Category: fun

Tuesday, June 16th – East Glacier, Montana [Day 13]

One of Glacier National Park’s Red Buses.

Our day started back at St. Mary’s Lodge where we were to meet the Red Bus. These “Buses” are something else. A rag top convertible that seats…. 15? What a way to travel and see the sights. We got to see some wild life. A moose…. way off in the distance. Black bears…. far down in a valley, but in was a mom and her cubs out enjoying the day. We made our way south from St. Mary’s down to East Glacier. East Glacier is home to the Glacier Park Lodge – one of the old time railroad built national park lodges.
Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier, Montana. The active train station is in the distance.

The main building was beautiful and you could see the path from the (still active) train station up to the lodges entrance.
Inside Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier, Montana

We enjoyed lunch and then made our way back north to Two Medicine.

Two Medicine Lake was inside Glacier National Park, had a great general store and campground. Surrounded by mountains, the snow melt and glacial runoff streamed downwards into the lake.

From the mountains above Two Medicine Lake

Monday, June 15th – Many Glacier, Glacier National Park [Day 12]

After breakfast, we stopped at the St. Mary Lodge (located just outside the St. Mary entrance into Glacier National Park) in an attempt to make reservations for the Red Bus tours that take place in and around Glacier National Park. The staff at the lodge were very helpful and although reservations our not made through the lodge, they allowed us to use their phone and we were able to make reservations for the following day (Tuesday) for a tour between St. Mary and East Glacier that included Two Medicine. The lodge was very nice and a comfortable place to relax. Although not as fancy as some of the other national park lodges, St. Mary Lodge had a great dinning room and lounge. We also made reservations for Thursday to pick up a Red Bus tour in West Glacier (actually the Apgar Visitors Center) that would take us up to Logan Pass – the summit of the Going To The Sun Road.

Swiftcurrent Lake at Many Glacier – in the far background you can see the boat that travels between the Many Glacier Lodge and a trailhead that leads to St. Josephine Lake.

We left the lodge and headed north to Many Glacier. The distance from St. Mary to Many Glacier is fairly short – the drive takes about 20 minutes. First we drove by the Many Glacier Lodge. We decided to try a short hike from a trailhead near Swiftcurrent Lake to St. Josephine Lake.

St. Josephine Lake – standing on the boat dock near the trailhead back to Swiftcurrent Lake.

After the hike we headed over to the Many Glacier Lodge. The lodge was beautiful and had a wonderful, rustic alpine look. We went to their lounge and enjoyed an excellent lunch. The service was great. The wait staff were young college folk from all over the country (and world).

Many Glacier Lodge

We then went down stairs and outside to buy boat tickets. Glacier National Park has several major lakes (Swift Current, St. Josephine, Two Medicine, MacDonald) which are all serviced by these really cool, old fashioned pleasure/sight-seeing boats. For some lakes they take you across for point to point. At other lakes the boat takes you around the lake for a tour.

Sunday, June 14th – Great Falls, MT to Saint Mary’s Campground, Glacier National Park [Day 11] (190 miles)

We woke up early, got on the road, and continued north up I-15 to US-2. The drive was nice, flat, and easy drive. We took MT 464 which was hilly, but not too bad. I saw a Google car for the first time. In the middle of nowhere Montana… there was a Google car. The weather had fairly low, dark clouds rolling from the west. I anticipated a picturesque drive west towards the Rockies but with the low clouds, I couldn’t even really see the Rockies. Space was available and we were able to check into Saint Mary’s Campground a day early.

My plan was to spend the night at the St. Mary KOA campground and then move to the Glacier National Park’s St. Mary campground the following day. Learning my lesson in Yellowstone I came to the realization that instead of campsite hopping, it was best to get set and maximize time exploring rather than setting up and tearing down a campsite.

We arrived at Glacier’s St. Mary campground. A difference from Badlands and Yellowstone National Parks is that at Glacier, rangers run the campground check-in kiosk. I explained that I had reservations starting the following day and was wondering if that campsite was available for tonight? Yes it was – good news.

