My younger sister was blessed with a great sense of humor, gorgeous hair, the ability to transform herself from good looking to full on bombshell through makeup, and a keen eye for fashion at bargain basement prices. She’s also a talented photographer.
My brother has a Big Lebowski attitude and oodles of charm that allow him to make friends at the drop of a hat. He’s got a huge heart, an infectious laugh, is a good storyteller, and the best fly fisher I know.
Me? I’m the middle child and a follow-all-the-rules girl. I’m afraid of land animals without feet (think snakes and snails), mosquitos love me, and as our trip to Hungry Horse reservoir proved once again, I’m not super coordinated. This combo isn’t exactly a natural fit for full time RV living. In a zombie apocalypse, I’d grab my favorite coffee mug and a martini shaker, which I don’t think is the correct survivalist answer either, but life’s just better with both.
Luckily, I married a man who’s athletic, mechanically adept, extremely patient and always up for trying new things. Doug’s an avid cyclist who learned to fly planes before he learned to drive. He grew up with a boating and fishing family so he loves the water. He made his living in leadership by making well informed decisions and has the reputation of being “the nicest guy”. He’s far more equipped to handle the outdoors and RV living than I am, which has come in handy more times than I can count!
Leaving northern Montana near Glacier National Park we were headed towards Ennis, MT, with a few stops in between. We boondocked at Hungry Horse Reservoir. The afternoon we arrived, we were sharing the location with several other RVs and some tent campers. The wind blew off the mountains tops making small whitecaps on the reservoir and creating dust swirls along the flat bank where everyone was parked, but we enjoyed the ever changing color of the water – blueberry, grey, and even green.
3.5 paws up from Boondocking Bailey for it’s beauty, easy access, and level surfaces. Minus a half paw for the wind.
The next morning, the wind had subsided, so Doug unloaded and inflated the Alpacka Raft so that we could get it out on the reservoir. The morning air was crisp and serene. We didn’t see much wildlife and hardly any people, but we did find a wooden staircase that led to one of the tent camping sites that looked fun.
When we awoke on day 2, the reservoir was baby blue so I threw on my flippity flops, grabbed the dog and headed down the maybe 3ft hill to the water’s edge for a photo. Just one step off the top of the mound, my bitty 17 lb dog began to jog and I found my front leg fully extended and back leg collapsed at the knee. In the air, I’d have been in perfect hurdle position but on the down sloping ground, I was simply sliding, scraping legs and feet, and trying not to pull a groin muscle. To add insult to injury, I dropped my new iPhone scratching the front screen and forgot all about the photo.
Dusty, limping, and mortified, I manage to crawl back to the RV where Doug helped me remove the dirt and pebbles from my bleeding leg and foot. He knows me well enough to know that asking how it happened doesn’t really solve anything, I’m just a bit clumsy.
Needless to say, Doug cycled without me that day.
The cuts and scrapes healed quickly, but the deep bruise inflicted by Hungry Horse stuck with me for a good week.
