The beginnings.......WHY?

Airport Sign

So I guess the big question is, Why do a blog? And why should anybody read it? I am not sure I can answer the second question but as for the first I thought it would be interesting for my friends from Northern California to read about my adventures and misadventures as I moved my family away from everybody and everyplace they have ever known and drop them in the top Northwest Corner of Montana. A place that I think is more beautiful and different than anyplace I have lived before. Relocating from Northern California’s foggy days and moderate winters to a place that has snow ice and -30 degree temperatures. The awesome fishing, wildlife photography, fantastic scenery and proximity to Glacier National Park may make it worth it. (I hope!)

Flathead County Courthouse

Moving from a busy SF bay area with millions of people to a place where 100,000 people live in 5,256 square miles could be interesting and a bit aggravating as well. Would I miss the ocean or would Giant Flathead Lake and all the streams and lakes around me make up for it? Would I hate the snow or revel in its beauty? Will I fall down my driveway on the way to get my mail, or will I fall in love with snowshoeing and cross country skiing? Do they have internet? Will all the things I hear about Montanans hating Californians be true or is it just a way to keep Montana’s beauty to themselves? (so far more of the latter but more of that later).

Maybe this blog will help somebody else in a warmer climate make a decision whether to move to a colder one or maybe you will just enjoy my photography or maybe you will use some of the information you find here to catch a few fish. I just hope you enjoy it!

My goal is to log the journeys we take, bring you along for some of my fly fishing trips and tell the stories of some of the everyday experiences we have that might help you understand a little about what we learn along the way. As a photographer I hope you enjoy the photos and the stories about where I took them. I also hope someday you decide to visit Glacier National Park.

Finally please ask questions, leave comments or offer suggestions. I am new at Blogging and I am always trying to learn new things.

The Beginning……….(or 18 hours or 1,000 miles)

It all began as a dream two years ago. I was just passed over for a promotion and it looked like my future would be doing the same thing for the next 10 years with no possibility of a raise. I was a park Ranger and that was a great job but it seemed as if the organization wanted to go another way. Embracing the new and getting rid of the old. I was 54 so old I was. Sensing my disappointment and seeing the writing on the wall my wife asked if I would be happy doing the same job for the next 10 years. I said yes but she could tell it wouldn’t have made me happy or healthy. She asked where was the most beautiful place I have ever been, I told her Glacier National Park. She immediately booked me a flight. When I came back she asked if I enjoyed it. Of course! She then said, could I live there? A dream for me but what about her? We talked and we were both fed up with long commutes, overpriced homes we could never afford, working so we could just stay the same and hardly ever being able to go on vacation, me driving 2 -3 hours to go fishing, more houses being built with no water, and in general California! She was willing to go so we started trying to figure out how to do it. I could officially retire in a year, use some of my vacation as down payment, save some, but we would need the right place and the right price.

6 months later I went back to Kalispell Montana and spent 3 days looking at houses. 22 houses later I found one that fit the bill. I convinced my wife it was the one and without ever seeing it or ever have been in Kalispell (we had been in Glacier 22 years ago) she agreed to go for it and trust my decision.

May 23, 2019 Departure

It was finally time to go, the Petaluma house was fixed up, we had spent months painting and fixing up the yard we were exhausted but we were ready to head to Montana. Everything was already in the new house in Montana we had been living on a couch and twin bed and paper plates for 2 months. We had a small batch of boxes two cars and our family to move. My wife, myself and 7 cats. We knew we would be fine but the anxiety over moving our furry family almost gave us heart attacks. What if they fought all the time? What if they screamed the whole way? What if they escape?!! We built a special barrier for the car and my wife drove the cats and I followed with everything else.

We left Petaluma Ca. at 6:30 am and were on the way. I wasn’t in the car but I can tell you the cats were amazing! They didn’t cry or fight. They didn’t try to escape they were brave and probably a bit scared. 

The road through Oregon

We made it to Kenniwick Washington by 9 pm. My wife stayed with them in the car (my hero) as I’m 6’5” and it would have been uncomfortable. We traded in the morning to take showers and were off by 7 am. We drove into the town and into the house that my wife had never seen in person at 3:30 pm. Exhausted we got the cats into the house and Montana greeted us with a giant hailstorm. We didn’t care we were here!

Home!

Would my wife like it? Were there squirrels,or bears?!! How far was the store? Stay tuned...😉