Choose your pick...

Izzy got some outdoor time in the grass this morning...

Like a model, she knows how to "find the light."  ;-)  Well, her personal photographer has some experience with that, too.

Joan found a guitar shop not too far away.  I have been looking to try some different picks, specifically a Dunlop PrimeTone.  I checked in a music store the other day, and the guy there had never heard of them... he was appalled when he looked them up on the internet: "It's a pick - how do they get away charging six bucks for that??"  Probably no point in asking him about a Gravity Gold Series ($20).

The guy in the shop today said, "Yeah, I bought a couple of those to see what the fuss was about."  He had two - I took them both.  We talked about picks for a bit; he asked if I'd ever tried a hoof pick... "Can't say that I have."

"They are pretty similar to a tortoise shell."  That got my attention.  I used to have a tortoise shell pick - it was given to me back before it became illegal to import them.  I played with it until it wore down, then finally broke.

He brought out the hoof pick... "This is mine, but you can have it for $4 - I'll order another one."

Sold.

Back at the coach, I tried out the new picks: they are all a triangle size, bigger than what I usually use, but I like the sound.

We talked about where to head to next - I called a NPS Visitors Center in the Tetons... the nice lady I visited with said the road between Flagg Ranch and Yellowstone was closed due to fires, but the rest of the park was open.  I asked about the marina (she was in Colter Bay)... "Well, you might be able to rent a kayak, but the cruise boat trips are done because of the low water level."

Then the big question: "How is the air quality with the smoke from the fires?"

"I'll be honest with you - it is very poor."

Makes that decision easy: we'll take a pass on going that direction.  So, tomorrow, we'll head east into Montana.  We picked up patio stuff and started getting things ready to double tow (legal from here on).  We hooked the cargo trailer up behind the CR-V; when I went to plug in the electrical cable... the connector on the car came apart!  Looking closer at it, something hit it - the metal bracket was bent, the plastic part of that was cracked in several places.

I got out our patio mat and crawled under the back of the Honda to see what could be done to get it functional.  When I got it apart, I tried Super-Glue to hold the plastic together... yeah, it wasn't so super.  Joan brought out some Gorilla Tape (like duct tape, only tougher).  Holding the plastic connector together, we could get the electrical connections to work.  Joan cut the tape into strips and I started the mending process.  Got it back together and... it works!  No idea if it will hold together as we go down the road, but I am hopeful.  We'll see.

Tanks are dumped and flushed.  Fresh water put on.  It is going to be cooler and windy, but I think we will be running behind the front, then it will have moved on.

Time for us to move on, too.