Chicago & Da Bears

I started my Midwest adventure in the Chicago area with my "twin sister" Carmen and her family. I haven't seen her little girl Eren since she was barely even a toddler. Now she is three. But she can still pick her "Aunt Nan" out in photos. It was time to get out there so we could see each other in person. Since I got in so late on Friday night they told her I would be there in the morning so she would sleep. I got to spend some time catching up with Carmen and Erik.

Saturday was a great day. The Bergmans live on a lake and have a gorgeous deck that looks over the yard and lake. We sat outside for breakfast and enjoyed the day. The local Heron came and hung out on their dock for a bit, which was cool to see. Eren showed me her princess tent and some of her other toys. She has her own jump house. I missed out as a kid. Then she went off to play in her room while I hung out with Carmen. Later after lunch we turned on the grill and roasted marshmallows so I could teach her a new way to make s'mores. Instead of graham crackers and chocolate bars you use Girl Scout Thin Mints. My mom came up with this idea and it is fabulous. Eren seemed to enjoy her new version of s'mores.

Eren & Me with our Thin Mint s'mores.

Later that afternoon we took the train into Chicago to see the Bear's game. Eren was so excited to be on the train and going to the game. At 3 years old this was her first game and she is a big fan. She knows the player names better than I do. The whole way in to town she was so excited. Since we got in early we stopped on Michigan Ave. for dinner and then walked over to the Bean to take pictures. Then it was time to head for the stadium. I have only ever been to Soldier Field for soccer games. This was my first Bear's game too.

The girls on the train to Chicago.

I grew up as a Bear's fan but have not been following them as closely in recent years. I am much more of a Colt's fan now. The Bears were playing the Cardinals. So it was a fun game to just enjoy and not worry too much about the outcome. Which is good since the Bears were not winning. In fact they didn't even score until we had to leave in the 3rd Qtr to get one of the early trains back home. It was still a fun night. We had some great seats with a perfect view. And we got to see the starters play a big portion of the game. I also enjoyed watching the Bears sack Leinart a few times. What can I say, I'm easily entertained.

Me, Eren, Carmen at the Bears game.

The train ride home was entertaining. Eren was completely hyper and bouncing. The rest of us were ready for bed. To keep her entertained Carmen pulled out a book of Dora the Explorer stickers. At first Eren put one on each of us and then tons on herself. Then it became more fun to stick them on me instead. So I had tons of stickers running up and down one arm. We didn't reach our stop until midnight and she was still going strong at that point. It was a long but fun day.

Sunday I enjoyed some time on their back porch by the lake before heading to Michigan. I made it to Grand Haven shortly after lunch time to see some close family friends. I love the fact that I have the opportunity to see Macky and Nan and Katie B. Macky is like a grandmother to me and my siblings and Nan has always been my other mom ever since I was a toddler. Macky tells everyone the story about meeting me. The first time she met me I was just a toddler and she was visiting Nan who lived next door to us. I walked right up to Macky and put out my arms to be picked up. We've been family ever since. When I was little I used to wait for Nan to come home from work. I actually remember sitting on the little hill in our front yard watching for her car. My mom would pack my lunch box and I'd go have dinner at Nan's house. Later after Nan had Katie our families would get together for weekends in Chicago. Katie would get upset that I was sitting on her mom's lap. One time my mom turned me around and pointed to my backside and said see that footprint? That's where I kicked Nancye out the door to your mom's house each evening. So your mom is like her mom. And ever since then I like to think that Katie B and I have been more like sisters, even if I do not see her as much. And she is certainly my mom's favorite now that she is attending graduate school at Notre Dame. Mom never could get any of us Rahn kids to go there despite her best wishes. After my time in Michigan I'll be heading down to South Bend to see Katie. (And pick up Notre Dame items for my niece. I think mom has already started a college fund for Trinity it case she wants to go to Notre Dame.)

Tour of Utah 2010

The Tour of Utah was back in town this week. I was looking forward to this week because BMC Racing was bringing a team that included George Hincapie. Since George is my favorite cyclist it was exciting to know he would be racing locally. Unfortunately, Thursday's stage was a mess and George crashed out. The last reports I saw sounded like he would be ok, but he had to abandon the race. So going into Friday's time trial and Saturday's criterium in Park City I still had Billy Demong (2010 Nordic Combined gold and silver medalist) and Levi Leipheimer to cheer for.

