Memorial Day Weekend ("Work" weekend) ! And Tuesday too........

I will start this post thanking all past, present, and future veterans for keeping our world free and safe.

God bless America.

Starting last Thursday, it was our 2nd four day stint at "work".  The Pool and Hot Tub are open now and that has added duties for me.  Clean the pool / hot tub deck, vacuum the pool, clean the filters, check the chemical levels and adjust.  Also the irrigation system is up and running, they literally have underground sprinklers throughout the entire resort.  The filters need to be cleaned once a day.  Pretty easy, fun kind of work.  Jo-Ann the boss lady is great.  She is a firecracker and along with her husband Walter, they work their asses off to get this place in order for the season and keep it this way.  Here is a pic in my ORANGE work vest.  Way too much orange.......

It gets a little warm on hot days and I revert back to a t-shirt !!  Friday we had a ton of check ins and that is the part I like about our jobs.  You get to meet all kinds of people from all over the place. Everything from people in $500 campers and a car that should not have made it here to Half a million dollar Class A diesel pusher rig.  Some are just coming up from Missoula for the weekend, and some are stopping by on their way to Alaska !!   In my job, I escort them from the office reception area to their sites and make sure they get in their site and hooked up.  This can take anywhere from about 5 minutes up to about an hour depending on how interesting their story is !!  LOL.  OR if there are other rigs waiting for their sites..... One of our co-workers found this beautiful butterfly under a pine tree in front of the office.  It looked like a Monarch, but then had some very beautiful colors on the bottom of its wings.  I think we determined it was a Swallow Tail Butterfly.  It did not look well and we placed him in the freshly watered flowers.  In about an hour or so he looked better and flew away. We named him Ralph.  We swear we see him all over the park..... ?   

After all the running around getting everyone checked in on Friday, Saturday and Sunday were pretty quiet.  A few Ice Creams sold, some people wanting to stay longer, etc....  Monday was busy with check outs and setting up for out Memorial Day Potluck Picnic.  Rain was threatening, so we set up both outside and inside, and of course the rain came and we were stuck inside.  It wasn't pouring, but just enough that we could not be outside.  We did have about 60 in the rec room and it was a great time with good friends........

We made our "Texas Beef Brisket Beans", which is my Mothers baked bean recipe with some yummy Competition Beef Brisket chopped up in it.  It must have been good because it disappeared at an alarming rate !  Guess we will have to make a double batch next time.  Some of us got carried away...... Paul !  LOL.

Tuesday was a R and R day.  We woke up and played pickle ball all morning, swam in the pool, lounged in the hot tub, had lunch, took a shower, then a nap and next thing you know we were late for Happy hour !!  About a perfect day !!

More soon..............................

Waterfalls, and Jeeping ....................... oh My !

Tuesday we spent the morning cleaning the rig some more, organizing things, etc.... We also took care of some healthcare insurance issues, and got a new insurance policy on the Motor Home and the Jeep.  In the afternoon we took a bike ride over to the subdivision on the opposite side of the golf course and rode through there.  Great view of the lake and very up and down.  We did notice that we are handling the hills a lot better than the first few bike rides !  That is good right ? !

Wednesday, Just as I thought, no pickle ball this morning.  Knee still hurts pretty good.  She is not entirely sure how she hurt it.  I went to the gym to get a work out in and Bren came over and used the recumbant bike to try to loosen up her knee.  It seemed to work, so we went for a cool down walk around the resort.  Knee feeling better !  Right until she tried to step up into the coach and then it hurt again...........She took some Motrin and we decided to go fishing.  We took off for St. Ignatius for lunch at the Mission General Store for a "BIG" Sandwich.  We got there way faster that we thought it would take and since this town is right next to the mountains and we have a JEEP, we went exploring.  We found a road called the Mission Valley Dam Road, sounded interesting so off we went.  

