ARE WE REALLY GOING TO THE SUN??

Mike and I have gone into Glacier Natl Park on several occasions since getting to Montana in May. Up until now-the famous Going to the sun road has eluded us. Today we can finally say we have gone to the sun!-well, at least we attempted to-the day started out great-sunshine,a slight breeze and a whole day to explore. When we got to the place where we would be picked up by the parks free shuttle-we discovered that more than just a few others had woken up this morning with the same plan. We later learned that we had decided to make this journey on what turned out to be the single most busy day for the park-in what they just said as "ever". Ok, there were long lines-but no problem-everyone was nice-and excited, everyone except the lady I renamed "mean Gramma". She really did need to turn in her gramma badge-she was just awful! Her grandchildren were cute-excited and a bit rambunctious-but still pretty well behaved. The mom was not stressed-except with the behavior of HER Mom! We were very happy that they did not get on the same shuttle as us! We finally did get our little shuttle-the road to Logan's Pass is very windy and narrow,and in a constant stage of construction. As we climbed higher and higher, we were very glad to have chosen public transportation for this trip-our dually was safe in the parking lot below. We saw some beautiful waterfalls-breathtaking views-and the higher we got-some very large and dark clouds coming our way. We were lucky to see a family of mountain goats-they were just sitting on a ledge next to the road-posing for a photo opportunity-they slowed traffic to an even crawlier crawl-but we all enjoyed seeing them-especially the baby. By the time we unloaded at the visitors center-it was very dark and pouring rain. Our hopes of hiking to Hidden Lake were not to be-at least not on this day! We had our raincoats,but the fog was so thick we could see nothing of the lakes overlook-people coming back just told us don't bother-you will see nothing but clouds. We checked out the center-then back on another shuttle we went.
We are lucky to be here for the entire summer-we will have another chance soon to see Hidden Lake-we felt sorry for the people on our shuttle that had just that one chance to get there! We still enjoyed our day-rain and all-we are, after all in one of the most beautiful places on the earth!

WILL YOU BE MY HUCKLEBERRY???

When one comes to spend the summer in Whitefish,one has to go on a huckleberry picking adventure. On a beautiful morning a few weeks ago-we did just that. Don and Sheri invited us to hop into their jeep and take a ride up the side of a mountain with them-how could we say no to that! We found ourselves on the west side of the Hungry Horse Dam-an amazing sight on its own-it is huge! The reservoir goes for miles and miles,and if you want to go around the whole thing-it takes an entire day.
This day we had only one thing in mind-huckleberries! We wound higher and higher above the dam-the views were spectacular. Don and Sheri had come this way last year, and found a bounty of berries-so we were all hopeful that today we would be rewarded with the wild delicious berries that the bears here LOVE!! We were prepared-we had our bear bells, our bear spray and our zip lock bags and buckets too!
Finally after quite some jeep climbing-we were at the famous spot. We put on our bells-tested them out by doing some funny "keep away from us bears" dance-and into the thick,thick woods. This berry hunting game is not as easy as one might think. We soon found out why these berries go for quite a few$$$ in town-and in roadside stands. You have to climb your way thru a lot of bushes-hold tree limbs away from your face-and basically walk somewhere where you cannot see anything in front or around you-but bushes and trees! All the time we are making our way thru the woods-in the back of our minds-yes,the bears! We are out in the middle of nowhere-in bear country-and we are looking for the bears favorite treat-what is wrong with this story?! After a bit, we find a few huckleberry bushes-but we are sadly too early for the berries-just little nubs have formed-no berries-but no bears either,as it turned out-so we are still way ahead of this game. We had a beautiful drive-spent some time with good friends-and on the way home stopped for a huckleberry milkshake-yum!
It was a fun day to be sure. The next week I cheated-purchasing 2 gallons of those delicious little Montana jewels- I made jam for the first time ever-lots of work, lots of fun-and the scrapes on my arms from the huckleberry adventure are all healed up now! Anyone who can guess what they will be getting for Christmas this year????

A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER!!

