It's snowing!

Here I am up in Robie Creek dog/house-sitting.  Just as I do every year for Thanksgiving time.  I thoroughly enjoy this.  Staying here up in the mountains.  And it is snowing!  I love snow and there is something magical about heavy soft accumulating snowfall.  It makes me feel at peace, inside and out.

This is the first year in many that I can recall that I had to work on Thanksgiving.  Generally, working on holidays does not bother me much.  I do not visit my family or have one of my own (via blood/marriage) in this area.  So missing a holiday for work is like any other day for me.  Except Thanksgiving.  I have a tradition.  I take the dogs out for a nice hike that overlooks Boise, coffee in hand, then hang out with dogs at home.  Clean home.  Go for another hike.  Then go over to a friend's house up here in Robie for dinner.  It is a tradition that I enjoy.  And this year, even now, after the holiday is over, I am frustrated by my lack of doing that.  Yes, I could have taken the day off, but then I would miss the benefits of the holiday.

Even now, almost five months after my work schedule was changed on me, I get irritated when I think about it.  I am still frustrated by the entire situation.  I know it is what it is.  I cannot change it.  Believe me, I have tried and there were severe consequences.  I can slough off a lot, but somehow I am not able to slough it off.  I was doing well, until I missed Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, mine was not typical.  I worked the entire day.  A friend stopped by and dropped off food for me, as well as spare food to last me another meal.  I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am to her for bringing that food to me.  I did not bring any food to work.  So I was getting hangry.  Very hangry.  I do not live in my jurisdiction, so going home to eat, was not an option.  By the time I got home, it was dark and I was tired.  I needed to save the extra food for work the next day.  So I made a turkey patty with cheese and avocado.  Yup.  That was my Thanksgiving.  Today, Sunday, I got leftovers from two other neighbors up here that I visited.  That, my friends, is the spirit of Thanksgiving.  My envy at seeing everyone's Thanksgiving Day meals and all their leftovers posted all over social media has dulled.  I am better than that.  But I am also human and prone to human emotions, including undesirable ones like petty envy.

I am currently re-watching House of Cards.  The first time I watched it, I enjoyed it.  Now I am having a hard time tolerating it.  Watching the brutality of humanity.  I am tired of it.  I know the general idea of Paradise here on earth is non-existent.  My Paradise is hiking in the mountains without any sign of humanity in sight.  Why can't the world be a happier place?  Be more at peace with itself?  Although, I wholly admit, I have a girl crush on Robin Wright.  Fucking amazing actress.

But back to happiness.  I have been working very hard on myself, especially since August.  And I think I have made great strides.  I also have set goals.  There are many frustrations that I have encountered and continue to encounter.  Some of those things, I do not have control over.  But I do have control of myself.  And how I react.  I remind myself of that constantly.  Every day is a new day.  And every day I have choices.  Sometimes they are the wise and/or correct ones.  Sometimes they suck and are the poorer ones.  The important part is the takeaway from them.  Am I constantly making the same errors, or am I learning?  Mostly learning.  Sometimes fucking up.  One of the hardest things I had to overcome was my feeling of lack of value at my work place.  The feeling of being worthless.  The part that helped me the most?  I know I have value as a leader and respected by others in every other aspect of my life: my volunteer work, my other jobs, my friends, my community, etc.  So maybe it is not me and my lack of value but other factors at play at my work place.  And once again, I have no control over that.  I have control of myself.  So when I tell myself I have value and I am a leader, I know this to be true.  And that makes me happy.  Being the overachiever I am, I also read a few books, listened to some books on tape and watched speakers/TED talks.  They helped:

• Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• Dare to Lead, Brene Brown
• The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown
• The Call to Courage (Netflix), Brene Brown
• Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit

You know what has helped me greatly over these last few months?  When I questioned my value.  My life decisions.  My self esteem as my weight began to increase.  When all the months of hard work of eating right and working out began to wear away.  I worked on a chainsaw.  Every week I went out and cut trees.  I'd buck and limb them.  Sometimes it was overwhelming looking at all the work that needed to be done to finish the task.  Sometimes it was frustrating that my mind would not clear and I could not find my zen.  Sometimes it was beautiful to stand back and see the work that I accomplished.  This was my place.  My task.  My project.  Sometimes other would come help.  But the goal was the same- cut trees, clear the area.  This was mine.  Granted, not my land, and sometimes, not my saw.  But I saw it as mine.  This was something tangible that I could look at, see a vision, work on and improve.  And my pride in my work grew.  In all honesty, I usually enjoyed working by myself, with the occasional homeowner assistance, but my zen zone was just me.  The saw.  The tree.  And thinking it through.  That farm has kept me sane and contributed to my happiness.  When I think of my future here in this area, it includes the farm.  Maybe someday I will have my tiny home and one-ton diesel truck to move it and transport my saw collection from site to site.  Someday I will work the land.  Away from the dregs of humanity.  Away from the criminal justice system.  And be in my zen zone.

