The Road

Years ago San Juan County, the county I'm in, not Grand County where Moab is but I'm a mile over the border in San Juan. They are wonderful people and I've lived a lot of places in my life and they are the best by far. They leave you alone. The road over Hurrah Pass has been a little different. Years ago when I first got here there was a pissing contest between Doug who use to own most of the property out here and the county. They graded the road quite a bit when I got here but somewhere in there, not known to me. they changed the road from a B road to a D road which apparently says they can grade it whenever they want, or not ever. So for many years they would grade the road once right around the end of the year and that's pretty much it.

I get really good reviews from guests that stay here and if there is any criticism it's nearly always about the road over Hurrah Pass getting here. A lot of people enjoy the road and it's beautiful views and it does weed out all the pussies which is why I think to a degree that I get really good guests, nobody expecting a mint on their pillow.

Two weeks ago I emailed the county to could they grade the road twice a year. Late August just before the busy season starts and again in late Feb or early March just before the other tourist season starts. The email came back undeliverable. I called and ask for the road guy and it's somebody else. I told him about my twice a year suggestion and he liked it. I ask if they could grade it before Labor Day weekend and he said "I think so." I hear the grader out there on the pass somewhere right now. This is really encouraging.

A Good Day

100 degrees for a month or two, then a couple of 90s, and on this day high of 86. We started early putting water in Doug's solar batteries where his place is still a mess. Then Last Hurrah (north side of the property) batteries, dug trenches around Kobae's yard to make the fence higher so he can't escape if I can't go hiking with him. Right around the 1st of September every year he takes off down the drive way and somebody has to go with him. Teresa won't be back for another week so I have to make sure I can lock him in his yard if I have to.

Then we head down to the main beach and start cutting the trail from the kayaks down the stairs to the beach. Still got to cut trail to the creek bed and the creek if the dead deer is mostly gone. While we were down there we saw a young mother mule deer with two one year olds and two brand new babies. While on the beach we saw six deer on the hidden beach and later three more on the hill up by the mud huts.

A Day in the Life of Kobae

Most days Kobae comes across the drive way from his house around 4pm. It has been hot, 100 plus every day for a month or two. So, he lays down in the kitchen and pees, then sets in it to cool off. Eventually he walks through the lodge to see if anything has changed. I keep a bucket next to where he pees to clean it up right away when he leaves.

He'll go outside, rain or shine, he doesn't care.

Then he'll hump the stairs, then eat, then hump the stairs again, then set on the porch until it gets dark.

He can't see very well in the dark so usually I have to get a headlamp, shine it on the ground, and he'll follow the lit up ground to his house. He doesn't really know where he is. On days when he irritates me I'll do a figure eight with the light as we're walking to his house just for my own entertainment A couple nights ago I shined the headlamp trying to get him to follow it. He wouldn't. He just set on the porch but now it's dark and the little people are showing up. Racoons own the left side of the porch, skunks the right side, ringtails the rafters, gray foxes the left side of the parking lot and red foxes the right side of the parking lot though the gray foxes are starting to take that over and the red's are in Kobae's yard. Kobae notices the commotion on the left side of the porch where I have to headlamps set up and the raccoons are eating. He heads down the porch and sends raccoons running in every direction not knowing what this 200 pounds of something are. They're running out into fox territory in the parking lot, up the poles to ringtail territory, just running from whatever this is. He takes over one of the Kit%Kaboodle bowls while the raccoons watch from a distance. In time he returns to the front door where he falls asleep and the feeding returns to normal.

Chicken Corner and the journey there

For old times sake, Kristin, Jax, and I went out to Chicken Corner.

KaM8Jvu3Al4BioZJYcrntwG6oDj1UZlFvlrqEOE3HH-nH7QDqeJ6EOBbwS2Sc4DTgklWcyRQ-Q1Hd-2H4qRwi5zUeiQvHn6szshmIrN9AaXi7-dgJ-mbqcMkPbvCBlpwfKo/s4608/DSCF0019.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; ">

Mike and Kristin Russo

Kristin Russo came by last week for four days. Mike and Kristin were some of the very first guests I had 20 years ago. They said they went hiking with Bill who was the first person who ever worked here. The family would come out from back east and collect rocks, fossils, and just enjoy nature. I don't know how many times. When they would leave they would have a Jeep station wagon full of rocks and fossils. I ask them if they had a rock shop or something and they said "No, they just liked rocks."On their departure as their Jeep would go over Hurrah Pass there would be a slight gravitational pull in the planet as all the weight went to the other side. Many times while the family was out hiking Mike would stay and just go around and fix things. Then years ago when I decided to remodel everything I was trying to decide who I could trust to do the work cause I didn't have time, and didn't want to supervise. I realized I didn't have to worry about the guy that had been working for free for ten years and actually paying me to stay here. I hired Mike and a few weeks later I picked him up in Grand Junction at the airport and the next month or so along with Johnny and Sarah it was some of the funniest times I've ever had here. In particular asking them to put the insulation back up under the lodge and listening to them discover all the skunks that were living there, somehow without incident. Five or so years ago Mike passed. Not long after Kristin came out to spread ashes at some of their favorite places. Thank you Kristin. Miss you Mike.

Bears Ears

Jax and I out hiking on my property one morning which a couple weeks ago was in Bears Ears and now it isn't again.

One Down, Ten to Go

Because of the temps, outdoor activity is limited. But just for another day or two so getting all the storm damage cleaned up only has an hour or two each day. I want to spend mornings with Jax hiking, administrative work during the days in the AC, then outdoor work when it cools some, then Kobae shows up, pees on the floor in the kitchen, lays in it to cool down, then comes out on the porch to eat and not long after when it gets dark and time to feed all the little people that show up. But on this day I got the wood pile finished and then went in the garage to drain gas from the big tanks I fill up in town and then distributed to side by sides and trucks. The floor is very deep in dirt, next on the list. Even hay and straw bales took damage. Maybe I should have had benches made when I got here instead of bales but who knew, not me, I'd be here 20 years later.