My friend Courtney agreed to go out to the time trial with me and my friend Jessica joined us there later. It was a beautiful night, although too hot down in the Salt Lake area. (I'm definitely spoiled up in Park City.) Billy was one of the early riders to go out but we were there in time to see him leave the start gate. Sadly I missed Taylor Phinney so I didn't realize that it was him going by us leading into the finish until he had crossed the finish line. He had been another early departure. Taylor ended up leading the whole time and won the time trial stage. Not too shabby for someone who is only 20 years old. One of the announcers was saying that the Trek LiveStrong team was formed for Phinney. So he is obviously one to watch in the future. For a long time Taylor was ahead by a minute, then other riders started getting closer to his time. Levi Leipheimer finally finished in 2nd place 2 seconds behind Taylor's time.

Saturday the criterium was in Park City along Main Street. The course was crazy. They went up Main Street, down Swede Alley, crossed at Heber Avenue before going down lower Main Street and then circled back up using Park Avenue to Heber and then headed back up Main Street. The course would have make me puke to do it once. To do it as many times as they did would have killed me. It seemed to take a lot out of many riders and the numbers had shrunk by the finish. I swear one guy went by us and looked like he could start crying. I certainly wouldn't have blamed him. Jeff Louder ended up winning the stage by quite a bit of time. It was amazing to see him out in front alone for so many laps. Levi kept the yellow jersey.

Billy Demong

Levi Leipheimer

The jersey winners with the Heidens (left side) and Connie Carpenter-Phinney (right)

The last stage left from Park City and went 100 miles before ending at Snowbird Ski Resort. It would be a killer. I decided since I was in town after church this morning that I would just drive out by the Jordanelle Reservoir to see them on one of the early hills. I heard another woman say that it would take her an hour to leave the start and get to where we were standing at a view area. It took the cyclists in this race barely 30 minutes. They had already split into two groups by the time they passed us.

An early climb on the 100 mi last stage

I am looking forward to next year's race. The Tour of Utah is a great race to watch if you have any interest. All the stages are close enough together that you could see them all. Just saying... let me know if you are coming to visit.

It's back to work we go...

What a fabulous week in Colorado with the family. I got to go on a couple of hikes with mom and spend lots of time playing with Trinity. And as a bonus I got to spend time with Amber and occasionally see my brother. Our last hike was on Thursday and we attempted to go into the Rocky Mountain National Park but it was so crowded they were using overflow parking. Then you had to take a shuttle to the trail heads. Mom doesn't do well with crowds so we headed off for another hike to Gem Lake. I was happy because it meant at least 3.4 miles round trip. That seems like a fair trade off for missing my work outs. It was a beautiful day and a great hike. Gem Lake isn't big but its pretty. We sat there for a bit enjoying the view before heading back down. On the way back the afternoon rain rolled in. It got a bit chilly with the wind but felt pretty good over all. I saw a small rock overhang on the way down so I slid underneath to take a photo out of the rain. Mom thought I was stopping to wrap the camera better to protect it. She had to laugh when she realized I was taking pictures from under the rock.

Fun rock on the hike

Afternoon storm rolling in

During the time with the family I also got to go swimming with Trinity and Amber. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not big on swimming. But I'm guessing this doesn't really count since we were in the baby pool. On the bright side I felt tall since the water only comes up to mid thigh. When I started going in circles with Trinity she started kicking. Then she would do this little move with her backside that made it look like a dolphin kick. I had to take a video so her Aunt Katie could see her technique. Want to lay bets that Trinity gets her first lesson in two weeks when Aunt Katie gets there? Trinity is pretty chilled out at the pool other than when we got her kicking.

Chilling at the pool

The hardest part about heading for home was leaving the little cutie. Of course part of the difficulty was that Trinity had a full handfull of my hair. My next trip to Colorado isn't until October when Mom, Amber and I are going to see Straight No Chaser for my birthday. I can't wait to see what Trinity is doing then.

