The falcon information will be included in the other blogs as usual.
After several weeks of preparation, I left home on Tuesday, 25 September, and headed down to Seattle and then over the Cascade Mountains. The fall colors were well advanced at Snoqualmie Pass, the 3,000' summit and the temperatures are starting to get colder. From there I continued on to the Columbia River where a full moon came up over the Columbia Basin. A great start to the trip, especially when framed against the Wild Horse Monument above the gorge.
My goal is to travel east and intercept Linda, probably in Manitoba, as she travels down from the north.
That night, I arrived at Mark Prostor's house in a Yellow Pine forest near Cheney, WA, and stayed the night there.
The next day, Wednesday, we put all of the final touches on Lula Belle, the project truck (satellite receiving antenna, tailgate seals, latch, installing the inverter for AC power, tire up on the rack, etc) and made our final preparations. Mark is amazing in his abilities and got everything done perfectly. And thanks to Mark's wife, Andrea, for her patience and hospitality.
(Mark, Bud & Lula Belle)
On Thursday, I headed east and passed through Spokane where a Merlin did a stoop directly in front of the truck. Drove on through Idaho, passing Lake Couer D'Alene and eventually drove into Montana. At St. Regis, I turned north towards Flathead Lake to visit Denver Holt of the Owl Institue in Charlo . During the next several hours, I drove through some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen, the Lolo National Forest, the Clark Fork River, the Flathead River, The National Bison Range and the Mission Mountain range. Gorgeous mountains with a light first coating of snow, reminding me of the approaching winter, Aspen trees turning a light lime green against the darker conifers. All the things that Montana is famous for. Continued on up to Kalispell, into Glacier National Park and camped on a logging road outside of East Glacier.
Early to bed after sundown, I awoke next morning at 0400 and headed out for the east, crossing the continental divide in the dark. There is something deeply satisfying about driving alone at night with a near full moon into an area where you have never been.
Driving downhill through the foothills, I suddenly came into a beautiful golden lit basin (mercury vapor lights), the Blackfoot town of Browning where I fueled up. At home, I drive a Toyota Prius and it is difficult to go from my usual 54 mpg down to 13 mpg. Continued east until the town of Havre, where I headed north, went through both US and Canadian customs and was finally in Canada (1115). The US Customs agent had just returned to work after a terrible session with West Nile Virus that laid him low for two weeks. His descriptions were vivid and frightening. Delirium, not knowing who he was, inability to stand, etc. First person I have met that had it.
Moved into Saskatchewan and immediately started seeing lots of Ferruginous Hawks along with ground squirrels. I have also been seeing several Coyotes and my favorite, herds of Pronghorn Antelope, always a thrill to someone who does not live here.
Drove through many, many miles of wheat country with low rolling hills and small rivers, many dry at this time of year.
Finally reached Moose Jaw as the sun was going down and hooked into a restaurant with a WIFI hotspot so I can send this on. After dinner, will drive out and look for a spot to sleep.
