Wild Horse Island sunset

Here's a picture of the sun going down behind Wild Horse Island. I didn't know what else to call this post. I like to cruise in the shade of the east shore of the island at the end of a warm summer day. There were some unusual clouds in the sky.

Planet Flathead

I always feel like I'm on the edge of the planet at Flathead Lake.

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Stella 10 speed bicycle

When I was growing up my parents gave me a series of bikes. Some new and some used. My first speed bike was a hardware store 10 speed made by Nishiki under a different brand. The first time I shifted the gears on it I was hooked on cycling and realized the potential. I rode that bike on several distance rides, including to Flathead Lake and back from Missoula several times, a trip of 100 miles in one direction. I used to look down and see my shadow like this for hours upon hours.

I had several mechanical breakdowns with that first speed bike including the Shimano rear derailleur just falling apart out on the highway miles from Missoula. I rigged it so it would stay in one gear and rode 40 or 50 miles like that, but that was the last straw. (I haven't been a big fan of Shimano since actually) I think I was a 7th grader at the time. So my dad took me to Braxton's Bike shop in Missoula and bought me a decent French 10 speed bike. This yellow Stella SX6 10 speed. They supported me in my distance cycling and I think they were worried about my bike breaking down. This bike never let me down.

I had been wanting a Gitane as that was the cool bike to have at the time, but Sam Braxton took a look at me and sold us this Stella instead. I remember I didn't have much choice in the matter. It was yellow though, and yellow was my favorite color, plus it was French and a little more exclusive than a Gitane actually. Braxton said that I'd grow into this bike and it would last me for years. Those words have proven to be true. It fits me perfectly all these years later and is still a pleasure to ride. I think about Sam Braxton every time I ride this bike. There's a little white sticker on the top of the seat tube that says Assembled by Braxton Missoula Montana.

I have made a few changes to it and of course it's not my only bike, but it's pretty much the same as it was. I got a longer stem and new bars. I wore the wheels out and had Dennis Sparrow build a new set way back when. And I mowed lawns for a summer to buy that Stronglight 99 crank at the cost of $75, quite a bit of money for a crank back then. I think Stella was named after the builders wife, but it means star and I like the star in the crank. Notice the old school Christophe toe clips.

That crank has a 45 tooth "small" ring on the fron BTW. That makes Sunny Slope Hill out of Polson a bit of a pull on this bike at the end of a long day.

Boathouse picture

From outside of the bubble to inside of the boathouse.. Here's a picture from inside of my boathouse... It's sort of a boathouse still life. Those outboard motors have been still for years. A guy can't have too many outboards in my opinion, working or not...

The one on the top is a Johnson and the one on the bottom is a Sea King.

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Dayton Montana and Flathead Lake

Dayton Montana on Flathead Lake. Wild Horse Island is on the right. They just put a few more horses on the island for people to see when they go for a hike there. Until this winter they were down to one old horse. It was a one horse island. I saw it a while back and he didn't look that wild, but you have to have wild horses on Wild Horse Island. There are Bighorn Sheep and Mule deer on the island as well as other wild animals. I guess they could call it Wild Animal Island the next time they run out of horses...

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Tourist Season in Montana

A bumper sticker I saw in Western Montana. I took a chance getting this picture actually. I'm sure I looked a little like a tourist standing there with my camera...

Sailing on Flathead Lake

I had my first sailing of the summer on Flathead Lake over the weekend. It was pretty good as nobody was on Big Arm Bay. There was a lot of pine pollen in the water and I love that as it reminds me of my youth. There was also a lot of drift wood. Here's a picture of what I saw looking forward of the Hobie Cat with Chief Cliff in the distance.

Here's a picture looking up at the rig. You can see that my mainsail isn't downhauled enough causing the horizontal wrinkles. I have a hard time downhauling the main with my new sails. Plus I started pointing up into the wind as I took this pic causing the tell tails to flutter up. (the little ribbon in front of the triangle on the sail) It should be flying straight back if the sail is in proper trim.

Here's a picture looking aft with Big Arm in the distance. There wasn't much wind but I was moving right along on my Hobie 16. Hobie Cats are much faster than other sailboats and it makes them really fun to sail. Plus you can blow by very wealthy people in expensive yachts. That makes me feel good as I only spent $500 for my old Hobie. :)

Boating to Wild Horse Island

I made my first boat trip of the year to Wild Horse Island. Sailboats were returning to spend the night in Skeeko Bay.

