Have you ever heard the footsteps of a Squirrel?

I just bought an online book…  11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life… and Step Number 10 kinda sums up my new philosophy on life/living.  Hope the authors don’t mind the Quote.  Great book… I recommend it.

Number 10 is to enjoy the good life under your own terms. Your. Own. Terms. Repeat that. This is your life and as far as we know, the only life you will have. If you spend your life fulfilling the dreams of others to the exclusion of yourself, you will be missing out on experiencing the wonderment of a new challenge, the joy of a job well done, the adventure of a path less traveled.

It does not take a lot of money to enjoy the good life. What it does take is a commitment to having fun and a dedication to pursing dreams. So go ahead, smell the roses. Figure out the life you want to live given the resources you have. Just do it!

What a marvelous summer it has been.  All my life, or since Smokey The Bear was born, on my birthday by the way, I have wanted to work for the Forest Service.  A dream full-filled this year.  How does it get any better?

Sept. 6, 2012

An American Red Squirrel, a type of Pine Squirrel, lunches on a Lodgepole pine cone. (borrowed from internet)

Have you ever heard (not seen) a squirrel running through the woods?  Can you imagine so much quiet that those little feet are making the loudest sound around you? These little Colorado squirrels are running about gathering pine cones to store for the rapidly approaching winter.  Snow will soon be here and I will soon be gone.

Borrowed from internet, but will try to replace it with my own photos, but this is exactly what I saw.

Have you ever watched a pair of hawks soaring on the thermal waves for hours, just for the joy of the ride?  So close you can see the pattern of individual feathers.  They never seem to tire.  Once in awhile, they dive to earth to catch some small critter in the meadows.  Awesome.

Tomorrow it’s suppose to storm.  Ice is in the air.  The company has the closed date for my campground as October 21.  Locals say we will be deep in snow by then and the roads closed to all but snowmobiles.

Hunters are all over the place – mostly on the free Forest lands.  Archers have arrived.  Black powder hunting begins this weekend.  No one is finding any game to shoot.

Photo borrowed from internet, not my lake, but I imagine it will look something like this.

I’ve been told the Lake freezes so deep and solid that dozens of snowmobilers will be out there racing about at speeds of 100 mph?  Wow… that would be something to see, but I hope to be in the southern states by then.  I am having a late “time-off” break after my busiest weekend (Labor Day). 

I decided to paint the bathroom floors in the old campground (not that they needed it), instead of taking my usual Tues and Weds off.  Having working 1/2 day each of those days, I took Thursday off to enjoy this beautiful place.  Unlike the weekend before, the group of campers this weekend were wonderful and healed the pain of the “bad” campers the week before.  It was my biggest and best weekend and group.

My kayak-mobile.

I’m making a real effort to enjoy the rest of my time here and am prepared to leave with one hours notice.  All my gear but my van and kayak have been moved to storage in town, since road conditions could get really bad really fast.  I can deal with that and will have plenty of food and water on hand to wait out bad road conditions for a few days, until I can get down the mountain, in case the company doesn’t call me down in time.

All the locals say that after Labor Day, the weather can turn fast.  A rancher said yesterday that within two weeks the cattle will begin going down the mountain on their own due to lack of food and dropping temperatures.  There is ice in the air and it hailed a couple days ago.  Time for blanket number 3.

And I just finished another sketch for a fellow school mate.  Neato.

An angel has left the earth…

I just learned a dear friend of mine has passed away.  Ron McDowell was my emergency contact person for my SPOT services.  He also helped me install my roof platform and my solar and t.v. antenna when I first set up my van.  Here are photos I took while visiting him in TX and doing all the initial work.  Ron… we will all miss you.

Building my roof rack platform in Ron’s yard.

In the horrid Texas June heat, Ron hung in there with me – he was the very best supervisor ever.

More photos…

Ron’s camper van.

Katie’s rig at Ron’s place in Texas.

Mutt (Katie’s dog) loved that Monkey, a gift from Ron.

RIP Ron… you are loved and will be greatly missed.

Ronald C. McDowell, born July 12, 1955 in Frankfurt, Germany, died August 26, 2012 in Live Oak, Texas, at the age of 57. Ron was preceded in death by his father, Army Sergeant Cleveland McDowell. He is survived by his mother, Herta McDowell; sisters, Brenda McDowell of Chattanooga, TN and Carla Kelly of Placitas, NM; cousins, Marie McDowell, Doris Mathiesen, and Lynn Humphrey of South Carolina and nephew, Tom Maynard of Chattanooga, TN. Memorial Services will be held Sunday, September 2, 2012, 10:00 AM at Sunset Funeral Home, 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX 78218, Rev. Pat O'Brien officiating. Memorial contributions can be made in lieu of flowers to The American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231 or www.heart.org.  Obit.

Too much wildness???? Is it possible?

A couple nights ago I cooked that rainbow trout I was given, thinking I could not eat it all… but I ate the whole thing.   Yummy.

Yesterday, as I wrapped up my work day, I heard a helicopter.  I went up the ridge above my campground to spot the landing site.  One guy was on the ground, doing something, I figured out later he was hooking up the water bucket.  There were drawing water from the Lake below my campground, and flying it out S.E. about 3.5 min. and then 3.5 min. back again.  They made about seven bucket loads… and then loaded up the bucket and left.  I was on my way to ask the guy on the ground if I needed to be concerned, but they were done before I could get around to that side of the lake.  I could not see any smoke, but we have had a lot of thunder and lightening the past few days.

I have escaped the wilderness to escape some crazy wild people out there. One camper refused to keep his three vehicles in the camping space he rented and paid for and then when he left, he stole a whole pile of firewood from another camp site.

Last night, July 9th, 6pm.

 

This morning, July 10th, 10:30am.

You are suppose to have a Permit from the Forest Service to remove any wood from the National Forest.  Signs are posted and clear.
And another day-use group got upset about having to pay five dollars for the day use area... they caught 9 fish and had a tailgate party, used the bathroom facilities and dumped their trash... but tried to get out of paying $5 saying "we are just passing through!"   How do you catch 9 fish as you pass through an area????

What is wrong with these people? It's like they are immoral, or psychotic? Or what????

Well, as for me, today and tomorrow I am not going to worry about it. And today, on my way out, there was a large sheep herd at the same area... complete with shepherd on horseback and two border collies.

I tried to talk to the man (either Hispanic or Columbian?) and all he could say... is "sheep herder." Well, duh... that much I knew.
Coming down the mountain I took a number of other photos of switchbacks, the mountains, cattle and flowers… for your viewing pleasure.  It’s a nice drive.

		On the way to town… VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

OK, tonight, just going to enjoy the internet, Diary Queen, and Laundromat and a hot shower. Yahhhh!!!
I like being in the wilderness… but would like it better if I was ALONE.

I lost what??? 80 pounds???? Are you kidding.

The past couple of days I have been walking around with such ease that I have felt puzzled.  Where I huffed and puffed going up and down to the lake in May, I hardly take a deep breath.  Today I attended a job-related "appreciation" dinner in Glenwood Springs.  Pants that were tight on me a month ago felt baggy and I kept catching the cuff on my heels.  What?  What is going on?  So after I had stuffed my face with the best food I've had in awhile, I went off to buy a set of scales.  Low and behold, I have lost 45 pounds since I began this job in May 2012.  What???  I am still surprised.  I am now within 20 pounds of my ideal weigh and feel better than I have felt in 28 years.  I am highly motivated now.  I will reach my goal weight before the end of this fall.  I will I will I will.

Who is this lighter, healthier person?  I will have to get to know myself all over again.  I am so psyched.  What a thrilling adventure this is.