Monday started really well. Woke up at 3 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. So I finally gave up on sleep, got up, and headed out to check leks unusually dark and early. The heeler sisters were not happy, but slept for most of the 1+ hour trip to the first strutting ground. It was almost too dark to count the first lek, squinting through the scope to see and count the white breasts in the darkness.

Normally I try to be on the second ground by sunrise. But this morning I was nearly to the third lek of the day before the sun peeked out over Lost Soldier Divide. By the time I was done with lek #3 (with 63 cocks), the sun was behind clouds and would stay there most of the morning. A calm, overcast morning. Bad for eagles hunting a grouse breakfast, and therefore good for me.

Managed to check 11 (eleven!) strutting grounds that morning. And had birds on eight of those. This string of leks included my favorite lek, the one I normally spend the night on. This lek had over 100 cocks last year, but this morning it only had two.

Well, three actually. But the third cock was lying breast-down in the dirt, decapitated, with a golden eagle on his back busily plucking feathers off. I just missed seeing the kill by a few minutes.

The eagle didn't stick around with me there, so I got to go check out its breakfast. The grouse's head was gone (consumed?), and most of the back feathers already removed. But the predator hadn't had time to do much else, including plucking the tail. So now I have a nice matched set of tail feathers.

The heeler sisters didn't get much opportunity to run, since we were hustling from lek to lek, so at the last (empty) lek I let them out to run. And run, and run, and run. Had to fill their water bowl twice, they ran up such a thirst.

While they were drag racing, I decided to check out the popping I had been hearing and feeling under my feet. Figured one of the new shocks hadn't been tightened enough, and had come loose.

Nope, both were OK.

But the tops of both fenders are crimped, right where they meet the cowling. Like the fenders have been pushed down just in front of the doors. And the fender mounts were cracked clear through.

So I slid under the rig and looked up at the floorboard.

There's about a one centimeter gap in the metal, running all the way across the firewall (the metal wall between the cab where you sit and the front compartment that contains the engine). Don't think that's supposed to be there. The spot welds have popped.

Same for the passenger side, only more so. The metal itself is cracked, far beyond the weld.

Now, at least the frame is intact. We're not going to fall apart on the highway (I think). But basically, the front third of the truck is mostly no longer connected to the rest of the body.

This is not good.

After a 60-mile return trip, the guys at the Ford dealership agree. I need a body shop, and they recommend I get to one right away. As in now. As in carefully now.

Boss is not happy (happy Monday, Boss! I broke the truck.), but not surprised. Our outfit recently changed the mileage criteria for trading in vehicles. By the old criteria, I would have traded last spring. Under the new criteria, I was only ~5,000 miles short of trading this spring (as in April). But instead, I am now not due until next spring. Two more years of use than normal.

Only consolation is that one of my close co-workers got the same model of truck at the same time, and his cracked in the same places. But his did it in two years, instead of four.

Spent most of the rest of the day at body shops. Estimates ranged from $1200 to $3200 (how could they vary so much???). And then the evening was spent stripping all of my gear out of the rig. They have to strip everything except the engine and transmission out of the front, and remove the seat to lift the cab to weld the firewall and floor. So everything has to come out of the cab. Spare clothes, books, maps, binoc, scope, phone, firearms, emergency gear & clothes, dog chews, coffee, field guides, etc. And since I would be using a spare vehicle for several days, all my survival gear (sleeping bag, first aid kit, etc.) has to be transferred also. Good way to get the truck clean.

So, a really good Monday, and a really bad one at the same time.