I beached the skiff for a while and fished from shore. Everything was just as I left it except now all the plants were green and the island had a wonderful smell. I could hear a grouse drumming somewhere on the hill. They flap their wings to call a mate.

Pine tree in bloom

I noticed a pine tree in Montana that was in bloom. Soon yellow pine pollen will be floating in Flathead Lake and the other northwest mountain lakes. It's an image I've known my whole life, that yellow stuff floating in the lakes and sometimes it can be seen at a distance floating in the air above the trees.

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Here's a picture of a woman stand up paddle boarding on Flathead Lake. Kind of captures the weather situation on Memorial Day in Western Montana.

I guess stand up paddle boarding is the answer to sitting down in a canoe or a kayak if you want to paddle.

I like to windsurf, and also enjoy the canoe, so I guess I can relate.. It's sort of interesting to watch anyway, and I'd much rather see this than someone on a personal watercraft making endless circles.

Washington State Line Bridge

They are closing and tearing down the old "state line / Spokane River bridge" between Idaho and Washington. It's the old bridge over the Spokane River that people used to use to get into the state of Washington from Idaho and and places to the east. Now people come in from the west on I-90. The old bridge still served as a secondary way into Washington State and also a way across the the river for people like me who live in Washington but work on the other side of the river or just want to get on I-90. I've ridden over this bridge on my bike for several years.

I imagine all of the people who stopped here in the old days before the interstate came through to take a photo as they made the journey to Washington and the west. This used to mark the entrance to Washington State. There's a small place to park.

It says; "Spokane River Bridge Eastern Gateway to the State of Washington and the Spokane Valley" And on the other side of the road it says; "Spokane River Perpetuatiing the name of the Indian Tribe Spo-Kan-EE Children of the Sun".

Commuter Dog

This bumper sticker reads, My money and my kid go to the University of Montana.. It seems that everyone and their dog are stuck in traffic these days.

I rode my bike to work today. I need to get used to it because of the traffic congestion. And actually it was nice. It's going to rain the rest of the week so I have to decide about that still. At lunch I rode the bike over to a sandwich shop drive through. Did you know that some fast food drive throughs won't allow bikes..? It's not the customer image they want I guess.

So I was going to ride down to the river and eat my lunch but I decided to go to the park instead. My mp3 player was locked up so I just sat there on a bench by a softball diamond and looked at a chain linked fence while I ate. I had a "Russian" sandwich, but I don't know why they call it that. It was pretty much just a turkey sandwich with some roast beef also.. Is that what they eat in Russia?

As I sat there a guy showed up on the field with a soccer ball. Great big field and one guy with a soccer ball. I was thinking, it's too bad he doesn't have anyone to kick the ball back and forth to. Then another guy showed up. Soon there were a whole bunch of guys, who came from all directions and they set up goals and started a game. I sat and watched from behind the chain linked fence, and for a while I kept score.

Finally I decided to move out from behind the chain linked fence to get a better view. So I sat with my back against a tree and watched the game. Each player had his own body language, but there was one guy who seemed to be a natural for the sport. A short guy who seemed to always be in the action and making goals. His movements were fluid and smooth as if he'd been playing soccer his whole life. (or football, call it what you will)

Finally I looked at my watch and got on my bike and rode back to work. Don't these guys have to work? I thought as I left.. Are there that many people who can just go to the park and play soccer in the afternoon? Perhaps they are all stay at home Dads and get babbysitters while they play..

I took pictures of the guys playing soccor but the Commuter Dog picture was better. I feel just like that retriever when I drive my car home from work these days.

Flathead River

The Flathead River in Montana. I'm always driving up and down this section and sometimes I'll stop and take a picture. It's extra effort BTW as this time I had to climb over a barbed wire fence to get this shot..

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Schwinn cruiser

Here's a picture of my Schwinn cruiser bike. I got it out of the woods and repaired it so I wouldn't exactly call it a beach cruiser, it's more of a timber cruiser.. It began life as a three speed probably in the 60s. The wheels didn't come on this bike but they were also in the woods. They are the old 26.5 size (or something like that), so I had to special order tires to fit them. Anyway they are different than modern 26 inch tires. I rebuilt the coaster brake which was stuck, and packed the hubs. I bought a new chain, new Schwinn pedals, and put a 70s road bike saddle on it. I can't deal with old cruiser saddles.