Started off paved, went to gravel, then to bad gravel.  We arrived at the Mission Valley Reservoir and it was very beautiful.  The road then went off toward the mountains along side of the water so we were off.  The bad dirt road turned quickly into 4 wheel drive road,  The views were great as we twisted and turned though the woods and along the water.  About an hour later and 3 miles, we arrived at a dead end with a deafening sound of running water.  After a short hike we arrived at a very beautiful set of waterfalls.......................

This made the rough ride in worth it.  It was amazing how cold it got as you got closer to the water.  this is snow run off !  On the way back, we drove over the dam to see what was on the other side and there was a little 4 wheel drive area, so the 12 year old in me said lets go !  After some fun, we came across a cool water crossing right in the reservoir.............had to do it !

From here we had worked up an appetite and headed back to the General Store.  This is a huge General Store in the middle of nowhere, run by Mennonites.  Prices are ridiculously cheap and the food is supposedly good.  We both ordered the "Big Sandwich".  You basically step up to the counter, pick from several home made bread options that are hand cut in front of you and then just pick from about 8 dressings, a dozen meats, 2 dozen toppings, and $4.99 later you are in heaven !  Here is Brenda's sandwich and her attempt to eat it.......

YUMM !  They also have a great selection of meats and cheeses at about half off of the grocery store prices so we stocked up since we will be "working" over the weekend and quick lunches will be in order.  We made it back in time for Happy Hour and then watched TV.  BTW, we will go fishing another day.....................:)       More to come..............

Saturday, Sunday, Monday.................

It is crazy how busy you can get and how fast the days go by !  Saturday morning we played pickle ball for a couple of hours with our new friends Dennis and Deb.  Good times.  From there we cleaned the rig, and sorted some more through all the stuff we thought we needed.  In the afternoon we took a nap, beginning to like the naps !  Woke up for Happy hour and Brenda developed a bad Charlie horse in her Gluteus Maximus.  I was more than happy to massage it for her........ After happy hour we decided to use a 20% off coupon up at the Finley Point Grill, but this time we went down stairs.  We had one of the best Pizzas that we have had in a long time, their Meat Lovers.   Their mugs even looked like the Royal Oak Brewery Mugs, but the IPA was nothing like Tim's, my favorite Brewer !

  After dinner we decided that Brenda needed the newly opened Hot Tub.  We took the short walk, about 50 feet, to the pool area and jumped in.  The hot tub was at about 104 degrees.  Too hot for me for any length of time.  But we both enjoyed it, AND it with some Advil, it cured Bren's problem.


Sunday we woke up, had breakfast, worked out in the gym for about 45 minutes, and went for a bike ride through the Golf Course Community.  There are many houses along this particular road that just say Montana.  Big Timbers, lots of natural stone, etc.....   Most well over a Million dollars, whether on the lake side or the course side.  Our Son is in the process of buying land for a lot and a house that someone already started (foundation, Well, etc....), so we snapped this pic for a good idea for an entry way on the road side.

After getting home we tried, note that word......tried to mount a TV that we traded a larger one with our Daughter into the side lower compartment of the motor home.  This would allow us to watch TV outside at night when the weather warms up.  Things did not go as planned due to the tank that holds the #$&% got in the way.  Currently it resides in the next compartment in a mobile fashion.    After they left we had left over pizza and watched some TV til bedtime.

Today (Monday) we woke up, played pickle ball, and then helped the gals plant flowers in all the beds up by the office.  Pics to come after they take off.  We then had lunch, took pics of the bike for the insurance company, took showers, and went to happy hour.  For dinner we cooked up some Sausage and Peppers Ravioli with some sauce that was left over from our favorite Lamb and Green Beans recipe and it was delicious.

  We killed of a bottle of wine (that was a gift from the girls Brenda worked with) and watched the Bachelor.

Tuff Life......................... Stay tuned.

Biking, and Lazing around..........