Her father said this better be the only time her butt is on the Internet

I headed back on Friday the 13th. One of my favorite days. I am a big fan of 13 to begin with and learned early that Friday the 13th can be lucky as easily as it can be unlucky. So I always get a kick out of when it falls on a Friday. Driving through Wyoming though does not make for a lot of adventure. The windmills are probably the most exciting thing on the route across the southern part of the state.

The view was either cows or windmills

Coming back on Friday gave me the opportunity to be in town to see Katie and my friend TJ compete in the Park City Triathlon on Saturday. Ever since Katie bought a road bike she has been really into riding. She has been doing team sprint triathlons with a couple of her friends. TJ does the Olympic triathlon distances. Usually TJ's wife (my friend Courtney) doesn't go to the triathlons. But I convinced her we could sit and laugh as they biked by us since they had a 2 mile up hill ride from the Jordanelle Reservoir to start the ride. Unfortunately we couldn't make it work to park in that area. We found a smaller hill further down the course and sat there cheering for each bike rider as they went past us. We got some smiles, waves and thank you's. We might have missed Katie and TJ but they waved or smiled at us so we realized we actually knew them. In the end Katie's team was 2nd and TJ won his age group. I am impressed. I have no desire to try one myself even if Katie is trying to convince me and Amber we should do one sometime.

TJ

Katie
(Only looks like she's in a bit of pain)

To finish off my two week break Courtney and I went to see the Lion King in Salt Lake City today. I had tickets 6 years ago but moved 2 months before it arrived in Indy. This was the first opportunity I have had to see it since. It was amazing. I'm sure everyone knows that and we were the last to see it, but if you haven't, you must go! I'd be willing to go see it again. Such a spectacular show. I admit that I love anything Disney but this was truly fantastic. The actors were phenomenal, the costumes were unreal and the singing was superb. Probably one of the best musicals I have ever seen. I'm so glad that it came to SLC.

Now it is back to work until my next adventure at the end of the month. Ten days, 4 states, lots of family and friends!

The other day, I saw a bear...

Today was going to be a nice, relaxing day with the family. I started out the morning by sleeping in and then working on my tan at mom's house which is pretty much the middle of no where. Eventually I realized it was time to run into Estes to get lunch and meet mom at East Portal. We barely had time to eat and talk before it became busy again. I sat outside the office and wrote some letters and enjoyed this view.

View from East Portal campground.

After awhile I headed over to the ranch to see Amber and Trinity. We were going to go "hike" around Lilly Lake after Trinity's nap. In the meantime I got to spend some time with my favorite sister-in-law. I've driven by Lilly Lake plenty of times but have never stopped to take the walk. We put the baby in her stroller and walked the path around the lake. First we went one direction and then we turned around and went the other direction. On our second lap we did a bit of off roading up a hill. It was a great time and Trinity seemed content to ride along and chew on her giraffe Sophie.

View of Long's Peak from Lilly Lake.

Trinity happy after her walk.

When we got back from our walk we were hanging out at the house with Grandma Kathy and deciding on dinner when Chris called. He was running down to the ranch before going to chase off a bear. He had received a call that the bear was back in the barn trying to get at the grain. It appears this has been a consistent problem lately. I had been holding Trinity, but I told her I wanted to go see the bear. She started to stick her lip out at me. I told her I'd be right back and handed her off to Grandma Kathy. She seemed fine with that. I ran out with my camera and asked Chris to let me go too. I'm not real particular about what kind of bear I see. I just wanted to see one after my disappointment over not seeing one in Glacier last week. He told me to hop in. By the time we got up to the barn the bear had moved up into the woods. It made it difficult to see him until we moved up to the tree line. The bear was eyeing us and we were watching the bear. Chris was waiting until Justin arrived to see the bear before running it off. I took some photos but began backing up when it started sounding annoyed. By the time Justin started moving up toward Chris along with another staff member the bear was fed up and took off. The boys chased it away in hopes that it wouldn't come back. I'm guessing it is only a matter of time until it is back. If I were that bear I'd choose new territory before hunting season begins. I think there are some people with an eye on having a bear rug this winter.

Checking each other out.

