Sep 9, 2011 - Flathead Lake

We decided that our weary feet and knees needed a rest, so we took a ride to Bigfork, MT, which is a nice little community along the shores of the large and beautiful Flathead Lake. We bought some pottery, had lunch in a lakeside restaurant, and bought some wonderfully delicious Flathead Cherries from a farm stand. There were miles of orchards along the lake.

Jun 11, 2011 - Spring in Nebraska, and Summer in Montana

Spring in Nebraska Hey where did the spring go? It is almost summer! It has been fun this year, having spring for almost four months. It was spring in Texas in late Feb, and it is still spring in Montana. It’s been a strange spring with so many violent storms, and now flooding. I have really enjoyed the spring flowers and blooming trees for so long. We got into Walnut Creek on April 19th, just in time for some really cool weather! A quick visit to see Jackie and Bob, and a trip to Des Moines to get a new drive shaft disconnect installed on...

May 14, 2011 - Cherry Blossom Festival

Today we visited the Annual Flathead Cherry Blossom Festival held at the Yellow Bay Club House in Bigfork. "Flathead" is not a variety of cherry tree. Flathead refers to the region around Montana's famous Flathead Lake where many varieties of cherries are grown. Some of those varieties include Lapin, Sweetheart, Rainier, Van, Stella, Lambert and Skeena. Cherries grown in the Flathead are shipped all over the world, with several thousand tons harvested annually. The trees are just beginning to bloom and are beautiful. We are hoping to come...

Apr 18, 2011 - Bigfork, Montana

We have been busy exploring the great state of Montana. Jared and Jerry started the morning out with a bit of fishing, it was way too cold on the dock, they gave it up pretty fast. After fishing we drove to the tiny town of Bigfork. We had some great burgers and bought some delicious huckleberry fudge from the candy shop. We came home to a blanket of snow at the RV. We had fun playing in the snow and watching Ollie roll in it. I have never seen a dog enjoy the snow so much. We are grilling elk steaks for dinner with mashed potatoes for a...

Nov 4, 2010 - Me Excited?!! Couldn't be Me?!?

Airline check-in is done and Boarding passes are printed. I have a ride to the airport tomorrow AM -- expect to be picked up about 5:30. After checking on prices for parking plus other considerations this seems to be the best way to go. There have been several times that Paul & I would return from trips and find the car at the airport covered with ice and snow and more-or-less plowed into place. The return at about midnight will be much simpler if I can just get into someone else's vehicle and let them do the driving -- plus the vehicle...

Oct 31, 2010 - Happy Halloween!

Many thanks to all for the suggestions for travel. With heed to the helpful hints I have packed in my tote bag a little throw type blanket, an eye mask, an inflatable neck cushion, slipper socks, iPod, headset (can't use ear buds because of hearing aids), a small flashlight, and a book. Also, I have an extra battery and spare memory cards for the camera, and all of the chargers for the electronic stuff in my suitcase. Now it's about time to get the clothing in order. The plan is for 4 or 5 days worth of clothes and do laundry along the...

Oct 30, 2010 - 6 Days!

If all goes as scheduled, this time next week will find me almost in Johannesburg! I haven't looked up the time difference but according to my Delta Itinerary, Arrival in Johannesburg is scheduled at 5:05 PM on the 6th. It has been quite a week here at home -- the buy/sell on the property was terminated by the buyer, almost at the last moment. I won't go into details but it is back to "square one." Add to that vehicle problems that probably will mean transmission repair and things have been interesting, to say the least! Thank goodness for...

Oct 25, 2010 - 11 days til check in!

Kent has sent the list of the participants on this trip. There are two from Helena, two people from Indiana, one person from Kalispell, Me, and Kent (tour director). I have started lining up things for packing! There have been several comments about not packing too much! But it's easy to keep the amount of stuff within reason when traveling with just a carry-on! (After all, Paul & I did a month in Portugal with just carry-ons!)

Oct 21, 2010 - 15 Days!

Last night I received an email from Kent with information and itinerary updates for the trip. He made some minor changes because others were asking for more time to look for animals. I have entered these changes in the Itinerary of this website. Also, he included more information such as complete names and phone numbers for each of the overnight places. I will forward those on to my family but figure that I needn't clutter up space here with those items. It might be interesting for some folks to look at the websites for the various places...

Oct 17, 2010 - 19 days!

19 days and Counting! Hard for me to come to terms with -- but in 19 days this trip will be underway. Time to get the suitcase out and start really planning! It's time to start thinking about what to have handy for the long plane trip: book, iPod, what else? For those who have done long nighttime flights before, is an eye cover nice to have? If anyone who reads this has any suggestions, please let me know!

Oct 7, 2010 - Why did I choose to go on this trip?

Several folks have asked why did I choose South Africa? I think South Africa chose me! I was at a gathering at a local church last spring and became acquainted with a woman. In the process of our chatting she mentioned that she had a cousin in Bozeman who does tours and guide service and that he was planning a trip in November. The more we talked, the more interested I became. So she put me in touch with her cousin -- and as the saying goes -- the rest is history. For quite a few years Paul & I tried to do some sort of major trip each year...

Oct 4, 2010 - a Month to GO

This morning has been fun as responses to the invites to my trip journal website have come in. It is very rewarding to read some of the comments about this trip. So thanks for all of the good thoughts. I have splurged on a new camera -- Costco special -- that has motion picture capabilities. So a good part of the morning has been spent learning how to get full benefit from a new gadget. This week I will get my prescription filled for the malaria med. And that part of the preparation process will have been completed. All that will be left is...