"Whooping Cough Tour"

May 17 5:20

Symptoms match what I have. 

May 19 10:24

"Are you making another appointment? Do you think the antibiotics they gave you will help if it is whooping cough?"

May 20 11:45
They never gave me any antibiotics.  1st visit they gave me a
cortisone nose spray and a time-release antihistamine. 2nd visit, I
got an inhaler.  I also bought some Cepacol? throat lozenges and some
Tylenol.  Since Sunday I've begun to feel a bit better. I did a very
short bit of hiking from the Elk Meadows trailhead hoping to connect
to the ICT junction with the Elk Mt trl (just west of Stanley Lake)
that I had done with snowshoes about two weeks ago, but got turned
back after only about a half mile by still too much snow and downed
trees on a steep slope, so didn't even reach my current weak stamina.

To recap my whole weekend, which I'm calling part two of my "Whooping
Cough Tour" (the first half being the Burns - Steens - Leslie Gulch -
Owyhee Dam loop,)  I left town overnighting at the Blacks Creek rest
stop between Boise and Moutain Home, spent the next day at the MtHome
library (I had started reading a book last time I was there called
"Einstein's Unfinished Revolution" by Lee Smolin on Quantum Physics -
a bunch of nonmathematical handwaving - but anyway - it was no longer
available) and doing my laundry, then overnighted on the NE side of
Bennett Mt before heading to Sun Valley on Saturday, taking the Sun
Valley - Trail Creek road across the Pioneer Mt range into the next
valley to the Borah Peak trailhead, then a bit north stopping at a
fault scarp point of Interest before heading across the Lost River
Range into the next valley (P...? just west of the Lemhi Range),
overnighting on Grouse Peak Rd (a 4wd road that headed into the P...?
Range past emerging just SW of Challis.)  Spectacular views of
thunderstorms over the Lemhi Range just as was the case last time I
was in that area, at that time on the East side of the Lemhi's.
Sunday morning I tried continuing up the Grouse peak road, managed to
negotiate a half dozen tricky v-shaped gulleys in the road before
being blocked by a large muddy swamp.  backtracked and stopped at the
P...? fish hatchery then back west through Challis & Stanley,
attempting to whittle off that 2.5 bit of ICT through Elk meadows and
another side-road portion of ICT on Cape Horn Road (that I'd done a
portion of via Snowshoe a few weeks back) just north of there (being
blocked this time by Kelley Creek at peak flow crossing the road.
Backtracked and continued past the still spectacular remains of the
snow/landslide just West of B...? pass (East of Lowman,) overnighting
at the Granite Creek camping area just E of Idaho City.  Got a coffee
this morning at the store in Idaho City, then a shower at the Flying J
on Federal Way near the airport, before getting here to the library.
(I wish there were some decent online maps showing physical features
such as mountain ranges, frustrating that this is absent Bing and
Google, slowing down and distracting my writing.)

Gotta get downloading my photos ...

MtHome, AndersonDam, BennettMt ICT, BurnsOR BumbleBeeWorkshop, Steens Mt loop drv

email to family May 14 2019 2pm

Thanks for driving me to Mt Home two Saturdays ago now.  I went to the
library there and searched for info on that turning issue I had, and
thought I had found a matching issue that can happen after the belts
are changed - having to do with how hard a bolt on the Generator is
tightened which can cause the belt cover to bind onto the hose coming
from the steering pump.  Went back to the shop (without even taking a
look under the hood,) but they pointed out that the belt covers were
not installed (I assume they had been missing.) They said the Steering
Rack needs replacing - a $1000 part.  I think I'd been told that
before, and put it off due to the cost - it affects "play" in the
steering and the wheels can't be properly aligned, causing more wear
on the tires. At any rate, I left things as-is, for now.

I ended up staying in the area overnight, after making a bit of a loop
drive past Anderson Dam and the east side of the reservoir then
looping back past the large scenic meadow with mountain backdrop that
blooms with Camas flowers each spring, but it was still a bit early -
last time I was there it was solid snow, now it was watery meadows
with a few sparse blooms.  I continued south around Bennett Mt
overnighting on the northern flank.  The next morning I backtracked a
bit to a meadow blooming yellow. Buttercups.  Continued to the ICT
trail junction that I was heading to from the other end when my timing
belt broke.   Hiked that section of trail down to where I had lost the
trail getting diverted instead into an interesting craggy canyon that
turned out to be worth the diversion.

So those last two days I was getting increasingly miserable coughing
uncontrollably nearly constantly, each cough hitting my sore brain
with a blood pressure pulse causing splitting pain. I probably had a
fever, and still a dripping sinus and runny nose.  My hike was very
slow with lots of sleep-breaks, and after the hike I pretty much found
the first possible secluded parking spot mid-afternoon and slept
through the whole night (except to frequently cough, drink water and
pee.)   This turned out to be my pattern for the rest of the week,
getting totally exhausted with the cough taking over by mid-afternoon.

