Reflections and Renewal

“It is a great time of renewal and new beginnings, when life rises refreshed from its sleep through winter’s dark.”

This past weekend was the annual celebration of life returning! Winter reflection is over and a new season has dawned. While still cold and snowy, the signs are showing even in the tall mountains of southwestern Montana. There are tiny plants emerging from the still somewhat frozen soil. Songbirds can be heard in the trees by the river. Days are getting longer and warmer!

What a strange winter we just had. After arriving in late October when temperatures are generally still tolerable, they suddenly plummeted to forty below. The town enjoyed a great opening day on Thanksgiving and had high hopes for the season. However, February began with unseasonably warm temperatures that continued for a month or more. The snow base deteriorated and the town of Big Sky became a mud pit much sooner than expected. Since then, the days have been alternating between warm and cold; slush and ice are constant companions now and will be around until June. They say there are two seasons here: winter and not-winter.

We got to see some good shows this season … the Hooligans (Grateful Dead cover band from Bozeman), the Lee Boys (which we’re hoping to see again in May in GA), and Sweatshop Union. My dad came to visit in late February and we went hiking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling in West Yellowstone, and skiing (we’re still awaiting pictures!). We got in some good time on the hill, drank good beer (the only kind we drink!), made some friends, and had friends come visit. We thought “this town ain’t got no heart” when we were booted mid-winter and thought we might have to quit our jobs and drive on, but a kind heart came to our rescue and we got to stay. It was a good season and we will miss this town when we leave.

Now it’s time to look forward! There are so many adventures that await us! Spring and summer bring mountain biking, hiking, paddling, swimming, hammocks, disc golf, cookouts, farmers markets, summer festivals, and harvests from our currently sprouting vegetable plants. I’m ready to put on my Chacos and go wade in a creek with Zach and the Black Dog!

We have decided after much discussion and planning that we are going to embark on our upcoming journey with no plans or time frames. We will stop where we want and when we want, and if we need to work then we will stop somewhere and do so. Many things are possible when your home is on wheels!

Heading out Wednesday, April 14th! ALL FORWARD!

Kelly

 Bus in a spring snowstorm ... bike rack under cover

Neighboring cabin on the river

Love that split-rail fencing

How can you say no?!

Zucchini getting started

Zucchini going nuts!

Lots o' lettuce

MT>GA>ME

It's that time again ... ROAD TRIP!!! We are anxiously awaiting the end of the season (April 11th) and the end of Zach's plowing contract (April 15th) so that we can hit the road! We've got quite the adventure planned! We will total almost 4,000 miles when we reach Maine ... that's a LOT of miles! We can't wait to see our families and friends and show off our home on wheels :) Our route is no where near concrete, so we'll hopefully be stopping in interesting towns, natural hot springs, state parks, music festivals, meeting up with friends, or anything else that tickles our fancy along the way. I'll try to keep the blog updated so you know when to expect us! We have no time frame (except making the Rockland Blues Festival in Maine in July!). We've been working towards this all winter and now it's time to enjoy the fruits of our labor! We still need a temporary parking spot in Griffin and will be open to any yard work, babysitting, auto care, sewing repairs, etc. that you might need taken care of. I will also have some seedlings for sale when we arrive (compact, container-friendly varieties of cherry tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce, snap peas, organic basil, sunflowers, and lobelia). And don't forget my handmade goods! Every penny counts. After all, it's roughly $.32 a mile!

Thanks as always for being supportive towards our endeavors. We are truly living our dreams and there's something to be said for that!

Coming to a town near you ...

Kelly, Zach, and the Black Dog

The Battle Ends!

Good news folks! We finally found a place to park for the rest of the winter! We are outside of the shared Big Sky/Gallatin Gateway zoning which was what got us booted the first time around. We're also outside of the cellphone service range, so please keep that in mind when calling us! We have access to electricity, toilets and showers, and internet ... also there is a restaurant and bar within walking distance. The shuttle stop is farther away than we thought, but we can make it work. Just when we gave up on Big Sky, someone came through for us!

We've got a bunch of pictures to share, too. Enjoy!

 

 Our Charlie Brown tree

Zach just can't help himself!