 

Another Op, another Void

It has been far too long since I last posted on here.  I'm not sorry for it.

 

I felt the need to put into words what I feel.  But first, a prologue.  This post is related to the one I posted after my return from Op Hard Hustle, with my most favourite group of volunteers, Team Rubicon.

It has been almost 3 weeks since I returned from my latest deployment, Op Kickback.  And I noticed that my recovery from this Op is similar in many ways, but also very different.

I suppose I am taking a risk in putting these words here.  Who will read them?  Will there be repercussions?  Judgement?  I do not know.  What I do know is that I need to sort through my current thoughts.

I will not talk about the Op other than it was wonderful and amazing and I had such a fantastic experience and met people I truly love and care for.  People that accepted me for me.  The foul-mouthed, dirty-minded, crass asshole that I am.  I did not have to hide any part of who I am.  I was among family.  People that were not put off by me.  People that could rise to the challenge and stand up to me.  People mentally and physically strong enough to be my friends and worthy of being called family.  

And then I come home.  Coming home is often the hard part.  To go from the high of being with people you like and care about.  Doing something selflessly.  The constant excitement.  Every day is a different and new day.  Another day spent with friends.  Another day learning and exacting a new skill.  My newly(ish) skills are working with chainsaws.  Boy howdy!  I have found my new passion  Truly.  I have plans.  A future.  And it involves sawyer shit.  Manual labor.  Outdoors.

Post deployment blues.  They are a real thing.  Granted, nothing like a service-member's months, if not years, long deployment.  But it is still a thing.  And, unfortunately, I am stuck in it.  Fuck.  I admittedly did not really understand Depression much.  I mean, life is a beautiful thing.  Why be sad about it?  I know it is real and a mental illness and so much more than merely being sad.  I just never really experienced it before.  Till now.  I think.

After every deployment I have had, I felt that void of being alone and being back in my mundane life.  That is normal.  But this void?  Fuck dude.  I cannot shake it.  This is getting to be ridiculous.  I never knew this level of alone ever existed.  Shit.  It is like standing in a crowd, surrounded by people moving all around you, yet you do not feel like you exist.  The crowd keeps moving around you, like a river flowing around a rock.  Sometimes you are fine.  Sometimes this feeling of utter despair washes over you.  The meaning of your existence comes into question.  Now, do not confuse this with suicidal ideations.  That is not what I am talking about.  I am talking about the course your life has taken.  Is going.  And why?  Why continue down that path?  Was it the right path?  What if it was the wrong path?  How do you correct your course?  What if you are lost?  Where do you get help to correct the course?  Do you stand and wait or take action? And so on and so forth.  I love life and plan to continue it for a long time.  My life has simply hit a foggy patch and I have no light or guidance to get out of it.

I should mention that upon me arriving home, I went to work literally 12h later.  Received news at work that big things were happening and changing that directly impacted me.  And received more news that a close friend of mine had been in crisis and is happily still here with us.  But I was not there to help that friend.  I felt that inescapable feeling of failure.  Failure to help my friend.  Failure to be a good friend.  Failure to be the kind of friend that I prided myself on being.  So, now not only was I feeling utterly and despondently alone, I was having an existential crisis as to the direction my life was going in terms of my career and now I am a failure as a friend.  Yup.  A pretty great trifecta.

Oh, and did I mention the completely and utterly feeling of being alone in the world?  Back in a world with no intimate human contact.  Back in a world of being single.  Back in a world of using my filter.  Covering up who I am.  Somehow this time, this deployment, I cannot shake these feelings.