Forgot the exact details right now, but I guess I spent the next few
days in the Boise area - unable to use the library due to my
disruptive coughing, and being told at my former Lucky Peak dam
overnight spot that it was a day-use only area, so I guess I camped in
the Arthur St backyard with the dog that whole time.) OK so I guess I
did take that one hike up the cliff above the dam discharge area (also
an exhausting experience constantly coughing, but at least only the
cows could hear.)  Oh yes, there was my Dr's appointment that
Wednesday, disappointing in that they seemed unimpressed with my
cough, or else I downplayed it too much, they said not to worry about
it unless it lasted more than 11 days - it definitely is that now.
They gave me some cortisone nose spray, I've been taking that til
yesterday when I starting thinking my bleeding nose was caused by
that.  I Intend to call them today to see if I shouldn't have an
antibiotic.

On Thursday night I headed for Burns, overnighting at the Ontario
highway rest stop, then Friday getting some maps at the BLM and FS Vis
Ctrs, then again early afternoon sleeping all night at a rest area at
the Sage Hen Rest Stop west of Burns. Saturday I attended the Bumble
Bee Session, running out the room several times to have coughing fits,
then on the field trip ending up sitting on the log half way thru,
though I did manage to catch a few native bees - no BumbleBees were
found.  Overnighted again early afternoon at a rest area just east of
Burns.

Sunday I decided to drive a long loop around Steens Mt - first stopped
at the Malheur Area, also the Lava Craters area, then the long loop
around. I had been told at BLM that a portion of the loop might open
next Wednesday (tomorrow) so I knew it would be just a long drive,
drove my car down onto the alkali flats just for kicks, but didn't
join some of the other vehicles speeding on the flat.    Overnighted
just north of Jordan Valley on the turnoff to Leslie Gulch.  Drove the
Leslie Gulch route the next day, got a workout getting out of the car
for picts, still coughing like crazy, then took the side route through
the Succor Creek Canyon north and then west to Owyhee Dam,
overnighting just below the dam.  This morning I took a $2 shower at
McCormack Campground above the dam, and wove my way across the Snake
and Boise R to the Parma Library where I'm processing pictures now.

I'm still hoping to call the VA about my cough, think I'll do that now
and save more I wanted to talk about for another msg.

summer travel-mode logistics & short term plans

email excerpts to family April 26 11am - 4pm

I'm at the Mt Home Library now. Expect to be back in Boise May 8th for
my VA appointment 1pm, and looking at attending the "Transportation
Community Conversation" the following evening.  The following Saturday
I have that BumbleBee class in Burns, OR.

...I discovered that I can take a $13 shower at the Flyer's Truck stop
near the airport, but might at least want to rummage some more through
my stuff in the garage.

... Right now my plans are to be in the MT Home or Stanley area the next few
weeks, to take advantage of both cool weather and remaining snow (I
still have my snowshoes with me.)  No extended backpacking hikes
planned, so could make it back to Boise any time to visit.

...BTW, I'm just uploading picts of my recent Stanly Lake snowshoe

...Also BTW, the library here is closing at 5 at which point I'll be
heading out of data coverage probably for a few days, might have
spotty txt reception tho.

general recap and summer plans, Half-Marathon photo-op,

email excerpt to family Apr 22 2019 8:34pm

...
The day before, I "crashed" this "party", a big local cultural event:
https://www.halfmarathons.net/course-map-race-to-robie-creek-half-marathon/
...sort of by accident - I just happened to hear on the radio that
morning that it was happening that noon, and decided I could
"intercept" it at a strategic outcrop just above "Rocky Canyon" which
the route passes through, just to take pictures, so I parked my car
about three miles north from the start at a trailhead and took some
trails over another ridge about three miles to the vantage point, with
my 100-400mm lens as well as my usual 24-70mm. Took telephotos of the
early runners, then "scenics" of the crowd jogging and finally walking
through the canyon, then decided I would just join in and walk with
all the stragglers, after learning there would be busses taking people
back to town.  Got caught in a thunderstorm while waiting for the bus.
  I just finished posting photos:
https://www.muddyknees.net/20190420-Race-to-Robie-Creek/   I've since
learned I should have paid $12 to take the bus as spectator:
https://runsignup.com/Race/RacetoRobieCreek/Page-7    Oops!  Maybe
I'll contact them and volunteer a late payment.

