living room. In the "Sun" room Albert has a wood burning stove that is the primary source of heat for the cabin, so Michele and I will be cutting and splitting wood to keep the wood pile stocked. There is no Cell service, and Albert is taking his wireless Internet with with so we will only have satellite TV, but we probably won't have it on.

Michele will going up Friday nights after work because she has the weekends off and she lives in Helena which is about an hour from the cabin. I will be heading there late Saturday afternoons due to the fact that I work Saturdays and live in Great Falls which is about an hour and a half from Helena and two and a half hours from Albert's.

This past weekend after the training course we decided to hit the woods and do some sightseeing around the Helena National Forest. Albert knows the area well and wanted to show us and a friend of his some of the old mining artifacts in the area. The "Two Tracks" along the continental divide are more like "JEEP" trails than roads. Good thing Albert and his friend have Jeeps. I also have a Jeep but left it at Albert's. We had a lot of fun being bounced around in the Jeeps and seeing old mining cabins and mine tailing's. We did managed to get Albert's Jeep stuck in about knee deep mud and had to have Albert's friend pull Albert out with his Jeep. That was fun.

I am hoping to have more to write in the coming weeks about the weekends at the cabin.

My life as of late.

2009-08-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post, but things haven't been interesting until the last week. My truck developed a whine in the transmission and after getting a few different opinions a friend and I decided we would change the transmission filter and fluid. We went to a "Chain" parts store and purchased the transmission filter and pan gasket. When the counter person said that the computer recommended DEX-6, a synthetic transmission fluid we were a little sceptical, but we trusted the counter person and the computer. BOY! were we wrong. After installing the new filter, gasket, and fluid we started the truck and took it for a test drive. It seemed to work well and the whine was gone. We thought it was good until we got on the highway. The transmission started to slip and the longer we drove it, the worse it got. We drove it about 30 miles and the transmission didn't have drive, or over-drive. We limped the truck back to my friends house and thought we would check the filter. The filter for this model of truck does have a tendency to fall out of place because it is not screwed in place, but held in place by an "O" ring. We let the transmission cool and then loosened the bolts a little to drain some of the fluid out in order to check the filter. To our surprise, the new fluid was BLACK! Now for those of you who don't know, fresh transmission fluid is a color somewhere between a light pink to medium red. After 30-40 miles mine was jet black and it shouldn't be. After calling the Chevy dealer we found out that my truck uses DEX-3, a traditional transmission fluid, and that DEX is an optional upgrade if you're replacing the transmission and for trucks 2002 and newer. My truck is a 1996 and uses DEX-3. We came to find out that mixing DEX-3 and DEX-6 caused the clutch packs and the gear bands to disintegrate, thus the drive and over-drive not working. NICE!
At this point I was not overjoyed at the "Chain" parts store for not knowing the difference, or informing me that my truck originally used Dex-3, and that DEX-6 was an upgrade if I was having any major transmission work done, but I guess I am somewhat to blame for not checking into it myself.
Now here is the real kicker, I called the transmission shops in town and the lowest price I got was $1600-$2000 to rebuild it and $2000-$2500 for a replacement. At first I wanted to sue the parts store for giving me the wrong fluid and causing my transmission to fail, until the tech at the transmission shop said that because my transmission has 249,000 miles on it, it might just be a case of bad timing. Since I didn't know when the last time the transmission filter and fluid was changed, being that I've had the truck less than a year, the transmission may have been on it's way out, and when I changed fluid it just decided to die then. Perfect timing I guess. Now some people say I could still go after the parts store, and some don't. I'm not sure what to do on that subject.
On getting the transmission fixed, my friend who helped me with my filter and fluid just had his transmission redone by a guy his boss knows for cost of the parts. He talked to this guy and he said he would work on mine for the cost of parts, but he won't be able to get to it for a week or so. The complete rebuild kit for my transmission is $400. I told him that I would pay him another $400 for his time and he is fine with that. Hmmm, I'm thinking $800 is better than $1600-$2000 any day. Now I have a A Chevy Cavalier Z24 that is being worked on by an aquaintence, but that is a whole other post. With not wanting to drive the truck anymore than I have to so I do not do more damage the transmission before it can be worked on, and not having the Cavalier either, I bought a 1998 Jeep Cherokee from a friend that owns an auto salvage yard yesterday. It does have a few issues but is has all it's gears and seems pretty sturdy.

Now, being that I was stuck in town all weekend, I decided to help the friend who helped me with my truck move a refrigerator. While doing that I pulled something in my back. Did I forget to mention that I had Back Surgery in 1994 and was supposed to have another one in 1999? Well I never had the second one and had been doing fine all these years just watching what I did. In October of last year I acquired a Hernia and have been tending to it lately. Well, when we were getting ready to move the fridge from the truck I was only thinking of my Hernia. I didn't give my back much thought because it hasn't hurt bad in years until after we got the fridge on his deck.
So today is Wednesday. I have a truck that needs transmission work, a hernia, and back that hurts, but a new Jeep. Life is Good!

American Independence Day

2009-07-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Our Fireworks

A brown bear we saw on our way home

Our friends cabin

I spent Independence weekend with my close friends off the grid enjoying the smells and sounds of the Helena National Forest. My friend Albert, who lives above Marrysville, MT invited Michele and I up for the weekend, and we gladly accepted.

We left Great Falls after work Friday night and after stopping by Michele's house in Helena so she could feed the dog, water her plants and grab a an overnight bag we made it to Albert's around 9:30PM. Zack, Albert's German short hair dog greeted us at the door just in front of Albert. After a brief greeting we made our way into the sun room and saw the coffee table armed to the teeth, and though maybe it had a beef with the end tables. after a few hours of catching up on things we called it a a night and crashed.

I awoke Saturday to the fresh smell of moist pine coming it the guestroom window and Zoey, Albert's cat prancing around the bed. I crept down stairs and let Zack out and walked to a chair on the deck, sat down and enjoyed the morning sound of the wind in tress and and the birds in the sky. A while later Michele and Albert made it downstairs and I went inside to join them. After some morning conversation Albert made us breakfast. We had scrambled eggs, thick cut bacon, toast, hash browns, and orange juice with some good pulp in it.

after breakfast we just lounged around, Michele reading a book, Albert and I were chatting about a bunch of different topics. Some time later (never keep track of time here) we all got together and borrowed the guns from the coffee table and spend the afternoon and early evening shooting.

Michele hadn't shot a lot of guns, so we let her shoot about everyone that was present. Surprisingly she did very well, and enjoyed herself, We may have to get her either a 9mm Glock, or Sig. She thought the 357, .40S&W, and the .45ACP was a bit much. she did like the WaltherPPK .380 a bit.

After the shooting was done for the day, Albert made Steak, Baked Potatoes, and salad for dinner. We enjoyed the dinner very much, then afterwards we retired to the sun room and watched "Burn After Reading". what an interesting movie. About 12:30AM we decided it was time for bed.

