Days 1 & 2 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation
Lupe was happy, oh so happy! Loopster, it’s going to be a while yet, I need to finish loading everything in the G6. You will be in the car all day. Why don’t you come out, and run around a bit before we go?
Nothing doing! Lupe knew good things were about to happen. She had already jumped up into the G6 onto her comfy spot where she would be riding shotgun. She wasn’t about to get out of the car and risk being left behind. This Carolina Dog wasn’t taking any chances on missing out on her Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation, which SPHP kept telling her would be the best ever!
At 10:06 AM, SPHP backed the G6 out of the driveway. Lupe was on her way!
It was a very long way to where Lupe was going. Most of today and tomorrow would be spent traveling. Lupe didn’t mind. She loves riding, looking out the window, and sniffing the air. Mostly she watches for animals to bark at. She was going to see plenty of them in the next two days. Cows, horses, and occasionally sheep, deer or pronghorn antelope.
Lupe’s very satisfying barking frenzy began long before her Black Hills of South Dakota disappeared in the rear view mirror. It continued for hours across the high rolling plains and pine-covered ridges of SE Montana. W of Lame Deer, Montana the temperature hit 100°F. By then, Lupe was barking in air-conditioned comfort.
The miles rolled by. It was an easy, relaxing drive on lightly traveled highways. SPHP grinned at Lupe. You know, Loop, things might never get any better than they are right now. We are free as birds, and have your whole Dingo Vacation ahead of us!
Well, actually they could be a little better, SPHP!
What do you mean?
Did you bring any water? My barker is dry!
Oh, sorry! So, you’re one parched puppy, aye? Small wonder. Hang on a sec. Here you go. Lupe slurped up an entire bowl of water and requested a refill, which she also drained in short order. Better?
Much! Thank you! Lupe returned to vigilance. More cows could appear at any moment. If not, haystacks, barns or suspicious-looking outbuildings would do, too. The G6 was a noisy place.
At 6:30 PM, SPHP parked the G6 at King’s Hill Pass on Hwy 89 in the Little Belt Mountains of central Montana. That’s enough driving for today, Loop. We’ll stay here tonight. Remember this place? You were here a couple of years ago. How about climbing Porphyry Peak (8,192 ft.) again to stretch our legs?
By now, Lupe was very ready to get out of the G6, eager to go exploring for a while. A dirt road left King’s Hill Pass heading W for Porphyry Peak. It wound around a bit, but went all the way to the summit. By the time Lupe reached the ranger tower on top of the mountain, she had gone at least 1.5 miles along the road, and gained nearly 800 feet of elevation.
No one else seemed to be around.
Without climbing the ranger tower, the best views from Porphyry Peak are from the E end of the large, flat summit area over by the Showdown ski resort facilities. Lupe and SPHP headed over there for a look.
After taking a look at the views from the Showdown ski area, Lupe and SPHP wandered back over toward the ranger tower again. The hatch door to the observation deck at the top was closed, but Lupe could still go partway up to check out the views. SPHP started up the stairs. Lupe came along behind, but she wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.
Even from only partway up the ranger tower, it was possible to see mountains to the W that weren’t visible from ground level due to the forest. SPHP thought it might be nice to get a sunset photo from up here, but the sun wasn’t going to set for a while yet.
It had turned out that Lupe and SPHP weren’t alone on Porphyry Peak. Over by the Showdown ski area there had been a parked vehicle. Someone had been busy rearranging gear in it. Lupe and SPHP had time to go over there to see who it was, which is how Lupe met Cooper from Sacramento, CA.
Cooper had graduated from high school 2 months ago, and since then had been off exploring the American West on his own. He had a beautiful camera and hopes of becoming a “digital nomad”, turning photography into a profession.
Cooper had another month of exploring ahead of him before flying to Hawaii to work on a farm for room and board for 3 months. After that, he intended to find work on a ship. Basically, he was taking a year off for various adventures before starting college. Lupe and SPHP were both impressed.
By the time Lupe and SPHP had heard Cooper’s story, the sun was getting near the horizon. Cooper also wanted to get some photos from the ranger tower. Lupe, Cooper and SPHP all went over to the ranger tower together. This time, Lupe felt braver. She climbed a long way up the tower steps.