My 50th State

My parents raised the three of us kids with lots of travel. My dad is a firm believer in seeing your country first. While I'm all for seeing all of our states I have also taken time to leave the country. We have all been working though to see every state in the country. In our family we count a state as long as we stepped foot on solid ground. Airports don't actually count unless you walk outside. My brother and I got Arkansas as kids when dad drove us across the border and we got out of the car. My sister originally got Utah by walking outside the airport on a layover. I thought I visited my last state in 2008 when I went to Alaska for a week. This summer I received some surprising news when my dad drove to Montana for his reunion. It turns out the route he thought we took that included Nebraska did not actually include Nebraska. So I was one state short! I could not think of a good reason to go visit Nebraska so I opted to just drive over the border on my way to Colorado to visit the family this week. My friend's dad says that, "Nebraska is proof that hell is full and dead people are walking on earth." I can't say it is that bad but I only saw about 5 miles of the state.

Not the most exciting state sign ever.

I got off at the first exit. Not much there. But I did find this house with the N on it. Must be Nebraska fans!

Not a lot out there. Pretty in a sparse way.

Just to be sure though this is my state list-

1. Alabama- one of the states we used on our drives to Florida as kids.
2. Alaska- visited for a week in 2008. Can't wait to go back.
3. Arizona- visited Katie when she went to college in Tucson.
4. Arkansas- crossed the border and got out on spring break in '95 (?).
5. California- first visit was in the winter of '93 and then lived there for 2.5 years.
6. Colorado- plenty of ski trips and now the family lives here.
7. Connecticut- visited a friend of Katie's after camp one year and lots of trips to Hartford with the soccer team in college.
8. Delaware- visited with mom after college orientation, plus plenty of college games there.
9. Florida- used to visit my great Aunt & Uncle, plus trips to Disney World.
10. Georgia- spring breaks spent at Jekyll Island.
11. Hawaii- trip to the ProBowl with the family in 2008.
12. Idaho- first visit as a kid on a camping trip in Montana. I'm pretty sure there is a picture of us by the border sign. Now I drive through it a lot on the way to visit the family.
13. Illinois- numerous trips to Chicago and my mom lived in southern Illinois for awhile.
14. Indiana- grew up there.
15. Iowa- this is the other one I'm trusting my parents on. They swear we drove across it on our way back from Montana. Dad is sticking by this after his summer travels.
16. Kansas- drive through it to get to Colorado. Visited Carmen while she was in college there.
17. Kentucky- my mom's whole family lives there. Used to spend time at my grandparent's farm outside of Louisville.
18. Louisiana- spring break one year in h.s. and a wedding after college outside of New Orleans.
19. Maine- family trip in elementary school and many college game trips.
20. Maryland- went to college at Towson University outside of Baltimore.
21. Massachusetts- first time after camp with mom, then a college visit trip and then lots of college game trips.
22. Michigan- born there and lived the first four years of my life in Grand Rapids. Love going back to see friends.
23. Minnesota- we drove across this state to get to Montana.
24. Mississippi- drove through it on the way to Louisiana.
25. Missouri- been to St. Louis, driven through on the way to Colorado, etc.
26. Montana- favorite state in the lower 48. Spend lots of time in Butte, Big Sky and Yellowstone. Finally made it to Glacier this summer.
27. Nebraska- just made it there yesterday. My last state!
28. Nevada- drove through it on my way to living in California. Finally made it to Las Vegas last year.
29. New Hampshire- family trip as kids and many college game trips. Loved the Maine/New Hampshire trips in the fall with the soccer team.
30. New Jersey- visited a camp friend there as a kid. Have driven through to get to NY a lot.
31. New Mexico- did a trip with mom that started in New Mexico. Then went to a U.S. Women's soccer game there with Katie. (Katie burnt her broken leg badly that day!)
32. New York- first trip to NYC in 4th grade with my mom and grandmother.
33. North Carolina- definitely been there a lot. Most recently for the soccer championships in college.
34. North Dakota- went through it on the way to Montana.
35. Ohio- many soccer tournaments there as a kid. And was the worst part of my drive home from college.
36. Oklahoma- went through it on the way to Texas.
37. Oregon- 2003 Women's World Cup games in Portland.
38. Pennsylvania- Girl Scout camp in the upper Northeast corner for 4 summers. Plus a rowing trip in college and other visits to Philly.
39. Rhode Island- stopped to sight see while on a college visit trip with mom.
40. South Carolina- visited friends in Charleston in high school.
41. South Dakota- another state visited on the way to Montana. Must go check out the sights!
42. Tennessee- drove through it on the way south but also did a lacrosse trip to Nashville in college.
43. Texas- visited my friend Sandy in San Antonio after college and then visited Chris while he was in college there.
44. Utah- first visit for the 2002 Olympics and now I live here!
45. Vermont- many college game trips up there in the fall. Great opportunity to see my cousin.
46. Virginia- many college game trips plus College Soccer Championships.
47. Washington- drove up to Seattle in 2003 and spent a lot of time in this state for the Vancouver Olympics.
48. West Virginia- drove through it to get to college. Also had a soccer game there in college.
49. Wisconsin- drove through it to get to Montana and then visited some colleges up there.
50. Wyoming- visited as kids to see Yellowstone and a rodeo in Cody. Now I drive through it to get to the family in Colorado.