The campground was nice, although our site did not have much of a view.

After getting the trailer set, we drove to the St. Mary Visitors Center and finally broke out our National Park Passports. I was not really sure where I had packed them and had not used them during my previous visits to Badlands and Yellowstone. What we were to discover was that (generally speaking) every national park visitors center has a passport stamping station. The purpose of the passport is to kind of “collect” national parks. Some visitors centers have only a date cancellation stamp and others have both the date cancellation stamp and another special stamp. It is also possible to purchase “stamps” that can be affixed the passport book above the cancellation stamps. To be honest, I still don’t fully understand how these picture “stamps” are supposed to be used.

At the visitors center we were able to get Junior Ranger Books for the girls. It seems like every national park does their Junior Ranger Program a bit differently. At Yellowstone you had to purchase the Junior Ranger activity book. At Glacier, they were free. In Yosemite, books can be purchased or you can use a copy from the activity newspaper that you get when you enter the park.

We had lunch in the town of St. Mary and tried Huckleberries for the first time (Huckleberry pie).

On our return to the campground we learned that Going-To-The-Sun Road was closed and was not going to open until Friday. There was road work taking place in between the entrance to the park and the campground which was the reason given for the road closure. I was not anticipating this. My lesson learned here is to be better connected with park news. All the parks do a good job of posting information concerning the status of roads, campgrounds, and anything else – but if I don’t look at it I wouldn’t know.

My plan for exploring Glacier was based on having access to the Going-To-The-Sun Road. I hadn’t planned on going up to Many Glacier, thinking that it was too far away and maybe wasn’t really worth visiting.

Saturday, June 13th – West Yellowstone, MT to Great Falls, MT [Day 10] (270 miles)

Drove from West Yellowstone up the Gattlin River valley, through Bozman, then northwest until we hit I-15. Continued to Great Falls. Not too difficult of a drive but a few significant passes north of I-90. KOA at Great Falls was pretty nice.

Departure from Grizzly RV Park was smoothe. Packing up and getting ready to get on the road was becoming second nature at this point. We took US 191 north through the Gattlin River valley. The route slighlty dips into Yellowstone National Park for a bit, but there are no roads that connect back to the heart of Yellowstone from here. Lots of ranches and plenty of white water rafting in this area. Traffic was fairly light and the road was wasy driving.

We stopped at the Walmart in Bozman, near the on ramp to I-90 and had lunch. This was a good example where we used the resources we already had to eat instead of eating out. Plus, it was pretty quick turn around, eating lunch and getting back on the road.

After a short piece of I-90 to the west, we head north on US 287. Lots of construction along this road which slowed us down. We were also back on the track of following Lewis & Clark as we approached the headwaters of the Missouri River. It was interesting to think that the water that we saw heading down river would soon pass by our house back in Kansas.

Through Helena and then onto I-15 north. A few passes on this part of I-15, although nothing too bad. Traffic was not too heavy. We finally made our way to our turn off at Great Falls and drove through the entirety of Great Falls to get to the KOA campground on the other side of town.

The Great Falls KOA is located near Malmstrom Air Force Base. We headed over there to take advantage of their Commissary and I got a haircut. The Great Falls KOA was pretty nice. The sites, although close together, where set in fairly dense vegatation which gave each site a great deal of privacy. And there was wifi! We opted not to have a campfire but instead to try and get an early start the next morning to see if we could get a spot a Saint Mary’s Campground at Glacier National Park rather than spend one night at the KOA outside of Glacier. I had misjudged the distances when I planned the trip, not realizing that the KOA and the Glacier National Park campsites where only a few minutes away. If I could avoid having to pack up and move, then I wanted to give it a try.

Bananas Foster


I got my Coleman stove out to (1) make sure it works, as we are (knock on wood) going camping this weekend and (2) try out more aluminum foil recipes.

Tonight I took a square of foil, added butter, sliced up a banana, and sprinkled (liberally) with brown sugar and a bit of cinnamon.

