montana

ughhh... getting back into the swing of things after being on vacation for 3 weeks is not fun. then add on top that i come down with the flu 2 days after we get back. oh well. moving on.

chris & i had an AMAZING time out west. chris went out a week before i did (hmpphh). dad, mom, brandon, sarah & gracey got there about 12 hours after he did. still not sure how they drive out there. although i would not mind doing it one year if i had a lot of time. would not mind seeing all the sights they get to see. it was fun to get the time with the kids before brian & jess got out there. there were a few loud, late nights at the cabin.

one saturday, we went to darby logging days. if you have ever seen the movie wild hogs, the little town they hide out it is darby to a 't'. quaint little town. they started off with a parade then had a demonstration/competition of all the logging events. it was quite amusing. brandon & sarah rode the bull.. gracey opted for the bounce house. grandma chickened out on the bull.

not sure who originated the idea of 'montana leis' for brian & jess (although i am leaning towards chris) but brian got a lei made out of some carcass's bones & jess got a moose poop lei when they landed. i think they both realize now why mom & dad opted for montana instead of tennessee...

once everyone was there, we went on a few hikes, fished and relaxed (as best you could). it was a great time to have so much family there. except there were some very important ones missing & we missed you very much! it would be awesome to have everyone out there at the same time!!!

jess did a little photo shoot with me while we were out there. bless her heart she had a hard, non-photogenic candidate to shoot. but, i am VERY impressed with how they came out. you can see them on her flicker site. i am saving magazines with poses in them for our next one.

one of the little mining towns that we went to, phillipsburg, and fished at lake stuart was a fun time. minus the 5 am wake-up call, but, i guess it was worth it. the town was fun to walk around (we went back before we left). their jail, sheriff's station has a noose hanging from their tower. I KID YOU NOT!

chris & i braved big creek lake hike again. bear warning & all. last year, we did the hike in 8-9 hours. this year...4 1/2 hours!!! we cranked it. but it was so worth it...AGAIN! we did run into the 2 bears. i was very proud of myself for pulling out my camera first, gun second. we got one picture with both of them in it. it is on the slide show but i don't know how well you can see them. we also had a moose crossing on the way up. at the switchbacks, chris saw a moose & her calf making their way down. so we sat & let them go which ever way they wanted.

we found a new camping site once we got to the lake. the one we stayed at last year was occupied so we had to continue around the lake a little. i started getting just a little bit cranky cause i was tired. chris had pulled a groin muscle since we practically ran the the whole hike... but the site we found was worth the extra hiking.

i highly recommend this hike. it is so worth the gruelling 12 1/2 miles to get their. we set up tent and went to fish a little. the rainbow trout up there are beautiful (if you can call a fish beautiful). although i am not a fish person, they sure are tasty! there were 5 guys camping further around the lake from where we were, dave, ryan, mike, mike & jim. they were fun to talk with. they had all their things packed in by mule: tents, chairs, table, cooler, BOAT! it was funny. the second night we were up there, we were coming back from fishing the back side of the lake. they offered us hor'duerves & since i was hungry, i helped myself. that was the best cheese, crackers, salami and boxed wine i think i have EVER had! hit the spot.

the second night we were there, we had a visitor at our camp sight. scarred the heck out of us cause she sneaked up right behind us. it was a big doe. sometime that night, it started to sprinkle a little. we did not want our packs getting wet (extra weight to carry. not good) so chris grabbed the one with the food that we had suspended between trees and threw it in our tent. now, chris happens to be one of the smartest people i think i know. there were warnings about an aggressive bear at the lake. we passed those 2 bears on the way up. WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!?!?! needless to say, kim didn't get any sleep that night either.

man what a vacation! we are already counting down until we can go back. i have a feeling that might be before next summer... there are about 40 pictures in the slide show below of our amazing adventures.

of course it is back to work as usual once we got back. wednesday, i came down with the flu. doctor has me on antibiotics so i am getting better. i rode up to ocala with chris yesterday to pick up a new horse. his name was hooligan but will be changed to legacy. he is a black guilding trakehner. 10 years old i think. he will be taking the place of guardian who is pushing over 25.

dad, mom, all of montana family, brandon, sarah & gracey: we had an awesome time in montana. can't wait to do it again!