Congratulations, Bug! After much prep and studying, Stéphane took and passed the written portion of the ATP!!
A celebratory tailgate dinner: baguette, slices of cheese, and wine in a wee glass. Life is good.Cheers!
With that achieved and after nearly two weeks dragging The Buffalo places she really shouldn’t be, it’s time to put northwest Montana in the rear-view mirror and head east. Stéphane found a flight school where he can complete his CFI & ATP certifications so the Laurel, Montana area will be our new home for a bit.
Goodbye, NW Montana. We will miss your mountains, trails, and lakes. Family run (me & Myra) / bike (S) on Strawberry Lake Trail.Three miles and 1,500 feet of elevation gain later: Strawberry Lake.Flathead Lake behind us in the distance.Blue dragonfly @ Strawberry Lake.We enjoyed this super fine camp spot up near Strawberry Lake and stayed quite a few days, enjoying the trail system. As we gain more experience with boondocking (that’s camping in random places on public land), a pattern is emerging: it’s always a lot easier to get The Buffalo IN to a camp spot than it is to get her OUT.Yet another tight squeeze. We thankfully did not have to perform any road widening on this exit, thanks to Captain Stéphane’s amazing skills behind the wheel.And that’s why I buy him treats to keep him happy 🙂 Coke for my Captain!The pointy mountain in the middle of the pic? Strawberry Lake’s up there, just to the right of it. And believe it or not, we got The GWB nearly all the way up there (by “we”, I mean Stéphane). These mountains are part of the Swan mountain range and have a different feel from our Colorado mountains. The Swans are lower but more lush and covered with dense forest.Peace out Glacier National Park, Whitefish, and Columbia Falls, and Kalispell! We hope to come back again one day. For now…on the road again!
Hi Tom!
ATP stands for Airline Transport Pilot. It is the highest level of certification you can get as a pilot – you can get an ATP rating for rotor-wing or fixed wing. Stephane’s getting his for rotor-wing (helicopter).
The Grizz (Winnebago View - active duty)
1,800 miles and counting
The Hungry hippo (Popup camper - retired)
1,200 miles
The Gruffalo (Tow behind camper - retired):
12,000 miles and counting
The Baby Bison (Tow behind toy hauler - retired):
7000+ miles
Maine > New Mexico + adventures in between
The Great White Buffalo (5th wheel camper - retired):
3,000 miles
Free Range (Slocum 37 sailboat - resting; getting overhauled in Nova Scotia):
Traveled 2,400 nautical miles from Oriental, NC > Antigua (end of the road).
What’s an ATP?
Hi Tom!
ATP stands for Airline Transport Pilot. It is the highest level of certification you can get as a pilot – you can get an ATP rating for rotor-wing or fixed wing. Stephane’s getting his for rotor-wing (helicopter).