After a very leisurely meal and filling gas tank I drove slowly up the 2 mile dirt road into the Gallatin National Forest (I assume named for the same Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury, that Alex’s college is) and into the strange and sublime isolation of no internet, TV, radio, outside world. Just before I got here there were two large birds (I think vultures) in a tree and I got a photo although between the drizzle, gray sky and their dark color not great shot. I parked in my previously paid for spot ($15/night cash left in an envelope in metal box near gate, probably gets collected in June ;)) and using my head I had cranked up the heat to max on way here so fan is a toasty 65. Will see how long before I need to turn on heater. Last night I used the heater for what I considered a generous amount and the gas tank still was on full in the morning and the auxiliary battery at 90%, although with Van battery math 50% is drained so … 80% really and that also included refrigerator and lights. On any case where I am going here is that after parking, making my bed, etc. I am exhausted and it is …. 4:51pm ! I will read kindle for a while and then probably doze off early. It is only a 3 hour drive to Billing, MT tomorrow so don’t need to leave early at all. I do want to find a Target (hopefully) or a Walmart (blech) to get a few items and I guess will do laundry again. Staying at a Hilton with points there and then want to camp near Mt. Rushmore next night but couldn’t easily fine a place on line, may just need to ask park rangers when I get there. Sorry no photos as no internet and this won’t post until tomorrow either.
TGIF. It is 7:30 Friday morning as I sip my coffee (boiled water inside today on the smaller stove, there is a sliding window above the kitchen area for ventilation, the Van has a smoke and CO2 detector also). It is 30 degrees this morning (based on my backpack’s tiny compass/whistle/thermometer clip on that I am glad I have as with no internet, no weather channel app). I think I can actually download satellite weather reports from my Garmin InReach but haven’t tried yet, it can also send messages and an SOS for rescue via satellite in areas with no cell service (I used at Kiliminjaro so family and friends could follow my progress and will study up on its details before Nepal in October). I slept long and well! Definitely caught up on sleep deficit of first few days of trip. I finished Barbarian Days and at end author does mention he always kept journals. He also dissed people who live in Manhattan and say they “learned to surf” during vacation in Costa Rica when he discusses how surfing has become so much more popular worldwide in last few decades. I surfed (poorly) from 1990-1994 when living in Long Beach. I started with a foam board (like a bike with training wheels) which was super stable and could ride the tiniest wave or just beach real whitewater even but when I was ready for a real board I read about and wanted a mini long board but couldn’t find one nearby and ended up getting a way too short board that I could barely get up on with my limited skills on the very small waves I surfed. As I write about surfing snow flurries have started falling (I have noticed that WordPress doesn’t do nice spell correction or grammar alerts like Microsoft Word, maybe at home I should type my entries on Word and then paste into blog, in fact I was going to use my iPad today to write with its nice Bluetooth keyboard but realized that with no internet access I would have to later upload from it. So one more long entry here using my dexterous fingers :)). So back to book it was great. At almost 500 pages it is probably too long for anyone not at least a little interested in surfing already, although it won Pulitzer Prize For autobiography in 2016 so it must have been enjoyed by many non-surfers. The author was probably close to 60 when he wrote it , I have been in campsite for 2 nights now so have learned NOT to try for a quick internet search for a fact, bird identification, etc. I had been thinking about surfing for few months before reading the book though. When preparing my slideshow on iMovie for my mom’s 80th birthday I came across many old photos I hadn’t seen in a long time including a few Mary took of me with board and even on a small wave. Looking at my bucket list of places I wanted to go, it includes Costa Rica and Hawaii and I was thinking that a week of surf camp with a few jungle days would be perfect. I still do even though a lifelong big wave, cold water (San Fran, Long Island winters) surfer would not consider it “real”. I remember surfing being like skiing but in the ocean which I have always loved weather sailing or swimming. And I remember the mornings after 24 hour shifts when I would be the ONLY one at Bolsa Chica state beach. One day so foggy that I couldn’t see shore after paddled out, several times having my heart rate shoot to 150 when I saw a fin out of my peripheral vision and then the relief and joy as I saw dolphins just a few feet from me, so huge and beautiful. Still snowing. I was in no rush to leave today as only 3 hours to Bilings,MT but do want to get down the 2 mile dirt hill to town before snow accumulates. Forecast yesterday said “light”. I’ll post this in town when I get a signal and check the weather maps.