March of the Democrats

"I tell you, it's so good to see Democrats out marching in Ravalli County," the old gentleman said to us, after yesterday's parade. That's my "Proud to Be" button with an American Legion poppy.

We loved marching in the Corvallis, MT, Memorial Day Parade! There were vintage cars and bag pipers,  bikers,  costumed dogs, massive fire trucks and quirky floats galore. Main Street of this small dusty town was packed three deep, with children in front to collect the giveaways -- mostly candy, sometimes tiny American flags.

And of course, there were politicians. We walked behind the car of Clint Burson, Democrat who's running for County Commissioner in District 4 (a seat now occupied by right-wing Republican Jeff Burrows). Clint is a young Montanan, full of a love for the environment plus plenty of ideas for righting wrongs in recent Republican-dominated goings on in the county.  Vote for Clint! (And, St. Louis friends, he is a copy editor at the Lee-owned Ravalli Republic newspaper -- with full approval of his candidacy by his superiors. He may be out of a job, anyway, in the fall, since Lee apparently is moving its newspaper design desks to three centralized locations -- one of them is not Montana.)

Mark West (great name for a Montana candidate, eh?) is the Democrat running for County Commissioner in District 1, a seat now occupied by the right-wing Republican Ron Stoltz.

Mark, too, is a supporter of the forested, local environment and showed that in one of his two vintage trucks, full of young trees in the back and hanging baskets on the rear-view mirrors. Nice touch!

Another marcher, for Mark.

Nancy Schneider (D) brought a truck full of family members with signs to campaign for House District 86 seat occupied Ron Ehli (R).

Veteran marchers practiced...

Young cowboys huddled...

And local businesses touted their wares (cider, in this case, from Swanson's Mountain View Apple Orchards).

We were told that no horses, mules (elephants? -- large animals, in other words) would be allowed to befoul the parade this year. And yet...

...Some Republican managed to get poop (horse) on the streets. No surprise there, I guess!

Mornin' Missoula

I take my 11-year-old Subaru to Missoula for servicing. The day happens to be on one of the sunniest, most beautiful so far this spring.  I'd made a reservation at the estimable Kent Bros. Subaru for an oil change, tune up, new wiper blades, the works, and I leave the car there early and walk. And walk. And walk. 

Missoula is just waking up as I start walking. Windows get washed. Much coffee is consumed (I myself sit for a few minutes with a latte and scone, at Le Petit Outre bakery.) Folks everywhere seem to be slowly shaking off a night's sleep and getting out into this day. Many stores don't even open until 11 or noon.  

But bright, beautiful vintage-looking new fabric is out on display as I trek past a favorite haunt, Selvedge Studio. (Today, May 16, is part of their annual sidewalk sale -- 30% off of everything, in case you're interested!)

                                                                           

And "surf" is up in the Clark Fork River that runs under a long bridge into downtown. Who knew?

I take a quick, angled photo of the beautiful and historic Wilma theater, trying to make it look hip. It doesn't need my help for that! I walk onward to the St. Patrick's Hospital doctor's office building, where I have an annual checkup with my internist. I walk back the same route to Kent Bros. It's almost three hours later and car's still parked in the same place. Grr.

Oh well. Many folks have Subarus hereabouts. I'm not in a rush. I tell them that I'm walking to Caffe Dolce for lunch and will check in later.

And I do get to Dolce at a primo time. The lunch crowd at this popular place is thinning. I grab a table, place an order for a salad with grilled, wild-caught Alaska salmon, people watch and hook into their excellent WiFi.

Ambling back to Kent Bros. on Higgins -- the so-called Hip Strip -- I drop into Habitat Floral Studio for a look at garden accessories.

I'm in love with concrete containers right now and almost buy some, but Kent Bros. calls and my car is ready. Hooray. I'll get back to Habitat someday soon. I get the car; it's a bargain. They checked everything out, and I don't need a tune-up for another 10,000 miles, just the oil change, wiper blades and a quick going over. I drive off to the eye doctor for a ten-minute exam. Then on to the Good Food Store, a 40-year-old establishment that started as a small, crunchy-granola emporium and now is all grown up and wonderful. By this time, I'm tired and ready to drive the 40 miles south to home in Hamilton. At least, on this stellar day, I get a big dose of exercise and manage to avoid the congested highway that leads to Costco and Target. All in all, a great trip to the Garden City. (Except that I missed driving to another favorite spot -- Garden City Garden Supply; twist my arm and I'll drive back to Missoula very soon.)

Oh, I missed telling about one final wonderful thing that I just read about this town. Here's what happens some spring and summer nights when college kids and others dance the night away on the streets of Missoula.

Vantana

In winter,  these little loaves-of-bread look-alikes are part of a fleet of VW Westfalias in storage, rented out in summer by Dragonfly Vans based at the Missoula, Montana, Airport. We are so lucky to have come across this business, because...

