A Few Miles More Before We Leave

Miles City, MT

We are in our 4th and tentatively final week in Montana. This is a large work area spanning 75 miles northwest of our campground to an area 80 miles south. And because Montana has less than 6 residents per square mile (as opposed to the national average of 87) there are fewer roads; and many of those are unpaved in the areas we work. Last week we had 2 consecutive days where we drove a total of 200 miles each day and Monday we drove a total of 304 miles (120 paved miles to and from the work area; thank you). When we leave Montana this week, we'll be headed back to Utah where we expect to finish up the season near the end of September.

When we're out driving, we're never quite sure what we may encounter; for example....

...fallen trees across tight mountain trails. We used the jeep to pull the tree 'along' the trail's path before trimming off a few branches so we could drive past....








...and sometimes the 'roads' haven't been driven in quite some time. Pair that with the road being located in a wash, and recent rainfall resulting in a foliage growth spurt and sometimes you're quite challenged to find the road, much less drive it!

We've seen coyote, fox, turkey, pheasant, grouse, deer, and lots of cattle & horses. The scenery is spectacular. And some of the locals' sense of humor is special too! I'm not quite sure what Scurrilous Activity he may be referring to....








I've done a couple of mods on the RV...

...taking a bedroom TV cabinet left empty by the replacement of a tube TV with a flat screen and adding shelves to give Joan some additional storage. The original owner changed out the TV...I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to consider doing this as it was quite simple.




...and updating the bathroom counter area...

...before...

...after. We found a neat peel & stick faux wall tile at the local hardware store. You can cut it with scissors to fit around receptacles. It has texture, so it feels like a glass tile.






Our job this summer has been exciting and interesting as well as one of the best paying gigs we've encountered. So we're fairly certain we'd like to try it again if we're offered the opportunity. And the compensation has been timely. Joan & I bought our MH 5 years ago and with the warranty expiring at the end of August we shopped around and decided to purchase a new warranty from National Warranty. The old warranty paid for itself and then some over the last few years, so we thought a new one would be cost effective. We've also decided to make some mods to the jeep this fall, and possibly a little remodeling in the MH. New tires for the MH are due as the current tires are 7 years old, and it's time for a tune up and thorough preventative inspection of the MH as well.







Something I am looking for, and maybe some of you can help me find it, are some wall hooks. Here's a picture of one...

If anyone knows what these are called or who makes them, please let me know. We have several in the MH, but I'm not sure if they were added by the original owners or if they are OEM







Parting pic.....last year while in South Dakota our friends led us on a motorcycle ride and made sure to point out an unusual rock formation...almost phallic in nature and commonly referred to as d*ck rock. While out driving a few weeks ago we stumbled across this unusual formation...

...just so you know, SD got nothin' on Montana!






That's it for now. Stay Tuned. More to Come.

PS - Shout out to my oldest Doug...Happy 34th Birthday!