Thursday.................... we woke to a nice day, cool, but Sunny.  We jumped on the tandem again and took off for another ride.  This time we went down to the corner and turned south on a paved rails to trails trail.  Guess what ?  It was up hill !  After a steady 20 minute climb, I spotted a dirt trail up a hill, warned Brenda we were going off road and took off up the hill.  Much to our surprise there was a bench up there and one of the most beautiful views of the lake that we have seen.  We sat and caught our breath from both the climb and the view.  While we were sitting here we also received the great news that our Daughter Jenni nailed her 3rd interview and was offered the job that she wanted.  She too is out on a new adventure and we wish her the best.  Here are some pics from the lookout.......

Friday.......................We went to the Polson Farmers market in the AM.  There were about 15-20 vendors - crafts, Breads, Veggies, etc...... We ended up with a package of smoked home made cheese curds and a cherry danish of some sort.  The rest of the day we spent working around the rig and cleaning cow shit off of our boots !  Our Son called and let us know he was covering the local bar for a few hours while the owner watched her daughters softball game, so we shot up there and had a few beers,  After our impromptu happy hour with our Son, we met a group from the resort at Cheers, a local restaurant, for Prime Rib night.  We were told ahead of time to split one and they were right.  Very good prime rib !  Stay tuned........

Rain on the roof.........

We woke up this morning to the pitter patter of rain on the roof.  It encouraged us to stay snuggled under the blankets until around 10:30 !!  Very soothing......  Once up we walked over to the gym and worked out for a half hour with the weights and then went for a long power walk up the hill and around the resort.  During our walk the front that had just passed through made the mountains look like they were on fire.....

After our work out we did some chores around the rig, showered, and next thing you know it was Happy hour again !  After happy hour we went to eat at the Finley Point Grill with one of the other camp host couples.  It was a delicious meal with good company, although the service was slow.  After dinner we took a little drive out to Finley Point and arrived right at sunset.........

Montana never ceases to amaze us with its beauty...........Stand by for more.........

Another beautiful day in Montana !

Although we got a late start today, we were on the Pickle Ball courts by 9:30.  We had a fun group !

Played a couple of hours and then decided to take the tandem on a ride.  It seems we must be on the top of a very large hill, although you would not know it.  Every time we take a ride we (in any direction) we end up on a pretty good flat or down hill coast.  Then it is flat out downhill, which of course we must go back up the hill !  Today we went to the east toward the mountains on a paved bike trail.  The views of Flathead Lake and the mountains were incredible. Our ride was 2.3 miles up and 2.3 miles down.  After our ride we did some running around town, Wally world, Grocery Store, and ACO.  Once home I colored Brenda's hair (she is blonde again !), we took showers, took a nap, and the next thing you know it was Happy Hour !  Ahhhhh the life !  Stay tuned..............................

Mothers Day !

Happy Mothers day to all the Mothers out there !



We started out a beautiful day off with a Breakfast at a local restaurant with some of our new friends from the Resort.  Service was fairly slow and the food was ok.  It is Mothers day.......  After breakfast we mounted our Tandem Bike for our second outing.  We went back to town, but this time took a paved rail trail.  Again, mainly down hill on the way there, and mainly up hill on the way back, just not quite as extreme as along the road on our previous adventure.  Still a good work out !
We are slowly learning where everything is at and it is fun exploring a new town.  In the afternoon we attended the Mothers Day Happy Hour, which was designated as a Heavy Appetizer Happy Hour.  Everyone brought an appetizer and good times were had by all !

First day of "Work" !

Wednesday May 6th.  Our first day of "work" here at the park !  The first half of the day was in the office going over the rules and regulations, learning the computer, and figuring out the daily routine of being hosts here at the Eagle Nest RV Resort.  Brenda will be in the office welcoming and registering the guests..........

My role for the time being is in helping getting the resort ready for the season.  Once we get busy, I will escort guests to their sites and make sure they are all set up for their camping experience.  Did I mention we have to set up and host a happy hour each day that we are on duty......... Yeah !  Our schedule is work 4 days, have 12 off.  Got to love that !  Everyone here at the resort is friendly and very welcoming and we are looking forward to a great summer...........