OK, I ADMIT IT-I LOVE BIRTHDAY SURPRISES. THIS YEARS BIRTHDAY WAS A SURPRISE TO BEAT ALL. THE WEEK STARTED OUT WITH A BANG-WE WERE EXCITED TO HAVE NEPHEW CHRISTOPHER AND "HIS GIRLS" COME TO MONTANA-THEY WERE ON A ROAD TRIP OF THEIR OWN-AND WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE THEM MAKE A STOP AT OUR CAMP. THEY ARRIVED JUST IN TIME FOR MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION-AND A CELEBRATION WE DID HAVE! MIKE AND I BOTH HAD TO WORK ON THE 20TH-MIKE DID THE RESTAURANT AND POTTY PATROL-ME IN THE OFFICE ALL DAY. BY THE TIME THE EVENING ARRIVED-ALL WAS SET FOR A GREAT PARTY AT THE GABBARD CAMP. WE HAD INVITED OUR FELLOW WORKAMPERS-MIKE WAS GRILLING RIBS,CORN AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT SOUNDED GOOD-I WAS SO HAPPY TO BE DONE WITH WORK THAT DAY-IT WAS CRAZY-ANYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG DID-AND ANYONE WHO COULD BE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR CAMPSITE WAS-BUT ALL THAT WAS BEHIND ME-I HAD FRIENDS,FAMILY,AND A BEAUTIFUL BIRTHDAY BALLOON AND TIARA AND MATCHING EARRINGS TO WEAR-COCKTAILS TO ENJOY-AND A WONDERFUL EVENING TO PARTY!
EVERYONE IN CAMP CAME-WE HAD A GREAT DINNER,DELICIOUS BIRTHDAY CAKE-AND MUSIC PLAYED BY OUR LOCAL MUSICIANS! NEIL BROUGHT ME A BOTTLE OF HOME-MADE FLATHEAD CHERRY WINE-WE HAVE YET TO UN-CORK IT-BUT THE TIME IS ALMOST HERE FOR THAT-
WE HAVE HAD SOME FUN PARTIES ON OUR LITTLE DECK-BUT I THINK MY BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS THE BEST-SO FAR! THE DAY AFTER WAS OUR DAY OFF-AND MIKE TOLD ME I HAD A SURPRISE COMING-HE WAS SO BAD AND WOULD NOT TELL ME ANYTHING. HE JUST SAID-GET DRESSED-THINK WET-AND WE ARE OUT OF HERE BY 10AM. WE GOT IN THE TRUCK, HEADED DOWN THE ROAD-AND HE PULLED INTO A SPOT RIGHT BY THE PETTING ZOO. HE SAID "WE ARE HERE!" I WAS TOTALLY CLUELESS-BUT IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY, THE ANIMALS WERE HAPPY TO SEE US-AND,WELL,I TRUST MIKE-SO I KNEW I WAS GOING TO HAVE A GREAT DAY. I KNEW NOTHING-PRETTY SOON I SAW WALT PULL HIS TRUCK AROUND. TRACI ARRIVED-THEN HERE CAME NEIL-HIS TRUCK-AND THE RAFT. OH MY GOODNESS-WE WERE GOING WHITEWATER RAFTING!!! I FOUND OUT THAT EVERYONE IN CAMP KNEW ABOUT THE SURPRISE AND HAD BEEN SO GOOD TO NOT LET ME KNOW A THING-I WAS IMPRESSED TO SAY THE LEAST!! WELL, THE DAY WAS SO PERFECT. THE SUN WAS OUT-THE WATER WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TURQUOISE-BLUE-AND WE WERE GOING TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL. MIKE AND I HAD REALLY ENJOYED OUR JET BOAT TRIP ON THE SNAKE RIVER LAST YEAR-WE SAW RAFTERS AND THOUGHT-WELL, ONE DAY WE MIGHT DO THAT! THERE IS JUST NOTHING LIKE BEING ON THE FLATHEAD RIVER-OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF GODS MOST GLORIOUS CREATIONS-ON THE WATER-GREAT FRIENDS-EEK! BIG RAPIDS-AND WALT TELLING US TO PADDLE!!! I ALMOST WENT OVERBOARD A COUPLE OF TIMES-BUT THANKS TO MIKE-LANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RAFT INSTEAD! WE HAD A BLAST-THE SCENERY WAS INCREDIBLE-THE BEER ICY COLD-AND I WAS LUCKY-NO ONE THOUGHT THEY SHOULD PUSH ME OVERBOARD! MIKE DID GO IN-NEIL DID GO IN-IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE-AND YES, I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT!! THE ONLY THING I REGRET IS THE LACK OF A FISHING POLE-OH MY GOODNESS THE FISH WERE JUMPING!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE STAVES FOR A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME!!!

FLOWERS,FLOWERS, EVERYWHERE!

ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN THE FLATHEAD VALLEY FOR THE SUMMER ARE THE FLOWERS. IT SEEMS EACH MONTH SOMETHING NEW IS BLOOMING! WHEN ONE FLOWER HAS RETIRED FOR THE SEASON, ANOTHER STEPS RIGHT UP TO TAKE ITS PLACE. IN FRONT OF OUR OFFICE/STORE ARE HUGE PEONY BUSHES. WHEN WE FIRST GOT HERE IN MAY, THEY WERE UGLY LITTLE STICKS-WE WERE TOLD THEY WOULD BE LOVELY FLOWERS BY THE FIRST OF SUMMER-AND BOY WAS THAT CORRECT! SEVERAL SHADES OF PINK FROM PALE TO BOLD-THE BLOOMS START WHEN THE ANTS COME TO EAT THE STICKY SUBSTANCE THAT THE PLANTS PRODUCE. WHEN THE ANTS DO THEIR JOB-THE BLOOMS OPEN AND IT IS MAGNIFICENT! THE BLOOMS ARE NOW GONE-BUT SOMETHING ELSE WILL BLOOM IN THEIR PLACE BEFORE WE KNOW IT!

