MONTANA 2017

Thur July 17

We flew out of RDU to Kalispell through Denver. The kids did great - they love to fly which is fun. They each took turns next to a window seat on the way there. On the last leg I was between them. It was a sweet time because at some point they fell asleep on my lap before landing in Kalispell. We didn’t land until 930pm but it wasn’t even dark yet. It didn’t get dark until 1030.

We found our way to our hotel for the night – the Greenwood Suites. They had promised a rollout bed but when we arrived, they had given them out. Fortunately, it was a super clean space and with extra blankets the kids were able to sleep on pallets on the floor. In the am the kids were entertained with the stuffed critters all around – it was like a mini-lodge setting.

Fri July 18

In the morning, after breakfast, we made our way to where folks were staying on Echo lake. John and Judy Hedges, Andrew and Val Hedges, Laura, Vince, Gabriella, Andrea and Molly, Richard, Wendy, and Michael Wilke were all there. It was a gorgeous setting. So peaceful and beautiful. The water was SO clear although it was a little chilly. We spent the day hanging out with the family. Molly had a good time with Sam and with Hannah. Brent and I enjoyed catching up with family. Hannah tried paddleboarding and loved it. Sam loved looking for rocks and fish in the water. 

 After lunch we went for a walk along a dirt road. It was along the Swan River which was gorgeous in color. It was quite sunny and hot and dry. When we made it to the ice cream shop at the other end of the 2 mi walk folks were ready. Brent, Michael and Vince went to get the cars to pick us up. This afforded Laura and I the opportunity to walk the kids over to a local park for some playtime.

Sam was fascinated with the water and what he could see in the clear clear water. He spent the rest of the evening playing at the water's edge. 

 After dinner we said our goodbyes and made our way to our VRBO rental house which would be base for ourselves and the Wilkes. It was up on a hillside with views of Flathead Lake. The house was gorgeous with great views. We figured out that there was no AC but there were fans and very few bugs so we could leave all doors open without a bug problem. There were bunk beds built into the wall in the room where Brent and I were and the kids loved them!

We were in Montana for a day and the is what I found in Sam's passenger car door - just like home :)

Sat July 19

We had an easy morning. The Wilkes went to pick up Val and Andrew to come hang out before their flight. While we were waiting for their arrival the kids had a great time playing in the yard and on the rocks in the yard. They loved literally rolling down the hill and goofing off. We then got to hang out with Andrew and Val a bit longer before Wendy and Michael took them to the airport. 

Richard and the 4 of us made our way to Lakeside and toured a lakeside row of houses. We then found a local park/beach area. Hannah and Brent were brave and swam. I found the water still a bit chilly. Sam LOVED looking through all the rocks. We found a local brewery on the way home and enjoyed some locally crafted beer and root beer. 

When we got home the kids were treated to a little time in the neighboring property’s wading pool and horse swing. The Hedges clan made their way to Glacier Saturday for more adventures, we weren’t sure if we were going to get to see them again this trip.

So you see that stone wall below the deck? I looked outside from the dining room off of the deck and saw Sam climbing over the deck railing onto the deck! I asked how he got there and Hannah replied from the ground below that he climbed!!! She looked primed and ready to do it as well - yikes! Thankful he was safe but we made it clear that was a big NO!

We enjoyed night after night of gorgeous sunsets from the deck of the house in Somers. 

Sun July 20

The Wilkes and we decided to rent a pontoon boat for the day. What a treat!! We made it to the Bigfork Outdoor Adventures docks at 9am and rented a 22 foot boat. We made our way down Flathead Lake (which is the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi). We stopped at one point to let Sam cast a bit. He didn't catch anything but enjoyed trying. 

Although we didn’t have definite plans we found our way to Wild Horse Island. Along the way we saw depths on the depth-finder in excess of 200-300 feet!! Amazing! 

While we didn’t see any animals on Wild Horse Island we did have fun exploring. Brent and Richard took the hike around the island and the rest of us hung out at the boat playing in the water. It was chilly but we all eventually got in and it was lovely and refreshing after a time ;). I was amazed at how tropical the water looked from the glacier silt – it was breath-taking. Breath-taking views would be a common theme throughout the week! 