Sunday morning I slept in til about 9:00AM. Again, I went out and sat on the deck and enjoyed the sounds, smells and a cool morning breeze. I soon hear the sounds of movements in the sun room and went in and greeted Michele and Albert. After the morning chit-chat I played fetch with Zack, while Michele read a book and Albert fixed a noon time breakfast. We had eggs, sausage, has browns, toast, and orange juice. I also opted for a can of Mountain Dew for my caffeine mix.

I decided to walk off my breakfast with a walk in woods. Michele opted for a comfy chair, sunshine, and her book. Albert was checking his emails.

Returning to the cabin after my hike, Michele and I helped Albert load the old batteries he had for his house power into his truck so he could dispose of them. They weighted around 130lbs each, and there were 8 of them. They got pretty heavy after the first two. Albert strapped them down and we returned to the cabin for a relaxing afternoon lounging around. We ended up shooting a .22 rifle for a couple hours. It was the first time Michele has ever shot a rifle, and again, she was damn good at it.

A few hours later it started to rain so we moved inside and played 6 games of YATZEE. It seemed to be Michele's weekend because she won 5 out of 6 games with Albert wining one. Yes, that means I didn't. It's OK, I don't care, it's just fun.

Decided after the Yatzee games we better make dinner and then back up and head for home. We finished up the steak, and had an artichoke with it. It was the first time Michele and I had eaten half any. It had kind of a nutty taste, and was good.

We cleaned up dinner and began packing the truck for the return home. Once packed , we thanked Albert for inviting us and said we have to do it again soon. he agreed.

We headed out the 1894 wagon rail road back to civilization.

As we were driving the road I spotted a brown bear and had Michele stop while I got a dark, grainy picture. He was a cute one, but as I opened the door to get a better shot, he ran off.

it was a great ending to our weekend

Appreciation???

2009-06-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

I recently got into discussion with a family member in Pennsylvania about appreciation. She is one of those people that has to volunteer everywhere in her community and has to take over certain clubs because she thinks she and her family can run them better. She complains on facebook that she never has time to do anything for her self because of it.
Recently I posted on facebook that I was going to enjoy an evening ride on my motorcycle, and she commented that she like this. I responded that last I heard she wasn't even riding their bike because they just don't have time for it anymore. I said I think you should sell the bike if you're not going to appreciate it and give someone else a chance to appreciate it instead of it just sitting there not being used.
She replied that the bike cannot be appreciated because it is not human. I replied that I guess people shouldn't appreciate nice homes, fine wine, art, sunsets and a bunch of other things. She then replied that she likes her house but doesn't appreciated it because she has to pay for it. We discussed it a bit more and then she said she didn't know why I was picking on her about the motorcycle. I told her that I wasn't picking on her about the bike, just that I don't understand the "Appreciating" thing. She stated and she would not comment on any more of my posts. Well being that it's the only way we communicate that I guess we won't be talking anymore.
It seems to me that I appreciate a bunch of things that aren't human. Like a good thunderstorm, a good night out with friends, the sounds of birds, a relaxing day in the woods, a good movie, and much, much more. Could I be wrong????

2009-06-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Houses around Bannack Ghost Town
My Mother at the border

An old Barn at Monida Pass, Montana

I know, I know!!

2009-06-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

I said I would try and and write more about the adventures of my mother's visit, but I just never know what to write. Well I'm gonna try and write a little, but it's going to be done in parts.
Part I:
My mother and two of her sisters flew in Salt Lake on Wednesday May 20 and visited with their brother who lives in the area. Another sister lives in Pocatello, ID and she drove down down to Salt Lake to pick up my mother and her two sisters and take them to her house. the plan was that my mother would visit with her sisiter for a few days then Michele and I would drive to Pocatello and get her.
Michele and I headed out from Great Falls Friday night after work. We decided we would stay the night in Dillion, MT. Dillion is a nice little town that is about half way between Great Falls and Pocatello so it worked well as a rest point.
We got up around 5AM Saturday morning and after eating a light breakfast of bagels and orange juice we continued on our way. It was a nice morning drive and we stopped to stretch our legs a few times and pick up a few Geocaches.
We got to my Aunt's house in Pocatello around noon Saturday morning. We visited with my family for about an hour and then decided head back toward home. we stopped in Idaho Falls to some lunch at Olive Garden and relax a little. After Lunch Michele informed us that there were a few Geocaches close so we introduced my mother to the sport. She seems to enjoy it.
Back on the road we headed toward Dillion. Near dillion we decided to show my mother the
historic Ghost town of Bannack. Bannack was Montana's First Territorial Capital and is filled with lots of history. We walked the old board sidewalks and read about all the history and houses still standing in town. We spent about 2 hours enjoying the history before deciding to travel on down the road.
We had planned on visiting Butte, Montana but by the time we got there it was dark and really not much to see. We decided to show her Butte another and just headed to Helena, Montana where Michele lives and spend the night there.

Next Post: Going to Glacier National Park.

I'm Alive

2009-05-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

I know that I haven't been on here for over a month, but life's been busy as of late. It seems that only a few weekends ago we were in Kalispell for Easter, and now it's heading towards Memorial Day. We've been traveling around the state and recently traveled to Havre on a Geocaching trip with members of the CMGA(Central Montana Geocaching Association). It was my first trip to Havre in the 10 years I've lived in Montana. Havre seem like a nice little town along the High Line. We are planing to go back and check out some of the tourist's traps. One thing I would like to see is something called "Havre under the streets" It's a tour of the old city underneath the new one.
Also in mid May my mother will be visiting from Pennsylvania for the first time in 10 years, so I will be busy "Tour Guiding" her around to some of my favorite places.
I will try and keep more up to date in the coming weeks on our adventures.

Lincoln, Missoula & Caching

2009-03-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we were deciding what to when Michele suggested a drive to Lincoln. We hadn't been that way for quite a while so headed out. We hit snow going up Flesher Pass and had it all the way to Lincoln. At Lincoln I topped off the fuel and Michele grabbed a Almond Roca Latte. Lincoln seemed to very busy that day with a fair amount of people throughout the town. We decided that would drive down highway 200 for a while and see what happens. We had our choices of turn offs and different routes along the way. Well, we stayed on 200 all the way to Bonner. At Bonner we decided to head to Missoula for a quick lunch than head back to Helena on I-90. At the Reserve Exit, we decided to call a few of our Geocaching friends and see if they were free for lunch. We called one friend and asked if they were free for lunch, they were but they were in Lolo and would be in Missoula in about a hour or so. Being that we had some free time on our hands we decided to invite other friends as well as stop by their home and load some Geocaches onto Michele's GPSr. As the GPSr was loading we sat and visited with our friends and found out they had a few errands to run before lunch as well, so Michele and I were on our own to grab a few caches. COOL! We managed to find 7 caches in the Reserve Street Area before heading to Shaun Kelly's Pub. We had really great food and awesome conversations with our friends. It is always great see them. After an hour or two decided we should head back to Helena, as it was a hour and a half trip. We got back to Helena, had a light dinner and watched a Comedy Central Special with Craig Ferguson. He is awesome. If you don't know who he is he hosts the Late Late Show after David Letterman on CBS. He also starred on the Drew Carey Show as Drew's Boss.
That was our "Sunday Drive". We only thought of going to Lincoln, but as always ended up going other places. In a few weeks we will be heading to Kalispell for Michele's grandson's second birthday and visit other friends.
I recently found facebook, and have been spending some time there too.

