Montana – Page 16 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

Lupe did her Pretty Puppy Parade one last time up and down both sides of Banff Avenue on the evening of July 31, 2014. The Pretty Puppy Parade is really just an evening stroll on a leash through the crowds of tourists in beautiful downtown Banff, Canada. Lupe often draws the attention of some people in the crowd, and gets to sniff with other doggies too. During Lupe’s 2013 and 2014 visits to the Canadian Rockies, the Banff Pretty Puppy Parade has grown to be an evening tradition.

Sometimes SPHP feels kind of bad about the Pretty Puppy Parade. Lupe often wants to go into the various interesting and exciting stores and restaurants that have their doors open to the street. Lupe looks happily and expectantly at the open doorways and back at SPHP. Clearly she is expecting and hoping SPHP is really going to take her shopping or dining out! Of course, SPHP always has to disappoint her and tell Lupe she can’t go inside. It’s a hard thing to do to the beloved dingo when she has such a big excited grin and believes you can make all good things happen for her.

The next morning was August 1st. Lupe and SPHP woke up at 6 AM still in Banff. It was time to leave. Lupe’s annual Canadian National Parks Pass, which SPHP had purchased in July, 2013, had expired at midnight. Lupe and SPHP immediately left Banff National Park heading E on Hwy 1 towards Calgary. After messing up the route through Calgary, SPHP finally got the G6 heading S on Hwy 2. It was a beautiful day and everything was fine. Naturally, SPHP had to change something.

Desiring a less busy highway, SPHP turned E at High River on Hwy 23. For 10 or 12 miles, things were still fine. Then the left front tire on the G6 suddenly deflated. Totally flat in seconds. SPHP was changing the tire when a friendly Canadian in a big pickup truck stopped and offered to help. The little toy spare tire that came with the G6 was soon on and the friendly Canadian left.

The G6 didn’t like the little toy spare tire. The low traction light came on and the G6 didn’t drive well at all. SPHP stopped for a look. The little toy spare tire hadn’t been used or aired up in years. It was also nearly flat. Not a good thing. However, nearly flat was not the same as totally flat. SPHP got back in the G6. For some inexplicable reason it now drove better. The low traction light did not come on again. With the flashers on, SPHP drove on the paved shoulder at speeds between 40 and 45 mph.

Lupe and SPHP eventually made it to the little town of Vulcan, Canada on Hwy 24. Fountain Tire was the only tire store in all of Vulcan. They had only one tire that would fit the G6 in stock. Someone had ordered it and then decided against purchasing it. Maybe it was the $260.00+ price Fountain Tire wanted for it. SPHP could have bought at least 2 tires for the G6 for that price back home in the U.S. Faced with such an outrageous price, SPHP immediately summoned all negotiating skills. “I’ll take it.” said SPHP. Fountain Tire threw in a free tire rotation and Lupe was soon on her way again.

By 7:30 PM, Lupe was back in the states at King’s Hill Pass in the Little Belt Mountains of Montana where Lupe had spent the first night of this vacation on July 15th. Back then everything had been wet and lush. Now things were still green, but everything was dry. The temperature was thankfully only 66 °F. Earlier in Great Falls, the G6 was registering 96 °F. Lupe and SPHP went up to the top of Porphyry Peak (8,192 ft.) again. This time Lupe even climbed up the ranger tower as far as she could go, although the top platform couldn’t be reached since the hatch was locked.

From Porphyry Peak, SPHP studied King’s Hill (8,008 ft.) to the E just across Hwy 89. SPHP concluded there were at least two ways to get up there without much trouble. The next morning, August 2nd, Lupe and SPHP followed a road around the S end of King’s Hill on up to the top. It was a beautiful morning. Even though Lupe had left the wonderful Canadian Rockies behind, there was still fun ahead. Dingo Vacation 2015 wasn’t over yet.

Lupe on King's Hill, Montana 8-2-14. Photo is looking S. — Lupe on King’s Hill, Montana 8-2-14. Photo is looking S.

Lupe and SPHP took a shortcut down the N slope of King’s Hill under a big power line. Then they hopped in the G6 and took off for Beartooth Pass and the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River. New dingo adventures lay ahead!

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SPHP came to at 6:15 AM on July 15, 2014. A very late beginning for Lupe’s 2014 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies! Despite the occasion, SPHP just felt lazy and spent another half an hour summoning the energy to roll out of bed. In truth, SPHP felt somewhat unprepared. Other than go to the Canadian Rockies, SPHP really didn’t have any specific idea what was going to happen over the next few weeks. Unlike SPHP, Lupe was bright-eyed, expectant and ready for action!

Lupe waits in the G6 for SPHP to get a move on! Dingo vacations are supposed to get off to an early start! — Lupe getting bored waiting in the G6 for SPHP to get a move on! Dingo vacations are supposed to get off to an early start!

The house and yard were in as good shape as they were going to be, and the G6 was half packed the previous evening. At 8:00 AM, Lupe got her heartworm medicine. At 9:40 AM the G6 was finally rolling out of the driveway. It was hazy out and a rather cool day for mid-July. Lupe and SPHP headed W on I-90. All day it felt like weather was building up farther to the W where Lupe was going.

Now we're talking! Lupe arrives at the lookout tower on Warren Peaks. — Now we’re talking! Lupe arrives at the lookout tower on Warren Peaks.