You may notice the butterflies on Hannah. There were thousands among the trees. Although it was a beautiful sight, we imagine the magnitude of the population may have been harming the trees. 

 The boy with water and rocks - Sam's happy place.

Prior to Brent and Richard heading off for a hike Hannah, Brent and Richard went exploring on the hill close to the boat.

Isn't the water so clear? It was amazing. 

  On the way back, the kids (including Brent ;)) had fun being pulled in the tube. It was the longest tube ride of the kids’ lives – they had a blast! I loved riding on the boat, feeling the wind and looking at the God-made wonders. We did have a bit of excitement within sight of the dock at the end of the day. The best we can figure we ended up on following waves and Wendy, Sam and I (who were sitting in the front) found ourselves scrambling for the back when water came over the bow and the motor came out of the water. The depth of the water was still over 90 feet deep at the time so very grateful it was a brief bit of excitement! 

 Mon July 21

Even though we were on vacation we wanted to maximize our time at Glacier National Park so we got up at 5am!, packed our lunch and made it to the park by 7am. Fortunately we were able to find the Hedges clan, give hugs and wish them well on their adventures as they headed home. We appreciated Laura’s advice all along the way about where to visit and what to look for. We left Avalanche campground shortly before 8 to try to get parking at Logan’s Pass. The ride to Logan’s pass was awe-inspiring, breath-taking, Majestic. What a wonderful world God has created! It was a sheer dropoff for much of the journey. I was SO grateful Brent drove. I still found myself hugging the center console – lol – because the drop-off was on my side. Amazingly, many of these pictures along the way were shot out of the car window. 

  

 When we arrived at Logan’s Pass the lot said full but we were blessed to grab a spot shortly after we arrived. The Wilkes were a bit behind while giving Richard time to indulge in his gift of photography. It took them longer but eventually they too found a spot.

Wendy, Michael, the kids and I made our way up the Hidden Lake Trail. We all had spectacular hikes!! The Hidden Lake trail was 1.5 miles to the top/overlook. Along the way we walked over snow, saw breathtaking beauty and even came within feet of mountain goats. A couple of the bigger ones had radio collars on with signs explaining they were being tracked. The top gave way to even more breathtaking views of the lake below with coloring of jewels. We enjoyed a long break at the top just taking in the view. Sam became quite enamored with the chipmunk population at the top who were quite persistent little boogers seeking food. On our way down Sam enjoyed making snowballs and seeing how long they could last. He particularly liked that the snow was “packable”. We made it back down to the visitor’s center about the time that Richard and Brent returned from their adventures.

Proof that I was there, just mostly on the other side of the camera.

Look carefully at this picture. Hannah is wearing a Sunset Beach, NC hat, and Adirondack Tshirt, while standing in Logans Pass Montana! Our kids have been really blessed with an opportunity to see so many sites at such young ages. 

 The Highline trail was a hike Brent wanted to go on but the description caused me pause. 1/3 of a mile of it in the beginning had “vertiginous” views – aka sheer dropoff along the trail – in fact the park installed a guide rope along the mountain last June. Didn’t sound like my kind of trail – or a trail for the kids either so we let Richard and Brent tackle that one.  The description of part of it as the “Garden Wall”  with it’s amazing variety of alpine and subalpine flora was absolutely amazing to them, and these pictures show some of the beauty.  Richard is a landscape architect, and both he and Brent share a lifetime love of plants.

 There's the rope - reason why I didn't hike this trail.

 We enjoyed lunch there and gave Richard and Brent time to get as far as they could on the Hidden Overlook trail within a certain timeframe while the kids and I explored the gift shop J

From there we continued toward to the eastern entrance to the park. Again, the views were just splendid! God is great to have created such splendor. 

 We stopped at Rising Sun along Lake Mary and enjoyed more rocks and water.