A Boring Month

2009-03-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well everyone my life has been quite boring as of late. After getting the new alternator in my truck it started blowing "turn signal" fuses left and right. It took me about 2 Weeks to find the short and fix it. With that fixed we recently had a free weekend and took a drive around Canyon Ferry Lake near Helena. It was our first excursion in weeks. I've been busy here in Great Falls at work, and Michele has been busy in Helena around her house on the weekends.
Also Michele needed some new tires and auto repairs herself, so we'll been staying close to home and saving her nickles for repairs. Now both vehicles are running well and with the coming of longer daylight and warmer weather I'm sure our adventures will begin again.

Kalispell & Glacier....Almost!

2009-02-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Never made it to Kalispell or Glacier. The alternator in my Chevy truck went out just as we entered East Glacier. I called O'Reily's in Kalispell which is 90 miles away and tried to order a new alternator but they wouldn't take my credit card over the phone. I ending up getting Michele's daughter, Heather; who lives in Kalispell, to order and pay for the part online with my credit card then go to O'Reily's and pick up the part. By the time we got this done is was after 8:00PM and rather than have Heather drive out from Kalispell that evening Michele and I decided to find a Motel in East Glacier. Now, East Glacier is a tourist trap in the summer time but in the winter its pretty much a ghost town but we managed to get a Motel room close to the truck. There was one little diner open and we had a small diner before heading back to the Motel. On the way back to the Motel, we past the only open bar and decided on a drink. The bar was very interesting to say the least, but we managed one drink before heading back to the motel.

We got up early Sunday and walked to the local gas station for Mountain Dew, Tylenol, and breakfast. We walked back the motel, collected our gear, and set out for the truck knowing that Michele's daughter was en route. We had some time to kill so we locked our stuff in the truck and headed for a short walk toward East Glacier Lodge. When we returned to the truck we needed to use the rest rooms so we headed to the only open little grocery store where we also got something to drink.

We had just arrived back at the truck when we saw Michele's daughter pulling into town. Michele visited with the daughter and grandson while I replaced the alternator. With the truck fixed we decided not to continue to Kalispell, but rather head back towards Great Falls. We said our thanks and goodbyes and headed toward Browning and Great Falls.

At Browning we decided not to go the usual way home through Valier; choosing instead to go through Cut Bank, and Shelby, Montana and do some geocaching. After getting a few caches in Cut Bank we headed for Shelby and some Lunch. We do not know the town of Shelby that well so we did a lot of back tracking while collecting a few caches. At around 4:00PM we decided to jump on I-15 south and head for my house.

We got to my house and ordered some Pizza from Howard's and relaxed the rest of the evening. The Weekend didn't turn out as planned, but we made the most of it and enjoyed ourselves.

Kalispell & Glacier

2009-02-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well not much has been happening around here lately so I haven't been writing, but things are gonna change because I'm heading to Kalispell after work and will be spending some time in Glacier. I will have some new pictures and a story or two next week.
In other news I got new tires put on my motorcycle yesterday and it snowed 4-6 inches. I did however managed to drive it home and got a lot of looks from fellow drivers.
Well have a good weekend everyone and will chat next week.

2009-02-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

I wish we had this much snow in Great Falls.

This snow fall is near Essex, Montana

Trying not to get sick

2009-02-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

My co-worker Michele has been battling a nasty cold for over a week and I'm trying not to get it. It seems like a lot of people have it around here. Other than that not much has been happening. I am glad to see that the days are getting longer. It means I can actually do stuff after work besides just going home and watching movies, or reading. I got the motorcycle out a few times this month, but now it's snowing today. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time for riding in the coming months.

A Super (Bowl) Weekend

2009-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

The weather was really nice here so the weekend was very enjoyable. Didn't do too much after work on Saturday but drive to Helena and see a few friends. Sunday I met up with Michele and her daughter for brunch at a local Casino. After Brunch Michele and I headed off to do a little shopping before venturing into the mountains to test shoot a new firearm I purchased recently before heading to a friends house to watch the Super Bowl. At the Party, I was the only one rooting for the Steelers and 5 other people were fro the Cardinals and we know who won.

Not much Happenin' Here

2009-01-20T15:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I haven't been writing, but my life's been slow. I have been enjoying the warmer than usual weather here by spending time on my motorcycle. I've also hid a few Geocaches around town. For those of you who never heard of Geocaching, it's like modern day treasure hunting, only we us GPS receivers now. If you would like to check it out, here is the website http://www.geocaching.com/ .
It is an awesome outdoor sport for the whole family. Michele and were supposed to attend a Geocaching chili cook-off in Helena this past weekend, but I had to work Saturday and Michele wasn't feeling well. We missed the event, but managed to visit with a few of the Geocacher's from Missoula, and Billings. We try to get to all the events we can in the surrounding area. I usually get all the ones around Helena, Great Falls, and Missoula. We haven't made it to an event in Billings yet, but we're still trying.
I talked to my mother this weekend and in my hometown just north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they have over 18 inches of snow and we hardly have any here in Montana. My mother said the temperatures have been well below zero and there are advisories about the windchill making Headlines all over the east coast. Schools have been closed and emergency measures taken. I told her that when we have -20 & -30 temps, and wind gusts up to 75mph, it never makes national headlines, and all the kids still wait for the bus and go to school.. I told her the east coast people are whimps.
Also, for those of you who follow football know that the Steelers are going to the Superbowl, and my mother said the area went crazy Sunday night and there are banner's everywhere. Now, growing up in the "Steelers Nation" was always interesting. The Steelers are not my Favorite team, but we always went to the tailgate parties at the old Three Rivers Stadium and had a blast. I haven't been to a game, or party at Heinz Field, but I'm guessing it Rocks! Since my team with an 11-5 record didn't make the playoffs I was hoping for the Steelers and the Eagles in the Superbowl, but now I have to root for my hometown team because I believe that the Steelers fans are the best in the NFL., and I would like to see them go for thier 6th Superbowl win. Go Black & Gold.

Gotta Love The Snow!

