Roadtrip, The final days

Day Nine

At the start of our trip, we intended to go through Yellowstone on the way home, but we got many recommendations to try Glacier instead. So, around noon, we headed north from Missoula. (We would have started out earlier, but we discovered our front brakes needed to be changed. Not a chance we wanted to take before winding our way up the "Road to the Sun".)

We decided to camp just outside Glacier Park so we could get an early start the next morning. Our campsite was near a reservoir by Hungry Horse, MT. The campground was fine; the neighbors, well. . .I'll just say it wasn't serene. Luckily a small rain storm drown out some of the noise. I will say, however, this campground had a very friendly host who gave us some great tips for our trip to Glacier the next day.

Day Ten

Lily slept so well in the tent, that we had to finally wake her up to take the tent down and get on our way. It took us an hour to get to the entrance of the park and another hour to reach the pass at the top of the Road to the Sun. I have never seen such spectacular beauty in my life. Every turn takes your breath away.

At the top, we took a three mile round trip hike to an overlook of Hidden Lake. Lily was a trooper and walked almost a mile, all uphill. The rest of the hike gave me and Mike an opportunity to burn some extra calories by carrying a thirty-pound "pack".

(Ahh, nice family photo. . .who is the lady in pink?!!)

On our way down the other side, we ventured on another 2 mile round trip hike to see St. Mary's falls.



Lily was so tuckered by the hike back that she literally fell asleep on Mike's shoulder. She took a good nap as we finished our drive through the park. As she snoozed, we got this pic.


Although there were a lot of people in the park, I am so glad we took the time to see it. They say the glaciers will be gone by the year 2030. My only regret is that there was so much more to see! But, by day ten, we were all ready to start the trip home.

We traveled a few more hours and found a hotel in Helena for the night. (I must mention that I was able to swing a great deal -- A two-room king bed and sofa pull-out at the Marriot for $94!)


The Last Day

The final day was just a push to get home. We left Helena at 8:30, and with some treats, a new sticky hand toy, and some fun glo-sticks, we arrived home at 1:15 am. What a great trip.

Roadtrip, Days 7 and 8

Day Seven

Today we said goodbye to our friends and Pullman and trekked to Aquarius campground in the Clearwater National Forest of Idaho. Mike and I had camped here many times and it had become our favorite spot. Unfortunately, all the sites were taken when we arrived (after a 3 1/2 hour drive!). Luckily, about 30 minutes down the road was another campground we enjoyed just as much, and it was a bit more kid friendly, too, with some calmer spots to hang out in the water. She especially loved this big rock that she called "the walrus".

We weren't sure how Lily would do on a camp-out, but she LOVED it. The tent was so exciting to her as well as brushing her teeth outside. "We can just spit on the ground?" She even slept right through a thunderstorm that echoed through the mountain valley like someone shaking sheet metal. It was awe-inspiring.

Day Eight

After a lazy morning packing up camp, we decided to take the "shortcut" through the mountains instead of heading back two hours to the the highway. I think it did save us some time, but we made up for it in tense driving moments. Multiple times our stomachs turned at the thought of a slight mistake sending us over the plunging shoulder. (Of course Lily was absorbed in Max and Ruby the whole time -- if you don't know what Max and Ruby is, consider yourself lucky!)

We finished the 71 mile drive in just over 3 hours. Whew.

We stayed the night in Missoula, MT. Pizza at the Makenzie River Company and DQ topped off the evening.

By the way, there are no pictures for this day because my camera battery died after that shot of me and Lily in the river, and the one thing I forgot to pack was the charger!

Roadtrip, Days 5 and 6

Day Five

This morning we headed to the WSU campus and wandered around the buildings, old and new. Mike got a chance to catch up with his grad school advisor while Lily and I headed to a local park and visited with some old co-workers that are still dear to my heart.

After picking up some Hunan at our favorite chinese place (New Garden), we took the winding road out to Boyer park on the snake river. It was a bit sad to be there without Zip, knowing she would love to take a swim.

That evening, we hung out with the Wilm's again. The kids played, the dads golfed and moms talked (and talked and talked). It was like no time had passed at all.

Day Six

We were supposed to leave Pullman today, but we just couldn't do it! We decided to hang out an extra day, and, thankfully, the Wilm's didn't mind putting us up one more night. The extra day gave us a chance to visit some favorite stores like Tri-State, Taco Time and Daily Grind. Maren and I even got a chance to go get a coffee sans pre-schoolers! We also took some time to hang out at Sunnyside park, which is just blocks from our old house on Walnut. Lily loved feeding the ducks and Mike and I even got in a little frisbee.

I also stopped by Lincoln, where I used to teach, not expecting anyone to be there in the middle of July. When I peeked in the office, Frances was there! And as I was talking to her Kenny showed up as well. How fun to see some old co-workers.

We also took time to quite literally smell the roses at Lawson Gardens!

Lily got a chance to giggle uncontrollably with her "cousins" as she called them. They all sat around their little table at supper and made up nonsense songs. "If you're happy and you know it, eat your fork!" It was an adorable sight.