* Any state we drove through included stops for gas and bathrooms (we are talking about a road trip with 3 kids). So those states count in our family.

YAHOO! I have actually visited all 50 states. Those that I visited by driving through I would like to go back to someday (except Iowa, unless someone gives me a good reason). I know we visited a lot of spots in South Dakota but I definitely want to get back up there. And now that I have been to Alaska I need to go back and see more. I'd like to see that state in every season. Montana is my favorite lower 48 state but Alaska is my favorite over all.

I'll be curious to hear from my friends on how many states they have visited.

Butte, MT

My dad's side of the family lives in Butte, MT. I love going up there to visit. It is not a big town now, but I still look forward to the opportunity to go up there. The trip is even better when I get to see family and friends and eat some of my favorite foods. If you ever get up there I recommend getting a pork chop sandwich from Pork Chop John's and I always get some pasties from the Town Talk Bakery on Front Street. It is not a trip without both of those foods. (And now I'm turning friends in Utah into fans of both.) Of course if you don't have family or friends in Butte there are some other reasons to go.

When we were little we hiked the "mountain" with the M on it. I remember looking down and waving to Grandpa at the bottom. He looked so small. I realize now that it is a butte and not a mountain. But as a kid it seemed like a big hike. Sadly, I just found out that the M is for the Montana School for the Mines. I always just thought it stood for Montana. Learned something new. Another hike option is going up to the Our Lady of the Rockies. This is a 90 foot statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus that sits on the continental divide overlooking Butte. I have taken the bus up there to see it. But my dad and a sibling (I think Chris) hiked up there once. So at one end of town you have the M that is lit up at night and at the other end you have Our Lady of the Rockies that is lit up watching over the town.

Our big hike to the M

If you are a fan of the Daily Show you might have seen a segment they did 3 years ago on the Berkeley Pit in Butte. The pit is an open copper mine that is about one mile long and a half mile wide. It is also extremely deep, about 1780 feet. I thought it was hilarious that it made the Daily Show because as kids we always had to go check it out. Every time we visited the water had gotten deeper, covering up more layers. Now if you want to see the pit you have to pay to go so I haven't been in years. Sadly the pit is a Superfund site and I'm not sure they have figured out how to clean up this mess before it starts to pollute the water system. They do still have some time before that happens.

The Berkeley Pit (Superfund site & tourist destination?)

According to Wikipedia (taken with a grain of salt) Butte was one of the biggest and most notorious copper mining towns with a hundreds of saloons and a red light district. The other day I drove by a building that was advertising tours of the brothel that used to be located there. So I'm thinking Wikipedia might be right on this one. I have to admit that I have not gotten up there for St. Patrick's Day since I was legal, but I hear its one of the best parties. I always heard stories growing up of how you could go in one bar, out the back and into another celebrating the day. Since I have only been to one St. Patrick's day up there as a kid all I remember is the parade.

Mine

There are still some great old buildings in Butte. These are just a couple. I'd like to go back and take some more photos on another trip. I had to stop pulling over to take pictures after the cops drove by me twice. I was starting to get funny looks. Maybe next time I'll have to see about signing up for a historical walk in uptown.

As much as I love Butte I still love coming home to Utah. And now we have new welcome signs that replaced the ones with a ski jumper on them. Come visit me out west. I can show you around Utah and Montana. And along the way maybe we can get you some stops in Idaho and Wyoming.