2009-01-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Logan Pass Visitor's Center Sidewalk, Glacier National Park

Well the weather here has been interesting. It's 30 degrees and snowing one day and the next it's 50degrees and melting everything.
When people ask me "How do you like the weather" I give them a response that they often don't like. See, I love the snow and tell everyone that asks me that I wish it would snow 3 feet. It seems alot of people here in Montana don't like the snow and I find that weird. I wish it would blizzard for a month. The people here always say "Well you must not drive in it, or you would wouldn't like it" Well I do drive in and love it. I have no problem with the snow and say "It's winter in Montana" All these people who grew up here don't like it. Now I grew up in Western Pennsylvania and had snow growing up and loved it then too. I talk to my mother yesterday and she said they had 8 to 10 inches and she was fine with it. I wish we could get that here in Great Falls.

A Cold New Year

2009-01-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

As I write this I see that the temperature here in Great Falls is -11 and according to The Weather Channel online it feels like -28. Winds out of the SW at 8mph. On my way to work this morning I started both my trucks and let them warm up. After I got to I remembered that I left my camera in my truck and I'm hoping that the lens didn't freeze and crack. I can say that walking to work this morning was refreshing. Michele drove to Helena last night and said that the roads were terrible and that I should be careful today when I drive down there after work. I talked to the friends I'll stay with down there and they said the roads around there place haven't been plowed yet but should be by the time I get there. My friends got me a new circular saw for Christmas that I am dying to use and if the temperature warms up I might build a few shelves for Michele's house. If the weather doesn't warm up I guess I'll relax and enjoy my day off and think about what I'm going to do this year.

No Christmas Turkey

2008-12-27T10:47:00.001-08:00

While I was outside at Michele's house trying to walk off my second Christmas meal at a second house Michele's daughter saw the eagle and told me about it. I always carry a camera (a habit from my old newspaper photographer days in PA) so I grabbed it and got these pictures. I watched the eagle fly around the area and snapped a few more of him in flight that are really cool cool.

I hope everyone had a Great Christmas and enjoyed time with their families. I called my family and talked to them for quite a while in between stops at friends houses.

Holiday Wishes

2008-12-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season. I hope you all are safe and enjoy the holidays with friends and family. I will be spending the holidays with a few friends in Helena because all my family lives in Pennsylvania. I haven't visited my family in a few years so I think I will try and visit them in the coming year. I gave Michele the week off because her brother and his family are here for the Holiday's this year. They did visit about 5 years ago in the summer, but this is the first family holiday for them in 13 years. I, myself will be visiting Michele and her family along with other friends in the Helena area and I'm gonna eat all the turkey I can and even some ham too.
I love the Holiday's but being single and kid less I don't have all the excitement of my own family traditions, but my adopted families out here are fun and I share in their traditions. To Michele's two daughter's I am the cool uncle that's there if they need help with their cars, or a few bucks for gas. My friends Vicki & Di are awesome and we do alot of home improvements together and I always get them some cool gag gifts for Christmas and they always threaten to shoot me because of them.
I talked to my mother this past weekend and her, my father, and bother are all going to my sister's house for Christmas. I will call them there and see what Santa brought them. I also have a niece there that will probably make out like a bandit. I usually buy myself all the things that I want for Christmas. My friends here will ask me what I want, but after I tell them I usually go buy it, so they don't have too. I know it's not the best thing to do but I would rather them spend it on their family. I do get gifts from them anyway. I enjoying just being around them for the Holiday's.
Again I wish All of you a safe and Happy Holiday Season.

More Snow and Sub Zero Temps

2008-12-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

It seems that old man winter is giving us another taste of winter. We are having our first day above zero since last Friday, and I heard on the news last night that we are getting more snow and sub zero temps again tomorrow night. I Can't wait. Sometimes in the winter I've been known to wear shorts and a sweatshirt around here. Last weeks weather got me getting all the extension cords gathered up in order to plug the trucks in. I also picked up a bunch of ISO Heet to keep in both vehicles. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania I was used to having some snow, but never minus 20 temps. The Winter of 1998, my first in Montana was an eye opener. The truck I drove out here didn't have a block heater in it because We didn't use them in Pennsylvania. I had no clue what they were until one sub zero day I went to start my truck and it barely turned over and didn't start. After getting a magnetic oil pan heater and letting it heat my engine for a day the truck started. I still have that oil pan heater today. Now I use it for heating my motorcycles up. I had driven a Montana purchased truck back to Pennsylvania and my friends would ask me about the "Cord" sticking out of my grill. When I told them what it's for, they couldn't believe it.
It sounds like we are going to have a cold and white Christmas and that's alright by me. Now all I have to do is start my Christmas shopping soon. I'll probably get it all done on Christmas Eve.

Man Vs. Food

2008-12-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

I was in Helena Sunday evening enjoying a homemade pasty dinner at Michele's and after dinner we were watching The Travel Channel when the Show "Man Vs. Food" came on. In this episode they were in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; my old stomping ground before relocating to Montana. They showed some cool places that I had eaten at before, but the best one was Quaker Steak & Lube. It was awesome. I had just written a blog post here about and then I watch it on TV. Here is the link if you want to check out the places for some good food. http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food/ci.Pittsburgh.show?vgnextfmt=show Cool. After watching the show I wanted to go on their website and order some sauce. I haven't yet, but I plan to get myself some Christmas sauces. The bad thing is that after I get some sauces I'm going to start craving other foods that I miss like the Original "Coney Island" for the best Hot Dogs on the east Coast, "Villa Nova Inn" for awesome Italian Cavatelli, "Bills Sandwich Shop" for chili cheese fries, "De Rosa's Bakery" for Italian Wedding Cookies, The "Hill House Inn" for Italian wedding soup, and "Handle's Homemade Ice Cream" to name just a few. I'm trying to get my friend Brian to send me some Chili Sauce, but I don't how I should ship fresh chili? any idea's?

