Blustery Bell Mountain

I went to Idaho Falls on Friday, Sept. 30 to go shopping for the day and pick some corn at the Cherry Farm in Mud Lake. Whenever I have an outing, Josh likes to have his own "outing", too. He left after work on Friday and drove to the Pahsimeroi Valley, in anticipation of hiking to Bell Mountain the next day. Bell Mountain is the highest point in Lemhi County. Since he finished hiking the peaks east of Salmon in the nearby Bitterroots, Bell Mountain was next on his hiking list. We see Bell Mountain (its shape is also similar to that of a bell) when we drive from Salmon to Idaho Falls, but he did some research and found the best way to hike it was up its backside, which is reached via the Pahsimeroi Valley. 

I took this photo in 2019: Bell Mtn is the uniquely-shaped peak.

He found a spot at the base of the mountain after his 2-hour drive. He parked the Jeep and set up his tent for the night. He began his hike early Saturday morning, but unfortunately, a storm blew in that morning that made the hike much more difficult. It was terrible weather: cold, windy, snowy, and the clouds were very low, so he couldn't see where he was going. It took him a lot longer to get to the top than he'd anticipated. He was also struggling due to the elevation--oxygen levels are lower at higher elevations, and due to his paralyzed vocal cords, breathing is already a struggle, let alone at a higher altitude! At one point, he was getting very lightheaded and was so cold, that he stopped and made a fire on the hike. It gave him the energy to continue, and after realizing that he'd gone past the peak (but he couldn't tell at the time because the trail was vague and the visibility was bad), he back-tracked and finally made it to the intended peak. Unfortunately, the lookout views weren't great due to the weather, so he didn't stay at the top for very long. The way back down went much quicker, since he knew the correct way to go this time around, but the trail was pretty slippery from the recent dusting of snow. The hike and descent took him 7 and a half hours to complete, and he covered 8.4 miles on foot in that time. He was glad that he was able to accomplish what he set out to do (although he wants to go again when the weather is better so he can see the views from the top!). I was just glad that he returned home to me! When I woke up Saturday morning to bad weather, I worried about him all day!

The view from his campsite Friday afternoon.

The weather started out cold, but decent,
on Saturday morning.

The storm rolled in, covering the mountaintops he was headed towards.

The wintery wall he was headed into...

The views he was leaving behind...

His traditional photo of MOUNTAIN Dew  
on a MOUNTAINtop!

Yep, that's fresh Bear Scat!!!

Fall is so beautiful, even in a winter storm!

September 2022 Randoms

Labor Day

Josh and I decided to get away for Labor Day this year--usually our fall schedule is dictated by XC, and there's always a meet on Labor Day weekend, so we don't have Labor Day plans. But since none of our kids were in XC this year, our whole fall opened up! We stayed for 2 nights over Labor Day weekend at Elkhorn Hot Springs in Montana; this was our 3rd time there. The weather was nice, and we relaxed in our cabin for the majority of the time, reading books in our room and on the porch. It wasn't super busy, which was nice. We soaked several times in the hot pool, and ate dinner and breakfast there each day. We also ran into some acquaintances from Salmon there, too, which was a fun surprise. Unfortunately, though, the power went out one day while we were there for several hours, and our bed frame broke while we were reading in bed one afternoon, so we might not stay there again, because every time we stay there, something goes wrong--although this was definitely less traumatic than getting locked out of our cabin in negative-degree weather like last time! 

Moose Fire

The Moose Fire that started down river from North Fork in July continued to spread, and in September, it got dangerously too close to home. There was a major windstorm that blew through one evening, and the fire spread quickly towards town. It burned part of the City of Salmon's watershed area and continued burning along the mountains above the bar hill in town. The area to the north and south of the fairgrounds was evacuated. We've never witnessed a wildfire from our home before, and it was scary to have it get so close. Josh and I watched it outside our home that night for quite a while. We could see whenever a new tree was engulfed in flame and it would burst into a fiery ball; it was a terrifying, yet incredible, sight. The fire became so strong that it created its own weather with an electrical charge that sparked thunderstorms as it blew through eastern Montana. Thankfully, the dedicated firefighters were able to stop it from spreading to the houses on the edge of town, and none of the houses near the fairgrounds or on the bar hill burned. 

There were days that the smoke was so thick
that the moon looked a blood orange color.

The thick smoke also altered the sun's appearance, 
giving it a more subdued glow, like in this sunrise photo. 

The Moose Fire burned all through September, and the smoke plumes coming from nearby mountains were a daily reminder of its closeness. It didn't stop until snow fell on the mountains in October. 

