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Sorry it's been so long since I've written. Life is so busy already with WAI, SnF and AirVenture in the future. Thought I'd write about last month. =)
Lisa, Adam and I took a winter vacation last month. We drove the 20 hours each way to Montana. Mom and Dad had only arrived a few days earlier, but the hot tub was hot and the wine rack full.
We did so much while we were out there and it was a lot of fun. It was my first time out there in winter and I really enjoyed it. Here is Adam’s photo gallery.
We left on a Tuesday morning and arrived Wednesday right at dusk. The last hour and a half of the drive is through a gorge that goes through Yellowstone Park and can be not only really snowy but full of large animals such as buffalo and elk. So driving it at night can be hazardous to your health.
Thursday morning we slept in and then went into the town of West Yellowstone to get some snowshoes and poles rented. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon snowshoeing on a trail a couple miles from Mom and Dad’s house.
The next day was February 8th, Gregg’s 33rd birthday. We woke up and it was snowing like crazy….which the weather radio was calling flurries. Apparently flurries in Montana equal 8 inches and white out conditions. So we spent the day inside playing cards, drinking beer and talking about Gregg. In the evening we had a fantastic dinner of trout Dad caught in Hebgen Lake (right out back of the house next to the mountains) and I made a batch of brownies….one of Gregg’s favorite desserts and we toasted and said Happy Birthday to him. It was very nice. I was glad to have been able to celebrate that surrounded by my friends and family.
I also know that back home in Oshvegas there was a Spotted Cow sitting at one of the seats at the bar we always hang out at, West End, just for Gregg. My friends are just the best. Thank you.
The next day we went Moonlight Basin in Big Sky early in the morning and got Lisa set up for an all day ski lesson and then Adam and I hit the slopes too. It was great skiing. Lots of powder and long runs. We met up with Lisa and saw she was doing fantastic with her ski pro. She was also really enjoying herself which made me really happy because I was scared she might not like it and the day wasn’t exactly cheap.
Sunday we did an all day tour of the park on snowmobiles. We saw the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Norris Geyser Basin and TONS of animals. Check out our videos of the herd of bison we rode through. They were close enough to reach out and touch…..Yikes! The videos are over on the right side.
The next day we relaxed a bit during the day and then in the evening we drove to Big Sky for a horse drawn sleigh ride up the mountain to a cabin where we had a superb meal cooked on a wood burning stove (from Beaver Dam, WI) and listened to cowboy music from a real cowboy. =) It was an awesome time.
Here are a few pics from that.
You can't tell, but the sleigh and horses are behind us.
It was so beautiful that night. Not too cold and big fluffy snow was falling. Here is Adam, Mom and Lisa as we are heading in the cabin for dinner.
Here are our hansome horseys. I think their names were something like Ike and Earl. Belgian Geldings, so beautiful! =)
Tuesday was our last day in Montana to do something so we hit the slopes again over at Big Sky this time. Skiing in Montana is just so different from the Midwest. The runs are MILES long and in a good day you might ski 6 or 8 runs, because they are so long. The powder that day was phenomenal. Your knees would be burning and shaking and I would have to take multiple rests on the way down. I’ve never sweat so much skiing before. It was amazing.
I’m so glad we went out there. It was a much needed vacation. I got to hang out with my parents and good friends and just have a really good time.
Life is different, but it is still good. I miss Gregg a lot, but I am thankful for what I do have and able to look forward with out being scared.
T
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