Hibernating

2008-12-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

I guess it's getting that time of year to put the bike away for the winter. although I have been known in the past to ride throughout the winter, but I think I'm going to take this winter off.....Maybe.
It seems that motorcycles have always been a part of my life. I can remember one time when I was 7 riding through the woods near my parents house in Pennsylvania and brushing past a Crab Apple tree and getting a 2 inch thorn stuck in my finger. As I raced back to the house crying I managed to lose control of the bike, run through a fence and over my younger sister Mundy. Fortunately everyone survived, and we all continued to ride til this day. When I got older and got a street bike my mother and I rode all the time. My Father had a Harley and we all rode together touring Western Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
In August 1989 my mother and I were riding and had made plans to meet my father and a few of his Harley buddies for dinner at a local restaurant. That didn't happen. My mother and I were on a back road when a Ryder Moving truck crossed the center line and hit us with the outside mirror of the truck. It knocked my mother off the back of the bike and sent me fishtailing off the side of the road and then over the handlebars. Luckily we were both wearing helmets and leather. The only protection I wasn't wearing was gloves and I paid the price. I don't remember anything about the accident. but I was told that I slid down the edge of the road for about 50ft. on the front of my helmet. The first thing I remember was hearing my mother screaming. I got up and tried to find her when a person grabbed me and was trying to see if I was alright. I didn't notice the blood, or feel the pain in my hands, but when I got to my mother there was someone there with her. An Older couple were out in their garden when they heard the sound of the crash and came running over. We were both hurt and worried about each other, but didn't know what happened until the gentleman told us we had been hit by a moving truck. The lady had gone back to her house and called 911 and an ambulance was on it's way. My mother seemed okay accept she couldn't move her arm, but she wasn't. We asked the gentleman to call the restaurant and tell my father what had happened and to meet us at the hospital. My mother ended up with a shattered wrist and had to have 5 pins in her arm until it healed and 3 skin grafts to replace the skin she lost. I ended up with a combined 14 stitches in the palms of my hands. One of the things that saved my life the Doctor said was that I was wearing a full-face helmet. He said that if I would have had an open-face helmet and slid down the road 50ft I would have had no chin and probably bled to death. WOOHOO! thank god for me buying a KIWI full face helmet.
The cool thing was that the day my mother got released from the hospital she came home and she wanted us to go get new leathers, GLOVES, and helmets on my motorcycle, and we did. I guess it was quite a sight seeing a woman in a sling with pins in her arm on the back of the motorcycle. She still rides today.
February 2, 1994 is a day that changed my life. It had snow about 6 inches over night and I decided I would ride my motorcycle to work instead of my 4X4 truck. Not a good idea. I ended up sliding of the road and injuring my back. I ended up with a pinched cyactic nerve in my left leg and 2 herniated discs in my lower back. 10 months of psychical therapy, nerve blocks, EEG's and MRI's the doctor's decided the treatment wasn't working and the herniation's were getting worse, so they wanted to operate. November 4 was the operation and it was a success. When I awoke after the surgery I had Montana on my mind. How it got there I still don't know. Were the doctor's talking about "Joe Montana" or the State? Who knows. When my parents called my room at the hospital to tell me they were on their way to get me I told them to bring an atlas. When I got the atlas I opened it to Montana and told my parents I wanted to go to Montana. Their reaction was like everyone else's that I told that to in Pennsylvania, "Yeah, Right".
It took until October 12, 1998 after my sister's wedding when I quit my job, packed up my truck and headed out here to Big Sky Country. In April 1998 I began talking to a woman in Kalispell named Michele. Yes, the same Michele that is my best friend here today. I had talked to her and her parents and they said I could stay with them once I got out here until I got settled in. So with that I headed out west not knowing anything about Montana, and the rest they say is history.
Now because of the motorcycle, I am now in Montana. It's not a bad thing. I have to say the best ride I've taken here was a trip to Glacier National Park on the fourth of July. I rode one of my bikes, Michele rode her own, and a friend, Doug rode my other bike. It was a great trip, we all enjoyed ourselves.

Christmas Cards

2008-12-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when I have to try and remember the address of my friends and relatives in Pennsylvania. I remember my Parents because they've lived in the same house since I was 10. I usually remember my sisters, but sometimes I forget if she lives on a street, avenue, or blvd. I always have to call mom and ask. I always have to call my friends and get their addresses because I never save the paper I wrote them on from year to year.
Here in Montana it's easy because I only have about 5 people that I know that I give Christmas Cards too. I know it sounds bad, been in Montana for 10 years and only see about 5 people on weekends that are friends. Although since starting this blog I have upped the people I talk with to 7. Michele keeps telling me that I need to get out and meet people here in Great Falls. All I usually do after work is either go home and fiddle around my house, do some geocaching, and maybe take my motorcycle for a ride. Michele has a teenage daughter at home in Helena so she goes home and cleans. Maybe I'll work on that sometime.
As for Christmas cards, I always buy two kinds. One set that has a little religiousness to it, and the other has just a happy holiday statement. I try to send out my cards in early December so they have time to get to Pennsylvania. Sometimes it seems to take forever for mail to get there. It seems every year I remember an old friend that I haven't talked to in years that I send a card to. I'm sure some of them are very surprised. Also I'm not big on writing in cards, or postcards if I send them. I usually just sign my name and send it off. Hey, they should be happy that I send one and even signed it. My mommy says sometimes she would like me to write "Miss You", "I'm Having Fun" or even "Thinking Of You" on the cards. Sometime I do, just to surprise her.
This year I might try something new. If anyone who reads this wants me to send them a signed Christmas card, email your address to me and I'll send you a card.
As for decorating my house, I'm not going to do much. I'm single so no family is going to be here and I'm not home on the weekends. I will be in Helena with friends for Christmas so there is no use having a tree to maintain here.
As I mentioned in my last post, I went to Helena to help my friends Vicki, and Di with decorations but ended up building a cornice over their sliding door. My parents used to own a small lumber/craft mill and ever since I mentioned this to Di many years ago she always recruits me for all their woodworking projects. I've crafted quite a few things for them and now that Michele has seen some of them she says I need to make a few selves for her. Di and I are kinda like the handyman and woman. We've helped many of their neighbors with alot of repairs. We've even done done plumbing and some home leveling for their neighbor Carrie. Oh Yeah, both Vicki & Di are manger's of a small mobile home court in Helena so we've fixed many things. Sometimes I feel like "Schiender" on "One Day At A Time" for those of you who remember that TV Show, but without the mustache. Michele thinks I should be quite a "Catch" because I'm very handy around the house, but for some reason I'm still single...Imagine That. I guess I'm just used to being by myself and enjoying my space. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with my friends and adventuring around Montana, but love to have my space at the end of the day. I guess it could change someday, but not in the foreseeable future.

The Stroll & Tree

2008-12-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

Well we had a good time at the Christmas Stroll. Above is a picture of the tree at the Civic Center taken with my iphone because my batteries were dead in my digital. Now I'm just stilling at work waiting for the day to be done so I can get to Helena and help my friends.

Christmas Stroll & Shopping

2008-12-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Friday is upon us which means there are only two more Friday's 'til Christmas! Damn, I better get my happy butt in gear and start shopping. Tonight Michele and I are heading to the Christmas stroll after we close up shop. I've never been to the stroll here in Great Falls even though I've lived in town for three years. Michele usually goes home to Helena Friday's after work but she decided to check out the stroll too. I am hoping for WAY more snow before Christmas. I enjoying walking in the snow either in the forests, or around dusk, I think it's really cool.
This weekend I hope to do a little shopping in Helena. I'll be in Helena to visit some friends and help them decorate their house. I always get volunteered to put the lights around the roof of their house, so I hope the weather isn't below ZERO and the wind isn't too bad. Will update you all on Monday of how that went.
Sunday should be the day for shopping, and I hope to get most of it done then. It's easy for me because my family lives in Pennsylvania and all I do send cards. I have a few friends in Helena(Di, Vicki, Carrie, Jordan, and Jay) that I'll buy a gift for, but nothing major. No kids or wife/girlfriend to buy for, but my Co-worker/Best friend Michele has two daughters 19, 21, that I'll get something for. I'm kinda like the cool/weird uncle, and of course get Michele something.
I decorated a little here at work. I put up a few lights(actually left them up from last year, but now turned them on) and put out a small fiber optic tree. I'm not sure what I'll do, if anything for my house. Michele thinks I should do something but I don't know. I will be in Helena with friends for Christmas so there's no real reason to have anything at my house.