After the sun sank below the horizon, Lupe and SPHP bid Cooper good-bye and good luck. Lupe took a shortcut down one of the ski runs to get to the road back to King’s Hill Pass. By the time she reached the G6, the light was fading. Day 1 of her 2016 Dingo Vacation was over. It had been a good, promising start. Lupe had Alpo for dinner, then settled down on her soft perch for the night.
Early the next morning, Lupe was totally energized and ready for many more long hours of enthusiastic barking. The sun wasn’t even up yet (5:33 AM). Let’s climb King’s Hill before we leave, Loop. You look ready for a romp! Burning off a little of that American Dingo energy now wouldn’t hurt a thing.
No argument there! A trek up King’s Hill (8,008 ft.) sounded like an even better way to start the day to Lupe than barking at cows. She burst out of the G6 as soon as the door was open, and dashed into the woods. On the prowl and sniffing excitedly, she wound around racing between the trees.
SPHP followed Lupe into the forest, and quickly came upon USFS Road No. 487, which headed S angling up the W slope of King’s Hill. The road curved around to the E as it reached the open ground near the top of the hill. At a 3-way intersection, Lupe and SPHP turned N on USFS Road No. 251 (Dry Wolf Road).
SPHP didn’t stay on the road much farther. Lupe was running around up on the open ground leading to the summit. A cool W wind was making things a bit chilly up here, but the sun would be up in minutes. Lupe reached the summit of King’s Hill, marked by a survey benchmark near the N end, about the time the sun peeped up over the horizon.
It was going to be a beautiful day in the Little Belt Mountains, but Lupe couldn’t linger up on King’s Hill for very long. She had many miles to go. A power line goes NW back down to Hwy 89 from near the summit. Lupe and SPHP took this steeper shortcut to return to the G6 (7:09 AM).
As Lupe resumed her journey, there wasn’t too much for her to bark at for a little while. The Little Belt Mountains were mostly forested, so there weren’t many cows or horses.
Hwy 89 lost elevation steadily for miles N of King’s Hill Pass. When the highway was about out of the mountains, SPHP stopped at the Al Buck Memorial Park. Time to let Lupe run off a little more steam! Lupe was quick to take advantage of the opportunity.
Lupe visited Isaac Walton Spring where a tiny waterfall poured right out of the hill beside the park. She waded in the cool water and had a nice drink. She found a chipmunk to bark at in one of the trees in the park. She went across Hwy 89, and took a look at scenic Belt Creek.
Lupe enjoyed a few more short breaks out of the G6 during the day, but once out of the mountains, Day 2 was mostly another Carolina Dog barkfest. Shortly before noon, Lupe crossed the border into Canada. Yesterday’s 100°F heat in Montana was long gone. The high in Canada was only in the low 60’s °F. The rest of Lupe’s summer was going to be cool and comfortable!
NW of Lethbridge, there were big clouds and scattered rainstorms, even a short stretch of small hail. It had been nearly 2 years since Lupe was last in Canada, and it was good to be back. Off to the W, the Canadian Rockies were beckoning Lupe to come and play!
By early evening, Lupe was entering the gorgeous Canadian Rockies. She got to stop and take the Many Springs Trail in Bow Valley Provincial Park. The Many Springs Trail was super easy, with little elevation change as it went around a big pond in a wetlands area that looked like prime wildlife habitat.
Maybe there was dangerous wildlife out there!? About 2/3 of the way around the pond, a boardwalk served as the trail where it went right along the edge of the pond. Something spooked Lupe just as she reached the boardwalk. She absolutely refused to go on the boardwalk to complete the loop. The American Dingo insisted on going back the way she had come rather than set one paw on that frightening 6″ high boardwalk.
Oh, well. That was fine. Lupe and SPHP returned to the G6. Exploring a couple of winding roads revealed a lovely picnic area along the Bow River. Lupe wasn’t too hungry yet, but she sniffed around part of the time while SPHP dined.
The first long leg of Lupe’s journey was complete. Lupe’s two day Barkfest was over. Tomorrow Lupe would be climbing and playing in the spectacular Canadian Rockies.
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