Rendezvous Revisited... A Great Montana Adventure!

I wonder if Starvation Mtn has anything to do with the book Starvation Heights.

Wonderous pics on this great gathering! Thanks for sharing with those of use who couldn't make it :(

Steve, your area is beautiful. Thanks all for posting pictures! Love hearing the stories!

Some of the flowers you didn't see. This am in the garden. Delphs

And Yarrow.

Glad to see you are back home, Steve. We had delphinium envy way before they started to bloom. Love them.

Very pretty. How was your trip, Steve?

Let's hear about your trip, Steve!

Steve, Off topic (sorry), what is the brand/model of your chair? Costco is having a "massage chair event", and I wanted your expert advice. Did you look at the Optima Elite chair?

Also, (last OT question), what wireless dog fence do you recommend for us? Henry is too fast for me. Thanks everyone.

Lynn - be careful with using a wireless fence for a small dog when you're not outside. It makes them vulnerable to predators - the big critter can get in, but the small critter can't get away or hesitates because of the boundary . . .

I never thought of that. Thanks.

How are you doing? I have been thinking of you.

Sharper Image Human Touch Massage Chair Model HT275 is chair name and model.
I agree that the predator can get in but that is rare and the car is common for death. The road is what he needs protection from. Doggie doors protect from the predator. Invisible fence is my favorite. Of course you need to perimeter train Henry over several circumstances. Visiting dogs, driving out the drive way etc.
The road trip was great on the first day sun all the way most beautiful scenery but my butt was very sore after 500 miles to Jasper. The trip after that deteriorates with snow in the morning and a blasting downpour all the way to Prince Rupert. I stopped and dried my clothing every 5 hours at laundries. Next day I got 450 miles and stopped to thaw out in Burns Lake after 11 hours of non-stop rain and wind. Then the rest to Rupert was the same with more and more down-pour. Temps the last 2 days never got over 48F.
The highlight was I saw Deer, Mountain Goats, Fox, Mountain Sheep, Moose, Elk, Coyotes, One Wolf, Porpoises, and many Whales all in 4 days of the trip.

And you didn't stop and visit me on your way north BECAUSE...? (I might have to be in a snit). Is that a tiger eye sumac behind the yarrow? I so NEED a tiger eye sumac.

Beautiful scenery, Steve. Sorry to hear the weather was so lousy. I bet you were frozen!

Carol I went up the west side of the park out of Kalispell. But the joy I had in your beautiful world will allow me to visit probable this summer. My Karen and I need a visit to Calgary for a long weekend when I am home in Aug or Sept. Dates to visit will follow! I always think of you when entering Baniff from Radium. I just am always headed North and as of yet not south to your beautiful city.
I just bought a sail boat to live in when in Alaska so I also will be sailing a lot this summer. Can't wait to pour tons of money in this baby. LOL

A fine craft indeed!

I did not have actual boat pictures so this is the real thing.

As opposed to pics of a fake boat?

Looks very seaworthy and snug - enjoy.

Very neglected and needs a lot of "brightwork" IE Teak shine and sanding, deck clean up and minor details for sailing. All running rigging sails etc need cleaning up. The guy never had courage to sail in AK waters. The original owner brought it from England so I would say its seaworthy.

She is very cool. What are you going to name her?

Congrats on the new boat, Steve.

I'm all for invisible fencing to protect dogs from cars.

Not all breeds respond the same to it, however. For example, for sighthounds who are very impulsive, what often happens is that they run through it, get shocked, and then are afraid to come back in and get shocked again.

Where Lynn is has lots of wildlife. I could see a raccoon threatening Henry and Henry feeling trapped because he couldn't run outside the fence line. Sure, if he has a dog door or if Lynn is there, then he'd be able to go outside. That is what I was telling Lynn.

Any dog with impulse control issues (sighthounds, puppies) needs extra training and observation. I have neighbors who put a 15 week old puppy out with an invisible fence unmonitored. They live on a road with a speed limit of 25, but people routinely go 40 on the road. He ran through the fence and was killed before too long. :-(

I subsequently found their next puppy outside the fence a few months later. Told myself that if I found him outside a second time I'd just take him home.

This message was edited Jul 16, 2010 10:05 PM

Amen Kath. I have a 9' critter fence with a gate that the dogs get out so it was easy to train the kids to our 3 acres. You are right about sight hounds etc. Bichons on the other hand should be trustworthy in 6 months of training. The pet door is to get in the house away from the predator.

That would be devastating. We don't want him to be able to come and go as he pleases. He needs to learn the rules and boundaries, but I do not want it to be a hard lesson learned (like the cow elk incident).

Nice boat, Steve. That is way too cool.

Great Vessel Capt! Need a deckhand?Cook? Cheap entertainment?

Well I am planning on setting up a "Cancan" stage and have the "guys" come over for cards and a cold beer. LOL Anytime I am there anyone can come up and cram 2 bodies in the forecastle.

Steve, Sounds like your bike trip was more greuling than enjoyable, but I am sure it was an adventure that you won't forget. 400 + miles in a day is a lot of saddle time, even without adding bad weather. Glad you made it home safely!

Your boat is fantastic! The work will make it truely "yours", and I know that it will bring you great joy in your downtime when you are in Alaska! Congrats!

I am drooling over that boat. I can just picture her in the beautiful Alaskan scenery...