Days 40 & 41 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska
Night, Unknown Hour, Pre-dawn on Day 40 – Cold out, but at least Lupe wasn’t going to get snowed in at the Canadian Rockies. Last evening’s rain had stopped. Stars glittered in the black night sky. Back to sleep, if possible, no telling how many hours away dawn was. Lupe wasn’t going anywhere until then, not with the G6’s burnt out R headlight.
Day 40, 6:55 AM, 33°F – Whatever happened to that bright morning sunshine SPHP had expected? The clouds were back. In places there was fog along Icefields Parkway Hwy 93. It hadn’t snowed down here, but mountains visible between the clouds were sporting a dusting of new snow. The mood was more like the onset of winter than a day in early September.
Sadly, Lupe was leaving. Her Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska was all but over. She would have a couple more adventures on the way home, but they wouldn’t take long.
The miles flew by as Lupe watched the scenery from the comfort of the G6. She saw the grandeur of the towering Canadian Rockies. She passed by many a turn leading to fabulous adventures she’d had earlier on this Dingo Vacation or back in 2013 or 2014. As Lupe left the glorious mountains, the sky started to clear and the sun came out.
Lupe wasn’t the least bit sad. As far as she was concerned, the adventure was still on. In fact, it was getting even better! Ahead of her were more than 1,000 miles of farm and ranchlands. That meant one thing to the Carolina Dog – an abundance of cows, horses, haystacks, suspicious barns and outbuildings to bark at while leaping from window to window in the G6! Yes, it was going to be an exciting, busy, exhausting day!
And so it was. Barking at cows and horses from the G6 is a sport Looper never tires of, nor loses interest in. The unsuspecting cows and horses don’t have to do anything more than exist in order to egg her on. Seldom are they even aware of her brief, shrill, distant presence. Doesn’t matter a whit. Loop barks all the harder. The whole experience provides her with a sense of purpose, accomplishment and joy.
The only way to calm the energetic din, is to drive into a town or up into the mountains. Even the mountains can be noisy, but rarely are there enough deer and squirrels present as substitutes to make the experience at all comparable to the pleasures to be had in cattle country.
SPHP was granted a break while driving through Calgary, and another later on in Great Falls, Montana. In Great Falls, SPHP stopped to pick up fried chicken, potato wedges and Almond Joys. For a while SE of Great Falls, the potato wedges and Almond Joys kept Lupe distracted. By the time SPHP stopped at the Al Buck Memorial Park along Highway 89 N of the Little Belt Range, Lupe was too stuffed to share the fried chicken.
Day 40, 7:00 PM, 47°F – Lupe arrived at King’s Hill Pass on Hwy 89 in the Little Belt Mountains of W Central Montana very satisfied with how her day had gone. The excitement of being in cattle country was temporarily over up here, but the sun would be above the horizon for a little while longer. The American Dingo was still bursting with energy and eager for some exercise climbing King’s Hill (8,008 ft.).
From the pass, Lupe went SW through the forest until she reached USFS Road No. 487, which she followed for 0.75 mile going S along the W face of King’s Hill. By the time No. 487 turned E, she was almost up to the S end of the huge, nearly level summit area. Lupe went N along the wide summit ridge, as the last feeble rays of sunlight faded.
Lupe traveled NNW across the open ground until she reached the survey benchmark at the true summit near the N end of the mountain. Although the sun was still above the horizon, clouds filtered the remaining sunlight to the point where it was hard to tell it was even present. It certainly did nothing to cut the chill from the W wind sweeping over King’s Hill.
Off to the NNE, Lupe could see Big Baldy Mountain (9,177 ft.), the highest point in the Little Belt Range. Big Baldy already had snow on top!
Up in the cold wind, late in the day after being cooped up in the G6 so long, the American Dingo started getting ideas. Oh, no! SPHP recognized that look.
Suddenly Lupe vanished. In her place appeared the wild, ferocious were-puppy. Without hesitation the were-puppy attacked SPHP!
After a few minutes of struggle, during which the were-puppy lunged and leaped at SPHP with snapping jaws, SPHP managed to fend off the were-puppy. Lupe returned looking as innocent as she could be.
So, I take you adventuring not only to the Canadian Rockies, but way up to the Yukon and even Alaska, and this is what I get?
Why, whatever do you mean, SPHP? Are you feeling well?
Sly dog! Well, the wind was cold, and Lupe had made it to the top of King’s Hill. The sun really would be down behind Porphyry Peak (8,192 ft.) soon. No sense in sticking around waiting for the were-puppy to return. Lupe and SPHP started S toward the road leading back down to the G6.
