Java Junkie

July 1, 2011 (Entering the Mountains and Leaving the US)

July 1, 2011 found us waking up in Havre MT and hitting the road bright and early.  We were super excited for our first glimpse of the mountains.  Mike assured me we wouldn't have to wait much longer, and he was right on.  After about 2 hours of driving we could catch glimpses of them...what a beautiful sight!  Below was our first look at the glacier mountains.



We couldn't believe how much snow was still on the mountains at this time of the year .

Shortly after reaching the mountains we made it to the top of Marias Pass.  When we left Havre that morning the temperature was 59 degrees.  When we hit Marias Pass it was only 54 degrees and windy!  We promptly dug out our jackets.

Mike and Trey on top of Marias Pass

Trey and me on top of Marias Pass

 After leaving Marias Pass we came to a place that they call Goat Lick - the mountain goats lay on the cliffs above the river and lick the minerals.  Of course we had to stop to see if they were there...they didn't disappoint us!

Trey was not enthused at all with being as close to the edge as we were.  The closer Mike and I went to the edge - the less enthused he was.

Of course I had to take a picture of him being less than enthused.  It's sort of a family tradition to take pictures of unhappy children...(my mom and my brother mike know what I'm talking about)

I couldn't resist taking a pic of this cool tree we walked by

I'm not sure what these pretty flowers are, but they grow everywhere in Montana and BC...even right out of the side of the rocks.  I suppose since I think they are so pretty someone will tell me they are actually a weed!

At about 4:30 pm we were waiting in line to cross the border at Roosville

We were soooo glad we were crossing into Canada and not into the US on 4:30 Friday afternoon on a long weekend.  The traffic on the US side of the border was horrendous.  Three lines of vehicles with at least 30 to 40 vehicles per line.  Mike said he never saw it that bad during the 1.5 years he drove truck and crossed that border weekly.

Since it was Canada day, the nice man at the border gave Trey a Canadian flag - I was worried about crossing the border, but it wasn't bad at all.  Less than 3 minutes and we were on our way...into Beautiful British Columbia.

In my excitement to see Michael, and meet Kelly, I failed to write down exactly how many miles it was to that point, or what time we reached their house.  At best guess - we drove around 400 miles that day and reached Michael's at about 5:15 pm...just in time for an excellent supper of pork chops with grilled potatoes and carrots! 

800 Miles

We pulled out of our driveway this morning at 6 am.  After dropping Xander off in the big city, we headed west.  Eight hundred miles and 12 hours later, we pulled into Havre MT for the night.  I don't remember ever driving the highline of MT before, but boy is it some desolate country.   After that many hours in the vehicle, we were glad to stretch our legs...Trey stretched his by swimming.

Tomorrow morning we'll continue west bright and early.  We can't wait for our first glimpse of the mountains, and Trey's reaction to them.  By tomorrow evening, we'll be in beautiful BC!

 

Little Dennis

A lot of our conversations lately have revolved around vacation.  We seem to have vacation brain...one of us is even keeping a count down calendar on thier desk, but we won't mention any names.  Last weekend when we were out for a drive and discussing hotels, Trey piped up from the back seat.   Below is the conversation between us:

Trey..."Mom, we wouldn't even need to get a hotel.  We have lots of room in here, we could just sleep in the back of the car.  It would be cheaper."

Mom..."Umm, no, I don't think we'll sleep in the back of the car (we have an crossover/suv but still).

Trey..."Are you scared?"

Mom..."No, I'm not scared, but the car doesn't have a bathroom to use in the middle of the night or a shower to use in the morning."

Trey..."So?"

It was at this point that I decided any further discussion on the topic was useless...my final words to him were..."You are such a little Dennis".  For those of you who know my dad, you will totally understand.

 

 

Pigs and Chickens and Turkeys on the 4th of July

We celebrated the 4th of July on the farm where my Mother-in-Law was raised.  

The setting here is gorgeous.  I can find beauty in most any landscape, but am quite partial to the rolling hills of the plains.

There are so many different animals that call this farm home...

From pigs (aren't they cute...I wish I could have gotten a good picture of Mama...she was not so cute, nor did she like me much).

To Turkeys (fun fact--most of my family members can gobble with the best of them...myself included...true story) I wonder if that makes us weird...

To Roosters

Cows....

and even a kitten or two, that several kids thought they should really take home.

Beyond the animals, I love all the equipment that tells stories of years gone by.  Most of it hints at a time when life moved at a different, much slower pace than it does today.

I'm thankful for the reminder of our heritage, and for the work ethic our ancestors instilled in us.  I'm also thankful that at the end of the day, I have running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, and ok, I'll admit it, the internet. 

How bout you, do you ever wish you could live in, or at least visit an era past?

Happy Trails...

Kris
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

A New Type of Skiing

On Friday, Mike and I, plus Trey and one of his friens, headed to Alexandria for some winter fun.  The hotel/resort we stayed at has an attached indoor water-park, so the boys were super excited.  We didn't get there until after 8 Friday night, but they still were able to swim for a couple hours.  On Saturday they swam again, for about 4 more hours.  Then we headed over to the resorts "snow center".  Included in the price of the room were four winter fun tickets which allowed us to x-country ski, skate, or play indoor tennis.  Since we are super adventurous (hope the sarcasm comes through), and daring, and stupid, we decided to give x-country skiing a try.  I've tried downhill skiing a few times in my past...years and years ago when I was but a young-un.  The last time I downhill skied was in the big mountains, and was a quite successful trip...meaning I spent more time on my skis than I did with them in the air. 

So, that being said, I thought really, how hard could x-country skiing be. There are no hills (not big ones anyway), and not as many trees as there are in the mountains.  Plus, it is supposed to be excellent exercise.  The boys were game, Mike wasn't so sure, but decided to give it a try (it was free--that helped convince him) ;-).  So, we get our snow gear, and our boots, skis and poles.  The "snow center" helper (who was barely old enough to be working) led us to the top of a small incline and pointed out the trails...then patiently answered my "and how do we get these things on" question as quickly as he could before hightailing it back to his warm domain.  He was secretly thinking, lady I don't get paid enough to assist greenhorns that don't know how to put their skis on. 

After all of us had our skis on...(Mike had to help us all with this feat...please remember he had an 8 year old, a 10 year old, and me to deal with...he appreciates your thoughts here), we tried to make it down the small incline to the start of the trail.  Tried being the operative word.  I sure hope there no one was lurking in the trees filming.  Smart people probably would have walked down the small incline to the start of the trail before putting their skis on.  Not us.  We're overachievers. It really would have been more beneficial and less painful for me to have an extra set of skis for the downhill part...and not an extra set for me feet if you understand where I'm going.  I don't remember the falls hurting so much when I downhill skied...could possibly have something to do with being 14 years older, but really, I have much more padding now...it shouldn't be that painful!

 After 20 minutes (it actually may have been longer than that), we made it to the start of the trail.  Once on the trail, life got a bit better...for the most part.  One short person was a bit upset that another short person and a tall person (definitely not me) had caught on to this skiing business quite well, and felt like he should be racing them.  When he tried to race, he inevitably fell...competitive is his middle name...and he loathes losing. He did say it was one of his favorite parts of the weekend after we were in the car.

All said, it was a fun trip.  Mike sees a pair of x-country skis in his future...I still think snowshoeing may be more my style.  Either way, it was good family fun...once I can move my legs, maybe I'll be ready to go again.