thanks for the input and best of luck on your journey.

I like the Madison River area between Three Forks and West Yellowstone. It's very nice around the town of Ennis. Long drive to a poker game though.

I also like the Paradise Valley between Livingston and Gardiner. Closest poker game would be the Cats Paw in Bozeman. The game was going when I was there a month ago, 6 handed.

Along the Clark Fork River west of Missoula is nice too. The Silver Creek Casino in Missoula would be the closest poker game....if it's back up and running.

hey freestreet. glad to see you are still around. hope you are doing well.

yea lots of great places to be and live in montana. you just have to really go around and find the one that has the things you want. i like the flathead valley as it seems to have the best weather that i like. and the most rivers and lakes and forest close by. and the poker is the best in the state which isnt saying much.

Do you ever play at Derby Lane? Have I asked this before?

they didnt have big enough games for me when i was around there. but played in tampa and they had good games of all sizes. with the usual jump from mid sized to overly large.

Hey, Ray. Yeah, I love the Flathead too. You had already plugged it so I plugged some different areas. I'm up your way at least a few times a year. I'm either coming in on Hwy 2 or up 93. Both are very scenic drives. I always think of Doyle Brunson when I drive up 93 along Flathead Lake. I think his summer home is somewhere around Dayton. I follow him on twitter and a few months ago he said he hasn't been there for awhile and the place is up for sale. I think his wife isn't very mobile these days is the reason why. I also heard through the grapevine that Chip Reese used to have a place at Lakeside. Nice view of the lake from there. I usually stop at Del's Bar at Somers Bay.

chip had a place as his exwife came from there. doyle bought a place near dayton. but hasnt come up for a few years. todd comes up every year though this time to have his tournament, and hang around for a week or two. he is in town now.
del's is a cool bar to stop at.

oregon has had some dreadful wildfires that have burned the whole small town down. that is really scary. smoke on the west coast has made for the worst air quality in the world although for a short time.
so its funny in a way as far as poker is concerned, as the virus and fires has forced people to stay home. but since poker is closed it doesnt matter as you cant play anyway in most places.

this is yesterday's weatherbug forecast for eugene today



and portland today is 'beyond index'



i'm expecting the locusts on wednesday, but that may be pushed out to thursday.

the locusts are all still in portland where they get more tv coverage for their antics.
the north coast is cooler and no smoke at this time. and no fires except that one by otis near lincoln city.

We've had smoky skies in Great Falls for several days. I have two sisters that live 20 miles southwest of Corvallis in Benton County. So far no wildfires in Benton but the smoke has been so thick they've had to stay inside. Trying to call to see if they got any of the forecast rain but so far they won't pick up.

been on the coast and its been mostly great only a day or two of moderate smoke.

mostly i go someplace else when it gets smoky. lucky i can do that. most can but dont.
ive been out of the poker scene since this started. but they are playing in kalispell.
crowded bars with no one wearing masks.

I've seen the crowded bars with no one wearing masks from here to Billings. I'm in the high risk group so won't go in. It's definitely driving the big spike in corona cases in August and September.

One sister says rain expected today in Benton County, Oregon but it's coming with thunder and lightning. Not good.

the coast has been raining for two days. blew out the smoke but left some fog.

seems i havent heard of any poker players getting the virus that had to go to the hospital.
you would think playing poker would be the worst thing to do as you are next to people for hours on end. yet kids in bars seem to catch it more often. lucky for most of them youth seems to be a protection.

been talking with poker friends. almost all of them are waiting it out and not playing at all. i am in the same mindset. also have the luxury of not having to play. as of right now my decision to play will be when it is safe to play without a mask on.

been watching a lot more videos and netflix since this darn virus has come up. i suppose most have as well as if you are staying home more at night its the thing to do.
last night i found a netflix series called rain. so far watched 5 episodes. its pretty good.

all about the same old end of the world routine and how to survive and the story that goes with it.

I don't have to play either, but I miss it. I'm going to do like you -- wait for it to be safe without a mask -- but I'll probably wear a mask anyway. This whole plague is reminding me of dumb some people can be.

I'm with Ray and Mack. Haven't played in a long time (maybe close to a year by now) and miss it, but it doesn't seem like a good idea yet.

Too bad, this is a great time of year to wander up into the mountains and then play the evening away.

took a harley ride with one of my poker friends. he hasnt played and the games he plays in are on hold for the time being. he misses it a lot because of the social aspect, not so much for the gambling.

got 2 inches of rain today where i am at. that isnt at all unusual. seen four or 5 in a short period. thats wet for sure. but it at least stops. when i lived around eugene oregon years back it seemed to drizzle all day and night in the winter with no breaks. that was the worst.

The Japanese Current. It's the same way all the way up to Southeast Alaska. I used to live in Juneau. It's routine to go a month of overcast with drizzling rain and no sight of the sun the whole time.

thats the time to leave. when the rain starts, start packing. not always possible to do but a thought.
im getting where i follow the sun/good weather and still have the things there that i like to do.
i really liked new zealand and austraila back when, but they didnt have worthwhile poker and the food wasnt quite what i could live with. other wise for those two things, i thought the living conditions there were superior to the u.s. by far.

I once flew into Minneapolis on April 1 and out on April 7 and it was snowing when I landed and it was still snowing when I left. Sometimes it would slow down to flurries, but it never stopped. It never really bothered me except I like to see the sun every once in a while.

I always thought Melbourne was a decent city but you are right about the food. I've never been to New Zealand. If I was to move somewhere just for the food, it would be Hong Kong, which in fact, I once planned to do. They have everything there and they love to cook and eat. I think my plans to go there are pretty much down in flames, but you never know.

The poker can be really good, but it depends on your social and business skills if you get to play. It's OK to piss everybody off, but you can't be a bump on a log.

been through most of the east and south austrailia. thats the best parts as far as im concerned. new zealand ive been through almost every town on both islands. i like the south island the best. but it also is similar to montana and has the kind of fishing i liked.
i did like tasmania for the most part. the island is 1/3 national parks and has all the animals that were wiped out on the mainland of austraila. lots of poisonous things that all want to bite you. but not really scary if you are careful.