A few days before that I was snowshoeing for a couple days near
Stanley in the mountains, and have been doing some snowshoeing closer
to Boise around the ski area a half hour drive above town.  I also
recently took a half-week longer counterclockwise loop drive into
Montana (just short of Missoula) and then west through central Idaho
and back south, with a quick detour into the town of Elk City, which I
think Mark flew into on his crosscountry flight. Some day I'll get
around to posting the photos of that tour, showing that town in
winter.

Photography wise, I've also been trying to organize the scanned
results of the old slides and negs from high school on that I've now
mostly gotten scanned.  I have about $200 worth of "credit" at
Scancafe due to a "cancelled" scanning order, that I'm not sure how I
would use up - I've been taking advantage of 40% discounted offers to
get my stuff scanned mostly via their "bulk" scanning which is sent to
Burma with a 2-3 month turnaround, while the "credit" I'll have to use
via their "standard" service. (You can search Scancafe to get more
details.)  If you have anything you might want to scan, let me know
and I can arrange an address  destination change to take advantage of
my credit.  After reviewing all my slides and negs, I think I may be
missing a lot of negs or slides from our school days ...
 (other than the snapshots of your photo albums
I took back when I visited - which I also still have to process and
post, although they were hastily-poorly copy-photographed with lots of
reflections and distortions.)

So as I hinted I might do last time I talked/emailed, I am now in
"travel mode", having moved out of the room I was renting just over a
week ago now, with all my stuff in ...storage.  I quit my job, as
it so happens, a day before I learned about ...  This is an
eerie coincidence - as if there was some cause-effect association.
The "reality" was that I was already planning to quit - but probably
effective about now -after easter or end of April. I had mentioned
that to my supervisor in the context of some changes that were
happening there. In fact the Friday before the Monday that I quit, I
had been reassigned to work in a different location. That Monday when
I showed up at the new location the supervisor there had no clue that
several of us were newly assigned there, and I was assigned some
really inane task, and by lunch break, I decided I would quit -
reasoning that I would not be missed, the timing was convenient.  But
also, for some reason I had been feeling rather nauseous and
light-headed all evening. I guess it was the next morning that I got
your text about Ann.  Ironically, had I known about ... earlier, I
probably would not have quit then like that.   (I have not mentioned
this coincidence to anyone else.)

I'm not exactly sure what I will be doing.  The original idea was to
hike further portions of the Idaho Centennial Trail, which I did
probably the nicest chunk of last year, on weekend trips, through the
Sawtooths, from near the town of Mountain Home north through the
Sawtooths as far as Stanley lake.  The snowshoe hikes I mentioned
above were also partially on that trail, just north of Stanley Lake.
The loop drive Missoula-Elk City also included some "scouting" hikes
on the ICT, a "western option" of which which passes by Elk City.  I
was planning to do portions south of Mountain Home this spring before
it got too hot in the snake plain, and I have done some "scouting" in
that area, but so far have chosen the snow over the high desert there.
I'm actually planning, finally, to do some hiking there this weekend,
probably last chance before it gets too hot.

Then I was planning to head north and explore the Idaho panhandle,
that the ICT passes through.  I had in mind crossing into Canada,
maybe revisiting Banff/Jasper, inspired by my newly scanned slides
from my trip there in high school, then completing an 8 mile trail on
the Canada side connecting to the northern terminus of the PCT, that
most north-bound through-hikers do, but I had turned around at the
border, not having planned the required paperwork to cross legally a
few years ago.  Ironically, speaking of paperwork, I happened to check my passport, it expires this June, and I learned that It needs to be at
least 3 months from expiration to use, so, too late, I'll have to
renew, waiting 6-8 weeks for a replacement.

Other options include a trip back to the Bay Area, visit the rest of
the family there, and finish the Bay Ridge Trail "project" that I also
started, and have only a south part of the east bay portion to do,
ideally done in spring, now essentially too late.  I'm also now
considering coming back east, but my car is approaching 300,000 miles
and not sure If I should push it that far, so that would be by bus or
train, probably.  I'm also thinking of continuing the Bumble Bee
monitoring I started last summer, and doing enough other volunteering
to maintain my status as "master naturalist" here in town, and make
some more social connections.

Stanley area ICT snowshoe walks, Easter Boise visit plans

email (edited) to family Apr 17 6pm MtTime

 Today I snowshoed north on Cape Horn rd off of hwy21 west of Stanley, with nice views of the Sawtooths looking back across the broad Cape Horn Creek valley. I looped back crosscountry up the ridge above the road, to tree-screened views of the area. Tomorrow I plan to snowshoe the ICT south of hwy21 around Elk Mt (north of Stanley Lk,) finishing up that section of ICT.

... may be quite stinky from sweating today and tomorrow. I'm planning to attend the BREN  talk at the library on Boise River History, and that afternoon may do more volunteering on Table Mt through MKNC  

...leaving again Monday after Easter.