I cooked it on high for 10 minutes. The Coleman heats up quick. If I am unable to be successful at the campsite with getting a fire suitable for aluminum foil cooking, I know my Coleman will do the trick. After 10 minutes, I put on my thermal gloves and scooped off the aluminum packet.

The smell was promising. I opened it up and it looked great. Four bowls were quickly produced and the family enjoyed the bananas with a bit of vanilla ice cream. I think we found a winner.

I was thinking of a possible variation where I add some Pillsbury dough and make it into some type of a banana fritter. We will see.

Smells Like Victory


Bill Murray’s Stripes was one of my favorite movies growing up. Could it have even influenced my career choice later in life? Perhaps the most engaging piece of the film was the EM-50, the Army’s Top Secret armored personnel carrier that looked like an RV. The EM-50 was based on GMC’s 1976 motorhome.

Stripes culminates with our protagonist taking the EM-50 across the Iron Curtain to rescue his fellow soldiers. Unlike the production model of the ’76 motorhome, the EM-50 packed a bunch of firepower that allowed it to take on all threats.

As so often in life when the truth is stranger than fiction, the Army did use a GMC motorhome to support the color guard that support the American Freedom Train. I would be curious to know if whoever wrote the script bumped into this vehicle along the Freedom Trains route.

Back in 1987 I actually spent 6 weeks at Fort Knox, KY where the movie was filmed. The rumor circulating around was that in one of the barracks latrine there was graffiti on the inside of a stall door that said “Bill Murray Was Here.” I never did find it. And that’s a fact, Jack.

The Final Courtsey


The static crashes were coming more frequently now and I could see the lightning off in the distance. I had been driving since the early afternoon and only had about two hours left until I arrived home. The sun had set an hour ago but the moon was not up yet and it was dark as pitch. My headlights cut through the night. Shortly before the Autumn sunset, the clouds moved in from the west with the winds gusting against my pickup truck as I headed south. The rain was off and on, more of a nuisance than an impediment to driving.

It had been a long day of meetings and I looked forward to getting behind the wheel. My mobile setup in the pickup is simple: an IC-706MKIIG and a screwdriver antenna – just 100 watts. It was relaxing to hear the rush of white noise as the rig powered up and my screwdriver antenna spun up to a good match for 40 meters. I had enjoyed a few QSOs as I barreled down US Interstate 29. Traffic was light. After the sun set, the band started to go long and decided to drop down 75 meters. The screwdriver antenna coil whirled again, sending the whip up a bit higher.

As I slowly spun the dial, I heard a call coming just above the S5 noise level. “CQ CQ CQ, this is W0XRR, Whiskey Zero X-ray Romeo Romeo, calling CQ and listening.”

Gripping the handmike, I replied to the call, “W0XRR, this is Kilo Delta Seven Papa Juliet Quebec, KD7PJQ, the name is Scott and I am mobile, south on I-29.” Releasing the Push To Talk button, the noise rushed back to fill the cab of my pickup. The rain started to pick up, beating against the roof and windshield as I continued south.

“NI0L, Scott, fine business and thank you for answering my call. Name here is Bert, Bravo Echo Romeo Tango. My QTH is just outside of Atchison, Kansas – Atchison, Kansas. Good signal tonight, I would not have guessed you were mobile. Ok Scott, back to you.” Bert’s signal had gotten stronger and I easily copied him through the noise. His audio quality was as smooth as silk… no processing.

“Solid copy all Bert, you’ve got a solid signal tonight, started off a bit weak but has picked up to a solid 57 to 58. Ok on your QTH in Atchison. I am headed south on I-29. Just passed Hamburg and crossed into Missouri from Iowa. My destination is not far from your QTH. I am headed to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Back to you, Bert.” Despite the poor weather on the road, I was anticipating this was going to be a good QSO and hoped our ragchew would keeping me company on a pretty miserable evening to be out on the road.

“Well Scott, I am glad to make the contact. The weather is bad here and I imagine it is worse up your way. I was down here in my basement shack and decided I would warm up the tubes and see what I could find on the bands. Ok on Fort Leavenworth, just a bit south from here. I have not been out to the fort for a number of years but know it well. I retired sometime back and now spend a lot more time down here in the basement either spinning the dial or tinkering with one project or another. Lets hear from you, Scott. What’s put you out on the road tonight?” Bert asked.

