Two Medicine, Two Buses

Melissa and Tater Tot and I got up fairly early the next morning as I wanted to try some fishing. We did a lot of hiking around, scouting for spots to cast in. Our friend Karl had hiked all the way around Two Medicine Lake a couple weeks previous and had come within throwing distance from a black bear. We didn't see a single bear though. Eventually I wet my line in the river just downstream from Pray Lake. No luck. By the time I'd started (we'd been stomping around for at least an hour and a half) I think it was too late in the day and the fishies had scrambled for better hiding spots. Fishing is best around dawn and dusk, and since I don't see myself getting up with the sun while camping, I think I'll be more of an evening angler from now on.
Arriving back at camp, we made plans with the Floridians about hikes to take. We decided we'd hike to Appostoki Falls, a pleasant 1.2 mile (roundtrip) trail, and figure out what to do from there.

The trail took us through the forest to the rim of the canyon Appistoki Creek tumbles down. I was surprised at how sheer the cliff was, given how close the trail was to it. A single misstep and one could easily smash one's melon on the rocks thirty feet below. At a spot where the bank wasn't so steep I took a path down and got my hat wet in the ice-cold water. I love that.
After we got back to the trailhead Eliana and Marc decided to turn right and go to Running Eagle Falls (something we'd seen with Esther last year) to complete a virtual geocache there. We, however, were pretty tired after our full morning and hungry as well, so we went back to Ludwig for food, baby exercise (can't keep a baby in a pack all day), and naps.
When Eliana and Marc got back we talked about a hike to another waterfall, Twin Falls, past the far end of the lake. There's a boat that'll take you across the lake which shaves off a bunch of walking, and we all thought it sounded cool. However, we were just in time for the last boat of the day, meaning we'd get a ride there but not one back. We decided to do it the next morning instead. There was a nice little hike up and around the South side of the lake to a place called "Paradise Point", so we strolled off into the woods again; this time I carried Tater Tot in the Ergo, the first time since my appendectomy.
Hiking with that wriggling 15-pound baby in front of you is pretty strange, I must admit. You can't really see where you're stepping, your center of gravity is all off (and shifts when she moves), and she is quite a little radiator. It's not at all like wearing a backpack. After this little jaunt, I was impressed that Melissa was able to do the tougher hike earlier, especially since she's still regaining her strength from having that ol' baby.

Chilling out back at campsite 62

Several times over the last few days we had threatened Marc that we were going to teach Eliana how to drive a clutch, using Ludwig, but nothing came of it. We think she'd love Valentina even more if she could drive her.

That night we had a nice dinner and fire, and jumped into bed with full bellies. The boat was leaving at 9am, so the next morning we ate a quick breakfast, packed up Valentina and Ludwig, and got ready to roll down to the dock. Alas, Val wasn't having it and wouldn't start. The first thing that popped into my head was that I hadn't changed the condenser along with the points the day before. I really really didn't want to do it because, in lieu of that weirdo screwdriver, I knew we'd have to twist the distributor around to get at the screw holding the condenser down. And that meant we'd have to time Val again.

For some reason our first check of the coil didn't yield any spark, so I revised my diagnosis (such that it was) to suspect it instead. I put the offending coil in Ludwig and it worked fine. I put Ludwig's coil back in him and he wouldn't start. Oh. My. Gawd. Had I just doomed us as well? I took a moment to collect my thoughts (re: have a small nervous breakdown), then Melissa suggested popping Ludwig's clutch in reverse as he rolled backward to start him. She hopped in, it worked, and I made a mental note to never use the sole running vehicle as a test platform again. I replaced the condenser and got back to timing Valentina. I know that there is a lot of stuff you're supposed to do before you time an engine (valves, idle, et al.), but these were field conditions and I just wanted to get her as close to a real mechanic as possible.
Dialed in to 7.5 degrees BTDC, Val still wouldn't start. The key, popping the clutch: nothing worked. Looking into the engine compartment, Marc asked, "Hey, did you reattach this coil wire?" No, I hadn't. A typical stress-induced mistake. Wire back in place, Valentina came sputtering back to life and we took off toward Missoula.

She ran fine the whole way there.

(miles 218,741-218,946)

Epilogue

Valentina went to Mountain Imports for a complete physical and several things were found to be out of spec. She got what we all hope (fingers crossed) was a really good going-over, hopefully the last of her trip. We also gave her our spare spare for Northern BC and the Yukon. Eliana and Marc putted around Missoula for a couple days, telling Val that if something was on her mind, now was the time to speak up about it.

Without protest, Valentina allowed her crew to leave on Wednesday.

They got all the way to Calgary.