Lupe’s first stop was a little side trip up to Warren Peaks (6,650 ft.) in the Bear Lodge mountains in NE Wyoming. Warren Peaks became Lupe’s first peakbagging success of her 2014 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies & Beartooths. It didn’t seem like much of an achievement, since a road goes all the way up to the lookout tower and SPHP just drove the G6 up there. Still, the view was pretty, and just being up there further lifted SPHP’s rising enthusiasm for the glorious days ahead that were now just beginning.

Lupe's first peakbagging success of her 2014 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies and Beartooths was Warren Peaks in NE, Wyoming. — Lupe’s first peakbagging success of her 2014 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies and Beartooths was Warren Peaks in NE, Wyoming.

View to the SSW of Warren Peaks in the Bear Lodge Mountains of NE Wyoming.

It had only been 62°F at Warren Peaks at 11:35 AM, but it was 81°F by the time Lupe reached the Powder River two hours later. Things cooled off again just E of the Bighorn Mountains where Lupe encountered the first rain shower of the day. The rain was harder and steadier in Montana. At Billings, MT, SPHP was glad to leave I-90 and all its road construction. Lupe headed N on Hwy 3 to Lavina and turned W on Hwy 12 following the Musselshell River.

W of Harlowton, Hwy 12 goes up into the Little Belt Mountains. Neither Lupe nor SPHP had ever been to the Little Belts before. Lupe saw lots of pretty country on this day’s drive, but other than the glorious Bighorn Mountains which Lupe didn’t enter, the Little Belt Mountains were the best. The Little Belts were gently rolling and forested with meadows in the valleys. They were quite beautiful and sparsely populated. Lupe and SPHP turned N on Hwy 89 just N of White Sulphur Springs, and went as far as a big parking pullout up at King’s Hill Pass (7,393 ft. elevation).

By the time Lupe reached King’s Hill Pass, the sun was close to setting. SPHP parked the G6. For 45 minutes Lupe got to romp around in the wet woods while SPHP explored a bit too. It felt good to be out of the G6 and moving, but with all the clouds around, darkness started coming on fast. Soon after retiring to the G6 for the night, rain and fog rolled in.

By morning on July 16th, the skies were clear. The first order of business was for Lupe to climb Porphyry Peak (8,192 ft.), which was a couple of miles W of Hwy 89 at King’s Hill Pass according to the map. Lupe and SPHP started up a road that skirted the S side of the King’s Hill Campground. Lupe dashed around in and out of the wet forest, very pleased with the way this day was starting out. Soon she was a very soggy doggie, but it didn’t bother her in the least.

Soggy doggie Lupe up on Porphyry Peak on the morning of 7-16-14. Porphyry Peak was Lupe’s 2nd peakbagging success of this American dingo vacation.

The road wound around all the way up to the summit of Porphyry Peak where there was a lookout tower plus a couple of ski lifts and a few other facilities connected with the Showdown Montana Ski area. A sign at the bottom of the lookout tower said to shout for permission to climb the tower. SPHP shouted, but there was no answer. The tower went unclimbed by Lupe and SPHP. The views were pretty nice even without climbing the lookout tower. After wandering around the top of the mountain by the ski lifts where the views were best, Lupe and SPHP headed back down to the G6.

From King’s Hill Pass, Hwy 89 lost elevation for many miles. It was a pretty drive, and SPHP was convinced the Little Belt Mountains are the most scenic route through this part of Montana. Near the bottom of the range was a picnic area close to a little creek. SPHP stopped there long enough for Lupe to sniff around a bit and get a drink. Then it was back in the G6 and onward to Great Falls, MT.

The Little Belt Mountains in Montana looking NNE from Porphyry Peak.

W of Great Falls, the air was no longer clear and clean. The mountains farther W were in a haze, which eventually proved to be smoke. SPHP stayed on Hwy 89 all the way through Choteau and Browning to St. Mary just E of Glacier National Park. It was all new territory to both Lupe and SPHP. Lupe happily barked at cows and horses along the way. In Choteau was a pretty neat statue of a dinosaur. Later on, SPHP regretted not stopping there to get a picture of Lupe next to the dinosaur.

A soggy Lupe in the G6 ready to leave Porphyry Peak, MT for more dingo adventures in Canada. — A soggy Lupe in the G6 ready to leave King’s Hill Pass, MT for more dingo adventures in Canada.

From St. Mary, SPHP took Hwy 2 N to Hwy 12, which led Lupe to the Canadian border. At the drive up window, there was no one else in line to get into Canada. SPHP presented a U.S. passport and the Canadian border agent asked a bunch of standard questions.

SPHP must have been somehow suspicious, or perhaps it was just a dull, boring day on the border. SPHP was asked to park the G6 and go inside the main building while Lupe waited in the car. There SPHP presented the exact same passport, different Canadian border patrol personnel asked the exact same questions, and SPHP gave the exact same answers. Somehow this cleared up all difficulties or misunderstandings, whatever they may have been, and Lupe was free to proceed into beautiful Canada! Her 2nd Canadian Rockies adventure was now truly underway!

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Tag: Montana

Porphyry Peak (8-1-14) & King’s Hill (8-2-14), Montana

Warren Peaks, WY (7-15-14) & Porphyry Peak, MT (7-16-14)