The Pacific Northwest is forecast to get hit hard with snow
and cold this year.
I was able to hike up on my ridge behind the house in short order. Looking forward to taking them out again.
Here are some pics.
The Pacific Northwest is forecast to get hit hard with snow
and cold this year.
Overall, AccuWeather.com Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Bastardi is predicting that the worst of winter's cold and snow will be from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains and western Great Lakes. That will put cities like Portland and Seattle that escaped with a very nice winter last year, colder and snowier this year. Fargo and Minneapolis to Green Bay will also receive above-normal winter snowfall.
Read the article here.
After nearly 8 years of living in Marion, I finally have a
snow-plow for my truck.
Last year, I didn't need a real plow once. It was a very
mild snow year. I have a home-made drag behind plow that
works for light snow < 8 inches. However if the big stuff
hits - multiple feet, I had to hire out the job or rent a
Bobcat from town.
Not now. I have a full-size Winter Wolf plow now on my '81
GMC 3/4 ton. Bring on the snow! :)
Found this page today while looking for wiring information
for the winch on the plow -> The SnowPlow
Homepage. Might come in handy for others.
Rick Bass is one of my favorite authors. He writes short
pieces for Montana Outdoors occasionally, a great
magazine put out by our Fish and Game department. I found
this this morning as a resource for his work. Narrative
Magazine
And this link where Rick writes about parenting
See
here for links to some of his books.
We were hard pressed to hit 90° up here in NW Montana this summer which doesn't register a complaint with this guy. For this weekend, Saturday was cool, overcast and windy. Started raining last night and still is this morning. Currently 46°
We Montana natives might think we know it all about getting ready for Winter and sub-zero temps but even we can use some pointers every now and then.
Give this a read 19-Ways-to-Prepare-for-Winter
Yesterday threatened with a skim of icy dew on the BelAir windshield. This morning, it didn't mess around. A substantial frost complete with icy lawn and windshield scraping. I covered the hot-box last night knowing it would probably happen. It did.
Digital temperature reading at the house recorded a low of 33.458° at 7:44 am.
Welcome Fall, it's my most favorite time of the year. :)
Brrrrrrrrrrr!
Winter seems to have come early. Fine with me. Good hunting will come with it.
I added realtime temperature readings in the left hand menu. These are updated every minute via my digital weather station.
Yep, walked out today heading to work and a frosty lawn and windshield on the '62 was had. Another cooooool summer like last year. Suits me just fine. High of 68 forecasted for today and it is July 8th.
This indian artwork is on the north side of the highway between Marion and Kalispell. I do not know much about them and amazingly only recently discovered they were even there!
Added new Hubbard Spur section to Railroads section.
I'm back on track to continue my research of this spur of the GNR that journeyed from Marion, around Bitterroot Lake and south towards Hubbart Reservoir.
While field-tripping with the Marion Third grade class last week, I was fortunate to meet a gentleman named Bill Taylor. Mr. Taylor knows a lot about the GNR as well as many of Montana's other railroads. He will no doubt lend some great information over the coming months as I explore this spur of Marion history.
Check out Bill's website at the 7th Sub
Interesting forum about Kalispell and Montana's other cities. See the Community section.
Great attendance, food and music from Rob Quist and Great Northern. Weather was great, a little cool but to be expected for this Summer of 08. Pics to come.
I was up at the Lone Pine archery range last night getting ready for the upcoming archery season when a guy I was shooting with said there was a forest fire just reported up Dower Draw. I wondered if the highway would be closed and I'd be spending the night in the Chevy.
As soon as I rounded the bend coming up on Rogers Lake turnoff I could see the smoke boiling from the cliffs above the highway. Fire appeared to be centered right on the GNR railroad bed above the houses on that stretch. The DNRC was there with a D9 cat offloading from a trailer. I sailed on through and made it home.
Update:Still burning this A.M. at 7.
Yellow-shirted firefighters were coming off a bus as I
cruised by. I'll see if I can round up some more information
on this fire.