Shots rang out. Gunfire! Hunters? The same American Dingo which had presented itself as the bold, ferocious, wild and invincible were-puppy only minutes ago, now pleaded with SPHP for reassurance and assistance.
Help! Help! Hide me! Save me! Hold me! Pet me! Love me! Carry me! All of the above me!
Sheesh, such drama! Come on Looper, you’ll be fine. Just stick close by. No harm will come to you.
As promised, Lupe returned safely to the G6, though shaken by her narrow escape (8:19 PM). She leaped into the G6 immediately. SPHP fed her Alpo and Taste of the Wild before putting her blankie over her. Soon the were-puppy was snoring peacefully. Outside, stars shone brilliantly accompanied by a half moon.
Day 41, First Light, 6:13 AM, 41°F – Lupe woke to the sound of rain and wind gusts. A small storm was blowing through. So much for any thought of climbing Porphyry Peak this morning. SPHP had hatched a different plan already, anyway. Look out cows, horses and haystacks, Lupe is on her way!
Lupe left the Little Belt Range behind. S of White Sulphur Springs near the junction of Hwys 12 & 89, Lupe & SPHP got out of the G6 to take a look at the dramatic sky remaining in the aftermath of the storm front.
Cows, horses, haystacks! Lupe had her fun. Ahh, this was the life! Another great day!
E of Lovell, Wyoming, Highway Alt 14 wound steeply up into the last big mountain range of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation. Lupe was back in the Bighorns for the first time since she’d climbed Cloud Peak (13,167 ft.) back in July. Her final peakbagging adventures of this Dingo Vacation would occur here.
A little after noon, on this cool breezy day, Lupe set out from the Bald Mountain campground for Bald Mountain (10,042 ft.) (12:09 PM, 56°F).
The mostly bare, rounded mountain was an easy climb. The only real obstacle was the SW wind, which blew harder and harder as Lupe gained elevation. Carolina Dogs are not great fans of wind, but Loopster persevered. There was nothing along the way to protect her from the wind, but on the other hand, the views were tremendous!
Lupe reached the survey benchmark at the true summit. The wind was worst here. She didn’t like it, but the Carolina Dog stayed long enough for photos. Lupe had been here before. Twice in 2012, once in 2013. More than 3 years had gone by since her last ascent.
Well, this was it. Lupe had done it. She had reached the summit of Bald Mountain. Only one task remained – to go find the place of names, and make the necessary repairs. Lupe’s name has been immortalized in stone on Bald Mountain since July 11, 2013.
It had been more than 3 years since Lupe and SPHP were here last, but the place of names was found with relatively little difficulty. Lupe waited in the wind for an hour, while SPHP fixed things up. Finally, it was done.
And that was that. There was nothing left to do. Enough of this wind! Lupe and SPHP began the easy trek back to the G6 with a grand view of Medicine Mountain ahead.
The wind was still blowing when Lupe reached the G6 at the Bald Mountain campground (3:13 PM, 53°F), but not as strongly as up on the mountain. She stayed in the area for more than an hour before heading E again on Highway Alt 14A toward Burgess Junction.
Later in the day, E of the magnificent Bighorn Range, Lupe resumed her happy duty watching for cows and horses to bark at along I90. She kept it up as long as there was light to see by. Yes, this really was the life, all these splendid days adventuring on and off the long road to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska and back, every minute spent with sweet Lupe!
After an adventure spanning 9,126 miles, 41 days & 40 nights, Lupe returned to her home in the Black Hills of South Dakota at 10:50 PM on 9-8-2016. She had gone thousands of miles farther than she had ever been before, seen countless magnificent sights, and had wonderful adventures all the way up to the Yukon and far into Alaska.
In the Brooks Range of northern Alaska, Lupe went her last mile N reaching the confluence of the Dietrich River and a stream NW of Dillon Mountain. From there she saw a mountain, farther N yet, privately designated the Mountain of the Midnight Sun. Whether Lupe ever sees the Mountain of the Midnight Sun and adventures in Alaska again is, at this moment, part of the unknown, uncertain future.
So long as Lupe is alive and well, hope remains that some day the Dingo of the Midnight Sun will return to roam and play once more beneath the pale blue Arctic sky.
The Owl & The Pussycat
The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money, wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above, and sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love, what a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are, what a beautiful Pussy you are.”
Pussy said to the Owl “You elegant fowl, how charmingly sweet you sing. O let us be married, too long we have tarried; but what shall we do for a ring?”
They sailed away for a year and a day, to the land where the Bong-tree grows, and there in a wood, a Piggy-wig stood, with a ring at the end of his nose, his nose, his nose. With a ring at the end of his nose.
“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”
So they took it away, and were married next day by the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince, which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon.
They danced by the light of the moon.
– Edward Lear, first published 1871
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