I have gone out and done things I enjoy.  But they feel lackluster.  I have set goals.  I have set a budget to get on track of my life goals.  I have researched things pertaining to life goals.  I have applied to TR leadership.  I have attended TR events.  I have made travel plans to see important people.  I have reached out to people, but cannot seem to tell them how I truly feel.  Instead, I tell them I am fine.  Or vent briefly, but barely scrape the surface.  Feelings are weakness, right?  Crying?  Oh hell no.  I am me.  A strong, salty asshole.  I hide those things.  I use tough words and bravado.  Not cry.  Not sit and stare aimlessly.  I sometimes just sit and cry by myself.  I find myself resenting people around me.  I have friends here, at home.  Yet I feel bitterly alone.  I am moody.  Grumpy.  And this is not what I want.  I want to feel whole.  Fuck dude.  This sucks.  

My new supervisor and I had a good discussion.  In that session I was told that I am in control of my happiness.  And this is true.  And I remind myself of it multiple times a day.  I have a plan of action.  And part of that plan is admitting I need help.  At this point, I am past the point of helping myself successfully.  I think to my future and it scares me.  The unknown.  When you have done something for so long.  You define yourself by it.  The order of it.  The known and knowledge of it.  What if you chose wrong?  What if it was a different path you were to take?  Is it better to be safe and stay on the path or veer off and try a different one, even if that means complete redefinition of self?

And to answer your questions, yes, I will be fine.  This is another stage in life.  It, too, will be overcome.  Or absorbed.  Another experience in my life.  One I will learn from.  But for now. I keep the void at bay.  In my bubble of loneliness.  Sometimes that bubble pops.  And the void creeps in.  I have a plan.  I am working hard to keep on track of it.  The goal is set.  I will strive for it.  Till then, a lot more hard work and (potential) unhappiness will occur.  But keeping the void at bay.  That is the true challenge.  I will see my TR friends again.  We will attempt to keep in contact.  Maybe I may even tell them about the void.  Probably not.  But hearing their voices and reading their words helps.  I'm not done yet.  I have so many plans for TR.  So many goals.  And dammit, I will accomplish them.  I will set those goals and smash them.  And repeat.  Over and over.  I find setting and going for those goals help keep the void at bay.  Must stay busy.

/end rant

 

Goals, Dreams and Life

Today at work I cried.  I sat in my truck and tears rolled down my cheeks.  I find it hard to accept crying as an expression of emotion and communication.  I tend to revert to the thought process that crying is weak.  That "girls" do it.  Yes, "girls".  Shameful thought, I know and one I continuously work on.  But I cried.  No sound.  Just tears.  Wallowing in my unappreciated self.  Hoping no one notices.

Let me back up.  I love what I do.  I enjoy helping others.  Knowing I am making a positive difference in the world.  I want to also emphasize that I love my life.  I am mostly happy with it most of the time.  And would never consider self harm.  I am not prone to depression or living in a victim story or embracing negativity in my life.  I love myself.  I think I am an amazing person.  I work hard to lift myself up and maintain a positive outlook on life.  And I usually accomplish this...unless I am at my primary job.

Somehow, over the years, things have changed.  As they do over time.  I used to feel as if I was a part of something.  As if I belonged.  And appreciated.  Albeit, the expression of appreciation was not overly common, but it was there in action and sense of belonging.  The sense of belonging made me feel so good about myself, about my work and about where I worked.  It helped carry me through the times that were less stellar.  Times that were rough.

That has changed.  I do not feel like I am a part of the "family", but instead an outsider.  My department has always been the black sheep.  We know this.  Everyone else knows this.  But it was a tolerated black sheep that served a purpose and was listened to.  Now I feel like this black sheep is almost resented.  Sharp harsh words are directed our way.  Words and actions of affirmation have gone away.  Looks of...disdain?  reluctance?  frustration? now precede my presence.  It is most certainly felt by the black sheep.  Things have changed.  I feel that I am now a burden and tolerated.  And it hurts.  How do you work hard and persevere when your work is seen as tolerated?  When your voice is no longer heard nor desired to be heard?  When the work you do is undermined, questioned, not understood and continues to heap up with no end or help in sight?  When you then become the scapegoat.  The "you should be happy you simply have a job" person.  The "no one would miss you if you were gone and don't expect help from us" person.  *sigh*

I love what I do.  I make a difference in the world.  I just missing feeling like I mean something at my job.