The Cold and Hot Wings

2008-12-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

With the coming of December the cold decided to make it's way here. Last night we went for Hot Wings and Beer at a local Bar like we always do on Wednesday and it was bout 12 degrees when we left work. The Sting Sports Bar is always warm and friendly and I think that's part of why we go, but the best part is the Hot Wings. I have a fondness for Hot Wings and the Sting has the best ones around Great Falls. I got my first taste of Hot Wings at my first job out of high school. I worked for a family friend at his Restaurant called "Dan's Poultry". On Monday nights we would makes pounds and pounds of Hot Wings that we delivered to some local bars for Monday night football. Now Dan's sold more than just hot wings, but it was the only thing I really liked there. Their sauce was a homemade blend that was very hot and lot of people really liked it. I know after I started eating the wings, they were, and still are, my favorite food. I ate them so much that I would get sauce and wings to fry from my family for Christmas and Birthdays to cook at my house. I remember one time while a friend and I were eating some wings someone told us about a place called "Quaker Steak & Lube" in Sharon, Pennsylvania that has the best wings USA and some that are SOO Hot you only get 4 and have to sign a release form. Now I've been to "The Lube" many times over the years and still can not eat those four suicide Wings. Every time I go home to visit my family in PA, I always go to "the Lube" for wings. They advertise "Best Wings USA" and have won many awards from festivals and Food Magazines around the country. On one trip home I took took a friend Julie from Butte and after trying them she always talks about them. On another trip I took my friend Michele from Helena back to PA and took her there and now we go out every Wednesday to the Sting for wings. I confess that the Sting's wings have nothing on Quaker Steak and Lube's, but I have to make due with what's available. Now don't get me wrong, the Sting has Great wings, beer and other fine food, but my favorite will always be the Lube's.
If you're interested, you can check out the Lube at http://www.quakersteakandlube.com/ and see what you think. I buy their sauces online and use them at my house when cooking at home. I always say that if I win the lottery I will build a few Quaker Steak and Lube in Montana.
Oh Yeah, back to the cold and snow. I woke up this morning with a temperature of 1 degree above zero and I felt it as soon as I stepped outside. I really do not mind the cold and enjoy the snow too. I think winter has finally set in here and I can't wait to see the beauty the winter time offers. As I write this, the temp as hit 10 degrees and the sun is shining, so now I'm thinking of warming up the motorcycle and going to a short ride.

Holidays & 2008

2008-11-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

It seems like the Holidays bring on the end of the year and kinda go by in a flash starting with Thanksgiving. I really don't have any plans for Thanksgiving, but I do think Michele and I are going to see the "Transporter 3" movie. As far as dinner I have no idea.
We are heading to Billings this weekend to see a friend that moved there a while back and do some Geocaching too. We always enjoy going for drives and now that gasoline ins $1.82 a gallon we can get more "Sunday" drives in.
Our friends from Deer Lodge invited us there for "TurkeyDay" but we aren't sure what our plans are. Maybe just a few TV Dinners, who knows.

November Already!

2008-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

I know that I haven't written in a week or so but not much is happening in my life lately. I've just been relaxing and enjoying it. I believe the latest news was that we got to do some good Geocaching two weekends ago and I always enjoy that. This past weekend I stayed with friends in East Helena and helped them remodel their kitchen. I got the job of measuring and cutting all the wood trim. My Parents used to own a small woodmill years ago so I got recruited. Upon finishing all the measuring, cuting, and mitering I helped install a new kitchen sink and water lines. I'm happy to say that there were not leaks. Well that's all the highlights for now. Will update you all again soon.

Deer Lodge, Butte & Albert

2008-10-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we hauled the last load for our friends Jeff & Barb to Deer Lodge ending a few weekends of moving them from Helena to Deer Lodge. We slept a little later than I wanted to and I blamed it on getting old, but we made it out of Helena around 10am. We got to Deer Lodge and unloaded the truck and trailer for the last time. We are all thankful that the move is done. We stayed and chatted with Jeff, Barb, and Tony, Jeff's brother for awhile before heading back to Helena to drop the trailer off and then headed to Butte to see another friend Julie.
Julie is a friend that we've known for about 9 years. Julie is a very interesting woman who is full of life and energy. She loves to Hitchhike the country at the spur of the moment. We always have a very hard time catching her in Butte. When we do catch her we usually go and see her. We met her at a small little house that she was painting for a friend and chatted for a while before heading to get something to eat. We ended up at a little Italian restaurant in uptown Butte that had great food and Morning Light Coffee. We stayed at the restaurant for a couple hours just talking and enjoying the evening. We ended up leaving Butte around 8pm and headed to Helena.
Once we got to Helena, we decided to stop by Lincoln Road RV Park and see our friend Albert who is preparing to visit family and friends in the CA area over the winter. Albert has been having a few problems with the water lines in his RV since he hasn't used it since moving to Marysville a few years ago and we thought we would stop see how he was doing. We sat and visited for about an hour or so and then headed to Michele's for the night.
6am came and I headed to Great Falls for a week of work.

Weekend In Kalispell Part two

2008-10-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we planned for breakfast with Michele's ex-husband Harry at Cislo's, a great little restaurant. We ended up talking after breakfast for about an hour before employing Harry to grab the cache we spotted yesterday. After logging and having Harry replace the cache we all went and looked for another before dropping Harry off at his house and getting on our way. We stopped by and visited Michele's daughter and grandson for a bit then we headed for Glacier. We were thinking that we would visit the lower area's of the park because we though that the "Going To The Sun Road" was closed for the season. At the Ranger Station we were informed that the road was open to Logan Pass and that made our day. We proceeded up the road stopping occasionally to grab a few pictures and enjoy the views. As we got closer to Logan Pass we could see a huge cloud covering the Visitor's Center. When we got the Top we were in a fog and a frost was covering the area. We walked around and got some cool pictures that I posted on this blog in my Photography.
We spent a little too much time in Glacier and had to travel the Seeley-Swan Highway at dark and the animals are dangerous there but we made it to Michele's place about 11:30pm and got some sleep before I headed to Great Falls at 6am.

