Reflecting Back (double click pics for full size)

Well today is Thursday, September 10 and I’m sitting here warming up. The temp is around 45, better than yesterday’s 26 degrees when our water hose froze. Today we start packing things up to prepare for our trip to Arizona. I went fishing yesterday evening with Ed and caught 2 real nice rainbows, 18 inches, 2+ lbs. The summer sure has flown past here. It seems like it was only a few weeks ago Cindy and I pulled into Bakers Hole campground to start out the summer.

I reflect back over the past 5 months and realize how blessed we have been. We have experienced so many things over the summer. I think of the first time pulling into Bakers Hole and reading the sign “Grizzly Bears Frequent This Area, Store Food And Coolers In Your Vehicle”, we looked at each other and I’m sure the thoughts were the same “what have we’ve gotten into”. I remember waking up to 6 inches of snow on the ground in May, and telling Jimi about it. His reply was “ I thought you went there to get away from the cold”. I remember sitting in the camper and Cindy saying she heard something outside, only to look out and see a half dozen Buffalo walking right past our truck and camper, the excitement of seeing such a large animal walking within a few feet from you is nothing one can describe. The first night we decided to park the truck by the river in hopes of seeing wildlife, only to be rewarded by Cindy spotting a Grizzly in the river. Watching Eagles fly over the campground, sitting by the river listening to nothing but the sound of the Madison River flowing past us, watching newborn “Red Dogs “ buffalo walking in the campground trying to keep up with their mother, nothing like this have we ever experienced before.

The arrival of Rodney and Diana brought us some new friends to be able to share our time with. Working with them cutting firewood and cleaning up the campground to prepare for opening, was one of the most enjoyable times we had at the start. Throughout the summer we have become very goods friends and have spent hours together sightseeing. They will be a couple that will be sorely missed by both Cindy and I when we leave this week.

I think of all the other people we have met here at Lonesomehurst, Wayne & Rae (who taught me all about trout fishing), Bob Stone, (the catch and release guy who fished for the “big Ones”) Kevin & Shelly (Shelly, who took us Huckleberry picking) Kevin who took us fishing, Bill and Kathy, whom we spent hours in the boat fishing together, Ed & Katie, (our summer residents) whom Ed and I only wished we would have started fishing together earlier in the season, Bob & Agnes (we didn’t catch a lot of fish together, but I enjoyed talking to a man that is 85 years old and listening to him share his experiences in life), and all of the other people we met and enjoyed their company. From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank each and every one of you who made our stay a Lonesomehurst an experience that we will never forget.




There is so many of things we have had the opportunity to experience this summer I cannot list them all (nor do I wish to bore you with all of them). We would like to take this last paragraph and thank the person that made all of this possible. From the first phone call I made to her back in November, to the final day that we will say our goodbyes, Vickie Barta has been nothing but the “Perfect Boss”. She has made us feel welcomed from the first time we talked about taking this job to the last time of having us over for a cookout on our final day. How this lady does it is beyond what I can comprehend. She has a family of 3 children to take care of, 5 campgrounds and 13 camp hosts to manage, and she will be the first to pull up her sleeves and start to work. From the first day of cleaning up brush and hauling fire wood, to the last day we were here, she has been non-stop in making our lives and work easier for us. To Vickie we give our most sincere thanks and love for allowing us to enjoy this “workamping experience” and wish her nothing but the best in life.

Aaron & Laura Visit!

Well the summer is winding down and we had our last visitors. Our son Aaron, and his fiancée Laura (yes I typed it right, his fiancé) came to visit this last week. For those of you who haven’t heard, he proposed to her a couple of weeks ago. I’ll have to say he’s defiantly a romantic when it comes to this stuff. Actually he was in New Orleans on business and he had Laura to fly down to spend a few days with him. I’ll let you read his blog so you can get all the details.




We’ve had a great visit with them the past 5 days. They wanted to see some of Yellowstone and do some hiking so our first day in the park we took a hike on a trail called Purple Mountain Trail at Madison Junction, elevation at trailhead 6830ft. The trail was 3 miles up and 3 miles back with an elevation rise of 1500 feet, 8300 ft at the top. It was rated as moderate strenuous and the part of strenuous was correct. The hike took Cindy and I 2 hours to make it to the top (I think Laura could have done it in 1 hour or less). We did appreciate the fact they waited on the old people during the hike. Had it not been for the fact of Laura going ahead and finding the end of the trail, I think the I was ready to call it quits. She came back with great news we were only 15 minutes or less from the top and let me say I’m sure glad we continued on. The view from there was just outstanding.