I spend a lot of time in my fantasy world of future goals.  Planning.  Organising.  Hoping.  Wishing.  I work two jobs to make ends meet.  Which means I work many hours in a week and am often tired.  My health has suffered as a result of this.  I have gained weight.  Lost definition.  Was lost for a while myself.  I am working to change that.  My life is becoming more organised.  Planned.  In control.  My social life has utterly disappeared, but now I have a plan to be healthier.  Gain back what I have lost.  Someday, I will have time for myself.  Until then, I work hard to get as much out of debt and achieve my goals as possible.

Wanna know my goal?  I want to live on wheels.  Be off grid as much as possible.  Debt free.  A nomad.  I want nothing to hold me down to a place.  Free to come and go as I please.

The base for my home on wheels?  LMTV 4x4.  Currently they come in the M1078 (truck bed) and M1079 (cargo box end).  I had the pleasure of driving the M1078 that a friend of mine owns.  I fell in love with it.  Cab over design military vehicle that you can get for cheap on government auction sites.  The more I research them, the more I realise purchasing a vehicle that has been refurbished may be a better idea for me.  Sourcing parts, people to work on the vehicle and my general lack of mechanical knowledge puts me at a disadvantage.  I have been doing research on the vehicles and found the various resources:

Wiki article on LMTVs

Blue lmtv build on ExPo --> now at Grigsby trucks (Bend, OR) --> original build webpage
LMTV Expedition Build page
Another build page on ExPo
Brutus: Overland Bound, Adventure Driven page
Trucky McTruckface build page on Expo --> for sale page
Outside Magazine article on M1079 camper build
Steel Soldiers forum on LMTV/FMTVs
Detailed rebuild page of an LTMV --> for sale page
BlissMobil build page

FMTV sales (Belgrade, MT)

Acela trucks (totally refurbished LMTVs) (Belgrade, MT)
Midwest Military Equipment (Washington, MO)

Camper build ideas for LMTV on ExPo
Camper builder options
Global Expedition Vehicles- LMTV camper box
Total Composites ($2,000 up front reservation fee toward entry level $10,000 build)
Selecting the off road camper base

I inquired to both Grigsby and Acela.  Here is Grigsby's answer to the blue LMTV:

Mel,

Good morning! Sorry for the delay, high demand on trucks right now and busy in the shop so we overlooked your email:

1. Cost of Blue Truck - $57,000 as-is, $65,000 with high-speed-gears, rear locker and new-old-stock Goodyear MVT tires for higher speed rating. We have not added an A/C unit to the cab but we can definitely do that.

2. Addressing common troubleshooting points like oil leaks: We upgrade key lines known for issue, such as the high pressure oil line which is prone to leak and disconnect.

3. In addition to the blue truck, we have multiple 4x4 stock trucks available for recondition, along with a 6x6. We have a standard reconditioning process for these trucks. Some example pricing starting with a stock 4x4 we source: 

- With Mechanical, Electrical, Chassis and Operations (MECO) Inspection, Mechanical Reconditioning, GTC Standard Mechanical Upgrades and Service, (5) New-Old Stock Goodyear MVT Tires - $40,000

- Add highway gearing plus one rear locker for $7,000 *Note - gears are in short supply, if you want a truck with them that option may or may not be around. We have a very limited supply.

- Add Cabin A/C for approximately $6,000 

- Add Sound deadening, thermal barrier, and vibration dampening to cab approximately $3,000

- Body work, paint, interior cab upgrades, and chassis accessories are all custom work priced as time and material. 

We are not doing habitation boxes in our shop but we can work with any of the manufacturers that are outfitting trucks and point you in their direction if you decide to work with us. Prices on habitation boxes range from approximately $35,000 for a DIY panel kit, to $80,000 for a custom pre-made box, to $200-800,000 from premium and highly custom manufacturers. The timeline on these camper options is subject to the demand on various manufacturers. Basically, the more expensive the box, the farther out the timeline for completion. We are seeing ranges from 9 months to 15 months that clients are waiting in cue after down payment for a box delivery.   

Estimates are variable and change slightly with adjustments in parts supply and stock truck pricing. We can get a truck in the queue within 2-4 weeks after receipt of order (ARO). So if we started a truck for you on October 1st, we would push to have it complete by May 1st if we are running on a 30 week project schedule. All Grigsby Truck Company build specifications are executed using a Master Service Agreement (MSA) paired with Scopes of Work (SOWs) for each build phase, both of which must be signed off on by the customer to lock in any pricing. 

Look forward to continuing the conversation on this project. 