Heading out

Day three of the Glacier adventure was my last. Everyone in the hiking group the day before had recommended the Avalanche gorge/lake hike. It is an easy one with some wooden pathways for part of it. I decided that I would do that in the morning before I left the part. So I headed in early hoping to find parking in the near by area. This appears to be a hike that is recommended to everyone. When I read the signs I decided that I did not have time for the hike to the lake. Instead I opted to just take the loop past the gorge. I guess I'll have to leave the lake for the next trip up here. I enjoyed the loop and wish I had more time to sit on one of the benches and enjoy the creek going by. Instead I tried to enjoy as I walked. The gorge is amazing. It definitely lived up to the rave reviews from Lisa. My pictures will definitely not live up to reality, but it will at least remind me how beautiful it was.

From there I headed back to the car and left Glacier. I cannot wait to get back up there and see some of the areas I missed. And next time I have to take my passport so I can head up to the Canadian side. Plus I would like to see a few more of the glaciers before they are melted. So if anyone wants to go up there and do some hiking let me know!

Since I am such a fan of cherries I could not miss the opportunity to pick some up at a couple road side stands. I've been told that Flathead Lake cherries are the best. I got a pound of those and a pound of the sweet cherries. I stopped in Polson at the bottom of Flathead Lake in hopes of catching up with a childhood friend. (Crazy to realize we have known each other since our kindergarten days.) Unfortunately we missed each other. At least I had the opportunity to enjoy more views of the lake. It is really beautiful and I would love to go back up and spend time just chilling out there. I grabbed some lunch and started the drive back to Butte. It is a good thing no one could hear me, although it would have been nice to have company in the car. I was getting tired so I kept yelling, singing, anything to keep myself going. I made it to Butte just before the thunder storm hit. I got a chance to lay down and close my eyes before it was off to dinner with Grandma, Aunt Jackie and Uncle Casey. It is always nice to get up here and to see everyone. It is a bonus when I also get to see my busy cousins.

One more day before I leave Montana. I am going to meet some friends for lunch, pick up my pasties (so good if you haven't had any) and pork chops (special, not found in the grocery) and head home. It is back to Park City until Sunday. Then I am off on my next adventure to Colorado. Time to hike with mom and spoil that beautiful niece of mine.

The Closest I Got to a Bear...

Day two of my Glacier adventure I was signed up for a guided hike and raft trip. Our guide was Dean and the other members of the group were Judy, her daughter Cassi, Lisa and another Cassie. The first three were from the area although Lisa lives in California now and works with the second Cassie. It was nice to know that the California Cassie had never been on a raft trip either. So at least I had company in that department. The hike started at the old bridge into Glacier and goes for 6 miles along the border trail. I kept hoping that I would get to see a bear, but others in the group were not so excited about that possibility. Dean asked if we knew what to do if we saw a bear. I said that I thought you were supposed to play dead. Dean told us that we were supposed to circle our guide. Fortunately, he had bear spray. The closest I got to a bear was it's poop! There were a couple times we found some on the trail. Once it was rather fresh, but the bear made good time getting out of the area because we didn't see any. The trial we hiked took us along the river that we would raft later in the afternoon. This meant that we got a glimpse of the rapids we would be going through. They had names like "jaws", "pin ball" and "bone crusher". Nothing like hearing those names for your first time on a rafting trip.

We made really good time on the hike even with stops to check out berries, flowers, rapids or whatever else caught our fancy. At one point we were going through an area of trees that were so tall it made the light different. It was almost spooky but kind of cool. Every so often Dean would yell out so that any bears in the area would know we were coming. He said that the best deterrent for bears was the sound of our voice (not dinner bells on your pack). Every time he yelled it sounded like the response should be, "Daylight come and me wanna go home." I also got the Sound of Music soundtrack stuck in my head. But that was more due to the scenery.