Update: Fire is out. Saw fire-fighters
going in one morning after another.
I love it. Frost on the '62 BelAir windshield on July 29th,
2008.
What a cool summer, it could do this every summer and I'd be
just fine.
Update: Again, July 31st, heavier this
morning. Took a good scrapin' to clear the windshield. First
snowfall August 15th?
I've found some old maps of the GNR through Montana and the Flathead.
Took Holls up on top of the mountain west of our place last Saturday. Enjoy the pics. Got into some wild raspberries, they were good.
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For now, enjoy some of these links.
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Found this the other day, has some bowhunting discussions etc.
read more...Frost. Every morning on the windshield and lawn at my place. June 20th and still freezing. Tough to plant the spring flowers and garden when the white stuff coats all!
read more...Woke up this morning to strong winds and heavy wet snowfall. I've never seen as cool of a spring as this one in my 38 years in Montana. Update: It's still snowing at 8 PM.
read more...Boisvert's boat launch was empty at 7 AM when we arrived. A few folks were in dry suits readying themselves for some diving training off the shoreline but nary a one truck and boat-trailer were to be seen. Maybe the promise of blustery weather had spooked off all the fair weather fishermen? No matter, my fishing crew, Brothers Rob, Travis, Troy and myself were anxious to launch and go after some Rainbows. Off hand conversations had been had, overheard that said the rainbows have been biting on the east end of the lake with a vigor all week.
read more...I went railroad hunting this afternoon and what a discovery! Not only did I confirm the existence of a railroad spur running near my property, I followed it nearly into Marion. Proceeding north from my place, I quickly found where the grade crossed US highway 2 very close to where the Little Bitterroot River colverts underneath the asphalt. A Plum Creek road takes over the grade at this point until a locked gate is met.
read more...I've found some old maps of the GNR through Montana and the Flathead.
Links I've found while investigating the GNR
Paul Flaherty explores Haskell Pass part 1
In the winter of 1891, Charles Haskell set out to locate a route for the Great Northern Railway between Kalispell and the Kootenai River. Ranging as far north as the Canadian Border, the Haskell Party eventually returned to Kalispell in early spring, having crossed a low notch in the Salish Mountains on the return trip. Haskell delivered his report to James Hill, and the following year, construction was begun on what was to be the first of three Great Northern lines through the Salish. Completed in 1892, the Haskell Pass line ran from Kalispell to Marion, then alongside Little Bitterroot lake, looping up on a high trestle over Herrig Creek, then through a 1425 foot long tunnel, emerging high on the mountains above Pleasant Valley. Gently descending to the valley floor, the line then turned north along Island Creek, then west down Wolf Creek, to the Fisher River, and then north to the Kootenai River Valley.
Just ten years later, however, this line was abandoned in favor of a line which bypassed Kalispell and was 20 miles longer, a decision which still invokes a high degree of controversy. Eventually, however, this line would also perish under the Libby Dam reservoir in 1970, with the third and final rerouting constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, including the 7 mile long Flathead Tunnel. Inronically, the present day route through the Salish uses the same Wolf Creek - Fisher River route as the original! In late 2001 I started a project to relocate what was left of the orignial line. Railroads which have been abandoned a century ago present a particular challenge, since records are inexact (if they exist at all) and a century of exposure to the harsh Montana weather will usually wipe out any mere creation of man. However, with a bunch of clues and a decent GPS receiver (Garmin eTrex Vista), I set out over Memorial Day 2002 to find what was left of the Haskell Pass Line."
Montana RailRoad History Rails To Trails of NW Montana
I have found evidence of a railroad spur line on property that adjoins my property. A somewhat crude bed with countless railroad ties littered off the side is evident for a few miles. What is this spur line? I have read snippets of information about the Great Northern building a spur line towards Hubbart Reservoir to harvest the virgin forests that lie south-west of Marion. Did they?
This property was once owned by Mr. Norm Hanson of Sickler Creek residency, I hope to ask Mr. Hanson if he knows the details about this abandoned railbed.
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