Life in aero's Montana

“Winds blew an enormous amount of tumbleweed into a small, Springhill-area neighborhood early Tuesday, creating two-story-high piles beside houses, covering sheds and forcing one man to haul out his snow plow to clear the rubbish out of driveways.

Houses on Shooting Star Lane were surrounded with head-high piles of weeds. Mailboxes were buried. The debris blocked parts of the street.

Cindy Bowker, a 12-year resident of the neighborhood, awakened to find tumbleweed smothering her back deck and windows. Her home was surrounded with debris on all sides.

She had to tunnel through the weeds from her front door to the two-car garage and driveway.

"Both garages were covered. We got the real dense stuff out and just drove through it. It was up over the headlights," Bowker said. "It was all the way up the steps and covered our front door."

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2007/03/28/breakingnews/30tumbleweed.txt”

“Speaking of aero, didja see the photo I posted on the other aero thread??”

“Life is good here in Montana today. Our local newspaper had a story on antelope in Yellowstone on the front page and Ty Pennington is in town for an extereme makover. Newgirl hasn't made an appearance, yet. The rattlesnakes are starting to make an appearance though. Anyway, the paper was great today; lots of outdoor and wildlife stories and less Paris Hilton and Dick Cheney coverage.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/”

“Huh. You didn't mention the part about my dad being on the front page last week....”

“Yeah, I did! Where the heck were you?!!
http://thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/26843,-1.php
I was right on top of that one!”

“Doh! I missed it!

I think they have a list of people to talk to about stuff around town, depending on the topic. If it's the Mustangs, there are, like, 3 people; if it's cops, it's more like 1 or 2.”

“Yeah,I'm on their "running" list.

The paper was great today, though. One of the letters to the editor was about elk.”

“Hey Aero!! How's it hangin'?

Speaking of Paris, she looks totally different! I think she got her head replaced.”

“Hey lyra! Just thought I'd check in. Ty Pennington says "hi". I thought Newgirl would have made an appearance with him in town.

Maybe Paris had a run-in with the prison warden-- you know, like one of those "women in prison" movies.”

“Yeah newgirl is totally MIA! Tell Ty I said "eww." LOL!”

“Is ty drunk driving around town?”

“Not only that, but he's armed with a nail gun! Actaully he just showed up for a photo op and split when the work started.”

“I'll be in your neighborhood in about a week”

“HEY... and I may be close, but probably not quite there, in about a week, too.

shhhh... don't tell anyway HPM!!! ;-)

LOL”

“I'll alert Neighborhood Watch. What, are you two escaping to Montana or something?


No, really, if you're within about 200 miles, that's in the neighborhood.”

“Be on the lookout for a sudden influx of shady looking characters.

I'm heading back to the beaten path.”

“Cool! It's opening up a little earlier this year due to a lower snowpack. I know some years you couldn't get across until mid-july since the snow was waist deep, but it's about all gone by now. It'll be just fine for you and the mosquitos!”

“WEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
I fly in on the 7th and out on the 14th

If you have any availability it might be cool to grab a drink or somesuch.”

“Hmmmm, I might be around! Keep me posted on your plans and maybe I can work something out. We do have places here that serve those things you call drinks!”

“Really?
Wow, it sure is a small world.”

“I don't think I have your email anymore.”

“So much for your "big secret trip."”

“Geez, Aero - offer HPM your doorstoop already! Surely he'll be draggin' and jet laggin' by the time he gets there... he'll need a place to crash for awhile.”

“Forget it gojo--I'm still cleaning up from Montanapalooza!



No, seriously, I do have some space here for someone to crash. I'll get an email out to you!”

“Aero, plan another Montanapalooza for '08!”

“now, THATS a great idea!”

“I think it should be a winter trip into Yellowstone - hangin' with the wolves!!!”

“Shoot, thats an even better idea!”

“OK, I'm looking at the Big Horns from July 5-ish to July 9-ish. Although, now that might be raised and called to do something in that same time span in the Wind Rivers.