Eventually we made it to the place where we would meet the raft. Since we had time we sat down and enjoyed our lunches that the rafting company had provided. There were great sandwiches, apples, chips and veggies. Dean also pulled out some pasta salad and cookies to go with our bagged lunches. It was a beautiful spot next to where a creek and the river met. We enjoyed the break and waited for the raft to arrive. When it showed up we met the family that would be going down the river with us. They had two teenage daughters along with mom and dad. So other than Dean and the dad, the group was all women. I thought I had my life jacket on tight until Dean came along to tighten it. Definitely made me feel skinnier after that. Everyone got along well and had fun. Dean told us what to do if we fell out. All I could think of was being told to keep your butt up and feet down river if we fell out of our canoe at Girl Scout camp. Of course when you actually flipped out of a canoe you forgot everything they told you. So I decided that it might be in my best interest to stay in the raft for this trip. I had no issues with grabbing the "chicken line" in the middle of the raft.

Our raft going through "Bone Crusher" rapid

The whole experience was a blast. The rapids were awesome and they got some great photos of our boat going through the bone crusher rapids. We also had fun messing with one of the other rafts. We would have run ins and splash each other since their boat looked too dry. Dean kept encouraging us to jump in during the deep pools we went through. Cassie gave it a shot through one area, but the other Cassi bailed at the last second. I was considering it but was in the very back. I was mostly wet but it was cold. Later when we got closer to the bridge where we started the hike that morning I moved up front to get some photos. At that point I figured I'd jump in. I left my hat and camera in the boat and Cassie said she would go with me. We stood on the front of the boat and jumped in together. That was the COLDEST water I have ever been in. WOW! Lisa got some photos so I have proof that I was that nuts. Later when Cassie and I were talking about it we discovered we are both oldest sisters. We were laughing that we had to jump in and be crazy since our sisters think we are boring.

Me & Cassie jumping in

Trying to get back to the raft

Since the weather was clear we got to see a glacier called Vulture as we rounded the last bend in our trip. I attempted a photo, and you can see it, but its not the best since I was using the little camera. It was a great trip and a fun group to hang out with all day. Once we reached the landing spot we got a bus ride back to the company offices. Along the way our driver gave us a 6 second tour of West Glacier. Yes, it is that small. At the offices we dried out, changed clothes and purchased pictures from our trip through the rapids. Since most of our group was local they told me about some great hikes I could do without fear of bears. I opted to drive back into the park past Logan's Pass so that I could see Jackson Glacier. I thought I had seen it the day before but it turns out it was behind clouds. I can now honestly say that I have seen it. So that made for two glaciers on this trip.

Lisa, Cassie, Me, Judy, Cassi

Jackson Glacier

After I saw Jackson Glacier I headed back to Logan's Pass so that I could do the Hidden Lake hike. I was told it was a mile. Then when I talked to someone along the trail they said it was 1.3. Whatever it was, it felt like forever. The whole way to the lake is up hill and at some points you are crossing big patches of snow. Someone warned me that people were slipping so I took it slowly. The whole area is beautiful so I tried to enjoy it while gasping for air. I was also told that there were a bunch of mountain goats up near the over look so that made it even more fun to get there. Along the way I met a family from LaPorte, IN. It appears that no matter where I go I will find people from Indiana. Eventually I made it to the overlook. And right in front of me were a bunch of mountain goats. I had been told they were around the bend. But these were right at the overlook. One of the babies even used the wood steps to catch up with the family. They were adorable! There were parts of the view that were somewhat covered by clouds but it was still worth it. I think I would have seen my third glacier but one was definitely behind clouds. I still think I saw one, but I have to go take a closer look at the map to be sure. There is an awful lot of snow pack that makes it difficult for me to be sure. Although Dean told us that to be considered a glacier it needs to be 25 acres, 100 feet thick and still moving. Right now they are down to 25 glaciers in the park and they figure all will be gone by 2020.

Two of the mountain goats

By the time I got back to the car it was almost 8pm. I got a laugh at everyone taking pictures of the deer wandering through the parking lot. Then I headed back down the mountain for West Glacier and dinner. Along the way I enjoyed the sun peaking through the clouds making path ways along the mountains. It was beautiful. At one overlook I stopped to take some pictures. There was a car full of people waiting for someone else with the same idea. They were joking that there was nothing to see. After taking some shots I joked that it was nice of them to wait for their passenger. It was a gorgeous evening. I thought I had missed sunset but lucked out when I got down by Lake McDonald. I pulled over and sat on a stone beach to enjoy the last few minutes. It was amazing. Then it was time to head out and finally eat some dinner.

