Bison Range

We took my grandma and her husband for a drive over the Bison Range. My kids had never been there (for shame!), and it'd been a while for me, so it was a fun trip. Clark played tour guide for us, since his 96 year old eyes seemed to spot the animals a lot faster than the rest of us. We saw quite a few buffalo, a large herd of antelope, a doe and little spotted fawn (up close and personal, they were--clearly used to the cars/people), and a couple of elk (just some females). It was a gorgeous day and the kids were really excited to see all these new animals. Once we got back down, we stopped for huckleberry milkshakes, of course :)

In the valley between where we're standing and those big, gorgeous mountains is my tiny hometown (Doug says it doesn't qualify as a town, but is instead merely a village or hamlet. I say 850 people is plenty big enough for a town).
I miss these mountains being out the back door. I really, really do.

Ponies

My sister acquired a couple of ponies last year, and they're pretty friendly creatures. All three of my kids love horses, have very little fear of them at all, and seem to take to riding (at least initially) quite naturally. Apparently, the genes came through even if their experiences haven't allowed them to spend much time around these type of critters. Doug is a horse lover, as is his grandfather, and my grandpa was a horse man through and through, locally famous for his horse training skills.

Dylan giving the rope swing a try while Daddy and Keilana round up the ponies. Buck, the plain-nosed fella, isn't terribly friendly. Usually, the kids don't ride him because he is so appropriately named. Dylan gave it a shot (while Doug had a tight hold on the lead). After 12 yards or so, he did start to hop a bit and knocked Dylan off. He didn't fall hard, and only cried for a few seconds before getting back on.

Don't you love their riding-appropriate footwear? Someday we'll get them on real horses. Until then, shorts and flip flops will do.

Kylie loved the ponies, and whenever she was outside (which was most of the time), she was trying to get someone to take her to the ponies or to the creek. She is an animal lover in general--I don't think she's ever met a critter she wasn't thrilled to touch and hold. :)

Kylie at the lake

We spent the Friday night we were there up at Twin Lakes with campfire, guitars, canoes, etc. Everyone had a good time, but I think Kylie had the most fun. She loves water, and every time I looked away for a second, she was trying to sneak her feet into the lake or was throwing rocks.

I love me some toddler belly. Look at that soccer ball tummy!

Enjoying the beautiful Montana sunset in her jammies.

Big Sky Country

Of all the things I miss about Montana, sometimes I think that its the sky I miss the most.

This is what I picture when the days get hot and hazy and smoggy in the San Joaquin Valley. A little slice of heaven, where there are blue skies and big, glorious, whiter-than-white cumulus clouds.

Independence Day

There are some scary/infuriating things going on out there. There have been for quite some time, but it seems to be accelerating. I like the idea of America, so I'm gonna keep betting on her for now. Enjoy your freedom, while you have it.

A thought from many years ago, that seems particularly prescient almost 250 year later:

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue then they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."

~ Samuel Adams

Happy 4th of July, all.

Promontory Point

So it turns out that I took more than 650 pictures, not including the 80 or so that I snapped with my phone. Digital can be deceptive that way. So as not to overload you (or myself), I'm sorting through them one "phase" at a time.

On Monday, we decided the kids needed a break and something interesting to see. We'd gotten in the car at about 1pm on Sunday and drove clear to Beaver, UT, with very little stopping. We stayed in a Super 8 and then started on the road again at about 6:30 or 7. So the kids were getting fidgety and so were we. We took a slightly out-of-the-way route so we could see Promontory Point, where the Golden Spike was driven to complete the Transcontinental Railroad. They have working replicas of the two trains that were involved. Dylan was in heaven, explaining to me what all the different parts of the engines were.

This is Keilana and Doug in front of the Jupiter. Dylan really liked this engine quite a lot, and was rather irritated that he couldn't ride on it.
Dylan had one of his rare diligent-big-brother moments, helping Kylie up the stairs. They actually get along really well, Dylan is just usually too wrapped up in whatever he's doing to realize that she needs help with anything.
This is the No. 119 train. Doug liked the look of this one a bit better--and we got to see it do a fair amount of driving!

A little car weary, but still doing well at this point. We decided to veer off the wickedly boring I-15 through Idaho route, so at Dubois we hit the 22 and then the 93 at Salmon and drove up the 93 along the Salmon river until we hit the pass and headed into the Bitterroot Valley. It was a long drive, but SO much prettier and more interesting and less stressful than the Interstate. However, it made for a really long second half of the day on Monday. The kids handled it pretty well, all things considered.

More to come.

3,000+ Miles

12 days. 18 cousins. Lots more 2nd cousins. 7 days at Yaya's house. Canoe trips, frybread, s'mores and buffalo. Quick stops in Salt Lake and Reno, ending with trains in Sacramento.

Glad to be home. Pictures and stories soon.