Life Happens!

One of the biggest things I am learning about life on the road is that it is similar to life in our apartment or house. The weather dictates much of our activity. Routine life stuff happens. And then there is the not-so-routine life stuff. The benefits of changing scenery and exploring new places are part of the road. Still, the added chores of driving days and managing Koko are also part of our new lives. But all in all, life as full-time RVers is not all that different from settled city folk. This has been a full week of living for our wandering souls.

The night before we move is generally a time to reflect on and celebrate our time in a particular place. Our last night in Butte, Montana, was no exception. The rain showed up as the day ended, but Butte still gave us a sunset picture. This summed up our stay in this historic city with its complicated past. There is so much to dislike about Butte's past. The unrelenting greed at the expense of human life, the racism that stood between people who needed each other, and the wanton disregard for the needs of the land speaks to the worst of the human footprint on creation. But all this makes the brilliant sunset on our time in Butte all the more beautiful. The town has thrived! They survived the withdrawal of the Robber Baron's investments. They rediscovered a new life relying on one another instead of New York City investors. We met a football coach who is a proud son of this old town and gives tours all Summer to share that pride. He did more than tolerate Diversity; he celebrated it! Then there is a beautiful nature park built around a creek that carries the cleaned water from the perpetually acidic and polluted Berkeley Pit in the old mine.

 

As our time came to an end in Butte, I felt hope! As I said in my blog last week, the darkness will end, and a new light will dawn. That Sun creeping out from under the day's gloom foreshadowed the dawn of a glorious new day. The Sun is shining brightly in the 21^st Century Butte. Thank you, Butte, Montana!

 

We loaded up and set out for our next stop on our way South. We drove through Southern Montana and crossed into Central Idaho. The drive included some beautiful landscape along a couple of rivers as we climbed a pass and descended into a broad agricultural landscape west of the Tetons. The air was clear of smoke, and the Sun created a mosaic of light and shadow on the rolling hills. We arrived at The Snake River RV Park in Idaho Falls, Idaho, around 3:00 PM and settled in for the week. This is an older Park that was built as a KOA. It is less spiffy than some we have enjoyed in the last month. But the staff was friendly, and the narrow site will provide all we need. We reviewed the possibilities for the week and found a few that we had overlooked previously. I was excited by the opportunities that Idaho Falls held for us in the week ahead.

 

Marlene added Idaho to our camping map next to the door on Koko. This map represents the states where we have camped since we started RVing in 2016. We only count those where we have parked a trailer or motorhome, not simply driven through. We hope to completely fill in the map when we park Koko for good. See that big hole in the middle of the map? Our original plan of filling in the rest in 2024 has been changed. We want to spend more time with our Seattle Grands next year. Therefore, if circumstances allow, we will take our shot at the Midwest in 2025. This map reminds us that we have many miles to travel before we are done!

 

Life on the road is all about adapting to change. This has been my photographic partner since 12/6/2015 when I took a picture of an Egyptian Goose walking along a river bank. The Canon 70D was my third digital camera and my fourth camera since my friend, Jim Britch, infected me with the Shutterbug back in 2000. My first step into digital photography happened when we returned from the Grand Canyon with 43 rolls of slides needing to be developed. This convinced Marlene that a digital camera made more sense. I bought a Canon 20D in 2005 and spent the next 4 years shooting 41,000 pictures before technological advances enticed me to change. In 2009 I bought my Canon 50D and took 27,000 shots over the next 6 years. In 2015 I replaced the 50D with the Canon 70D camera (pictured above) with improved focusing and higher pixel count (geek speak for better quality pictures.) I have been thrilled with this camera and bought higher quality lenses to complement the quality of the camera. But over the years, technology has moved on. Pixel count is no longer that important. Focusing speed and clarity have eclipsed my old 70D, and it is time to move on. My old friend has its share of bumps and scratches. The label for the programming wheel disappeared years ago. But it continues to take decent pictures, and I have resisted changing cameras for 8 ½ years after taking almost 70,000 pictures. If the next camera gives me the joy this one has offered, it will be well worth the time and expense of making the change. As I unboxed the camera, Marlene asked, "This should be the last one, right?" "Well, it should be!" I replied. I don't think she was convinced. But, then, change is always hard, especially when it involves an old friend. Hmmm…

 

Downtown Idaho Falls follows the Snake River. Settlement began in 1864 when Harry Rickets built a ferry across the Snake River to serve the wagon trains heading west. Matt Taylor built a toll bridge downstream of the ferry within a year, and Taylor's Crossing was born. By 1866 the community had become known as Eagle Rock due to an island in the river near the ferry where eagles nested. In time, the growing agricultural production of the area attracted the railroad, and the upper Snake River Valley saw a significant housing boom.