Bruneau Dunes-Jarbidge Nv ICT access scouting

emails (edited) to family

Mar 28
I'm considering going there. Sandy, not muddy, and cool this time of yr, though maybe cloudy this weekend so evening telescope gazing fri and sat 6:30 may be better next week.  If that seems a possibility to go with you I'll  hold off going by myself as soon as tomorrow. I also hope to scope out back road conditions to ascertain  ICT access this time of year.

...

Apr 1
I was there last Saturday evening and skies were clear overhead though
some clouds with virgo rain streamers to the east, which were quite
colorful at sunset.  This seemed consistent with the partly cloudy
forecast that Saturday morning for MtHome.

There was a large group of people walking to the planetarium just at
dusk, as I returned from the dunes.  I didn't stay for the planetarium
show, wanted to find an overnight spot ideally before completely dark
along the road south toward the Bruneau Canyon overlook.

I ended up driving south along Jarbidge Cyn well after dark before stopping 
at a large gravel mine turnout.  Sunday I continued south checking out a few 
of the ICT access spots, walking bits of those I could find.  Took a midday
walk to the NV border along the ICT, then drove further south to the
town of Jarbidge beyond which the road through the Jarbidge Mts to
Elko was closed.  I hoped to make it back to the ICT either just
northeast of the Bruneau Dunes or just N of Mt Home around the Bennet
Hills to overnight then hike a section of ICT there today, but was
running late due to too many roadside photo-stops, got to the highway
at dark and just drove all the way back to Boise rather than trying to
stumble around in the dark to find an overnight spot, although I
should have done that - too long a drive for nothing!

Back to Saturday evening at Bruneau dunes... The campgrounds were
posted as full at the visitor center when I got there about 5:30pm.
Looking at the reservation site now there are still a few tent sites
available for this coming weekend.  But looking at the MtHome weather
just now, looks like rain, you're right.

Spring snow loop drive Stanley-Challis-Missoula-Lochsa-Grangeville-McCall, short ICT snowshoe hike

Mar 18 10am
Having breakfast at Lochsa inn to use the wifi.  No cell svc around. 

First day drove in and out of Featherville, got some nice sunset panos of purple snowcovered prairie with pink mt backdrop. Overnighted at reststop at rd jctn to Ketchum. Saturday up to Stanley with lots of stops, made sidetrip over Banner pass to G...? Overlook. Short snowshoe walk on ICT north from Camelhump. Overnighted at Park Creek TH. Tried snowshoeing there but got hypothermic so cut that short. Did another snowshoe wallk in warming sun from Stanley airport park. Heading north photographed a herd of elk from Stanley museum with sawtooths backdrop. Continued north to overnight at east fork CG.  Sunday continued over Chief Joseph pass to hwy 12 jct short of Missoula, then just past Lolo Hot Springs to overnight on snow-covered forest rd. Lots of snow all the way, least around Challis.

Hope to do more snowshoeing at the two ICT TH's off of hwy12, probably will overnight in that area. Tomorrow probably past McCall but might try road into Elk City if open. Should be back Tuesday late.

Mar 19 11pm
Just got back.

I did get a half day (abt 5hrs) of snowshoeing in at the first ICT
trail crossing, up Lochsa Peak the trail went, although I only made it
part way before 3:30 my turn back time, getting only a few
tree-screened views back down into the Lochsa River canyon.
Overnighted there at the trailhead. Today first made a short
side-drive up Selway Rd which got very potholed and slushy, then past
Kooskia drove the road to Elk City & back, most of the afternoon. This
is a town Mark had flown into a summer or so ago
in his home-made plane, as part of his cross-country flight, so I
thought I'd show him what it looked like in wintertime. Not much to
see, a broad valley surrounded by not very prominent hills. The drive
in & out along the South Fork Clearwater was the main attraction for
me, as was the steep drive out of that deep canyon up the Mt Idaho
Grade Road to Grangeville. Mt Idaho is a quaint community at the hilly
edge of, I guess, the Grangeville plateau, I guess still part of the
Clearwater Drainage, which I had been in since Lolo Pass where I
crossed over from the Clark Fork Drainage, that I had entered via
Chief Joseph Pass from the North Fork Salmon.  Left the Grangevill
Plateau via White Bird Hill, dropping back into the Salmon River
drainage but with signs for Hells Canyon - the Snake River. Very
confusing. Late afternoon I was just in driving mode and barely
noticed the sign in Riggins mentioning Little Salmon River. I should
have stopped for a photo at that confluence with the Salmon coming
from the east, turning north.  I blow on south making McCall still
with sunlight left for a photo of the lake.  At dusk I was in Cascade,
getting gas.

uploading 3 32GB CF cards of photos.