Best Regards,

Lauren Grigsby

Grigsby Truck Company

541.306.6140

lauren@grigsbytrucks.com

Acela sent me some brochures (which were very helpful) and answered some questions of mine.  The 4x4 Monterra starts at $95,000 and goes up depending on what I want added to it.  I could not attach the price list since it is a pdf.  Here arew screen shots of the pricing brochure:

180906

If I went basic LMTV M1078, I prefer the A0 engine versus the A1 engine (1999 and later models).  Here is a detailed description of the differences of the various models: A0 vs A1 variants.

Goals.  Thus I am between Acela, FMTV sales and Grigsby.  And it looks like around $100,000 to $150,000.  Yowch.  Life goals are not easy to come by.  Someday.  It may take time.  First things first.  Get the truck.  Add a camper bare bones.  Then retrofit it over time.  Just gotta get the four season camper box so life is not utterly miserable when slept in.  I cannot wait.  Someday it will happen.  The sooner the better simply because I want to get out of town, signs of humanity, noise, traffic and so on and get into the mountains and quiet and peace.

More planning

Took Charlie to his first day of doggy day care.  He had a try out day yesterday.  And passed!  Yay!  My fur kid passed!  Proud parent right here.  It was hilarious when Wife showed up and the staff just assumed we are  a couple.  Tehehehe.  We love fucking with people.  It's great.  We call ourselves the suspiciously lesbian couple of the neighborhood.  Our 80yr old retired CHP neighbor said he's Mormon and basically does not give a shit how people live their lives as long as they are good contributing members of society.  Yeah!  I agreed!

Bought the following items for the Subie to get it where I want it:

• Raingler full ceiling net webbing
• Rocky Mounts switch hitter roof bike rack fork mount (in blue!)
• Seat covers for front and back

Right now I am heavily debating how I am going to have two recovery points in the front end.  I do not like the Cusco mount.  I think it is hella over priced and it misses out on the driver side for a recovery point.  I was thinking of getting the Primitive Racing front winch mount, but not getting the winch and somehow having someone fab up recovery points on either side of it.  Cutting holes in the stock bumper to make room for them.

 

Description of the product from their website:

Primitive OB Winch & Mount

Model Outback hidden

• Replaces front bumper beam.
• Made from rugged 3/16" steel plate.  
• Bolts directly to the frame of the car.
• Hides up to a 4500lb Winch behind bumper skin.
• Fits 2015-2017 Outback 25i (confirmed).
• Choose to buy Mount, Winch or Both (recommended).

I have not found much in the way of front recovery points for the Subaru Outback.  Or Subarus in general.  A challenge!  Love me a challenge!

At least I have the tires.  The was the worst part.  My mpg's have not lost a lot from them.  Down about 3mpg.  But when you consider I was basically getting 10-12 mpg in the Jeep, 26mpg is hella exciting, even if it is at the low end for a Subie.  :-)

I am trying so hard to keep the Subie as aerodynamic as possible.  Hence not putting a roof rack or basket up there unless I actually need to use them.  Spare stuff will go in the Subie.  I am hoping with the ceiling cargo net, that will help with storage stuff.

I priced out trailer hitches.  The one that does not lose you the most clearance in the back is, of course, the most expensive.  Hellaciously so.  EcoHitch Class III (2") is $293!!  Fuck balls.  And it looks like a PITA to install.  That project may have to wait.  But without front or rear recovery points, I am not going to wheel anywhere hard or somewhat hard solo.  

Also considering getting my HAM radio operator's license.  Guess I may have to get a CB radio.  I very rarely used the one I had in the Xterra or Jeep, so I am having a hard time justifying that purchase.  Maybe it can be a last minute install before my planned Canada trip next year?

Found some more threads on the Dempster Highway on ExPo forum:

Dempster vs Dalton Hwy

The Road chose me- Dempster Hwy

Planning from other people- 1

Average weather for Inuvik, NWT.  Since it is near the Arctic Circle, they also have polar sun influence.  Quote from website:

Temperature

The warm season lasts for 3.2 months, from May 29 to September 4, with an average daily high temperature above 53°F. The hottest day of the year is July 5, with an average high of 69°F and low of 50°F.

The cold season lasts for 4.6 months, from November 9 to March 28, with an average daily high temperature below 7°F. The coldest day of the year is January 21, with an average low of -20°F and high of -8°F.