The next day we done the hike up the Contour Road and climbed to the highest point there, again the view was outstanding and the hike back down took it’s toll on my legs, I actually felt pretty good after the Purple Mt. hike, but the short hike up Contour Road sure did cause me some leg cramps and aches and pain. We went fishing with Kevin and Aaron caught him a nice one. Monday we took a hike to Mystic Falls, beautiful walk and falls. Came back set around the campground and visited. Tuesday morning Aaron and I went fishing and caught a couple of nice ones. Tuesday evening we went out again and had the best evening yet, caught 3 real nice fish within 45 minutes. Came back to the campsite, ate some food and Laura got a call from her dad. Someone had broken into their home early on Sunday morning (along with 4 other homes in the area); thankfully all they took was a couple of computers and some loose change Laura had been saving up. We got up Wednesday morning and headed to the airport for them to head back to Wisconsin. We came back home and I went out fishing with Ed Iverson and we finally caught our first fish together, real nice 18-inch rainbows.

FINALLY, THE KING IS ON THE THRONE !!!

The picture of the berries that you see are the result of Cindy and I picking Huckleberries. Out here in the west huckleberries are the big thing. To me they kind of taste like a blueberry but are smaller in size. The one thing I do know is this, to buy anything with huckleberries in it is very expensive. They say the going rate for a pound of berries is around 40 dollars, yes you read it right, $40. They only grow at altitudes of 6000 ft. so I guess this is why they cost so much. I will say they are very tasty in pancakes and oatmeal. The only thing you have to be careful about when picking them is that YOGI the bear is not close, bears do not appreciate you stealing their berries.

The past few weeks we have pretty much just hung around the campground. We did take a hike (5 miles total) to view Fairy Falls in the park. I suppose it was by chance that we picked one of the hottest days this summer to do this hike and needless to say the heat was no fun. The total hike was 5 miles and we kept asking people on the way back to the falls “ is it worth the walk” and everyone said yes. I guess after seeing Yosemite Falls in California and Multnomah Falls in Oregon, our expectations were too big. The falls was ok and it was refreshing sitting by it, but was it worth the 5 mile hike? Come out and try it and you tell me!

We have continued to catch some nice fish the past week although one has to really go out and find them. The fishing from the shore has slowed tremendously but people are still catching nice ones by trolling or fly-fishing. The picture of the man and myself in the boat was taken when we went out for an evening of fishing. This man is 85 years young and quite the storyteller. I have enjoyed spending numerous trips on the water with him and listening to stories he has to tell. He told me one day to start using his boat so Cindy and I could go fishing so we listened to him and have been doing such.

Now for the BIG NEWS !!!! I have knocked the Queen from the throne!!! Yes you read it right; I have finally caught one bigger than Cindy. I’m quite proud to say I landed one a couple of days ago that weighed in at 3.5 lbs.,(on a cheap Zebco scale. Maybe 4lbs on a digital scale) talk about someone having a s**t eating grin on his face, well I will be the first to tell you I did. Not only was this my biggest catch of the season, the color of the fish was absolutely beautiful. It was a male brown trout and his color was outstanding. Had the fish been 5 lbs. I would have had him mounted and hanging on our living room wall, but instead I chose to have him lying in our freezer. We still have about three more weeks so it is still possible for the KING to lose his seat, but until then I get to claim the biggest. I must also give credit where credit is due and if not for Cindy taking the rod and bringing it closer to the boat so I could net it, I’m not sure I could have done it alone. (No I’m positive I could not have done it by myself) so a big thanks for her in helping me ( TEAMWORK ) Till next time enjoy the pictures and feel free to leave a message.

Tuesday, August 4th, we decided to take a trip up to Red Lodge Montana. The drive up there is by way of “Beartooth Pass”, US Hwy.212 which runs between Red Lodge and Cooke City Montana, (the northeast entrance to the park). The Beartooth Pass is opened from Memorial Day through Labor Day (weather permitting). As one can tell by the pictures taken on this day , the snow was still in abundance up there. The hightest point of elevation on the Pass is just under 11,000 ft., 10,974 to be exact. The one picture taken by me, standing at the edge of the top of a large hole in the ground, with lakes in the bottom, is actually around 200 feet to the bottom. The crazy people that ride snowmobiles up there, actually start sking from a higher spot and go out over the edge and land somewhere between the rim and the bottom.

