Showing all posts tagged Montana

Green Makes Me Happy

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For a must-see in Montana we were told we needed to go to Libby, MT and spend a day in that area. So we did. It was a few hours drive from where we were in Hungry Horse to Libby so we left in the morning.

It was a scenic drive and when we got there went to the Travel office to see what we could do if we only had a day. The nice lady that worked there suggested Kootenai Falls, the rope bridge and the Ross Creek Giant Cedars.

The hike was a fairly short one to the falls, and I was in complete awe of the beautiful trees! Huge trees and beautiful green forest! Giant green trees and mossy forests seriously make me the happiest gal ever. I can’t wait until we visit Oregon and the Redwoods in California. I’m absolutely itching to get there!

We spent some time overlooking the falls and then hiked the other way to the rope bridge that went across the Kootenai River. It was a little drive to the Cedars so we weren’t able to stay too long.

It was a spectacular drive in the mountains to the Cedar area. As we drove, J and I kinda had an off feeling, but chalked it up to it being in the middle of nowhere.

We had left the bear spray at home and were wishing we hadn’t. When we got there, there were only 1 or 2 cars in the parking lot and one was driving off. So as we were downloading from the truck, we noticed on the message board that there had been a bear sighting with cubs in that area a Ranger had posted and someone else had put a handwritten note that day confirming a sighting. So we were like ok..we will just keep our eyes open. But I think we all had a weird vibe thing going. And everything was just eerily quiet.

  • At the beginning of the trail. Yes, they all had jackets they left in the vehicle.

We got about 50 yards in, none of us really wanting to admit we were a little freaked out and our #2, Mr. Eagleeyes spotted very fresh bear poo by a nearby tree. Our southern, flatlander selves decided we needed to listen to our gut feeling and vacate. So we did.

I was so bummed at missing out on seeing the giant Cedars but I think we did the wise thing by leaving. We have had our fair share of bear encounters, we didn’t need another for the books!

~Enjoy the journey!

White Water Rafting

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FYI: Its cold on a glacier fed river in September y’all. It didn’t stop us from having a blast, but we will sure rethink not renting the rubber suit and boot things next time.

So this was quite different from our float trip down the Snake River in Wyoming. The kids were ecstatic. We knew to wear clothes and shoes that were going to get wet. Because: white water rafting. But I was not prepared for the icy shock that we would be in for walking in knee deep water to our raft on the river. Holy Moly! As our family of 5 and another group of 3 got settled in the raft our river guide gave us the spiel.

Our youngest was the only one without a paddle and he wasn’t completely thrilled about it. He was situated in the middle and I think kept the older man from the other party amused.

Much of the trip was quite windy. So much so, that the wind whipping down into the canyon actually pushed up upstream. We had to paddle hard much of the time just to go forward! So crazy! At one point, we were positioning ourselves to go down some rapids and another raft from the company we were with was at the bottom just kind of sitting there. They were kind of stuck waiting for the wind so all they could do was watch us go down the rapids.

As we got to the bottom, our raft swung around quite dramatically toward their raft and as we swung around, our #1 who was in the back next to the guide, threw her arms out (one with the paddle) in a Gladiator moment and shouted, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?” Oh lawdy.

We finally made it out of the windy canyon area and into quieter waters as we unloaded at the exit point and hiked back to the headquarters. Wet, sandy, frozen and numb. But totally worth it.

These are the memory-making experiences we set out for when we started this lifestyle. I love that my kids will have these times to look back on and have forever.

~Enjoy the journey!

Ropes Courses and Zip Lining

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When we were white water rafting, we shared a raft with some neat people! They told us about Big Mountain in Whitefish that was a ski resort, but had summer activities as well. They had went zip lining, and done a ropes course up on the mountain. So the kids, now that they’ve had a taste of adrenaline, couldn’t wait to go.

The first day, we signed the kiddo’s up for a ropes course up in the trees. It was the coolest thing. After getting the shpiel on how to work the harnesses and clips, they were sent off to climb. Our #3, who a few weeks previous, had a conniption at his sister mentioning zip lining, was the first to climb the platform and step off onto the first obstacle. My plan for him to be in between the other 2 kids in case he needed help went out the window. It was amazing. My kid who was scared just talking about zip lining was tackling these obstacles high up in the trees like a pro.

They all did amazing and I totally chickened out. The next day, the kids and I went back for zip lining. That’s more my style. Flying down a mountain and not really having time to think about it…ha ha.

Once again, the kids did amazing! No hesitation and #3 wanting to go first. We may have created a monster. Not really. But I think we totally found our “thing.” We can’t wait to find more zip lines as we continue our travels.

~Enjoy the journey!

Big Sky State Bound!

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So we weren’t completely sure which direction we were going to head after our time in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone were through. There is a LOT of Wyoming left to explore and then there was South Dakota..

But some nice people at our campground suggested Glacier National Park, so we figured why not!? There were parts affected by wildfires, but we were still able to see much of the park by the time we finished up our month there. We stayed at Mountain Meadows RV Park in Hungry Horse, MT. I have to say, I think this was our favorite place to stay yet. Getting to stay a whole month and immerse ourselves in Montana living was just loverly. We loved every minute of it.

Our lot was nice and spacious, and surrounded by beautiful trees. The leaves were starting to turn and it was a spectacular show the whole month long! The owners were kind and helpful and the shower house was well done and clean.

Getting to know the area, we frequented Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Kalispell. Kalispell was the larger of the towns/cities in the area and where we did our main shopping. Columbia Falls was a sweet little town and my daughter and I got coffee regularly from the handful of tiny coffee houses in every parking lot. That could be a blog post of its own. It was refreshing to not see a Starbucks on every corner. (sorry Starbucks, your coffee isn’t that great) These little coffee huts were seriously adorable and the coffee was excellent at every one.

  • Giant hanging baskets everywhere! This was in Kalispell
  • Downtown Whitefish

Leaving Montana was so sad! The last week there it snowed and we knew it was time to start heading south. We made some amazing memories and saw such beautiful country! There is nothing quite like the mountains and sky in Montana!

~Enjoy the journey!