Sun

Due to its extreme latitude, Inuvik experiences polar day (also known as the midnight Sun) during the summer and polar night during the winter. These are periods of time in which the sun is continuously above or below the horizon for more than one day. The precise start and end dates of polar day and night vary from year to year and depend on the precise location and elevation of the observer, and the local topography.

In the summer in Inuvik during 2018, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 1.9 months, rising at 3:00 AM on May 24, and not setting again until 2:31 AM on July 20.

In the winter in Inuvik during 2018, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 1.0 months, setting at 1:57 PM on December 5, and not rising again until 1:45 PM on January 6.

Some very good advice regarding purchasing gas along the route from a fellow ExPo member:

"A detail I overlooked when I did the trip was variation in fuel price. Don't fill up at the most convenient service station. Keep an eye out for AFD Cardlock fuel stations while in YT and Northern BC. Their prices tend to be much better than the "in town" or big name service stations. The stations are unmanned and you pay at the pump or kiosk with your credit/debit card. Bring fuel cans and fill up at the one at the junction of the Klondike and Dempster highways so you don't have to get ripped off at Eagle Plains.

Same goes for Inuvik. Bypass the esso/chevron, and hit up the cardlock right around from Stanton's grocery as you head out towards Tuk. The savings add up."

Wagon of Doom 2015 Subie build thread.  It is a bit overkill for what I want, but there is decent info in there from someone who has torn apart his 2015 outback and rebuilt lots of stuff.

New Goals and New Adventures!

Yeah yeah, I know.  It's been November since I last posted.  Yup.  Long time.  Lots happened.

• Wife bought a house and we moved in together.
• Traveled to Italy with Mom and sis over New Years and first week of Jan.
• Got a second job part time.  Work ~60h/week.  But at least finally financially somewhat stable AND helping a friend with her business.  Win win!
• Traded in Jeep for 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i base model in my fav color!  Monthly payments are less, I get 450-500mi/tank and it is an automatic AND I can sleep fully stretched out in the back.  Doubly win!
• Had a GRT male friend come visit in Jan.  Had wonderful sexy time in Bruneau state park and explored mountains.  Then we went to Colorado and explored (sort of) Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park.  Learned that I am better off single and men who lie to impress are highly disappointing people.
• Ummmm, hmmmm, weak ass winter in Idaho.  Not much snow.
• Did a snowshoe backpacking trip to a yurt in Magic Mountain area with friends.  Hella fun!

I cannot remember it all now.  Those are the highlights.  More adventures to come!

 

Lately I have been dreaming of a new adventure.  One I cannot get my mind off of and is more achievable than my Mongol Rally dream (some day!!!).  Now that I have a vehicle that I can truly adventure and overland in, I feel that traveling farther distances is a viable option.  The key is to modify the vehicle in a way that will not destroy its effective gas mileage, yet make it durable on hard drives.

 

Tuktoyaktuk, NWT.  

I have been dreaming of this place.  And its connection to the Arctic Ocean.  I recently found out that there is now a permanent road from Inuvik to Tuk rather than just the ice road in the winter.  Here are a variety of Youtube videos on Tuk:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tuktoyaktuk

And inspirational blogs about people's trips on the Dempster Highway or in the Arctic Circle area.

Lotus to Arctic Circle

BMW M-series to Inuvik

ExPo trip 1

Official Tuk webpage

NWT page for Tuk

Tuk calendar of events

I am also in a Facebook group for women who overland and they have shared their experiences with me as well.  Here are some of their blogs from traveling in Canada:

Loud and Slow

Loud and Slow IG

Slow Car, Fast House

If I type in Boise, ID to Tuk, Google Maps shows me three different routes: https://goo.gl/maps/SvUVJDdb32S2

Of course, I would stop and hike and explore along the way.  Much more research will need to be done.  Without those side explorations, the trip is ~2,500+ miles.  Yeesh!  That is one way.  Mmmhmm, yup, much modifying will need to be done to the Subie.

Random pics of adventures I neglected to post about:

More to come as I plan out Subie's future.  This post will be a work in progress.

Visiting MN- in Nov

Wow, it has been almost two months since my last post.  Yeesh.  So much has happened.  I actually wrote a post in November of my trip out to MN but never got a chance to publish it.  So.  Here it is.  I will write something else as an update in a few more days.