Missionaries

The rest of the twins' 6-pack of friends had their farewells in September. Jonah and Micah's mission dates started in July, Tyler began in August, and Boaz, Nathan, and Erik all started their missions in September. Unfortunately, we were out of town the week that Tyler had his farewell, but we went to the other 3 boys' mission farewells in September, and the get-together meals afterwards at the city park. Nathan and Erik were the last two to go, and since their missions started on the same date, they had a combined mission farewell and celebratory meal, which was fun! Our friend Hailey Linger and her kids were here for it, too, which was a fun surprise! They moved to Missouri in June, but she came back to visit her parents in September because her mom was really sick, and she surprised everyone with her week-long visit. This was the final outdoor BBQ of the season, and we enjoyed our time at the park with our friends, celebrating our sons' friends and their new ventures. 

After Micah arrived in Chile when his time at the Mexico MTC ended, the twins finally both had the same P-days, and we were able to see both of them at the same time on their weekly phone calls, which was SO COOL! These coordinated phone calls continued until November, when Daylight Savings changed things, due to the boys being in different hemispheres. They call home using the Facebook Messenger App, which is SO handy! I like that we get to see them as we talk to them! 

Garden Produce

My raspberries produced more this year than any other year, which was unexpected, because they didn't even start really producing until mid-August! I picked multiple gallons every week from late August to early October. I made more jars of raspberry freezer jam than I ever have before, and I also froze a few quarts of raspberries and I made several raspberry desserts, too. Once the plants really started producing, I felt like I couldn't stay on top of the picking, baking, and canning! 

The entire freezer door was full of jam!

Tanis, my friend in Mud Lake, said I could come pick some of their (Cherry Farms) sweet corn again this year. I didn't make it down there until the end of September, and most of the corn in the corner of their field was already picked over, but I still got around 6 bags' full. The next day, Kanyon helped me shuck the 100+ ears of corn, and I processed it into 20 quarts. We also ate it for dinner a couple of times. Their corn is SO good!

I use the "cooler" method now to blanche the corn, and it
is such a time saver! I pour the boiling water into the cooler
full of corn & shut the lid for 20 minutes, and it's ready to 
be processed!

Kanyon's a Driver!

Kanyon took Driver's Ed training in Idaho Falls for 3 days in March, and after 6 months of having his permit, and having supervised driving with me and Josh, he FINALLY got his Driver's License in September! Until he got his license, I drove him to school and dropped him off early on my way to Leadore. During the summer, he'd gotten rides to work with Josh, and he got a motorized scooter to ride the 7 miles home after work. He likes having the freedom of having his own ride. Now he drives the truck that used to belong to Great Grandpa Parsons, the same truck Micah drove his last 2 years of high school, since Jonah drove the silver Scion. 

TTFN, Toyhauler Trailer

We decided to sell our toyhauler trailer in September. We hadn't used it much in the last 2 years, and we thought it would be better to sell it than keep storing it only to use it a couple times each year. Additionally, since the boys have all left home except Kanyon, and he doesn't really care for camping, we didn't need something as big anymore. It was a good trailer for us: it was very versatile, and we loaded up kayaks & paddle boards in it, motorcycles & 4-wheelers, and the street bike all on different trips. It was also the easiest trailer we've ever had to set up and level, and we liked how open it was and how it fit all of us comfortably. A cute, younger family from Montana bought it in October; it was their first trailer, and I hope they enjoy it as much as we did!

Date Nights 

I went to Mud Lake in September to play Dominoes with my West J friends. I love these ladies so much! We had a wonderful time chatting about our summer experiences and the new school year, eating food, and playing our beloved Dominoes game.

Josh was my Special Guest during my Star Student week at school; I love this tradition that he does every fall to come meet my students. They like meeting him, too! We left from Leadore together to a doctor appointment in Idaho Falls, and then I took him out to dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse. It was his first time there, but I'd been there with my Dominoes friends in August, and I'd loved it so much I wanted him to go there with me. 

Beautiful Skies

One sunrise on my commute to Leadore.

Fall vibes on my Friday morning soak

A pretty shot of the fresh snow-tipped Bitterroots from the cemetery

I witnessed this awe-inspiring rainbow at the end of September
in Mud Lake after I'd finished picking corn at the Cherry Farm.
It started as one partial rainbow and grew into a full double rainbow!

It was so big, bold, and vivid! I was so grateful
that I was in the right time and place to see it! 

The sun's rays on some freshly cut hay fields near Terreton.