People say, "don, you should paint it." But I like the way it looks. Kind of has that relic look going on.. Well it's time to go for a ride on it.

Bike to Work Week Spokane

Another bike to work week in Spokane. This is a picture of the traffic leaving the comunity where I work at 5:00 pm or shortly there after. They've allowed all of this development both housing and business with little or no thought to the traffic problems. There is only one lane to get on the freeway going westbound. There are road closures and bridge closures everywhere. No matter what they do to repair and build to accommodate cars it's never enough.

To top that off they built this expensive pedestrian bridge over the freeway in exactly the wrong spot forcing people to cross traffic just to get to it at the intersection you see in the distance. As a result I never use it with my bike and just cross freeway on the one lane with the cars. The last thing anyone needs is a cyclist trying to get across the intersection here at this time of day. It's just a huge mess.

It is better to cycle for me though. With this much traffic it takes me about the same amount of time to cycle as it does to drive. Since I've been riding my bike to work I've only been hit by one car driven by a lady who turned into me head on. She said she didn't see me.

Oregon Grape

Here's a picture of some Oregon Grape that my Dad planted. I don't know who's bee that is. I think it's a young bumble bee. There were lots of bees on the Oregon Grape and it was hard to get the picture I wanted as they kept moving around. You can click on the picture if you want to see it bigger.

It was a beautiful day in Montana and Idaho today. Warm in the sun, and yet cool. I drove through the forest after a spring shower with the car windows down and the smell was wonderful.

I retain the rights to all of my photos.  Please do not use without permission.

Elmo Montana

Here's a picture I took of my morning canoe ride on Flathead Lake. I'd say canoe trip but it wasn't really a trip. I canoe along that shore next to those trees. Sometimes I'll beach the canoe and look around on the shore. I was the only person on the whole bay,.. the whole lake maybe. I don't really understand that. You'd think there'd be lots of people who'd want to be out on the lake when it's like this. On the other hand there's no shortage of people driving back and forth on the highway that goes around the lake..?

I really am outside of the bubble..

Canoes and vacuum cleaners

I don't know how I lived so long without a canoe.. When I'm at Flathead Lake, I just want to be out on it. I can't really explain it. It's not like there are fish I want or seals or anything like that. Canoes are like bicycles for the water. Click on the picture to get the Don's eye view.

And on the subject of vacuum cleaners,.. How could she possibly think this is a good vacuum cleaner I thought as she complimented me on my wind tunnel. It's plastic.. She never worked in a motel I guess. I have one just like this she said, and I love it. Really,. I thought. I'm not a big fan of plastic vacuum cleaners, and this plastic vacuum cleaner is totally substandard. Well I didn't say it but that's what I was thinking while I let her borrow my wind tunnel. And yet I'm sure her place is much cleaner than my place is. There's little doubt about it.. Just because you have good taste in vacuum cleaners doesn't mean you have a clean place.

I guess it's like guitars. Just because you have a nice guitar, it doesn't make you a good guitar player... Vacuum cleaners are exactly the same. So I guess if you suck, then buy a cheap guitar.

I really just wanted to talk about vacuum cleaners but I needed a reason to throw in my canoe picture. So I made it Canoes and vacuum cleaners, but I probably should have made it Vacuum cleaners and canoes. Vacuum cleaners don't make the best pictures.. I've tried.

Got snow?

Well I guess I'd better give up on skiing for this season as I'm sort of running out of snow to ski on. Unless I go to Mt. Hood for race camp that is.. I think I got well over 40 days in this year but I lost track after 30 and it wasn't even a good snow year. I guess I should just let it go... Time to jump on the bike. This is bicycle log after all,. but it all came and went far to fast.

Flathead Lake picture

Here's a picture of Flathead Lake that I took this morning as I chatted on the beach with my neighbor. We were talking water pumps and stuff like that. Now and then I turn and take a snapshot. How I wish I could enjoy this view all of the time like he does.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

I have Montana on the brain right now..