This past week I went to visit my mother in MN.  We planned to go explore the North Shore area since I had never been there before and make an adventure out of it all.  My check in luggage was a MASSIVE duffel since I had to fit 2 pairs of snowshoes, snow gear, trekking poles and winter boots in it.  My friends called it the body bag it was so large, haha!

Of course, after I landed I had to stop at REI since that store is my happy place.  Someday I will get my Grivel G1 SA+ ice axe or the Black Diamond Raven Pro ice axe.  Someday…

Till then, I will keep admiring them and wishing I had one.  I looked at mountaineering shoes and hell those are expensive!!!  Somehow I seem to find the more expensive outdoor hobbies, haha!  Minnesota was cold.  Of course.  But coming from Boise, it was COLD.

 

This is the map of the general route we took: https://goo.gl/maps/dvQVFGbuYJC2

Our first destination was Jay Cooke State Park.  This park had been utterly destroyed by the floods in 2012.  A dyke broke and water cut the park in half and swept the foot bridge over the St Louis River off its moorings.  It took over a year to repair and reopen the bridge.  The day was frigid.  Maaaybe 12F if we were lucky.  With a negative degree wind chill.  Luckily we hiked through the woods and were mostly protected from the brunt of the wind.  Mom wore her blaze orange sweatshirt.  I was impressed by her.  We hiked roughly 3mi in the cold.  We had the park to ourselves.  Not enough snow for the snowshoes, but deep enough.  My thighs were pretty cold, even with two layers of pants on.

 

 

We spent the night at the Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast (https://lighthousebb.org/) in Two Harbors, MN.  And WOW!  What an amazing place!  It is run by the local Historical Society and is still an active lighthouse.  Built in 1891.  Sold in 1970 to Two Harbors/Lake County Historical Society (https://www.lakecountyhistoricalsociety.org/).  Updated into a B&B in 1998.  So cool!  We got to go up to where the light is located and look out the port holes overlooking Lake Superior.  The entire place was renovated to classic parlor early 1900s style.  We had the entire place to ourselves, so we spent the evening hanging out in the parlor.  Our room overlooked the harbor which had the massive iron ore

 

For more info on the history of the Lighthouse, here is the link: https://lighthousebb.org/lighthouse-history I think it is so cool that local volunteers come in 2x/mo to check on the bulbs of the lighthouse and make sure it is functioning optimally.  The US Coast Guard turned over management rights of the lighthouse to Two Harbors in 2001.

 

It snowed on and off.  In the am it was near whiteout flurries for a bit.  We saw deer all over the area at the property.  Quite tame-ish.  Apparently there were once about 40 resident deer at Two Harbors and they had to take action to attempt to lower those populations.  (I am guessing via hunting and/or trapping/relocation).  We then went to Split Rock Lighthouse State park.  The buildings were not open yet, so we hiked toward Corundrum Point using the new book we purchased as a guide (https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-North-Shore-Minnesotas-Spectacular/dp/0979467527) .  Unfortunately, the guide did not match what the trail actually did.  We went down stairs at a boardwalk toward the shore.  Mom was apprehensive about having to climb back up but we found there was a bypass if we came back that way.  We ended up not getting to the point but on the south side if the point at Corundrum Mine which did not have an overly impressive view.  We turned back and took an alternate route back.  What was meant to be 3.7mi was most likely becoming a longer hike than planned.  Mom’s feet were hurting greatly.  I eventually got her to stop at a rest stop along the Gitchi-Gami paved trail (http://www.ggta.org/) that follows Hwy 61.  I then ran back to the truck and picked her up.  We decided to continue on to Grand Portage and skip the other hikes we had planned to give Mom’s feet some rest.

 

Along the drive we saw a bald eagle alongside the road eating deer carrion.  And then a juvenile bald eagle being harassed by crows.  Numerous deer.  A red fox greeted us at Grand Portage at the parking lot.  It circled the truck and sat outside the door.  *sigh* I wish people would not feed wildlife.  This behavior may be cute, but it is not natural and puts the animal in danger, as well as people.  We took the short trail to lower falls on the Pigeon River.  The north shore of this river is in Canada.  It was cold outside, but the views were amazing!  The weather has caused the waterfall to freeze in many spots and have giant ice flows and sheets on the river down flow.

