We Are Back

Sunday morning we headed out for Georgetown Lake.  The lake sits at about 7000 feet elevation and we were hoping for cooler weather which we did get.  Most of all we were looking forward to spending time with friends Jane and Rich from Wyoming.  They had spent the past week in Wallace, Idaho biking the Hiawatha Trail and were going to meet us at Georgetown.

We arrived at the lake about 12pm and quickly located a spot—with a view of the lake.  A few hours later Jane and Rich along with the pooches Hunter and Stubby arrived.  They call their dogs “special needs” dogs—Hunter has severe separation anxiety and Stubby is blind—they are both the sweetest dogs and tolerate Emmi quite well. 

Jane and Rich worked at the Powell, WY hospital where I also worked before marrying Michael.  I taught Jane how to be an operating room nurse.  When I became divorced Jane and Rich took me under their wing and into their family.  I’m not very tolerant of children but loved Jane and Rich’s two—even with Elizabeth teasing me constantly about my southern “ya’ll.”  Their son Jonathan was a very talented musician and at his death ten years ago was attending a prestigious music school in Denver.  I loved listening to him play the saxophone—he was so good!!  Years have passed, we talk and see each other less frequently but when we do get together, it’s as if we were together just yesterday. 

Jane and Rich’s rig.

We had an awesome visit spending lots of time just talking.  We did get in some kayaking and yesterday after Jane and Rich pulled out we took a jeep ride.  Our plans were to stay until Friday but yesterday the forest fire smoke rolled in and the atmosphere became almost unbearable.  You could smell the smoke in the air and it was thick enough to make your eyes burn. 

Sunday night when we were all sitting outside just after dark Michael heard the noise first, a noticeable rustling in the trees across the road from our campsite and said, “what’s that, is that a bear??”  No, but it was a moose heading to the lake.  The next day a young woman with children came walking past our campsite and just as quickly returned saying, “there’s a moose and a baby right up there!”  How cool is that!!!  And the pair continued to show themselves—while out kayaking Michael and I saw them enter the lake to munch on reeds growing at the shoreline.

 These photos are fuzzy, taken with smaller camera, zoomed too far and in a rocking kayak!

The haziness is caused from forest fire smoke.

Early this morning we left Georgetown Lake pointing the pink bus with attached yellow jeep toward home hoping the smoke would dissipate when we got over on our side of the divide.  Nope, not happening.  Everywhere you look in Montana there seems to be a forest fire, our mountains are almost obscured by smoke and the smell of fire is in the air. 

We stopped at the Bozeman Costco for some produce getting home just around 1pm.  Michael got in high gear and unloaded most of the motorhome while I made lunch.  We are now relaxing, catching up on computer stuff and enjoying being home.