Great Weekend in Kalispell Part One

2008-10-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Just now getting around to writing about last weekend. We were heading to Kalispell to see some friends, Michele's daughter, grandson and parents for Michele's mothers 65th birthday.
Michele and I started off at 6am Saturday morning leaving Great Falls and heading to Kalispell. We topped off the gas and headed on our way. We decided we would grab a few Geocaches along the way and the first cache was in Valier, MT. Valier is a sleepy little town that we often stop at for a stretch and potty breaks but we were always in a hurry and did not stop to enjoy the town. This time we stopped and got the cache and some breakfast.
Our next stop was East Glacier for another quick cache, where we got help looking for the cache from the town puppy. In between petting the dog we found the cache and then we are back on our way to Kalispell.
Since we were driving RIGHT past The West Glacier Entrance you know we had to stop by and check on the Park. Well maybe not Check on it, but we can't drive by and not stop. We tried and failed at locating a cache in West Glacier so we moved on to Belton Bridge. Belton Bridge used to be the gateway to glacier until the West Glacier bridge was put in. It's a nice area we found earlier this year and have enjoyed stopping to walk across it every time we're in the Park.
After leaving the park we head to Columbia Falls for a few caches before ending in Kalispell. We usually drive through Columbia Falls but this time we took an old Stage road on the outskirts of town to find some caches.
After collecting our caches in Columbia Falls we headed into Kalispell and got our Motel and wanted to touch base with Michele's family and our friends. No matter WHO we called, no one answered, so we left messages and headed out for some Geocaching around Kalispell. We managed to find a few caches before Michele's family and our friends called. We had one cache that we could not find and we knew we should have been able to, so we were going to try again on Sunday, and yet another cache we found but could not retrieve without some help. That too, will have to wait until Sunday
We were informed that the the "Birthday" dinner was around 6:30 at Capers in Downtown
Kalispell so we squeezed in some time to visit our friends. Our friends Stacey & Trudy are very wonderful people who we enjoy visiting every time we get to Kalispell. Stacey was in a Motorcycle accident in July and after having a few surgeries he is walking with crutches and already has a new motorcycle. Once he is comfortable on the bike we hope to plan a ride to Pocatello, ID so I can visit family there. It always seems we never have enough time to sit and chat with them as long as we would like. We do try and get in to Kalispell often to visit them and Michele's daughter and grandson.
Capers is a nice little restaurant on main street, and we all had a great dinner and good conversation.
After dinner we went back to the Motel tired and slept very well.

Heading to Glacier

2008-10-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well the weekend is upon us and I am going to enjoy it. I got Saturday off so Michele and I are heading to Kalispell to visit some friends and see her daughter and grandson. Michele's parents will also be in town celebrating Michele's mother's birthday. We will be leaving early (6am) Saturday so we can get some Geocaching in and still get to Kalispell before noon. We will see our friends and have dinner with Michele's family, and maybe see our friends after dinner. Sunday morning we will get some breakfast and head to Glacier. We haven't been to Glacier as much as we wanted this year so we always try to spend a little time there whenever we're in the area. Hopefully I will have some new pictures on my photography blog because I got a new digital camera so I will test it out this weekend

Winter is Coming

2008-10-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well my friends it looks like old man winter is in the neighborhood. We had a nice Indian Summer for the last month with great temperatures but now the leavs are falling and the temperatures on dipping in the high 20's at night and the furnances are clicking on.
I really don't mind the winters here. It's part of the reason I moved to Montana, along with many others. I enjoy walking in the snow as well as hiking Glacier in the snow. So we in Montana are preparing for winter.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-10-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Boats await fares on Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park

Albert's house above Marysville, Montana

The Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana

Well it's been a busy few weeks for us . As some of you know we have been helping our friends move from Helena to Deer Lodge the last few weeks. Last weekend we did a little Geocaching in Deer Lodge after unloading the truck and trailer. After finding the treasure we headed to the local eatery called Scharf's for some great home cooking. After eating we headed to the Montana Bar for a drink at the local watering hole before heading back to Helena. We've got one more big load left and then it should be done.

As we all know, moving is a big task and very stressful, so we are talking a break this weekend. Michele and I are heading to see our friend Albert who lives above Marysville, MT. We really enjoy the time we spend in Albert's company relaxing. The Drive out of Marysville to Albert's is awesome. I really enjoy the drive over the continental divide and following the old wagon trail to Albert's hidden oasis. Albert is driving south for the winter so we wanted to get up to see him before he leaves. This is the first year since Albert moved there that he is taking the winter off to visit friends and family in CA. He e-mailed us with his plans and invited us up to help him clear his place of perishables and enjoy the company one last time before spring.

Toward the latter part of the month we plan to be in Kalispell, MT for Michele's mother's birthday and to see Michele's daughter and grandson. While in Kalispell we will also be visiting a friend who was in a motorcycle accident in July and we want to see how he and his wife are doing. Of course, we will try and get to Glacier National Park. We always try to get there every time we get to Kalispell. We are hoping that the "Going To The Sun " road is still open so we can drive it one more time before it closes for the winter. We have not been to the park much this year and it sucks. It is my favorite park and I'm missing not being there more.

Enough for now. Talk to you all later.

Friends

2008-09-26T11:56:00.001-07:00

After talking to a few of my friends in PA last night it got me thinking about how we meet them and things we learn about each other. For instance, my Best friend in PA Patrick who I've know 20 years already is just like me. We met through his brother-in-law Pat who I worked with, and later found out that Patrick worked at the same place just a different shift. The first time I met Patrick, I was invited over to Pats house where Patrick lived with Pats sister Pam. Pat had invited me up to watch movies and drink some beer but I ended up playing a game called "QIX" on Nintendo with Patrick because Pat got called out to his second job. Patrick and I because best friends and still talk today.
Michele, my co-worker and I became friend over the phone. When I decided I was moving to Montana I was thinking I would just transfer from my job in PA to the same Job in Kalispell, MT. I got the number to the business in Montana and called. Michele answered the phone and we've been talking ever since. When I Finally moved to Montana I stayed with Michele's family until O got a place of my own. She is my best friend in Montana and I like to that she is the person I've know longest in Montana. We share a lot of the same interests and have a lot of fun traveling around the state
Michele and I both have a friend who lives off the Grid above Marysville, Montana who we met in Butte, Montana at a Writer's Conference. I managed somehow to pull my quadriceps in my right leg while walking out for the Silver Bow Club after a tour. I could hardly walk by the time Lunch came around.At lunch we sat next to a man that offered me some pain killers. We didn't last the rest of the tour. We decided to head back to the motel and I would relax in the hot tub. After soaking my leg for a while we head to a reception at the Finlin Hotel in uptown Butte. At the reception everyone that saw me hurt myself earlier came over asked how I was feeling. The man that game me the pain killers earlier came over and we all talked about the Conference. The man introduced himself as Albert and asked where we were from. Upon hearing that we were from Helena he told us he had bought some property outside of Helena. We asked where and when he told us we said we knew the area well. We talked with Albert for most of the evening and when we left for the night we exchanged email addresses and said when he was settled in we would like to visit if he didn't mind. Now we visit Albert every chance we get. We even helped him cut firewood and re roof his garage over this last Labor Day. Labor Day we woke to 5 inches of snow at Albert's, so we decided to relax and play Yatzee until heading back to Great Falls.Now Albert lives off the grid, meaning he relies on batteries and generators for electricity and a nearby stream for water and in the winter time he can barely get to Helena for supplies. We all recently went on the Charlie Russel Chew-Choo diner train in Lewistown. It was a night evening spent in good company.
Well there are just a few stories of how I've met friends. I have many more stories as we all do. Sometimes how we met, or the friendship store is fun and interesting.

