Thursday, August 13, 2009

Roadtrip Week 2: Tunnels, Wild Animals and a Wedding with celebrities...

Week 2 of our roadtrip - still underway!



Saturday: we hiked our butts off in Waterton, Alberta CA. 12 miles on the 'Crypt Lake Trail' involved a boat shuttle to the trailhead, a few stepping stone bridges to cross water, a ladder, a tunnel - and a secret lake at the top of the mountain. Unreal! We met a woman who is retired and goes on hiking trips with friends several times per year. She hiked down with us - and it gave me something to shoot for when I retire (great thing to think about right before launching into a new career!)

Saturday night/Sunday: We drove to Many Glaciers Hotel in Montana that afternoon where we would spend two nights. H's ankle was not in top form - so we took the day on Monday to drive Going to the Sun road. The fog was so thick in the morning - only about 10 feet of visibility! So - we checked out Whitefish, MT and the Apgar area before hitting the Going to the Sun home-bound. When we could see out the window - we spotted mountain goats and big horn sheep along the drive.

Monday: A nine hour drive to Jackson, WY took most of the day. I got a lot of knitting done while H drove and we listened to books on our iPod. We've got quite the routine down. We stayed at the Alpine House Inn - and immediately asked if they had room to add on another night. It was a great Inn with the B&B service and common areas and spa-like rooms. They had wine, coffee/tea and cookies in the afternoon - and a chef preparing breakfast in the morning. We are trying to figure out when we can return. Dinner was at the Blue Lion just a block or two away. It is fighting with Saltlik in Banff as the best dinner of the trip.

Tuesday: Whitewater Rafting down the Snake River. Even though it is not a 'high water' time of year (highest is mid to late June) - we had a blast in our 6 person raft. The only person to get ejected spontaneously was the guide - and there are pictures to prove it! Right in front of the toughest rapids - and the cameras. We ordered a great shot showing the guide doing a back flip out of the raft. Drove to Yellowstone and the Old Faithful Inn that night.
Wednesday: Got up really early to take part of a 5 hour 'photography' tour. We learned how to use all the fun features on our camera and got toured around in this really cute yellow vehicle.

Wednesday Night - Sunday: We drove to Big Sky that afternoon. We saw 5 huge marine helicopters flying in formation along the way... then, the supposedly quiet mountain village is OVERRUN by people in business casual tied to their blackberries (all looking VERY serious). Guess who is coming to Big Sky... the leader of our great country! Fun - I hope he stops by the wedding. I'm pretty sure we are being monitored - so no more on that.

We are staying put until Sunday - when we have a 14 hour drive home. I have studying to do and H is going on fly fishing with a guide. I'm joining girls for fun things like running and getting our nails done. With law school orientation starting at 8am sharp on Monday and H eager to get back to the office - it will be an easy driving day. This already has been a great trip - and we still have the best part left: the wedding!

1 comment:

Tangled Noodle said...

This is what hubs and I hope to do someday: a meander beautiful countryside as drive leisurely from place to place. Lovely photos, especially the first one - so striking! Sounds like you are having a marvelous time. 8-)