The Year

The last guest from 2020 checked out today and I have at the moment very few guests booked for the next two months. Tonight there are no guests on the property anywhere and it's just Jax and I.

Here is a good example of a north facing and south facing slope as we hike up Hurrah so you can see the snow difference.

Jax and I have been hiking once or twice every day. I misplaced my camera for a few days so wasn't able to get any shots of our hikes. He's a pretty happy dog and still does his crazy run around me in circles when we go hiking and then I sit down and glove fight him. When he gets tired he just comes over and lays on my lap. Pet him for a minute or two and he's ready to go hiking again.

The last few days of the year there was a lot of good and a little bit of bad. Somebody took all the tape off the queen and king windows on the front porch and two birds, one flew into the king and I found it dead. While I was inside cleaning the queen, I heard a bird hit the window and it was flopping around on the porch when I stepped outside. I picked it up and it died. I'm running out of room in the wildlife versus wildlife cemetery. Lately it's wildlife versus mankind cemetery. I taped both windows so you can hardly see out of them.

A mother and son from back in the northeast somewhere came and played the disc golf course. They were touring around playing the courses with the most fearsome reputations. A family showed up shortly after and played the course and they were so appreciative. One of them said this was the most fun they'd ever had. Right after that some of the guests came back in the Polaris side by side, it's about the 20th trip with no problems since I got it back and said they read the blog and know how much money I've lost on the side by side venture but they really enjoyed it and hoped I'd keep doing it.

On our hike up Hurrah today we saw three bicycle riders, one Jeep, and one side by side. That was it. Pretty quiet out here. 

Michelle has disappeared six times since she's been back and is just gone out of the blue leaving me with all the jobs. I finally fired her and she took off for for Moab. Then she suddenly shows up while I'm cleaning the hogans and brings me a mop bucket. That doesn't make any sense. Then I hear her call Jax and drive off. I throw the mop bucket in the back of the truck and head for the lodge. Jax is in the Jeep when I pull up, the back door of the Jeep is open and I see a suitcase. She's leaving and taking off with Jax reneging on the deal when she gave me Jax. Michelle has run inside to get something. I open the Jeep door and Jax jumps out and jumps up in the truck. As I'm trying to close the door she tries to get in the truck. Eventually I get the door closed and lock it. It was a little more intense than that but in short I have Jax and we're going to court at some point.

I have to say with Michelle gone it's so relaxing and there's not constant drama. I'm really enjoying the last couple of days and I got good news. Linda said she'd come back beginning March sometime and Linny emailed and said she wanted to come to the lodge so at some point in the next week or so my best friend in the whole world is returning.

After three or so weeks of just the small male ringtail showing up in the rafters I'd resigned myself to it was the female that I'll never see again. But three of the last four nights a female small ringtail has showed up with him and acts just like the one I thought got ran over. The property is still a ringtail short but it doesn't appear to have been one of the ones that hang out at the lodge. Mixed bag but the future occupants of the porch will be happy.