WHITEFISH COMES ALIVE IN SUMMER!

THE PRETTY LITTLE TOWN OF WHITEFISH REALLY DOES COME ALIVE WHEN THE SUMMERTIME ARRIVES. SUMMER BRINGS THE TOURISTS-LOTS OF TOURISTS-AND OF COURSE THE TRAFFIC TOO COMES TO DOWNTOWN-BUT IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MATTER,WHITEFISH HAS SOMETHING TO OFFER TO EVERYONE,AND IT DOES IT WELL! THERE ARE NUMEROUS GALLERIES,AND GALLERY NIGHT THE FIRST THURS. OF EACH MONTH. THIS WEEK THEY ARE HOSTING HUCKLEBERRY DAYS-HUCKLEBERRIES ARE REALLY BIG HERE! MY FAVORITE SO FAR HAS BEEN THE WEEKLY FARMERS MARKET. LOCAL ARTISTS AND CRAFTS PEOPLE SHOW UP, PITCH A BIG WHITE CANOPY, AND OFFER THEIR WARES-SOME BEING BEAUTIFUL JEWELRY,POTTERY AND WOOD CARVINGS. THE SETTING IS BEAUTIFUL,RIGHT BY THE TRAIN STATION-AND WITH THE MOUNTAINS AND PINES IN THE BACKGROUND WHAT IS NOT TO LIKE HERE! THE BEST IS THE FRESH PRODUCE BROUGHT BY LOCAL FARMERS. VEGETABLES AND FRUITS-LOTS OF DIFFERENT LETTUCES-IT IS ALL HERE-BIGGER AND MORE COLORFUL THAN ANYWHERE ELSE I HAVE SEEN. WHEN WE WERE THERE WE BOUGHT FRESH BREAD,LETTUCES AND THE MOST GORGEOUS CHARD EVER. WE HAD A GREAT DINNER NEXT TO A POND WITH A LOCAL MUSICIAN PLAYING GUITAR FOR EVERY ONES ENJOYMENT. THIS IS A GREAT PEOPLE WATCHING EVENT FOR SURE. I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK AGAIN A FEW MORE TIMES BEFORE WE HAVE TO LEAVE MONTANA! HERE ARE JUST A FEW PICS FROM A FUN EVENING AT THE FARMERS MARKET IN WHITEFISH.

VISITORS FROM LAKE ELSINORE AND THE FOURTH OF JULY

WE WERE SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE KEN AND THE KIDS HERE IN THE PARK. WE ENJOYED SPENDING THE 4TH WITH THEM!IT WAS GREAT TO LOOK ACROSS THE ROAD AND SEE KENS HOUSE-AND KEN RIGHT THERE! WE SPENT ONE AFTERNOON WITH SCOTT AND ALLYSON FISHING LITTLE BEAVER LAKE-WE ALL CAUGHT FISH.THE CELEBRATION ON THE FOURTH WAS HUGE! THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY PUT ON BY THE OWNERS WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING WE HAD EVER SEEN BEGORE. IT WAS LIKE BEING AT DISNEYLAND AND IN THE FOREST AT THE SAME TIME. THE FIREWORKS WENT ON FOR HOURS AND WERE THE BEST WE HAVE EVER SEEN. THE ANIMALS IN THE PETTING ZOO HAD A FRONT ROW SEATS, AND REALLY SEEMED TO ENJOY THE SHOW TOO!

CATCHING UP-AGAIN-FROM SUMMER CAMP

AUGUST SOMETHING!

I know that I promised myself that I would not let myself get so far behind on the writing of this blog-time just seems to fly by here-and that is the truth! Our 2 days off go especially fast,but I suppose that is true of every ones days off.
We find it hard to believe that it is august already-seems like we just got to Montana a few weeks ago! This place does seem like home now, and the people here are family. Each week there are new plants blooming,always something new to replace something done for the season. We are in the midst of huckleberry season-really big here! There are signs everywhere for fresh huckleberries-roadside stands are all over the place. Flathead cherries are the next big fruit in season,the markets have a ton of them-the huckleberries are hardest to get-and we were lucky to get ourselves some last week. One of the permanent residents here are picking everyday,and when our expedition did not yield any berries,we ended up buying some from them. We are not giving up on finding some on our own-the bears are waiting for us to show up again!
So much has gone on in the last month and a half-I have decided to just post a lot of pics and a few descriptions of each. We are having a great summer, and soon we will be back with our families and friends in California. Looking forward to spending a bit of time with Daddy in Washington-and Aunt Mary Lou and Uncle Leo in Arbuckle.My tomatoes are all getting ripe, and a new pepper is growing too! All of the wildflower seeds I spread around are finally looking hopeful to give us a bloom or two. So, enjoy the pics from summer camp! We love you!