Pictures From The Prison

2008-09-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

(Above) The Galloping Gallows

(Above) The 1959 Riot

(Above) A Prisoners Home

(Above) Jeff The Guard and Joey The Inmate

Here are just a few pictures from the Old Montana Prison. It was an interesting tour. I swear Jeff tried numerous times to leave me in a few of the cells for a long nap. Good thing you couldn't lock them because I might have been left in the solitary cells. I will try and go back in better weather and try to get some better pictures to display here.

Be safe, Joe

Summer is leaving us FAST!

2008-09-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Its the middle of the week and not much is happening. At work we are slow due to street construction(No, Not in Great Falls). After work the nights are ending sooner that they used to and that is a sure sign that summer is slipping away. I know the last few nights have been chilly when we've been out around dark. I actually had to turn the furnance on last night. Pretty soon it will be dark when I lock the store and head home at 6:00PM. Wow, what a change from getting dark around 9 or 10pm anly a month or so ago.

I'm going to try and get as much motorcycle time in as I can before I have to put them away for a long winter nap. My co-worker Michele got her first motorcycle this year as a mid-life crisis(She turned 40) and has been enjoying it. She has had a little set back with it as of this post, it needs the carburetors rebuilt and we are in the process of finding parts to do that. Hopefully she'll get a little more time on it before the snow flies.

This weekend I am continuing to help my friends move from Helena to Deer Lodge. We moved some things last weekend before we toured the "Old Prison Museum". What an interesting place. I think this weekend we will be moving a lot of the BIG stuff, so I better eat my Wheaties!. I will be visiting Deer Lodge a lot now that my friends will be there, so it will be fun exploring a new town and learning about it's history. My Friend Jeff grew up there and will give me a a lot of info on the area. I can't wait, it will be fun

Well I will stop for and now and let everyone relax and enjoy the photos. Until next time. Be Safe and Enjoy your surroundings

Weekend in Prison

2008-09-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Had a good weekend helping a friend and his family move to Deer Lodge. We left Helena about 9:30 with my truck loaded with boxes, furniture and people and headed west. After crossing MacDonald Pass at 6368ft we stopped at Stoners Bar in Elliston for a drink. I'm Telling you now, IF you Ever get the chance, CHECK this bar out. The Interior is really unquiue. They Support A "Bigfoot" Hunt Every year. People fly in from all over the United States for this big Event(Party). My Friend Jeff, who I am helping move just told me about it. I'm going to be at the next one!
After getting back on the road, we thought we would cruise to Deer Lodge in no time because the Speed Limit is 70mph, but NO, we got behind a few cars out for a Sunday drive going55-60mph. The raod winds throght the Blackfoot River Valley and there isn't alot of places to pass. We decide to stop at Garrison and use the restrooms and stretch a little. I swear the store there has the best lemonade.It is called "Calypso" and I've only found it two places in Montana so far. One is here at Garrsion Junction and at the Cardwell Store in Cardwell, Montana. Everytime I get a chance to get the lemonade I usually by 6 bottles or more.
Back in the truck and we're on the last leg of our trip to Deer Lodge. Deer Lodge is home to Montana's fist Territorial Prison, and the biggest tourist attraction there. It is a cool place to visit of you have the time. I'll have some pictures posted either later today, or tomorrow morning. The Prsion tour is a self guided one that takes you all different area's of the Prison. The was a riot in 1950 and they had used a Bazooka to quell the uprising. You can still see damage from the riot and Bazooka today. You can walk into the old cells and believe me they are small and gloomy. The cell block has three floors and the Solitary cells were housed in the basement. We walked into a solitairy cell and it was creepy. I believe the Prison should still be this way. I think if they were like this there would be a lot less crime. I don't believe in the "Country Club" prison of today with CABLE TV, GYM, free health care, College, and more rights than we do. I think prison should be hard and tough, not better living on the inside than on the outside. I so believe you should have many rights when you're in Prison. You lost all your right when you chose to break the law. I think we should still have "Chain Ganges, and hard labor. The Deer Lodge Prison walls, and some buildings inside the wall were contructed with convict labor. I feel we should still use convict labor.
Also at the Prison is "Montana's Galloping Gallows" A portable Gallow system that was hauled to all the counties in Montana for public Hangings after criminals were convicted of their crimes.

A Few More Pictures

2008-09-18T14:17:00.001-07:00

Everyone, here are a few more pictures from my files. Joe

2008-09-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Well The weekend is upon us and the weather is looking great so I hope everyone gets out and enjoys it. Unfortunately I have to work this Saturday, but tonight I plan to grab my camera's and hop on the motorcycle and shoot a few decent pictures around the area. I am posting a few pictures from my travels. I have a lot more and probably post more.

We weekends tend to packed full and this one is no different. After work on Saturday I will be going to Helena to help a friend and his family move back to Deer Lodge in the next few weeks. Last weekend I dropped off a 16' trailer and my other truck so he and his wife could pack all week. We might even take a load over to Deer Lodge and get hime on his way.

My Co-Worker lives in Helena(Yes, She drives back and forth) so, I might travel around the area with her. before returning to Great Falls.

In the next few weeks I would like to get to Kalispell and see some friends up there. While I'm there, you know I gotta stop by and visit Glacier. That's the reason I moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Montana.

Well again, Everyone Have a GREAT WEEKEND. Joe

Construction!!!

2008-09-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

I swear the city and state have in digging up and supposedly fixing Great Falls since I moved here 3 years ago. Now they are digging up infront of where I work and business has been slow for weeks. It's so slow at work that when I we close I feel so tired because I hardly did anything all day that I just want to go home and sleep. I think the City/State should compensate my owner for the lack of Business they are causing. I swear everytime I look out the door and down the street I see guys just standing, or siting around. Joe

2008-09-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Situation in Texas: I can't believe all the people who disobeyed the manditory evacuation in Texas before Ike. If you didn't listen to the Mayor's evacuation order and choose to stay there then you chose to take your own like in your hands and have no one to blame but yourself. You made your bed and don't want to sleep in it now. You should be left on your own. I think the FEMA and the National Guard should worry about the people who DID leave and the utilillies first. If you disobey a manditory order you are sayiing "To Hell With That" and you choose to stay on your own, then you should help your self. If you choose to stay in your house when there is a Huricane barreling down on you, then I have no sympathy for you. and you would not be a priority for me. People who obey the laws and who need help would be first on my list. IF you don't follow the laws, you are relying only on your self. I don't think the State of Texas should be resueing cry babies that couldn't leave with everyone else.