We had a lot of fun in Montana with Nana and Papa John. We got there Saturday the 14th, and stayed until Wednesday the 25th.
When we got there, we found out Papa John got a brand new truck while they were in Billings waiting for our plane to arrive. So we got to ride home in the brand new GMC. Here's a photo of Papa John in his new truck, and Gunnar on the ride in his car seat.
While we were there, we went to coffee every morning with Nana and Papa John at Ray and Janet's Rock Shop in Fishtail. Justin says they have the best mochas, and Papa John goes there for the rancher-talk with his coffee buddies. Gunnar seemed to really enjoy seeing Ray every morning too, and when he's old enough, we're going to teach him to call Ray "ray ray". Here's Gunnar and his first cup of "Rock Shop Coffee" (ok, the cup was empty).
Here's Papa John and Gunnar playing hats at the Rock Shop one morning.
The night we landed, Nana found out she won a new four-wheeler at the Nye Goes Nuts celebration. It was the biggest thing she ever won, and I bet she'll have a blast driving it around the ranch. Here she is picking up the four-wheeler at the Nye Fire Station.
Daddy and Papa John had fun watching Nana on the ATV with Gunnar too.
Nana and Papa John got Gunnar a brand new "horse", which Gunnar insisted on riding backwards - I hope this isn't a sign of how he will try riding real horses when he's old enough.
Daddy wanted to go swimming, so we headed up toward Emerald Lake one day (the lake was WAY too cold for any swimming though). I leaned down to cool Gunnar off with his feet in the water (still had his socks on) but the lake and the view were amazing. I had forgotten how easy it is to find solitude in Montana - we didn't see a single car on the way up, and when we got there, there was one car in the lot, a couple who were on a day fishing trip. It's so refreshing up there.
Our friend Dick took Justin out for some early-morning fishing a couple times, and Justin caught 3 fish while we were there! Dick has an adorable little dog, who didn't have enough fur for Gunnar to grab, so she wasn't afraid of him. Here's a photo of Gunnar and Buttons, and one of Justin's fish, which Papa John grilled up for Justin (the other one had already been eaten)...
One day, we headed up the Beartooth Pass, switchbacks and all. It was about a 4,000' climb to around 9,000' elevation. Justin was a bit nervous with the cliffs, and thought I was crazy when we stopped so I could take photos over the edge. We got some of the most amazing photos from this road trip, and in no way do they show how high we actually were.
Once we got past the switchbacks, we found a town called "The Top of the World", where we stopped to rest and eat our picnic. Here's a photo of Justin under the sign.
We then headed over the hill to Cooke City, which is a gateway to Yellowstone Park. Here we stopped, rested, checked out a few stores, and tried to get Gunnar to pet a stuffed bear. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled at first.
Then it was on toward Mammoth Hot Springs, which is a resort village in the park. There's a grassy area in the middle of the buildings where elk graze and just sort of hang out while people walk the sidewalks around them. Seems pretty dangerous to me... but Justin got out and took some good photos. We also saw another buffalo while we were in Mammoth.
That's it for right now. I'm going to add the rest of the photos to the next blog... there's so much more to see!
The flight into Billings was pretty uneventful... they had an extra seat so we got to bring Gunnar's car seat on the plane, which gave my arms a little break from the squirming I endured last time. Gunnar loves flying because there are so many people in such a small proximity who pay attention to him. He finally took a moment from his flirting with passengers to take a short nap on the flight. Here's a photo of Gunnar and Daddy on the plane...
When we got there, we found out Papa John got a brand new truck while they were in Billings waiting for our plane to arrive. So we got to ride home in the brand new GMC. Here's a photo of Papa John in his new truck, and Gunnar on the ride in his car seat.While we were there, we went to coffee every morning with Nana and Papa John at Ray and Janet's Rock Shop in Fishtail. Justin says they have the best mochas, and Papa John goes there for the rancher-talk with his coffee buddies. Gunnar seemed to really enjoy seeing Ray every morning too, and when he's old enough, we're going to teach him to call Ray "ray ray". Here's Gunnar and his first cup of "Rock Shop Coffee" (ok, the cup was empty).
Here's Papa John and Gunnar playing hats at the Rock Shop one morning.
The night we landed, Nana found out she won a new four-wheeler at the Nye Goes Nuts celebration. It was the biggest thing she ever won, and I bet she'll have a blast driving it around the ranch. Here she is picking up the four-wheeler at the Nye Fire Station.
Daddy and Papa John had fun watching Nana on the ATV with Gunnar too. Nana and Papa John got Gunnar a brand new "horse", which Gunnar insisted on riding backwards - I hope this isn't a sign of how he will try riding real horses when he's old enough.Daddy wanted to go swimming, so we headed up toward Emerald Lake one day (the lake was WAY too cold for any swimming though). I leaned down to cool Gunnar off with his feet in the water (still had his socks on) but the lake and the view were amazing. I had forgotten how easy it is to find solitude in Montana - we didn't see a single car on the way up, and when we got there, there was one car in the lot, a couple who were on a day fishing trip. It's so refreshing up there.Our friend Dick took Justin out for some early-morning fishing a couple times, and Justin caught 3 fish while we were there! Dick has an adorable little dog, who didn't have enough fur for Gunnar to grab, so she wasn't afraid of him. Here's a photo of Gunnar and Buttons, and one of Justin's fish, which Papa John grilled up for Justin (the other one had already been eaten)...
One day, we headed up the Beartooth Pass, switchbacks and all. It was about a 4,000' climb to around 9,000' elevation. Justin was a bit nervous with the cliffs, and thought I was crazy when we stopped so I could take photos over the edge. We got some of the most amazing photos from this road trip, and in no way do they show how high we actually were. Once we got past the switchbacks, we found a town called "The Top of the World", where we stopped to rest and eat our picnic. Here's a photo of Justin under the sign.
We then headed over the hill to Cooke City, which is a gateway to Yellowstone Park. Here we stopped, rested, checked out a few stores, and tried to get Gunnar to pet a stuffed bear. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled at first.
We then headed back home a different route - through a northern corner of Yellowstone Park. There were quite a few cars at the viewpoints along the way, but traffic was very light through the park. Along the road we saw a buffalo laying about 15 feet from the road. Papa John said he didn't take the truck out of gear while I was taking the photo b/c he was afraid the buffalo might get up and try to charge. Good thing I have good zoom on the camera.
Then it was on toward Mammoth Hot Springs, which is a resort village in the park. There's a grassy area in the middle of the buildings where elk graze and just sort of hang out while people walk the sidewalks around them. Seems pretty dangerous to me... but Justin got out and took some good photos. We also saw another buffalo while we were in Mammoth.That's it for right now. I'm going to add the rest of the photos to the next blog... there's so much more to see!
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