A Grizzly Bear Up Close

In the early morning hours of October 17, 2007, a pick-up struck a grizzly bear on Highway 200 five miles west of Lincoln.  The bear died instantly.  The pickup truck fared little better.

The bear, a 12-year-old male, stood nearly eight feet tall and weighed 830 pounds.

That’s big.  Really big.

As it turned out, the bear ranked as the third-largest grizzly on record in Montana.  Following the death of the bear, five members of the United Taxidermist Association (four from Montana and one from Pennsylvania) donated their time and expertise to preserve the bear in a lifelike pose.  The bear is now on permanent display at the Lincoln Ranger District office.

“We need to stop and see something,” I informed Desiree as we approached the Lincoln Ranger District office while on a Sunday drive to see Sculpture in the Wild.  After pulling off Highway 200 and parking in front of the district office building, I led Desiree to the front entrance.  “I want you to see a grizzly in safe mode,” I told her.  “The office is closed today, but we can see the bear though the windows.”

Upon reaching the windows of the office, we cupped our hands against our face and pressed our faces against the glare and reflection on glass.  The bear immediately appeared less than five feet away. 

“That’s a pretty big bird,” I said.

“That’s the real bear?” Desiree asked.

“Yep.  And look at how long those claws are.”  I tapped on the window.

To help Desiree to take a few photographs through the glare on the glass, I unfurled my jacket and held it up against the window behind her smartphone.  Posted are a couple images Desiree captured.

—Mitchell Hegman

Source:  https://crownofthecontinent.net

An Official Guild Member

Desiree is, at long last, an official member of the Aluminum Beer Can Melting Guild.  On Saturday last, we managed to squeak in a quick gathering of the guild down at the lakeshore.   

The can-melting experience proved especially unique thanks to Tad collecting a few scraps of hardwood to use as fuel for the fire.  The hardwood produced a bed of especially bright and hot coals.

Given the intensity of the fire, Tad expressed concern about his beard catching on fire.  Employing his very best “safety third” measures, Tad stuffed his beard down inside the front of his shirt while working closely with the crucible.  Additionally, we used a particularly long willow stick (stuck in the mouth of the cans) as our mechanism for feeding cans into the crucible.

Desiree even dropped in one of the cans for herself.

Following the first aluminum pour (and given proper time for cooling) Desiree was presented with the first ingot poured.

Desiree Standing Alongside Other Guild Members

Tad Dropping a Can into the Crucible

Desiree Holding Her Aluminum Ingot

—Mitchell Hegman

A Warm Filipino/Montana Welcome

Desiree made connection with several Filipinos through Facebook here in Helena (before and after her arrival).  Over the weekend we were invited to a gathering of the local Filipino community in celebration of those having a birthday in May or June.

Somewhere near thirty people attended the Hawaiian-themed celebration, which was held at a private residence.

A feast of traditional food is at the center of most celebrations in the Philippines.  No different here.  More than a dozen dishes were offered, including pancit, one of my favorites.

The gathering proved loud and active.  Jokes (occasionally risqué) and constant chatter filled the room.  I quickly learned you can’t take too many pictures.

Thanks to all for providing Desiree with a warm and genuine Filipino/Montana welcome.

Desiree and Ana (June Birthdays)

Some of the Group Gathered on the Deck

Me With Des

—Mitchell Hegman

The Hairball Habit

My last cat, Splash, didn’t shed individual hairs.  He shed whole hairballs.  I regularly found hairballs here and there in my house.  He proved especially good at leaving hairballs on my sofa.  Over the years, I developed a habit of checking the sofa for shed furballs as soon as he jumped off.

The other night, Desiree popped up from the sofa to retrieve something from the kitchen.  Out of habit, I immediately glanced at where she had been sitting on the sofa to check for hairballs.

—Mitchell Hegman

Litter Comparison

Five Most Common Types of Litter Found on Ocean Beaches:

1. Cigarette Butts
2. Food Wrappers
3. Plastic Bottles
4. Plastic Bottle Caps
5. Plastic Grocery Bags

Five Most Common Items I Pick Up Along My Country Road:

1. Aluminum Beer Cans
2. Aluminum Beer Cans
3. Aluminum Beer Cans
4. Glass Beer Bottles
5. Aluminum Beer Cans

—Mitchell Hegman

York to Canyon Ferry

You can’t in or live near Helena, Montana, for more than twenty minutes and not make a trip to either the mountain community of York or Canyon Ferry Lake.  

Desiree and I made a loop to see both destinations.

As far as tiny mountain towns go, York is the real deal.  First, the town supports a bar.  In Montana, a bar is required if a place is trying to qualify as a town.  At the same time, York is an unincorporated community and tiny enough that a google search will not yield a population.  My guess is, no more than a few dozen people live in the cluster of homes near the bar.

The first thing we crossed paths with at York was wild turkey strutting alongside the road.

After a whirlwind tour of town and a drive to Vigilante Campground, we drove to Canyon Ferry by way of Jimtown Road.  Canyon Ferry is among the largest lakes in Montana—offering 76 miles of shoreline.  And it come with pleasant views of the Big Belt Mountains.  

After crossing the dam impounding the reservoir, we stopped to explore the castle-like stacks granite boulders near Cemetery Island.  A quick hike down a steep trail delivered us to huge monoliths towering over the water.  This is where I learned that Desiree squeals if confronted by heights.  Desiree held back a little as I clambered on a few boulders for better views.

I have posted a few select photographs from our travels.

Hiking at Two Camps Vista (Near Lakeside)

Cometary Island and the Big Belt Mountains

Desiree in a Cradle of Rocks

—Mitchell Hegman

Put to the Test

Desiree has been here for scarcely a week, but we already put our relationship to a test.  We did so by working together to install a custom shading system for my sunroom.  That’s some risky business right there.  A lot of sketchy character traits and raw emotions can surface when couples work together on such projects.    

I ordered the shading system last fall and have been sitting on the boxes containing the kit for several months. Both the salesman who took my order for the kit and the directions that came with the system components, insist the installation requires two people.   Desiree asked me to wait until she arrived so she could help me install the shades.

After tinkering with the installation over the course of several days, we completed the project yesterday.

The shades work great.  Better yet, I am impressed with Desiree.  She is skillful when working with hand tools.  She also displayed a great deal of foresight.  As we say in my hometown of East Helena, Montana, she was “thinking ahead.”

We enjoyed working together.  In the end, I will be her wingman anytime.

The Shading Kit in Boxes

Freshly Painted Tracks

Shades on the Tracks

Desiree Enjoying the Shade

—Mitchell Hegman