Sure, Aero... phhht!! Last year, when I was as close as Hardin, MT... you weren't checkin' in here. I see that love that you and HPM share!!!! >8-O













;-P lol”

“Something like this might be nice:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/34023149dTdhtp”

“Awwwww lizs, yer breakin my heart! Well, I do have a soft spot for HPM (and treebait) having spent an evening with them in Florida over drinks, dinner and fried pickles.”

“Ahhh, thanks BowlderMan---it's about 100 degrees here today and those winter scenes look refreshing!”

“Actually, that was not the trip I was remembering. It was this one:

”

“LOL! Death on the Trail! Hey, that's just "Ecosystem Management". Luckily, the wolves like tastey elk instead of 50 year old humans.”

“Lizs, please do not make light of my platonic love for Aero.
last edited: 6/29/07 3:05:41 PM”

“That's right HPM--and thanks for showing me where I could buy beer on Amelia Island--that was a lifesaver!”

“A fella can only drink so much Dom Perignon”

“I had a Humanpackmule sighting this weekend. He flew in Saturday and boy, were his arms tired! (nyuk,nyuk)
Anyway, I had him over to my house while he was waiting for his hiking friend's backpack to arrive on the next flight--seems it got lost somewhere between Billings and Denver. At last sighting, he was headed to meet up with the rest of his group and they were off to East Rosebud in the Beartooths. They got out of town just in time to miss the flash flood---2.4" of rain in an hour!
He's supposed to check back Friday and find a place that has beer and steaks (they don't have those things in Montana, though)
last edited: 7/09/07 1:39:48 PM”

“Aero, the last I heard from HPM, he was headed out to Rosebud, and the other guys were sitting around waiting for that damned pack, rather than hit Wally world for a $100 or less challenge.”

“I loaned them a pack, cook kit and a sleeping bag--maybe they thought it was too stinky!

Anyway, HPM was doing fine and glad he had his own wheels. I'll try to catch him on the way through this Friday. I'd have joined him if i didn't have to do this "work" thing every day! Yuck!”

“At least he's not over in this part of the State:

Bear activity leads to campground, trailhead closure
By The Associated Press

WISDOM - Two black bears with a taste for human food have led the Forest Service to close the Mussigbrod campground and trailhead in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest about 15 miles northwest of here.

The area will be closed for at least a week until it's clear the bears have left the area, forest officials said Sunday. Officials say one large bear and another believed to be a 2-year-old cub have raided several campsites.

In one recent incident, a bear tore open a screen door on a trailer, entered and took a container of cookies while the trailer's campers slept nearby.

Also recently, the bears were found in the bed of a pickup truck, eating food from a cooler. When campers tried to chase the bears away, the larger one stood its ground for a time.


last edited: 7/09/07 3:51:42 PM”

“http://www.news4jax.com/technology/13665524/detail.html

I hope HPM left the ipod in his pack.”

“yikes! that lightening is bad stuff!”

“HPM's Montana fishing license arrived here today. :P

He ordered it online almost 2 months ago, I think. Not as bad as a passport but still...”

“One more reason to go low-tech when backpacking!
I think he's OK up there--haven't seen any big storms since he left here Saturday. That was the BIG one! He could have gotten his fishing license when he got here, I'm pretty sure, unless it was some special type??? I'll see if I can hook up with them tommorrow when they hit town. I have to give a geology talk on Friday evening for awhile but maybe I can track them down. I was going to send them down to a favorite microbrewery of mine www.yellowstonevalleybrew.com so if he dosen't turn up, we'll start looking there.”

“I'll be surprised if he isn't the designated driver for that crowd.”

“That Aero guy is a prince among men.

Thanks again for the loan of the pack and gear. Chad was ready to toss in the towel and fly home hours after arriving in Montana. Lucky for him, his pack arrived late that night and he was able to experience a stupid heavy pack, hellish blisters and wishing that he had indeed flown home. lol.

The Rex was awesome. Great suggestion. I think our appetite frightened some of the patrons.”

“I -heart- Moose Drool.”