I told Bert how I had been at a conference on Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The event had ended a day early and I was trying to make my way back home to see the family and enjoy a full weekend. I explained how I had been in the Army for over two decades, had originally gotten my call when I was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, and had recently been transferred to Fort Leavenworth with my family. “We really enjoy the area. I am thinking about retiring there in Leavenworth. Back to you, Bert,” my index finger released the PTT.

Bert came back to me with his signal competing with the noise floor. “Fine business all, Scott. I used to be in the Signal Corps and did 30 years in the Army. Was stationed out there at the fort for my last assignment as well. Good posting there at Leavenworth. Glad to hear you and your family are enjoying it.” He told me about how he used to support an air defense unit that was stationed on Fort Leavenworth. His signal detachment was responsible for integrating all the communications for the Nike missile batteries in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. We continued to trade war stories for another twenty minutes or so. Then his signal began to fade.

“I am starting to loose you Bert, so I better wrap this up. I really appreciate the QSO and to make the contact. Any chance you will be at the hamfest in Raytown coming up the Saturday after next? A few miles southeast of Kansas City? It would be a great opportunity for an eyeball QSO… and I am buying the coffee. What do you say? Back to you, Bert.” The rain was a constant downpour now, rolling across the road in front of me.

No reply was heard except for a few static crashes from the lightning. “W0XRR, this is KD7PJQ, thanks again for the contact, 73 Bert!”

 

…- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …- …-
It was a sunny Saturday morning with early November’s crisp Fall air. Attendance at the hamfest looked good and my parking spot was a good walk to the door. Although I knew I would spend the majority of my time browsing the aisles, I did need to pick up some Anderson PowerPole connectors as well one of those Nifty! Reference Guides for my IC-706. The guide would help me out on remembering some of the more obscure settings for the rig when I was out on the road.

 

I had begun making my deliberate ‘s’ pattern through the rows of gear (… and, lets be honest, junk) when I saw a table with some nice Collins gear. There was the transmitter (a 32S-3A), a receiver (75S-3C), and even a Collins 30L-1 amplifier. The bearded oldtimer manning the table had his undivided attention focused on a breakfast burrito and it took a moment for him to wash down a deliberate bite with a drink of coffee.

“Good morning. Nice Collins S-Line! These are in great shape – looks like they’ve been well cared for. You don’t see these everyday. Why are you selling them?” I heard older hams talk about these Collins rigs, but I had never seen them before.

“Good morning… sorry you caught me in the middle of breakfast. Yup, this is a nice set. Not mine actually. We’re selling it for the widow of a Silent Key. I’ve got more boxes here of his stuff. I think all the manuals are in one of these,” the gentleman said as he turned in his seat a leaned over to pull an open box towards him.

“The lady gave us a call to come and clear out the ham shack. He’d passed away last year but it took her until now to finally part with the gear. We picked everything up earlier in the week. Took us two trips. Here’s one of the manuals,” he said as he handed me the manual for the 75S-3C, yellowed with age but well cared for.

I flipped through the book, noticing the margin notes,,, and then a QSL card fell out between the pages and onto the table. I looked at the callsign on the card – …W0XRR. Bert McKenzie, Atchison, Kansas. There was a picture of a Nike-Hercules black and white missile elevated at 45 degrees on a launch platform as well as the crossed semaphore flags of the Signal Corps.

“Wait… who’s gear was this? What was the call of the Silent Key?”

“Well, there’s his QSL card!” The oldtimer pointed to the card on the table. “This gear belonged to Bert… W0XRR,” the oldtimer picked up the QSL card from the table.

“But when was it you said he passed away?” I was confused and trying to sort out what I was hearing.

The oldtimer stroked his beard as he set the QSL card down, with the image of the Nike missile towards the table. “Let’s see… it’s been a little over a year now. Bert passed away last year around the end of October.”