Neither can Black Dog!

 

A Shop-Vac helps keep the bus MUCH cleaner

  

  

Zach made the bus into a snow fort before we had to move

  

Zach with long hair!!!

  

After a haircut

  

Zach went snowshoeing and found this old hunting camp

  

There was an old bottle opener hanging there ... 1960s era?

  

Nice view

  

Keeping guard

  

Sewing room under construction!

  

New carpet in the back ... sewing room in it's first stages

  

Free-skier parking lot at Big Sky Resort

  

Jade had lots of buddies up there

  

View from the bus

  

Burgers in the lot

  

Skier community

  

The "Powder Bandits" live in Bozeman but spend the weekend traveling to different ski areas

  

Our friends Elisa and Jake bought the rig in front of the bus and drove it out from Seattle!

  

Laundry fiasco!

  

Friends!

  

Eamonn making a Valentine

  

Icicles!!!

  

View of Lone Peak from Moonlight Basin

  

Chain-up time!

  

She's ready for some snowy hills

  

Another nice view

 

Our new home (until the end of the season!)

That's all for now, folks!

Kelly and Zach

PS - Our road-trip to GA in mid- to late-April (and then to ME in July!) is still on ... if you have a place we can park or some work for us, let us know! Thanks!

The Battle Continues ...

Here's the latest in the Battle of Big Sky! After two weeks in the free-skier parking lot, we were feeling pretty good about it all. Being within walking distance of the lifts sure is nice and we've had our friends Elisa and Jake from Seattle hanging out with us for the past several days. Bluebird days and yummy potlucks had our spirits high! However, yesterday was not a good day and we have been asked to move again.

We weren't sure how long we could stay in this spot ... now we know. Zach is trying to meet with important folks at the resort right now to see if we could work something out. Our only other option is going over to Moonlight, but that's not a permanent solution either. We're out of options here after this. Zach's job requires cellphone service, I need access to the shuttle, our big rig can't hide like some of the smaller ones, and we can't forget about that local ordinace! It seems like Big Sky has turned on us and we're starting to think about our next move.

It's easy to get frustrated about all of this, but I've come to realize that it's not neccessary. We knew from the start that this lifestyle wouldn't be accepted by everyone out there and that we would run into situations like this. The upsides are that our house moves and if one place doesn't work out then maybe the next one will!

Staying positive, overcoming adversity ...

Kelly

New Location ... So Far, So Good!

As you know by now, we've been asked to relocate. At first it was a pretty big blow, but after a week it's become a blessing in disguise. We are now parked almost slope-side on the mountain and can walk to the lifts! We don't have as much privacy, but that's a fair trade for a free parking spot. From what we hear, we won't be bothered unless we're being a nuisance ... that includes moving every few days so that the plow guys can keep the parking lot looking nice. We're a big rig and hope that we can pull this one off for the next two and a half months!

We look forward to the rest of an already great season and are learning from our respective NOLS courses daily by "overcoming adversity" ... remember that one? All forward!

Kelly

The Battle of Big Sky

It's been a little while since we've posted ... my snowman has melted into oblivion by now! The winter is treating us well: we're staying plenty warm and got to ski some powder earlier this week. I'm working all over the place (one full-time job always burns me out, so I've got three part-time ones to keep me busy!) and Zach has been plowing a little bit here and there. Black Dog had a couple of seizures recently but all tests came back normal and so we're in a monitoring stage ... so far, so good!

I think the biggest thing to share is that WE GOT BOOTED FROM OUR WINTER PARKING SPOT! Mid-winter! It was hard enough to find a place to park here in the first place because of a town ordinance that restricts people from living in their cars or RV's or whatever in the town limits of Big Sky ... we had it made in the canyon because we were technically in another town. Our temporary plan now is to park on the mountain in the free skier parking lot until something happens or we find something else ... technically the Mountain Village is another county, so hopefully we won't have many problems.

Support alternative lifestyles!!!!!!!

Kelly

PS - We're already saving for our trip east in the spring ... to GA in mid- to late-April, then Maine in July. If you have a place we can park or some work for us, please let us know. Thanks!

Snow Man!