Missou
...we are in the process of buying a fully restored 1990 Westy Vanagon from the mechanic/entrepreneur/owner of Dragonfly, Scott Quinnett.  Whoop! We've long wanted a VW pop-top camper van. We started looking in earnest when we moved to Montana. How else to explore this spectacular state than with a warm, off-the-ground, stand-up-inside, kitchenette-included, bear-proof(!) camper? We even traveled to Portland to look at uber expensive Roadtreks, complete with shower and toilet in their shiny new, small Sprinters with Mercedes engines. Too rich for our blood, not to mention too low to the ground for exploring Forest Service roads. So online, we saw that Scott was looking for folks who wanted a complete restoration of a classic van that he'd purchased. He wanted to fill his off season -- winter and early spring -- with a substantial project. We bit!

Right in our own backyard, metaphorically, was Scott (in van, above; he also has cameos in the Missoula-made documentary The Bus and is featured in several stories in The Missoulian about his and wife Rachelle's move of their 17 vehicles over wintry mountain passes from Coeur d’Alene to Missoula).

The original engine from our van -- a goner.

Shiny new (rebuilt) shrink-wrapped engine from the California company GoWesty; it specializes in parts for and restorations of these classic old vans.

Empty housing for our van's engine, and...

...new engine installed weeks later. Whoop!

The van is making its way to a body shop this week for buffing and partial painting.  Besides a new engine, Scott has installed amazing new brakes and shocks and is raising the chassis. In his shop, ready for further work, is a new, three-window pop-top, new curtains, new bumpers, a new high-tech refrigerator and a new,  crank-out 10-foot-long awning. We'll be ordering a hand-made futon from Missoula's Small Wonders Futons to supplement the fold-down bed.

Our last view of the van (last week) before final work. Scott estimates an ETA of May 15!!

We plan on tricking out the interior ourselves, with an old Oriental rug, paisley duvet and my Peter Max pillow among other hippyfied fabrics and items. Above a basic Westy floor plan: (1) swivel driver and passenger seats; (2) swing-out table; (3) rear seat; (4) sink; (5) two-burner propane stove with refrigerator underneath; (6) counter over storage; (7) wardrobe; (8) folds down bed over more storage (think rolled up futon during the day, fishing equipment, camp chairs, wine collection). Hey, we are pumped!!! "After" photos coming soon! Oh, and we'll name this thing. Scott suggests it. Vantana (get it? Van + Montana) was one of our early choices. We're now joking about RocketDog (this van's neither a rocket nor a dog). That one may stick. So excited!!!!

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P.S. Not all is perfect in Vanland. Yesterday, Tues. May 6, we learned that a first outing to Spokane got called off as a result of transmission problems. "Oh no," we said to each other. There were a few moments of gloom and doom. Then we quickly regrouped, contacted our new best friends at GoWesty and arranged to have a 5-speed transmission on its way to Dragonfly. Now EVERYTHING has been replaced, and nothing else can go wrong, right? At least our little RocketDog got out of the shop and to a gas station (see Scott's photo, below).

Diamonds in the rough

Sparkle plenty! Look closely and you see "diamonds" in the crust of this super-tall mound of snow. It's in the parking lot at Chief Joseph Pass, named after the indomitable Nez Percé chief. We cross-country ski on a vast trail system there, maintained, voluntarily, by the Bitterroot Cross-Country Ski Club.

Midweek in March, after warm daytime temperatures and freezing nights, ice crusts the surface of tracks to the warming hut (see its green-metal roof in the distance?) where we've arranged with the U.S. Forest Service to stay -- as "hosts" -- for the night. The ski club grooms and set tracks on Fridays. (That's today! I should go back this weekend.)

Me, in shadow. I stop for the view but also take a new selfie.

This is the view, southeast to the Pioneer Mountains. So pristine and spectacular. And quiet, at 7,000+ feet!!!

We meet up with the Forest Service's Arlene, who's also skied in with a toboggan of supplies for a weekly day-time cleaning of the outhouse (huzzah!) and re-supply of drinking water to the cabin. She agrees to take our picture.

Cheese! From left, Shelley Phillips, Rob Lynn, Alex Shaffer and me. The four of us plan to stay overnight (there are an array of built-in beds with mattresses in a loft above the main cabin floor). Arlene suggests that we pose by the "avalanche" -- a slab of snow that recently slid off of the metal roof.
 

This is the "avalanche" as viewed from inside a covered side porch. No animals, or humans, were harmed in the shooting of this picture.

 

Next day (groggy, after a poor night's sleep for us all -- that second bottle of wine may not have helped), Alex leads the way. Our borrowed toboggan (thanks Heather and Jeff!) is loaded with pillows, covers and a mostly empty cooler and is bungee-corded to his belt. We're skiing away from the cabin and back toward the parking lot. But not before a last stop -- at the amazingly snow-topped outhouse (see below). Whee!...

Whiteout to washout!

This was only the beginning...

...of mountains of snow falling on the Bitterroots (see a mini-mountain plowed to the rear of this alley, with real mountains, behind).

Alex gets his bike out to ride into town on plowed streets and has to plow his own way through our yard.

We decide to take advantage of the extreme snow pack and go high into the mountains to cross-country ski with wonderful new neighbors from Bainbridge Island, Dave Ward and JoAnn Davis.

