My Twice-Weekly Drive/My Summer "Job"

On Monday and Friday evenings, there is a Western Cookout at Parade Rest Guest Ranch, near West Yellowstone, MT. This is my 18th season as the entertainer for this cookout. The original idea was for us to have a "cowboy singalong" which, as you might guess, didn't fly at all.



Instead, I have tailored my performance to provide examples of Western, as opposed to Country, music. Marty Robbins, Eddy Arnold and that sort of thing, along with original songs and cowboy poems, written by myself or my friends. It's been a great ride and I haven't missed a single cookout in 18years.  This video is my original song: "Listen to the Wind".

For the last couple of years, because my companion, Joann, was sick and needed to be home each night, I have driven from Townsend, MT to Parade Rest and back for each cookout. It's 140 miles one way and sometimes is kind of a long trip. Now that Joann is gone, I still usually make the round trip because I have things to take care of at home which she used to do in years passed.

On Monday, July 8, I was on my way home in the evening and saw this young fellow in one of the Beaver Creek ponds, by Highway 287. There were some Sandhill Cranes there as well but they wouldn't come out for a picture.

I stayed over last night and came back this morning. It was a grand and glorious morning! As you can see from these pictures, the air was perfectly still at the same pond that had hosted Bullwinkle on Monday evening.

Also part of my drive is the Madison River Valley, from Ennis to Hebgen Lake. The scenery, the wildlife and the overall atmosphere are what makes this drive and event worth doing for 18 years.

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"BIG BOY Press Conference

Apparently, I'm the Lone Voice, Crying in the Wilderness about this.

POB had a "Big Boy Press Conference" yesterday and it was an utter disaster. He introduced Ukraines Comedian/President as "Putin" and Happy Kamala Harris as Vice President...wait for it...Trump. Other things he said and did were cringeworthy but those two were noteworthy.




Anyway, once again, the overwhelming shouts, even from the Dems, are that this Demented and failing old man can't beat President Trump in the election. Well, no shit. But, WHO CARES?!

What really matters and no one seems to want to say it, is that our country is currently without a functioning Commander In Chief. Am I the only one, outside our adversaries, who cares about that?!

Our close ally, Israel, is at war, essentially with our arch rival, Iran. We are funding a proxy war against Russia. China is ready to take over Taiwan while Russia and China are colluding to take over world finances. and who knows what North Korea is ready to do? Kim Jong Un probably doesn't know either.  Hundreds, maybe thousands, of  military aged Chinese and Muslim men have been pouring over our border for over a year.  And here we are, with no one to take charge.

While all the Dems and Their puppet media can talk about is how to beat President Trump in the election.

You think Russia, China, N. Korea and Iran don't get the fact that, right now, we are totally without leadership? In 4 months, we'll likely re-elect a real President (THE Real President!) and their window of opportunity will slam shut.

The next four months may be very interesting, and not in a good way.

All that matters is "Who Can Beat Trump!"

For a couple of years now, we have all known that Poor Old Biden (POB) is totally unfit for ANY office. his dementia has been on full display. but we have been told to ignore our lying eyes and just trust the Media, the White House Spokesperson and everyone else on Team Biden. "He's fine!"

When POBs complete lack of mental and physical ability was on full display for the world, Democrats suddenly said: "Wow! He's really bad! He can't beat Trump so he needs to step down." The media was SHOCKED! Shocked, I tell you! They had No Idea that POB was that bad. Suddenly, the MSM is all talking about how his condition seems so bad that he should step down so someone who can beat Trump can take over. Apparently, the MSM hasn't been seeing the same videos of POB falling down, stumbling over his words, lost on stage, crapping himself in a meeting and all the other stuff he's been doing, right in front of us, that They just ignored, until it was on full display for the whole world. Even They had to start admitting that...maybe...there's something wrong.

Let me be clear. In my opinion, Biden and the Biden Crime Family have been reprehensible, corrupt criminals throughout his eternity in public office. But, his condition now, in the Presidents office, is NOT his fault. He's old and wearing out. So am I. So are many people around the world. The one at fault here is Jill Biden who allows her husband to be exploited in this manner. It looks like criminal elder abuse to me. However, this isn't my point.

My point is that the Democrats have been perfectly content with POB being unfit for the job into which They installed him. They knew his situation from the beginning and had Their own team of people ready to make the decisions, policies and orders that have nearly destroyed our country; probably on purpose. POB has not made any of these decisions. He isn't and hasn't been running the country. But the Democrats, including Their puppet media and Their Intel and "Justice" offices, have no interest in what's best for America. Never mind that Putin and Xi Jinping are rubbing their hands in glee at the current opportunities available to them while our country is without effective leadership. Never mind the deplorable (word used on purpose) state of our economy, our military, our energy and our border. The ONLY reason They have turned against POB (who is Their construct, after all) is because They are afraid that POB can't beat Trump in the upcoming election. Allowing our country to fall is acceptable as long as a Democrat is in the White House.

If someone is voting for POB again because of Trump Derangement Syndrome or just because POB has a D by his name, then shame on them. Voting for POB is voting for a shadow government with a completely incompetent (and likely incontinent) figurehead napping in a back room. If They replace POB with someone else, not because they can do a better job of running the country but simply because this new person might be able to keep President Trump out of office, then a vote for that new candidate is simply a vote, again, for the shadow government. A nameless, faceless group who installed POB in the White House in the first place (much like a new toilet) and has been deliberately running our country into the ground, under the name of POB, since. That deliberate destruction will continue if They get a new puppet in, even one who can find his way off a stage.

We are a laughing stock throughout the world and our adversaries are probably on Zoom meetings right now, setting a date. I still say that it is likely that we suffer at least one major attack in the very short time we have between now and the election. Those who wish harm to the United States know that NOW is the time for them to strike, while we are leaderless and impotent.

Black Sand Creek

Saturday, June 29, I had a great day. I hiked in to one of my favorite fishing spots (I was just hiking; no fishing this time) on Black Sand Creek, near West Yellowstone. It's about a 3/4 mile walk from Black Sand spring along an old access road that only we old farts know about.

The road's been closed by the Forest Service for many years but it was still an actual, drive-able road 50 years ago (50 years?!) when I was riding my bicycle out there to go fishing. It was a spooky ride back then and it's worse today.  Now the the "road" is just a faint pair of ruts through heavy timber. I have to admit that I wimped out and had my phone playing music while I walked. I might have seen elk, deer or moose if I had been quietly walking but I might as easily have come across a Griz so I let my phone clear the way. Funny, though, as I did spook a deer from the brush just in front of me at one point. If a DEER didn't hear me coming, the music wasn't chasing away any bears. Might as well have walked quietly.

Anyway, this picture is of an undercut bank on the creek. Very seldom, over the years, have I

drifted a fly along this bank and NOT caught a fish. Sometimes a pretty good sized one. There's about 1/4 mile of creek from here down to the intersection with the South Fork of the Madison and it's all pretty good for flyfishing.

Upstream of here, Black Sand creek is wider and shallower and the fishing has never been quite as good, except for those years (50 years ago?!) when there was a pretty good beaver dam just upstream from this spot with lots of big brown trout in it. Apparently, either the Forest Service or Fish and Game didn't like it so they blew the dam out a long time ago so where the beaver pond was is just a big, shallow flat now.

I have every intention of going back in here with my fly rod this summer. I'll hope for good pictures for y'all then, too.

Just a trail today

Tree growing in what was the road