 

The city decided to build a small hydroelectric plant to serve the city’s growing needs. After passing a bond, the city built a canal along the river, diverting much of the water from the rapids, and opened the plant in 1912. In 1976 the upstream Teton Dam broke and destroyed the aging hydro plant. The city used this opportunity to raise the water level in the canal by 6 feet and install more efficient European turbines, making it one of the most effective hydro plants on the Snake River.

 

The town was renamed Idaho Falls in 1891. Today, the rapids are a ½ mile long series of falls along the raised canal that feeds the hydro plant. This is the signature feature of an old city that has successfully retooled itself for the change brought by each new century.

 

This stone suggests that John Coulter was in the Teton Valley in 1808. The rock is an effigy of a man and was plowed up when homesteaders were preparing their fields in the Western Foothills above the Teton Valley in 1933.

 

John Colter was a member of the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806). Colter was a native Virginian but joined a trapping expedition upon discharge in St. Louis that brought him to Central Wyoming. He stayed with the Crow in Wind River and traveled with them as they sought new hunting grounds in the Teton Valley in the winter of 1807. He is said to be the first European to cross the Tetons by the South Pass. He was at the "Battle of the Flats" in Pierre's Hole (the later site of the Mountain Men's annual gathering called The Rendezvous) when the Crow defeated the Blackfeet. Colter was wounded during the battle. The following day, the Crow Council of Chiefs decided that the land was not worth the lives it would take to defend it. The Crow returned to their Wind River homeland, but John Colter chose to stay behind.

 

He joined the ranks of the Mountain men who trapped beaver and muskrat along the Snake and Yellowstone Rivers. He explored the basins of both rivers and was a leader in the growing fur trade. He negotiated with the tribes, sometimes successfully and other times barely escaping with the clothes on his back. One negotiation even cost him his clothes as he ran for his life. He built trading posts and helped open the area for European settlement. In 1810 he returned to St. Louis, married, and settled down. He fought in the War of 1812 as one of Nathan Boone's Rangers but died a year later in Miller's Landing, Missouri. His legacy is preserved in the many places that bear his name and the stories surrounding his travels, including the 1965 classic movie, The Naked Prey, based on his life.

 

We had never seen the western Slope of the Tetons in our travels. We have often seen the Eastern Slope during our trips through Teton National Park and Yellowstone. But the western Slope and the adjacent Teton Valley have their own charm. This picture is from an overlook on the edge of the Teton Valley, looking East past the foothills and into the Tetons. This is rich, agricultural land that was once the domain of the Blackfeet Indians. After the Mountain Men began returning to St Louis with stories of a broad valley beyond the mountains. Settlers began loading their wagons and heading West. Pierre’s Hole, where The Rendezvous was held, was a favorite stopover after completing the South Pass. Pierre's Hole is named for “le grand Pierre” Tivanitagon, a Hudson's Bay trapper. By 1868, 300,000 European descendants migrated to California and Oregon across the South Pass. By 1862, with the passage of the Homestead Act, many settlers made homestead claims in the Teton Valley. Their descendants still live there.

 

We read our way through the Teton Valley Museum in Driggs, Idaho. It is a fascinating collection that tells the story of all the people who have and still live in the valley. While it is heavy on the families whose ancestry reaches back to the 1800s, it represents the history and cultures of the area very well.

 

After several days of driving and exploring, we returned to the Snake River in downtown Idaho Falls. It includes the Japanese Friendship Garden. The shaded walkways and flowing water offer a respite from the heat and bustle of the river walk. In 1991, the Rotary Club of Idaho Falls began the development of a Greenbelt along the river. In 2011, the Friendship Garden was started to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the city’s association with its sister city, Tokai Mura, Japan. This stone lantern was placed near the garden. After a deadly tsunami and earthquake destroyed much of Tokai Mura, its placement was dedicated to the victims of that disaster. The Garden started to develop around the lantern and is maintained by Civic Clubs and Volunteers throughout the community. This small plot of peace is a welcome relief from the chaos that fills our lives. Thank you, Idaho Falls and Tokai Mura!