Sunset at Lake McDonald

My Summer Vacation

Our office is closed for the first two weeks of August. It was a thank you for all the hard work everyone did for the Olympics. Since I'm saving up for a big winter trip I opted for some domestic trips for these two weeks. And I'm starting with Montana and Glacier National Park. I've never made it to that part of the state before.

First state to pass through on the way up.



Yahoo for Montana!

Monday I headed up to Butte, Montana to see my Grandmother on the way north. I got in mid-afternoon which gave us lots of time to visit. And to also go to dinner at Pork Chop John's, my favorite stop in Butte.

Tuesday morning I was up early and heading off to Glacier. I had plenty of time to enjoy Flat Head Lake and some Osprey I saw along the way due to some very slow drivers. It was a beautiful drive, but I really wanted to be in Glacier. I eventually arrived later in the day. The hazy sunny day I'd been enjoying got cloudier the further I got into the park. I started at the bottom in a tank top, shorts and sandals. By the time I reached Logan Pass I was in long sleeves, sweat pants, tennis shoes and socks. It was cold up there! On the way up I stopped at an overlook. A nice couple named Devin and Jennifer were there so we helped each other out by taking photos. They are from Victoria so we discussed things I had seen or missed up there during the Olympics and what they were seeing down here. Very nice people. Further up the drive the clouds were hanging over the mountains so it was easy to miss a lot, including glaciers. There were lots of beautiful water falls though. I drove over the top and down to the St. Mary's Visitor Center. After checking out the Osprey nest, exhibits and a movie on the park I headed back the way I'd come. Eventually I got to the lower part again where there was some sun and warmth. When I stopped to check out some rapids I was informed by another tourist that they had seen a wolf. I did not see a wolf, although up near the top I did see a Big Horn Sheep.

Hopefully day two will reveal more of the park than day 1. Even with clouds though it is a lovely place to visit. Day 2 is going to include a guided hike and river rafting. I've never gone rafting, only canoeing so this should be fun.

Catching Up

So, I've been slacking since my last post. I have actually had a couple of adventures. Mostly I have used my time off to head to Colorado and spoil that beautiful niece of mine. But at the end of June my college friend Lisa came to visit with Susie. After spending some time in Park City they headed off to see all five of the National Parks in Utah. I was able to meet up with them over the Fourth of July weekend in Bryce and Zion National Parks, the two I hadn't seen yet. If you haven't been down there I definitely recommend it!

I drove down Friday and met them in Bryce. By the time they got there it was getting late so we didn't do anything that evening. But Saturday morning we were up juggling World Cup soccer games with hiking. We watched the first game, went hiking and then came back for the lunchtime game before doing one more hike. All of it was fabulous. In the evening we went to the rodeo since Lisa had never been. As luck would have it we ended up sitting behind a family that was from Carmel, IN. What were the odds? Sunday Susie and I got up early to go do the Queen's garden hike at Bryce before we left for Zion. We expected something bigger but you could definitely see the outline of a Queen if you have an imagination. It was a fun hike.

After cleaning up and getting Lisa we headed off to Zion. We did a hike right inside the park before going to check in to our next hotel. We asked about fireworks but were informed that the last time they had any the mountain "was aflame." So no fireworks. We opted to go back into the park for another easy hike before dinner. We took the shuttle up to one of the emerald pool hikes. I admit it, I was disappointed. It didn't seem that emerald to me. Later that evening we stood in the parking lot lighting sparklers. According to the two Maryland girls those don't count as fireworks. It was the best we could do. Monday before I headed home we did two more hikes, including the weeping rock hike. That one is easy but cool. The rain/snow seeps down through the soft rock at the top. Then it hits a hard layer that it can't go through so it starts to go sideways. By the time it comes out and down this wall of rock it has been on a journey for over 1000 years. Pretty cool. The picture below is Lisa catching some of that ancient water in her hand.

It was a quick trip but beautiful! I look forward to going back and doing the Angel's Landing hike someday. Although I do not recommend listening to the information on the shuttle before you go. It could freak you out. Definitely put Zion and Bryce on your list of trips if you come out west.

Me in Zion 4th of July

Lisa at Weeping Rock