19-26 April, 2011 Coyote Calling and Home Again

 We headed home on Wednesday.  It took awhile to get loaded up because we had to repack the camper with our daughter's stuff and leave room for getting around in the camper when travelling.  We were in a bad spot to get out of as well.  We ended up taking the camper and trailer out to solid ground with the kayaks loaded on the trailer then we rode the bicycles and motorcycle out to load them on the trailer.  Since we were going so far I had to make sure the trailer was packed tightly for the trip.  We stopped briefly in Overton then headed for Mesquite to spend the night.  From there we made our way home.  It got colder as we went north.  We stopped in Montana late Thursday night and slept in a rest area.  It was about 20 degrees but at least there was no snow to contend with.  We made our way on to Kalispell and home from there.

Tuesday was supposed to be a calm day so Susan and I paddled kayaks across the lake to call in some coyotes.  I took the bow along in case I got a chance at a jack rabbit or two.

We had three coyotes come in at the one stand.  These first two came in after we'd settled in but before calling.  I usually sit still for about ten minutes after arriving at a stand location just to let things calm back down before calling.  These two came during that "quiet time."

You can't see it in this picture but way off at the top of the photo there's a wild burro.

After the first call sequence this one showed up.

This is the center of the above photo so you can see the coyote easier.  They would have all been easy shots with a rifle but I had only the bow with me today.  At no time were they over forty yards away.

Susan on our way back to the beach.  There were lots of wildflowers in bloom along with dozens of lizards out soaking up the sun.

We're on the way back to camp.

This is the little inlet below camp.  Susan spotted Big Bird on the shore.

This is "Big Bird."

Leaving was problematic in the loose sand and gravel.  It took some digging and a couple of rugs and the dog's blanket to get us out.

Waterfalls outside of a casino/hotel in Mesquite.  It's all man-made, of course.

Ah, home at last ... well, almost.  We had to chain up to get up the hill on our road.  There was a big sink-hle ahead and we had to take an alternate route.  We also had to hook a tow strap the back of the Cherokee to help us through one place.

After spending a day at home to rest up we drove back to Kalispell and spent some time seeng children and grandchildren.

The top four are all brothers/sister.

This is Scott ...

Now that we're home we have plenty to do.  We've been spring cleaning, burning brush piles and getting everything in order.  This canoe belonged to Susan's dad.  After he died she got it but it needed some work.  I finally got it ready to go again.

Susan is cleaning one of the rugs from the house.  The ground is still wet so she used the top of the picnic table for working.

The ground is mostly clear but still wet and frozen.  We've got a few things coming up in the garden (rhubarb, garlic, onions, strawberries, etc.) and lots of other projects when the ground finally thaws.  It's going to be a busy summer.