 

In Blackfoot, Idaho, we found the Idaho Potato Museum. If you have been following us for a while, you know we are suckers for food museums. This started with a trip to Cranberry World Headquarters in Massachusetts and has included tributes to cheese, garlic, and several other favored foods. Some are glorified gift shops, while others are genuine tributes to the food. The Potato Museum was one of the latter sharing information on the humble potato's history, production, and use. The volcanic soils of this part of Idaho are perfect for growing all potato varieties. A third of the US Russet Potato crop comes from this area. Massive fields of green potato vines with white blooms line the highways. The farms have huge cellars where the crop is stored until shipment. We read the story of how the potato went from South America to Spain, through Europe before returning to North America three hundred years ago. I discovered that most potatoes are clones growing from the tubers that are part of the stems just beneath the surface. I also learned that the tops and fruits of the potato contained deadly nightshade and were used as a poison for many years before the tubers were eaten. There is so much more to know. I will have to leave the rest to your curiosity.

 

This picture is of the world's largest potato crisp. It was created by Pringles to highlight their product. It is essential to distinguish the crisp from the chip. The crisp is made of mashed up, dried flakes, and a few other ingredients. While the chip is a sliced, fried potato with hundreds of ingredients in the oil and seasonings. My favorite display was a letter from the then Governor of Idaho to Vice President Dan Quayle after Quayle became the brunt of jokes for misspelling potato. The letter closes with the postscript, “By the way, Idaho does not have an e in it either.” You must love a museum that can share information and have fun. Thanks, Idaho Potato Museum, for a fun afternoon. 

 

When we returned from Blackfoot, I had a message that Amazon had delivered a package at the campground office. Yep, my new photo buddy had arrived. This is a Canon R6 EOS Mirrorless camera. I have spent the last 4-5 months looking at new cameras because my 70D has grown a bit “long in the lens.” Some friends allowed me to hold and play with their R6 in Gig Harbor. Since then, I have decided that this would be my choice. I was prepared to wait until the price came down when Canon released an upgrade version. Well, it happened. I could no longer resist.

 

This camera is mirrorless, meaning that there is no reflex mirror that must move before the shutter can take the shot. The camera is quieter, lighter, and faster to focus and shoot. All of these are important for someone who carries the camera on trails for miles at a time, shooting birds in flight and when wary critters are nearby. These and the usual technological improvements made this the perfect choice for me. With an adapter, I can use my existing lenses to save on buying new glass. All in all, this is a winner for me. Your mileage may vary!

 

As I said above, life on the road is not that much different from life in a house or an apartment. Life happens wherever you live. Well, life happened! I opened my MacBook to do my morning journal and noticed the computer’s Trash Bin was full. So, like any responsible person, I took out the trash. I then noticed that it started emptying hundreds of gigabytes of data. I had done some updates last week, so I figured it was just cleaning up my hard drive.

 

A little later, I opened the hard drive where I stored all of my edited pictures. And yep, the MacBook cleaned up that drive down to the last byte. Twenty-five+ years of photos had been deleted and erased. After figuring out the issue, I discovered that Apple had not included any way to recover them in the operating system. Disappointed? Yes. Sad? A bit. (Ok, more than a bit!) but I have been around computers for over 30 years and have learned that there are very few unsolvable problems. Most demand a little research and money. This was no exception.

 

Fortunately, I found an app that was able to recover my pictures. It took all day and was not cheap, but those pictures are important to me. Photography is not simply my hobby. It is a way that I exercise my mind-body-soul in the world. In taking photographs, the lens allows me to focus my attention on the world around me. In processing the pictures, I can explore possibilities and see the world more clearly. In sharing the photos, I discover kindred spirits who see the world through similar eyes and learn that others see things very differently. When I go back and look at shots I have taken, I discover undiscovered territory in my yesterdays. My photo friend freed me from the verbal trap of a lifetime of words. I discovered a new world available through the visual arts. Since I can’t draw, photography became my medium to know and experience the world. Recovering these images is tantamount to recovering my memory after losing my mind. I would have survived losing them, but I am glad I do not have to walk that path today.

 

As for now, all is well, and I will continue my photo journey through this adventure. I am equipped with a new buddy and the continuing support of my lifelong companion in life. Life will continue to happen, and I will do my best to keep learning and adapting.

 

I look forward to sharing those happenings with you as we wander down the road with my camera in hand.

 

Thanks for coming along!

 

Bob