 We decided to take another way home leaving from the eastern entrance and heading south, by Blackfeet Indian reservation. More breathtaking views! We didn’t get home until close to bedtime but boy was it worth

Tues July 22

After a couple of days of big adventures we had a slow morning start. About mid-morning Brent and I took the kids to Wayfarers State Park. It was along the shore of a section of Flathead Lake, right in Big Fork, where we had eaten ice cream with the whole large group that first day. While there we clambered on rocky outcroppings and then took the 1.5 miles loop trail with some lake vistas. Afterward we found our way to the beach area and rented a tandem kayak and paddle board. Everyone took turns on each. Eventually Sam found his way to the shallow waters and looked for rocks for hours. The Wilkes found us at some point after some near-by shopping and also enjoyed the beautiful, restful spot. Richard was able to kayak and then Brent, Richard, Michael and Hannah headed to the rocky outcroppings for some swimming and jumping off rocks while Wendy and I hung out with Sam along the shore. Another day spent outside, loving life.

 Hannah really enjoyed paddle boarding! It is certainly more challenging than I anticipated.

 Again, a boy in his happy place.

 Hannah paddled over with me and wanted to warm herself on the rock before swimming back to the boat.

 Another fabulous day!

Wed July 23

We enjoyed Glacier so much that we decided to go again to hike another trail. We allowed ourselves to sleep in a bit, getting up at 5:30 ha! Good thing. It only took us a little over an hour but parking was already tight. We made our way to the Avalanche Lake trail and started our trek. It ended up being a 5.5+ mile hike and the kids did great! It was one of my all-time favorite hikes. The trail up was mostly in the woods which ran along a flowing stream that had pools of the most gorgeous blue water, rocky outcroppings, moss covered cedars and views of rocky mountain sides. Truly stunning. The air was cool and given the early morning start, the trails were not very crowded. Once we made it to the lake, well, again stunning! The lake was millpond still in a blue green color that could only be made by glacier silt. After resting by the end closest to the trail we made our way to the far side of the lake where there were less people. We spent quite a bit of time looking, resting, taking in the scenery, walking in the ice-cold water, looking for rocks and taking pictures. Just a splendid, splendid site/sight. The entire time we were in Glacier I just kept thinking the area was majestic and felt myself giving thanks to God for the privilege of being able to see it all. 

Along the Avalanche trail in the beginning were plaques with beautiful artwork and poetry. This is just one example. 

 Do you see that? That is Sam bent over a branch searching for rocks in the water. He spent quite a bit of time like this.

I must admit I didn’t prepare well enough with water for the amount of time were spent at the lake so was in need of water so our trip back down was quicker than I would have liked. It was just so delightful in the woods, along the burgeoning, rushing stream. I also would say that it was the most crowded trail I have ever hiked. We were so proud of the kids for making it up and back – they were troopers and that was the longest hike they have taken to date, except maybe their trek around Golden Gate park in San Fran 3 years ago, but they got carried a good bit on that one. 

Once down at the cars we enjoyed some needed water and snacks. The stream we hiked beside emptied out not far from us so we also went to explore that. Polar bears Sam and Brent even donned their bathing suits (always packed, just in case) and went into the freezing cold water over their heads not once but twice!

While we were in the park we worked on the Junior Ranger badge activities for the kids, the last of which was to visit a ranger led program. This led us to Apgar Village. We quickly realized we could have spent more time there as well but that would have to be for another day. We all made our way back to Lakeside to the brewery we found a few days prior and enjoyed a tasty meal by another river. We capped off that night by stopping at the Somer’s beach for some last time spent along the lake with the kids. 

Thur we packed up, enjoying a slow morning before heading to Kalispell. During our stay in the house the kids enjoyed looking at wildlife that not only included mule deer and wild turkeys but also mice. In fact, the owner told us that the dirt mounds in the yard were not voles, as they first thought, but actually mice. One afternoon Sam noticed a mouse go in to a small hole at the foundation of the house. We passed that on to the owner and he graciously provided two ice cream coupons for the kids as a thank you. So on our way to the airport we stopped at the local ice creamery for the kids to enjoy their reward. 

It was an amazing trip! We created lasting memories, enjoyed time with the family who could make it and soaked up the splendor of some marvelous natural beauty. We hope to have more of these adventures and will look forward to another time. Thank you Lord for the blessings of this trip and the splendor of your creation!