I looked down again at the QSL card on the table. This side of the card had the blanks for QSO specifics. There was handwriting on it and I tentatively lifted the card up to get a better look. On it I saw my call, KD7PJQ…. 75 meters, the date of our QSO (… less than two weeks ago), a 5-7 signal report… and a circle around “PSE QSL”. The card slipped out of my hand and onto the table.

Dazed, I lurched away from the table. I needed fresh air and sunlight.

The oldtimer called after me, “Hey! You interested in the rig? Go ahead and make an offer.”

Author’s note: This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, call signs, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Ham Radio Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner. It is far and away one of my favorite holidays and I am looking forward to spending it with my family this year. Beyond the Trick-or-Treating, costumes, Halloween decorations, and pumpkin carving, I like telling my two young daughters ghost stories. This got me to thinking if there were any stories out there that had to do with both amateur radio and Halloween. And sure enough, there are.

So now its time to dim the lights…..

The first story is by Brian, N4TRB, and was inspired by an October 1932 article he read in QST by Don Mix. Brian’s story is called Whisky November Papa: A Tale for Halloween and is worth a read.

The next story was discovered by Dan, KB6NU, and is called Haunted Ham Radio. It is more amusing than scary, but still worth the read for a chuckle or two.

For those of my ham radio brethren who will be out and about on Halloween helping provide communications for a safe and sane holiday – I salute you! And if you are in my neighborhood this year, stop by for some Trick-or-Treat, pumpkin pie, and hot apple cider… and maybe a quick tour of the hamshack.

Let’s Talk Spam

That delicious but much derided precooked canned meat treat – Spam. Produced by Hormel Foods and introduced before World War II, Spam hit its stride during WWII as rationing limited fresh meat. The military also took advantage of Spam’s long shelf life by making it a staple in the diet of frontline soldiers.

US Army: Spamville
US Army: Spamville


Continuing to serve during the Korean War, Spam was able to integrate itself into Korean cuisine – budae jjigae, a spicy stew that included chunks of Spam. I used to eat this quite a bit when I was stationed in Korea.

Back in the States, Spam gained a reputation of being the primary element of a white trash feast. Still, Spam presists and sold its seven billonth can back in 2007.

Back in May I traveled to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin for an Army exercise (no… they didn’t serve Spam at the exercise) and made the roadtrip from Kansas in my truck. The most direct route passed right in front of Austin, Minnesota – which, not only being the headquarters for Hormel, is home to the Spam Museum.

Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota

I am an admitted and unabashed fan of Spam. We used to eat it from time to time as children and I believe fried Spam to be a delicacy. Now I had the opportunity to visit the Mecca of Spam, which I immeditaely took advantage of.

KSPAM


The museum is open to the public and free of charge. It is actually quite large and well done, telling the story of Spam from its inception and through the decades. Best of all was the gift shop at the end which included variants of Spam that I had never seen before: Spam Hot & Spicy – with Tabasco flavor, Spam Jalapeño, Spam Garlic. I eagerly purchased a few tins and enjoyed them once I returned home.

The name “Spam” is the combination of the words “Spiced” and “Ham”, although there have been other meaning attributed to SPAM. The military, ever enjoying arcronomys, dubed it SPecial Army Meat. The term is also used to describe a secret Army group that is shrouded in mystery: the Society for the Protection of Angry Majors… or SPAM. This society is rumored to be a powerful and influential group much like the Bohemian Grove or the Bilderberg Group.

In 1970, Monty Python paid tribute to the impact of Spam to Britsh gastronomy during war years rationing with a sketch entitled “Spam“.

With the early BBS computer nerd’s love for Monty Python comedy, the term “Spam” began to be applied to describe unsolicited bulk electroic messaging.



Why does this all matter? It doesn’t, of course. But I am here on Hawaii (the state with the largest consumtion of Spam per capita) supporting an Army exercise. Each morning at the hotel, with my complimentary breakfast ticket, I get a small coffee and a Hawaiian role containing egg, a strip of seaweed, and a large piece of Spam. It’s quite good!