The highway consist of numerous twist, curves, steep drop offs on the side of the road, and “switchbacks” that seem to last forever. For those of you who are wondering what a “switchback” is, it is noting more than a road that allows you to travel the side of a mountain. You might travel 1 mile east, make a turn, head back west 1 mile, turn and head east 1mile, so on and so on, just to travel ½ mile down the side of the mountain. The entire road between Red Lodge and Cooke City is around 70 miles and one can figure on 2 hours to make the trip, providing you are not caught in a snow storm or high winds at the top of the pass. Yes, I said snow storms in the middle of the summer!! (not uncommon on the top of the Pass.



All in all the road is a “Must See & Do” if you ever get out this way. You will notice I have 2 sets of pictures on the page, Cindy uses her camera and I use mine. Sometimes I like to get the the “edge” of things and look at the scenery from a little different view point, ( which makes Cindy ask “can you get any closer without going over the edge”?. So before you stop looking at both sets because you think they are the same ones, please take the extra time and enjoy the views taken from a safe distance and one's taken from the “just a little closer dear, I’m not going to fall over the edge” view.

Cindy Cleans Her First Fish !

The past week or so things have slowed down a little bit. The campers are not coming in filling the campsites, the fishing has slowed down a bit, you just have to work a little harder to get them. The only thing that we have not seen a slow down in is the pesky little blood suckers. For some reason they still want to hang around. The temperature dropped to the high 30’s the other night and we were hoping it would slow things down, but no such luck. We still are catching some nice fish and after Cindy brought home a few the other night she said she was ready and try her luck at cleaning them. As you can tell by the pictures she done a very good job. I know all you real fishermen want to know what’s with the gloves she has on, well to be honest they sure help in holding on to the fish while cleaning (not because she didn’t want to get her hand smelling like fish.)

The pictures of the water falls were taken in Mesa Falls Park which is located close the “potato seed capital of the world” Ashton, Idaho. The past week we have been enjoying warm days and cool nights, plenty of sunshine, and lots of mosquitoes. Tuesday, the 4th, we are planning a trip with another couple and head up to Beartooth Pass and Red Lodge Montana. The weeks are flying by and we both are amazed at how fast the summer had passed. Until next time I hope all are enjoying the pictures we are posting on line and hope to be able to share some more with you.

Tetons, Connor Reeling Big One, Hoosiers Visit

I think that summer finally has arrived at Lonesomehurst !. Since the 4th of July the temperature has finally hit the 80’s. We’ve actually had some very nice days the past few weeks. The only problem with nice warm weather arriving is that the mosquitoes also have arrived here by the multitudes. I failed to include a few of the pictures that I’m sure you will enjoy. I’m not sure how I forgot to include the one of Connor reeling in his BIG Fish but I did so here they are.

Cindy and I spent of couple of day visiting Yellowstone Lake and some other beautiful places in the park. We also went over to Idaho and visited an area called Mesa Falls. One of the first couples we met here were Rodney and Dianna Gurell. They invited us to take a trip down to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with them. The day turned out to be a perfect day, clear skies, warm temperatures. We spent some time in Jackson Hole and I have forgotten since our first time out there just how many people visit that place. We ate lunch then drove up into the Teton Mountains. I have to say that next to Glacier Park the Tetons are right up there in the top two of my favorite places. The size of the mountains is just unreal and the water in the lakes look like something that is in a swimming pool.

After leaving the Tetons we headed back through the park and visited some other places. I’m totally convinced after the drive through the park that Cindy and I chose the best time to come here back in April. The amount of cars going through the park is amazing. The month of June the park was visited by over 600,000 people, a record for that month. I must say when we finally returned home to our little campground of 27 sites, that I felt that I was “home”. For anyone who might be thinking of coming to Yellowstone I would highly recommend the month of May or early June. People have told us the past week that the line of cars waiting to get into the park extended forever.

We also had the pleasure of spending a day with Tim and Linda Buckley. Tim decided after a number of years of telling Linda that he came out west to hunt, maybe it was time to show her he actually did come out here to hunt. We showed them around the campground and went into town to get something to eat. We gave them a tour around Hebgen Lake and ended up taking them to Earthquake Lake and around Henry’s Lake sightseeing. It was a nice to see some Hoosiers after being here for the past 3 months. A big thank you to Tim and Linda for stopping by.