 

We crossed the border here into Ontario, Canada.  The Border Agent wanted to know why we were going to Canada.  I told him so that I could saw I went to Canada.  He smiled, gave us our passports back and let us on our way.  Thunder Bay, from what I saw of it after the sun set, it nothing to rave about.  A standard industrial city with not much else.  Boring hotel.  Boring city.  It snowed that night.  Yay, no frost!!  We decided to go to Kakabeka Falls (https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/kakabekafalls) and explore those.  It was Veterans Day in the US and Remembrance Day in Canada.  The boardwalk was slippery, but the fresh snow helped for traction.  These falls were not quite a horseshoe shape.  You could cross a bridge to see the other side.  River depth was fairly shallow.  Falls in the winter are so majestic.  We planned to go explore Fort William Park, but I missed the turn so we decided to go back to the US and hit up the other state parks we missed the day before.

 

 

 

First park was Judge CR Magney State Park (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/judge_cr_magney/index.html).  This man helped create many state parks in Minnesota.  So naming a park after him is very apt.  We hiked the Devil’s Kettle waterfalls trail.  Holy balls!  For a roughly 2.3mi round trip, over half of it was either solid ice at an incline/decline or stairs.  The guidebook did warn there were 177 stairs down to the falls.  I was worried about Mom on the stairs.  She managed to get down to where you can get to the overflow base of the kettle falls part, but was uncomfortable climbing up more stairs to get to the prior falls overlook.

 

This park, just as many others in the area, is open to hunters during deer hunting season, which is the first two weeks of November.  Perfect timing.  So we wore blaze orange while hiking.  Good thing mom bought blaze orange sweatshirts before I arrived.  And here I thought she was overdoing it.  Nope.  She was right on.  Like mom often is.

The day was VERY windy and the lake had massive whitecaps that would crash onto the shore.  We stopped so I could marvel at the power of the water and take photos of the areas where waves would hit and freeze the entire area.  It was so cold outside that the mist froze on the ground, trees, etc. around where the waves made contact.  We stopped and walked the grounds of Cascade River State Park, Temperance River State Park, took photos of Lutsen Mountains sign (teheehe, such a cute little “mountain”) and the Naniboujou Lodge.  I wish we could have stayed here.  The lodge looks so beautiful.

 

It was recommended to me that we eat at Sven and Ole’s Pizza in Grand Marais.  I was super hangry by this point and not very pleasant.  The pizza was good.  Nothing special.  I made the reservation for our stay that night.  And fucked it up epically by mixing up the dates.  Ooops!  That was a mess and the only tiff Mom and I had.  Which was ultimately, my fault.  But I did sort of fix it.   Cove Point Lodge it is!  All rooms had a lake view.  Rustic cabin feel to it.  It was nice to wake up and see and watch the water in the morning with coffee in hand.  I finally got to try pickled herring at their continental breakfast.  It was not that bad!  We drove to Tettegouche State Park (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/tettegouche/index.html) and hiked to Shovel Point.  Which was AMAZING!  302 steps one-way.  Yup.  You read that right.  And Mom did it!!  Which means she did 604 steps in all on that trail.  The trail is only ~1mi in each direction.  But you gain about 600’ in that mile.  Which did not feel too steep since the stairs were so nicely put into the steep sections to make it easier.  The visitor center is brand new and amazing!  So very nice.  It is also a rest stop along Hwy 61.  I highly recommend this park to anyone.  We could not hike anywhere else since it was closed for hunting.

 

We drove down to see the historic buildings at Split Rock Lighthouse SP, but they had just closed for the season the day before.  Ha, go figure!  So we wandered around and took photos.  Then we stopped at Gooseberry Falls SP.  Yeesh!  Talk about slippery!  The snow was packed down so hard and so smoothly that we could not safely take the stairs and walking the zig zag ramp route was stressful.  We walked off the path into the brush for some traction.  Mom made it!  We only made it to the first falls since the walking conditions were so horrid.  Lots of people were out as well.  We took our photos and turned around.

We then drove to Duluth.  Had lunch.  Shopped at the Duluth Trading Co retail store (so awesome!) and drove home.  We stopped at Moose Lake State Park on the way to check it off our list.  It feels more like a Lucky Peak State Park- built for recreation for swimming. 

 

 

All in all, I had a very good trip visiting Mom and exploring the North Shore.  I am glad to show her my outdoor passions and explore an area I had never explored before.  Mom is certainly going out of her comfort zone and I am so proud of her!  Go Mom!  You're a badass!