And who should we meet on a long, wide trail called Broadway? A rather large moose, standing his/her ground. Skiing on both ends of Broadway comes to a stop. Alex creeps forward to get some pictures. Others coming out of the woods from side trails practically run into the moose. Eventually, we all turn around and go other directions because this wonderful beast is planted, nibbling on snowy branches and, apparently, enjoying being out in the open.

Back in town a day or so later, a very fashionable Vicky Bohlig and I ignore more show and go thrift-shop hopping. She's wearing a swingy vintage fur and warmest boots.

This gives me the idea to get my Bill Cunningham on (he's the renowned New York Times street-fashion photographer). I see a girl in town (Hamilton) wearing an adorable knit skirt over her warm tights and under her down jacket. She says she shops for such things at Bob Ward & Sons Sporting Goods in Missoula. I must go.

On another day, I catch a Corvallis High School field trip to our nonprofit Ravalli County Recycling, Inc. It is very cold that day. Most kids -- to my eye -- are adorable and under-dressed.  Then, the weather starts to warm. Montana gets mentioned in a  New York Times headline. Pretty funny, except that it's going up to 52 today. Yikes!

Our side yard is turning into a lake, where there's not pure mush!

Our basement is dry, we're away from the river. But still others are warned about flooding. What a wacky winter everywhere. But here, we rarely get this kind of snow and then this rapid a melt. It's to be in the 50s going into the weekend. At least I'll be able to move my Meyer lemon tree outside for a good washing of its scale-infested leaves. Never a dull moment!

Pok Pok, Portland and other Posts West

In very iffy weather, we drove to Portland, Ore., a couple of weeks ago. We were on the look-out for a camper van, and we'd seen/talked to a dealership outside of Portland specializing in beautifully converted Sprinter vans. But we also wanted a getaway, and Portland provided friends, some gardens (even at this time of year), a nice no-frills B&B and lots and lots of great eating. The pricey camper van turned out to be a bust (but in a good way; we learned a lot and are on our way, we hope, to getting a wonderful alternative. More about that later.) First, some highlights of the trip, starting with Day One...

Mosscicles, anyone? Moss and ice co-mingle on sunny, south-facing slopes as we head west, taking Hwy. 12 over the mountains at Lolo Pass (remember Lolo, from "A River Runs Through It"?).  I read in the newspaper that Hwy. 12 is closed in sections as a result of alternating heavy snow, rain, cold and warming temperatures making for avalanche conditions. We missed that drama, thank goodness.

A magical entry into Washington State, with a dusting of heavy frost or light snow -- or both.

Trees get totally frosted.

Iced foliage galore.

We warm up in a Portland restaurant scene that is beyond fantastic. Actually, we decide that we could eat out every night of the week there and never hit the same restaurant twice, at least, not for an extended period of time. Our bed-and-breakfast (Everett Street Guesthouse) owner has plenty of foodie ideas. After our late (7 p.m.) arrival, she directs us down the street to Luce,  a tiny, welcoming Italian place with delicious homemade pastas, and very decent organic wines -- it is Portlandia, after all.

Liz, left, and Laura -- the Milner sisters -- leave their kids and hubbies at home for the night to join us for dinner at Levant, where Mediterranean experiments continue. Much of what we had was wonderful.  The Milners are daughters of Alex's best friend here in Montana, Kelsey Milner.

Alex and I love the bustling scene at Pok Pok, a top Thai restaurant with a national reputation (Pok Pok press). The Thai-barbecued chicken wings rule! We lunch another day at the Asian restaurant -- Frank's Noodle House.
The noodles are as tasty in their own pencil-thin, hand-pulled way as is Luce's house-made tagliatelle. A foodie friend from St. Louis, meanwhile, suggests we try Beast while were here, but we run out of time. We do get to Ken's Artisan Bakery for soup and sandwich. Divine.

Downtown Portland is cool, if a bit grungy. But maybe that's the point.

It certainly has some wonderful wine shops. We stock up at Vinopolis .

Oh, about that van. We look at Sprinters in Portland and, above, back in Missoula. They have Mercedes engines and when sold as tricked-out Road Treks, they are dreamy, complete with shower and toilet, and way too expensive. In Missoula, we check out empty Sprinter vans and get put in touch with a local guy who builds the internals -- cabinets, kitchenette, bed, etc. But that's not quite what we want, either.

In truth, we've always wanted a VW camper van, ever since we started coming out West together. We see a listing on Facebook ...

...for a 1990 white camper of clean, rust-free body but in need of engine and other work (pictures, above, of similar models). And boom! We realize that if we get something like this and can find the right mechanic/restorer nearby (we did! in Missoula!) we can add some of the luxuries that we came to like with the Road Trek into our own Westfalia. Long story short, we've purchased a powerful rebuilt engine from GoWesty Camper Products and it's to be delivered to our mechanic in a week. We're planning, at this point, on a new pop top, new bumpers, new brakes, new wheels and tires, a slightly raised chassis, an extended awning, new fridge, and more. A thick custom-made, cotton-and-wool futon mattress from Small Wonders Futons is to be the back seat/bed.

I will be photographing this transformation. As I like to say, stay tuned.