July 4th weekend

July 4th weekend was a weekend we were not expecting. Randy emailed me at the beginning of the week and asked what I thought about them coming up for the holiday. Needless to say I’m sure that you have already figured out what my answer was. They arrived Thursday evening and we pretty much stayed around the campground. Friday we decided to go into the park and visit Old Faithful. The way into the park we were able to see 3 nice size bull elk and a large group of buffalo. As one would expect Old Faithful was once again faithful and we got to see here erupt. On the way back out we stopped and ate a picnic lunch before coming back to the campground. Randy and the boys wanted to go fishing so we baited up the hooks and walked down to the lake in front of the camper. Grandpa explained to the boys that sometimes fishing is slow and we might only catch one but it is always a nice keeper. Randy and Dylan were fishing and I decided to come into the camper to get something when all of a sudden I heard this yelling outside. Dylan had got one on his pole and was bringing it in. The munchkin ended up bring in a rainbow trout that measured 19 ½ inches. Needless to say grandpa’s day was made when he got it in.

The gentleman I have spoken of before named Wayne offered to let us use his boat so Randy, Connor, Dylan and I decided to go fishing later on in the evening. Now I failed to mentioned the boat we are using is about a 12ft fishing boat, not the bigger yachts that one can walk around on. The weather here can change in a heartbeat so after a small rain shower had passed the skies opened up and we had a fairly decent evening ahead of us( or so we thought). We head out in the boat and I was going to show everyone how we trolled with lures. The water was a little choppy but all in all not too bad. We headed to the larger part of the lake close to the shoreline and was not having much luck. Out of nowhere the skies started turning cloudy and the wind picked up a bit. We turned the boat around and started heading back to the campground when Randy “got one on”. By the time he reeled it in the wind had picked up considerably and the water started getting pretty rough. We pointed the boat to the shore line but needless to say the wind pretty much decided where our final destination was to be. We were greeted by some campers that looked at us like what in the world are we doing out here. I called back to the camper to let Cindy and April know that we were on land, not capsized out in the lake, and to come and pick up the boys. We were only about ½ mile from our campground ( by water) 2 miles by land. Randy and I being the macho men we are decided to wait it out and bring the boat back when the waves stopped looking like the Pacific Ocean. We finally got back on the water and headed to the campground, by then it was back to fishing and just enjoying an evening on the water with my son.





Saturday we took the boys into the Grizzly Center and enjoyed watching the bears and wolves there. We headed back to the camper and took up fishing some more but to have luck stay away from us in catching any. We then talked to Wayne and borrowed his boat once more. This time the water was fairly calm, clear skies, and little wind. The only thing missing on this trip out was Dylan, who decided that after the first adventure he would keep his feet anchored to solid ground. Out on the water Randy, Connor and Grandpa headed. We went to the part of the lake where Cindy and I had a successful trip before (well at least Cindy). I tried to explain to Connor that when trolling sometimes the going is pretty slow and then,” wham” you get a hit. Not too long into finding the hot spot did Connor get one on. The boy done a very fine job in bringing it in, Randy told him ”you hook it you bring it in”. Well he did and the result was a 18 ½ rainbow. There’s no greater joy then watching your grandson land a fish of this size. After putting the prize on the stringer Connor said he was ready for his 2nd one, and that’s just what he did. The next one he hauled in was a 17 ¼ rainbow. Now by this time I starting to feel kind of bad for Randy because Connor was kicking his butt in fishing ( gee,sounds kind of familiar with Cindy and I ). After the wind started picking up a little we decided we would turn around and make one more pass before calling it a day. Now there is nothing more a father wants than for his son to catch a nice size fish after driving 12 hours to get here. I began to think it wasn’t going to happen this time around. I had Randy let a little more line out and I sped the boat up a little to put the lure deeper into the water. Right after making these changes I look back and Randy has one on. The rod he was using was a small light weight so the fight was a little more than a stiffer rod. By the time he brings it in it's a nice rainbow 17inches. If there is anything that puts more of a smile on my face and a bigger tug on my heart than watching Cindy catch a nice one, it is watching my son and grandson bring one in on the same trip out. Way to go guys!!!

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and Sunday morning was the end of another “Making Our Dreams Come True”. Randy and family packed it up and headed back toward Denver leaving Grandpa & Grandma more memories to enjoy in the coming years.