My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace / halseyt.....thanks guys.....



The days & nights of November and for most of December as well, in southwest Montana were mild and dry. But finally things were to change and the bitter cold returned to our little cabin.....







Every morning we're gazing out the east facing sliding doors watching the birds at the feeders as the sun rises from behind the mountains.....







The bitter cold, dropping to a low of negative seven one night, negative five the next, was preceeded with a bit less than a half a foot of snow.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The walks in the fields now seem to be almost therapeutic.....there's a certain calmness in the air that accompanies this time of year.....







I sure do miss the deer that we would typically see on these walks.....I wonder how long it will be before they return.....





The air is crisp.....the skies and mountains seem to be especially beautiful during the winter season.....they do speak to me.....they bring a calmness to the crazy world that we unfortunately live in right now.....







The dogs.....too.....speak to me.....and they too bring a calmness to my world.....



We had planned to leave this morning but life made a change to our plans. On the night of Xmas Eve, Tanner & Trapper were wrestling in the yard and it seems as though Tanner has injured his left, hind leg. He is unable to put pressure on it.....I'm guessing it to be a pulled muscle.....fortunately not a break. So now it's one day at a time.....stay or go.....who really cares.....

 

[Ace Brown]

I agree about how calming a walk in the winter woods can be. Usually here its up on Grand Mesa on snowshoes or skis. Of course with Kenda.

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[ghostdancer]

I sure hope Tanners injury isn’t a torn CCL, Cranial Cruciate Ligament rupture (CCL) is one of the most common orthopedic injuries in dogs. This injury, similar to a torn ACL in humans, can come on suddenly or can appear gradually over a longer period. The cranial cruciate ligament helps the stifle (knee) function as a hinge joint. My lab mix went through it years back. It’s surgery and a long recovery with no activity. The vet told us th when one goes the other usually goes within a year, and it did.
good luck.

 

[Riversdad]

I feel for you Jerry. My dog Luna and me were supposed to go to Alaska in September but she ended up breaking a toe.
With recovery time she wouldn't have been able to do all the hiking, so the trip has been postponed a year.
Hated to do it, but the trip wouldn't be the same without her. Here's wishing a speedy recovery to Tanner and it's nice to see you posting again.

 

[Foy]

Your "go-no go" decision is an example of one for which there's no incorrect answer. It's great to be on the road but also great to watch the seasons come and go right outside of your window. You've prepared a fine, fine nest for yourself and the puppies.

Happy New Year!

Foy

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....I miss my snowshoeing days.....good times of past days.....

ghostdancer.....hopefully it's not that. After a few days of walking / running / wrestling on three legs, I decided to slow him down. I only let him outside on the leash and refused to let him wrestle with Trapper. After three days of restricted activities, he began to slowly put pressure on the bum leg. Now he's doing fine although I'm still restricting his movements.....

Riversdad.....it always amazes me the sacrifices that we're willing to make for our dogs & it also amazes me as to how much they add to our lives. I'm sure you'll agree.....they're definitely worth the sacrifices.....thanks.....

Foy.....a "fine, fine nest" indeed.....we just love it here. It's all a man & two dogs could ever need.....thanks.....



Since the weather had been so mild, we couldn't help but to continue with the outdoor projects. As you may recall, my hoarder buddy across the road died six months ago, so his heirs had sold the place, and had hired a construction company to come and remove forty years worth of junk collecting (great junk it was !). His daughter allowed me to remove approximately 300' feet of the perimeter fencing......removing those posts was difficult, but I've now got myself a pretty nice stash for a future project.....



The cross rails which totaled about seventy, were made from non pressure treated 2"x4"'s.....they have this awesome patina about them.....they could possibly be used for furniture making.....we shall see where they go someday.....



But the real "get" here were the fence boards. These boards are exactly the same boards that I've used for the interior of the cabin but they have a much nicer patina to them.....I brought home approximately 800 boards.....



As you might imagine, collecting all of that stuff took me quite a few days. And once I was done collecting, I went right to work on the cabin. It took me one day to finish another wall in the bathroom (only one wall remains now).....



From there I moved into the bedroom where it would take me three days to complete the first wall.....



In the next picture, decorations are added and the oil paintings have finally been framed.....and you can see that the wall on the right has been painted black.....getting ready to be covered with wood boards as well.....



From there I moved into the "big room" (well, it ain't really big, but certainly bigger than the bedroom or bathroom.....there ain't a whole lot here).....this wall took me five days.....





