CD'A Relaxing

We ended our trip with a stop-off at Dad & Jane's in Coeur D'Alene.

We were only there one day and a couple of nights but it was good to catch up and relax. We enjoyed some walks around Jane's trails, went to an art gallery showing in Post Falls, pet the dogs & kitties, and ate well.

Fishing on the Madison

We left Bozeman and headed just South of Ennis, Montana to meet Brandon's dad for a day of fishing on the Madison river. They fished in the evening and didn't have too much luck.

And then they got up early the next day and caught a ton of fish...but, of course, you'll have to take their word for it b/c they didn't take the camera. Brandon is sitting here with me saying he caught several that were 'THIS big!', holding his hands out in measurements that keep growing larger & larger. :)

Bozeman Area Biking- Bangtail Divide

They say the 'third time is the charm' and so it was with our third ride in the Bozeman area. We packed up our Gallatin Canyon campsite and headed down Bridger Canyon to ride the Bangtail Divide trail, which we were told was in excellent riding condition by the guys at the bike shop in town.

But before we headed out, we needed some lunch...this is an illustration of why we need a camper. This whole trip was one lesson after another of why we need a camper. Yes, the time has come...

 This ride was both scenic and technical on the uphill...

and also quite fun on the downhill. Yay!

Bozeman Area Biking- Little Wapiti Creek

We packed up from our great campsite up Hyalite Canyon and headed to Gallatin Canyon, as it was closer to some rides we wanted to do that we hoped would have less snow. Once there, we regretted leaving our beautiful campsite and spent far too long looking for a good one, finally settling for an ugly pay site right next to the highway.

So it was almost 5pm by the time we started the 14-mile loop ride on Little Wapiti Creek. The area is noted as 'grizzly country' so I was nervous...we both wore bear bells that jingled up & down the trail.

  The guidebook promised it was beautiful and 'wild' country,

and, as you can tell, it was very scenic.

However, after the scenic uphill, we entered the woods for awhile where we encountered lots of impassable mud (mostly b/c it was tracked out by ATVs). 

In the mud, I completely forgot my fear of grizzlies b/c it was replaced by a new and very real fear of being eaten alive, little by little, by mosquitoes. They didn't go anywhere near Brandon but I literally had swarms of them on me as I pushed my bike through the mud, unable to swat at them sufficiently.

Then we began the downhill, which truly sucked. Seriously. Just so you know, neither of us have ever thought a downhill sucked. There are variances of good to blissful, but never bad.

The 'trail' was essentially a huge rut of mud with washboards created by mole tunnels every few inches. It was difficult to control your bike in the ruts and so we couldn't really relax into the ride. Plus, it was impossible to pedal through the moderate sections b/c the rut was so deep and narrow that your pedals hit the sidewall.

Okay, we won't complain too much. The views were phenomenal, we got some good exercise, and we enjoyed some peaceful wild country without getting mauled. But in regards to this trail being comparable to the 'afterlife' (according to the guidebook), we have higher standards for heaven. :)

Bozeman Area Biking- Emerald Lake

We had driven through Bozeman several times and thought it looked like it might be good mtn. biking country. The guidebook called "Montana Singletrack" told of trails that were comparable to heaven, using words like 'euphoric' and 'super sweet'. We were excited to test them out.

Our first ride, to Emerald Lake, was a bit of a bummer b/c we hit quite a lot of snow and thus had to carry our bikes a lot. Then, the thunder began to crack and lightning lit up the sky.

So, within a 1/4 mile of the lake and the hard-earned view (which we couldn't have seen anyway b/c the clouds were completely enveloping us), we had to turn around and ride as fast as possible down to avoid getting struck by lightning.

 Rain bouncing off the pavement down in town, 

while we bought groceries and waited out the storm.

 Our awesome FREE campsite up the Hyalite Canyon...

The great thing about MT is that a wicked storm 

can come and go so fast and its like it never happened...

enjoying our after-dinner campfire.

Harry! Hello?!?

We spent a week visiting Brandon's grandparents, Harry & Lillian, in Victor, MT. We adore them and had a great visit.

Grandpa is forever ignoring Grandma when it comes to health related topics, such as taking his necessary pills, putting on sunscreen, drinking water and no coffee, etc. When she is exasperated with getting his attention, she says, 'Harry! (Pause) HELLO?!?'.

This has become standard communication around the Kern household the last few years as I recognize a similar listening trend between us (although it can be any topic that Brandon doesn't wish to hear about).

Grandpa, at 91, still haying the fields

B discovering that the step he planned to replace the rockwork on was rotten...

the job just got much bigger.

After the step was re-framed, B cut the pieces and began to lay them out.

Of course, we forgot to take a pic of the finished product...

Grandpa (Harry), Brandon, Heather, and Grandma (Lillian)

enjoying a sunset dinner on the patio

The storm came in just after Gpa had finished baling the hay.

Silver in July

Once again, I was coerced into skiing off-season, but this time I actually enjoyed it. Melissa suggested heading to Silver Peak and we were able to drive right up to the snow, had only a short bit of walking with skis before we were able to skin consistently. Heiko & Brandon left a couple hours before us with the goal of skiing down the backside of Silver to Annette Lake.

They chose to skin through the meadow instead of the road and had to do much more ski carrying and bushwhacking.

Winders & I almost to the top

Heiko nearing the ridge

The view of Annette Lake from the summit; 

Heiko & Brandon couldn't find connecting snow so they
stopped here and called it good.

The snow was pretty sun-cupped but it was still nice to be out 

in the sunshine getting exercise and making turns.