A weekend at the cabin

Well, I'm a couple weeks behind on the blog...  but I will catch up!  Two weeks ago, we made it up to the cabin on an overnight trip.  We got a little work done and had so much fun!  Here are some pictures from the trip...

Clint and Dane checking for loose screws in the siding...  however I'm pretty sure I know where to find some loose screws and they have nothing to do with the cabin!  :)

The weather was perfect for spending the afternoons at the water.  We caught crawdads, swam, and just had so much fun!

Apparently there was a spot on my lens...  sorry about that.

Kimber with a little bitty crawdad...  and she didn't even try to eat it! 

So, I'm inside with Kimber, Dane and Clint are out doing some "man work" and I hear the dog going crazy...  Whining and carrying on.  Which is very unlike Bones.  So, I peek out and this is what I see.  A pine squirrel on the ladder. 

I called Bones back and then was able to sneak up and get a couple pictures.  Clint and Dane showed up about then and Clint said it was hiding under the outhouse and booked it back to the cabin when then disturbed it.  Poor thing is a LONG WAYS from any pine trees!

Then we were out on a walk, and I spotted a horned toad (aka horned lizard)  I told Dane he could hold it for a minute, but as soon as it dropped on the ground he would have to let it go.  Surprisingly it stayed put for a while.  He thought it was pretty cool!

Dane helping Clint with some very important "man work".

That is one big crawdad!!!  Yes, we did eat them both nights.  Their little tails are tiny and I struggled to get the meat out, but they taste fine once you get it out.

Just having a good time!

22 Miles of Fun!

First I have to thank Lisa, I didn't take my camera on this run and my brother took a ton of pictures.  All of these pictures were poached off of their wonderful blog!  Thanks guys!

As I said in my previous posts, Dad, Erik and I ran a 10 mile run one day as a "warm up" for this run.  This run was to the top of the Matterhorn.  22 miles total and we will climb to about 9830 feet.  This is my dad and I at the beginning just arriving at the trailhead.  Erik is behind the camera!

There is one place that the Forest Service had to take out a bridge.  Fortunately a nice big tree fell right in that area to cross.  This river is  really cold so I was glad that we didn't have to wade across.

Here we are going up...  there is a lot of that on this run! 

My awesome Dad...

8 miles in is Ice Lake.  It holds fond memories for Erik and I.  He came home on leave from the Navy when I was about 14 and we backpacked in and spent the night.  We caught fish and just had a great time.  Those high lakes are so beautiful, I never get over it.

Erik (my amazing brother) and I with Ice Lake behind us.  Actually the Matterhorn is also behind us, but I don't think you can see the top from this angle

Two great guys!

Although we are about 9 or 10 miles in...  I apparently still have a little sass!

 

There are notebooks on the top of the peaks that you can write messages in...  It is a neat opportunity to look back and see who has been there in the past and read what they wrote. 

Here are the three of us on top!  It was so beautiful.  It totally reminded me of goat hunting with Clint last fall.  Made me wish he was with us so I could share the experience with him as well. 

Dad always tells us to "suck in our gut and stick out our chest" when a picture is about to be taken.  It always makes everyone smile!

Views from the top

Erik on top of the world!

Erik remembered this little arch from a past trip he took up there.  He found it again and we had to get a picture!

On the way back down to Ice Lake

Our trail back down.  If you look hard you can just see us towards the bottom of the switchbacks.

Erik on the way down.

The downhill is actually kind of tough as well.  You aren't really breathing that hard, but your quads take a beating and your legs can feel kind of shaky after that many miles.  (Okay, mine did.  There was no indication from Erik or Dad that they felt anything but amazing...  they both have this incredible toughness that goes way beyond the physical component.  It's this amazing mental drive.)

We did it!  I wish Erik would have told me he was taking my picture and I would have mustered up a smile or a thumbs up or something.  (Okay maybe he did tell me and I flipped him the bird.  He may have waited until I put my hand down to take the picture!  Ha ha!  Just kidding!) 

Truth be told, I was spent.  I have never ran that far and honestly I'm proud of myself for doing it.  However, my quads were pretty tight for a few days!  (everyone got a good laugh every time I went to sit down or go down stairs... ) 

I can see how my dad and brother enjoy it so much though.  It is a completely different style of running that is really fun.  I look forward to the next time I can do it with them!

Oregon Trip - Post # 2

The other butterfly picture that I promised!

What adventure is complete without a ride on the CAT...

I think that the looks on the kid's faces in these are priceless!

The hike to Slick Rock is quite beautiful, so everyone decided to do the hike one morning.  Some of the little ones decided it was just a little too far and after hitching a ride for a bit, Courtney, Marsha, and I turned around with Dane and Chloe.
Here are a couple little ones being carried by the guys!

5 Beautiful girls!  Marsha, Courtney, Naomi, Chloe, and Olivia

Gramps entertaining Kimber...  or Kimber entertaining Gramps!

Evan and Clint really enjoyed shooting together.  Evan did a great job and picked it up quickly.

On one of our trips to the lake we spent some time on the River as well.  We caught sculpins and minnows...  then we built a little "holding pond" for our catch.  Here are Evan, Gramps, and Dane checking out what we had caught so far.

Kimber and Dane enjoying a little mud!

Dane and a "toad frog" that he caught.  Look at the size of that thing!

Then there were the little baby "toad frogs" as well.

A nice trout

 

When Clint and I met, he was in Joseph for the summer working on a neighbor's ranch.  While we were there we went over to the ranch to reminisce a bit.  Here is the "cabin".  It is truly beautiful.

Clint has such fond memories of the people he was working for, Richard and Debbie Surface.  They owned a very successful nursery and he worked there for about 7 years.  Sadly, Richard passed away, but Clint still has such wonderful memories of the things he learned, and the time he spent, with these great people.  Debbie is doing well, and we just missed her when we arrived for our visit.  Maybe next time we can connect.

Richard, Debbie, and Clint 7-25-00

Clint said he got to have some fun on this!

The trip to Oregon was wonderful!  We had such a good time and although I wish I could, I can't possibly include pictures of every moment or every experience.  It was great to see all of my family and spend some good time together doing things that we all love.  Now we just have to let Marsha and Dad recuperate so we can do it again!  :)  Or perhaps everyone can come to Montana!