....those oil paintings needed framing as well.....so I got busy building more picture frames.....I ended up building frames for all of the oil paintings.....seven in total my son made for me.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The next wall to be completed was in the kitchen.....now this was the BIG project.....I had to dismantle the shelves that I'd previously installed.....then there was just a real added difficulty to working around the granite counter top & the appliances.....believe me it was a ton of work.....more than a week spent here.....



.....reinstalling the shelves by myself (or as XP people like to say.....solo !) was also quite the chore.....



As a second thought I added a 2 foot section of wood on the wall to the right.....I plan to leave the remainder of that wall painted.....this kind of finished off the kitchen I guess you might say.....



Now the fridge just didn't look right to me.....I really wanted to box it in. The funny thing here is that I'd ordered a custom piece of wood that matched the cabinets ($300) to enclose one side of the fridge.....now I found myself painting it and covering it with wood.....



Once that side was completed....I decided what the heck, so I did the other side, as well as the top.....the fridge is now fully enclosed.....



Well, that's about it for the cabin improvements.....we've really enjoyed ourselves this winter living in the cabin.....it's been years since I've actually been insde a home on Christmas day.....and I loved it. We even got a Christmas present.....



The box was left at my gate on Christmas morning.....the tag said "To Jerry, Tanner & Trevor".....close enough.....



The box was filled with lots & lots of dog toys.....I guess you might say that Santa knew who was good and who was naughty.....Tanner & Trevor (aka Trapper) were the clear winners.....



The rig is packed and we're ready to hit the road again.....the plan now is to be out of here by 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.....but that's just a plan.....I sure am going to miss my dog chair.....hanging out by the warm fire.....but the road is calling me.....



And I'll end this post on a very happy note....."my" deer have now returned to the cabin.....and the bear is nowhere to be found.....and that is what I wished for.....

 

[AlwaysRoaming]

Cabin looks great Jerry. Thanks for sharing and safe travels. I look forward to following along, wherever you go.

 

[Riversdad]

I agree with Jbynum, the cabin looks great. You do really good work.
Looking forward to seeing all the places you and the dogs visit. Stay safe.

 

[ITTOG]

If I ever buy a cabin I am going to use some of the same designs Jerry created.

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[Pacific Northwest yetti]

If I ever buy a cabin I am going to use some of the same designs Jerry created.

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Right!>?! he has done an incredible job, its beautiful.

 

[Arjan]

You can be very proud of that hard work !!



Like your Goldens, Miya likes to help and supervise....

Thanks for sharing !

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Jbynum.....thank you.....it's truly a labor of love.....

Riversdad.....thanks for following along.....I can't wait to see what life has awaiting for us.....two nights in the camper now and it feels really good.....

Arjan.....my dogs are only good for giving me the will to live when I think that I can't go on, to give me unconditional love every moment of my life, and for being the best climbing partners ever.....heck, my dogs can't even use a hammer.....thanks.....

ITTOG / PNWY.....it all starts with hiring a good designer that knows where to get the good stuff and is willing to supervise the project from Day One.....I went with Bert the hoarder.....






Just a quick post to let readers know that indeed we did leave that next morning.....I wrapped the chain around the gate & fence post, and attached the Masterlock to the chain at 10:10 a.m. .....and from there we proceeded to drive west along Interstate 90.....



It was a perfect morning that day that we left, although a bit chilly I'd say.....4 degrees told me that it was definitely time to go.....our first stop was at the entrance gate to Lima Peaks Ranch.....the dogs needed to stretch their legs.....maybe I was wrong when I had previously said that my cabin was all that a man and 2 dogs needed.....this Montana ranch was simply amazing.....



Clouds began to form in the mountains.....with snow in the forecast.....



Now I absolutely love clouds.....it's one of winters' highlights for me.....the ever changing skies.....but this particular cloud.....well, just spectacular.....



Something special right there to see.....at least for these eyes.....



Idaho was next as we proceeded south.....



.....which is where we rested our eyes, somewhere along that highway, and where we awoke after spending Day One on the road again.....

 

[Ace Brown]

Well you did it. I wasn’t convinced you’d actually crank the rig up. Bon voyage.

That cloud looks like a big breaking wave. Like whats happening on the Big Island right now.

The bond between man and his dogs is very strong. Watching yours these past years makes me think i should get another dog. Ive always had just one, but having two might be a very positive experience for me. I just hope my Kenda doesn’t feel unloved or rejected. She is not able to get out and bike or ski with me much anymore at 9.5 years old. But heck i probably dont have much time left for those energetic sports either.

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