Friday, Jenni left to go back home.  It was hard to say goodbye to her since we have been around and in her life since she was born and now we are going to be here for the summer and on the road in the future.  We are sure she will be back out here again before the summer is over.  Our boss here was even trying to figure out a job for her here !

We were busy with check ins until around 7 pm and missed out on the weekly group Prime Rib excursion, there is always next week !

Satuday.  We worked on opening the pool here at the resort.  This was the last day of our 1st work stint.  All in all we think this summer is going to be a blast here !!

Flat Head Lake Tour !

Today (Tuesday May 5th) we got up early and took a bike ride into town.  2.3 miles down hill for the most part.  Yes, that means it is 2.3 miles uphill on the way back.  Quite a work out.  We just love our tandem bike.  By the time we got back we took showers and woke Jenni up and headed out on our Flat Head Lake Circle Tour.  First stop up the East shore was the Flat Head Lake Brewery.  The one we stopped at is the production facility and it has a small tasting room.  We had several samples of their beer, a delicious soft pretzel, and split a mini Sausage Margarite Pizza. MMMMMMM.............

From here we headed around the Northern End of the lake to Kalispel, a great town and one of the larger ones near us.  After a quick trip into Cabella's for a Camo Onezie (sp?) for Knox, we were off again in search of more beer.  Around the corner we found Kalispel Brewery.  Another sampler platter.......

and some delicious popcorn and we were on the move again.  Our favorite local brewery on the west side of the lake in the town of Lakeside is the Tamarac Brewery.  Excellent food and great beer.  From here we finished out the tour and headed home...............Stay tuned !

Arrived !

Here we are in front of the rig after getting everything set up !  The Eagle Nest is where we will be calling home until the end of September.  Everyone we have met so far is just great.

The beginning..............

To figure out which direction to head first was easy, back to Montana to see our Son and his family.  You see last year while we were in our planning stages we spent some time in Montana visiting them and while we were there we wanted to be able to play our favorite sport, Pickle ball.  This is how we came across the Eagle Nest RV Resort.  It seems that they have 2 brand new courts and over the course of our vacation we played there almost every morning getting to know quite a few of the characters that live here through the summer.  A few of them were hosts here.  Now we have heard of hosting and work camping, but did not know that much about it.  They filled us in and when we got back home we pulled a mini resume and some pics of us and our Motorhome together and sent them off.  After a phone interview, we were hired, and WEST bound it will be.

On April 30th we departed our home for the last time in Royal Oak Michigan and began a 1,956 mile journey across the United States.  Our Daughter Jenni decided to tag along for a visit and fly home after the trip.  After a short ride across town, one of our Best Friends Alicia was standing by to take the above pic of us as we blew by her office.................You do not realize how big this rig is until you see our Jeep behind it for reference. 

Our first sunset on the road.

Our first nights stop was in Alberta Lea Minnesota.  After what I thought was a good nights sleep I got dressed and headed back to the "front office" of the rig.  Jenni, who was sleeping on the couch behind the drivers seat asked what I was doing ??  I told her hitting the road, it was 8:00.  She then pointed out that it was actually 3:30 in the morning !!  It was then we figured out that the alarm clock in the bedroom is not that accurate  on the inverter electricity.  I was up and awake so we were off !  Another beautiful day for driving.  Around lunch time we started getting into the foot hills just before the continental divide.  On a couple of the steeper climbs we had some problems keeping up speed and having the engine temps increase.  After another long sloper that I thought we were not going to make, it was decided that we might be a bit over loaded.  With two main passes ahead of us, we decided to unhook the almost 4,000 #'s of Jeep behind us and try another couple of hills.  No problem at all.  This is how we were able to get the very cool main page shot.  Jenni took the Jeep up ahead and took a great shot of us whipping by with the mountain's in the background.

The second night was at the local Walmart in Bozeman, Montana, just shy of the two main passes over the continental divide.  The next morning we climbed and crested both passes without issue.  4 short hours after starting our day we arrived in Polson Montana at the Eagle Nest RV Resort where we will be spending the summer............................