Lucky us - this year our family trips were back to back. We returned from Lake Powell (8 hours south) and two days later we were headed for Montana (9 hours north). Lots of driving... and lots of isolated time just the two of us, good thing we like each other. We equipped ourselves with playing cards, audio books (no girlie books upon request, boo!), car games, magazines and many snacks of course.
I consider northwest Montana one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen - especially in the summer. There are many lakes and rivers surrounding Flathead Lake (largest freshwater body west of the Mississippi). Each morning the boys woke up and headed out the back door for golf - and the girls decided which lake to head to. It's pretty simple vacationing up there. Throw in a bbq, a few of Dean's legion baseball games, and other spontaneous activities for a little variety - but you don't need much. We are easily entertained by each other's company!
The family took a rafting trip on the Flathead River which they said was quite fun. Unfortunately, we didn't join the family until we drove up Tuesday - so we had some catching up to do. Lindsey's in-laws, the Smiths, have a wonderful place on Lake Blaine (coincidentally adjacent to my parent's future home-site). They were so generous in allowing us to take over their lounge chairs, jet skis, and any other fun stuff on their dock. We even got a little wakeboarding and wakesurfing in. (My attempts at wakesurfing were not camera-worthy.)
One night we took an evening dinner cruise up the Flathead River (miles further down from the rapids obviously). It was beautiful and so calming. The sun was so bright we dove into the stash of baseball caps aboard. They made for some random pictures but we laughed at each other anyway.
Don't we look like a happy family? I LOVE pretending that Reese is mine...
Gotta love Tessie and Dean-o - they make everything fun
Thursday we took a ride in a 1944 B-17 Bomber. It was an incredible experience. Wow! After a short tutorial... "don't touch this, don't touch this, watch your head, what you'll be smelling is normal, if you see a fire let us know..." (ya know, the basics ?!) we were on our way. Tessa and Dad sat in the nose for takeoff (it is all plexiglass)and said it was exhilarating and also a bit scary! Linds, Mike and Duffy were in the main seating area, and Taryn, Ben and I were in the back of the plane in those sweet cargo seats. Of course there were several crew members stationed on the plane to monitor the props and other things during takeoff. The plane had several plexiglass windows so we could see really well even from our seats.
Dean and Tessa were here... what a view for takeoff!
Taryn and I were here... and even though we had a nice big window in front of us and beside us -
This was our view... wrangler-bound man "checking the props"? (dumb and dumber pose back and forth between windows for fifteen minutes) - we were totally cracking up!!! I HAD to snap the picture. p.s. he looks further away than he actually was - trust me.
The ride was really wonderful. After we were up in the air we had the chance to roam around the plane. I was having flashes of the movie Pearl Harbor and I kept wondering how men could spend hours in this plane - it was not pressurized and there were some interesting smells and smoke throughout flight. We flew over Lake Blaine and took in the whole Flathead Valley. It was beautiful from up there and we had a fantastic time.
sending coded messages... before the wrangler guy came up and told me not to touch - fine!
One evening we went to party with the McLennans - never a dull moment with them! They play the most intense tubing game ever - crazy but so much fun. Duffy and Ben had some bonding time on the boat in between rides.
Then there was the 4th. We attended the ward's breakfast and flag raising, and ate the yummiest scrambled eggs... hmm, who cooked those? :) After that it was back to the house to play a little bocce ball with our favorite competitors Tessa and Duffy. Later we went to Lake Blaine for a bit and then to a party on the Swan River. My parent's friends host a great catered bbq every year - complete with kayaks, ping pong, badminton and various other do-it-yourself activities. They are dog lovers and so are their guests! There were big dogs & little dogs, which Reese so fondly called "doggy" and "baby doggy". The setting on the river is so beautiful! Here's Mom and Dad down near the water.
We didn't attend the fireworks show at Bigfork Bay, instead we went back to Smith's one last time for the festivities on Lake Blaine. We boarded the boat and headed out to the middle of the water so we could catch the fireworks all around the lake. Boy - these neighbors did not disappoint! After 90 minutes we were exhausted and headed back in... the fireworks were still going! It was great to have a 360 degree show and a great way to end our trip. Ben and I drove home Sunday, but not before coercing the family to meet up with us at Burgertown for one last hoorah. We hate goodbyes!
I had to include this picture --- The Pic of the Week! I taught Reese to wave and say " Hi Guys!" when she has sunglasses on. Gotta get that girl ready to be turnin' heads!
