How about now??

 

Cheese heads!!!

That's right, Lambeau Field!  So cool!

Do you know now?

 

Another clue. 

Where am I??

 

Does anyone recognize this place?

The RV dog Marley.

 

She has been a very good girl. She sleeps during the travel time and then romps and plays when we stop. She frolics like a rabbit. When I am sleeping she lays on me and looks at me with those adoring eyes. I love this little dog. ❤️💚

I miss my big dogs at home, though. 

To East Minneapolis

Today was a travel day. Here is our campsite for the night.   

If you look carefully you can see Marley in front of the purple chair. 

 

Tomorrow is going to be a long day - but at the end is my brother and sister in law and their beautiful family.  I can't wait to hug them and see their little farm. I'm so excited. 

Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

We went to Painted Canyon and wove our way through the park. We saw deer, bison, and wild horses. 

  

 

The kids did some climbing. 

 

It was a long day with a National Park ending. 😜

Goodbye Montana!

We got on down the road from St. Mary's at 6 am and drove all day to Medora ND. 

Goodbye Glacier Mountains!  Pictures don't do them justice. 

Red Rock Falls

And then we did another hike to more falls. 

 

 

We heard there was a black bear in the area. We didn't see anything. 

Apikuni Falls

On Saturday we did a 2 mile hike in and back to see some beautiful falls.   

Such pretty flowers in the woods. 

 

There was a trail all the way to the top. 

We saw a....

BEAR!

 

A mama grizzly and her cub were roaming the area. They actually came close to the lodge, where we were headed, but I was so excited I couldn't get a picture.  It ended this epic hike in a most epic way. 

From Hidden Lake back down Logan Pass

Here are a couple pictures of us coming down. We met quite a few people going to the Lake but it was getting very cloudy so we felt like our timing was good. 

 

 

And then, just to keep your attention, the MOST amazing and cool thing EVER happened. 

Logan Pass took us to Hidden Lake

So after a 1.5 mile trek in the snow, beautiful scenery with mountain goats and marmots, we made it to the Hidden Lake Overlook.  

Just gorgeous all the way around. 

We put down our packs and hiking sticks and had a snack of skittles, goldfish, strawberries and granola bars. It was the best snack we ever had. We also made sure to drink lots of water. Keeping hydrated on the trail is important. 

Logan Pass Hike 2

We met a friend.  

We actually saw several mountain goats. They were not afraid of people but didn't come too close. They had lost much of their winter coat. It was really cool to watch them weave in and out of trees foraging for food. 

Logan Pass Hike

It was snow covered so we weren't sure how far we would go.  

 

David and I on the way up, up, up. 

Logan Pass

I've learned that short posts work better so taking that into consideration- I will have several posts about this epic hike. Here is a pre-hike picture.  

Logan Pass parking lot. 

East Glacier Lodge

We had lunch at this lodge- it was beautiful and fun.  

 

Glacier National Park

We rented a van and went to Lake McDonald for lunch, then continued on the Going to the Sun Road for some sightseeing.  

Ryan and Coley at Lake McDonald

 

Scenes on Going to the Sun Road. 

 

 

The most amazing scenery Ever. 

 

Jen and Max enjoying the views. 

We did not hike, but instead went back to the campground and the kids played badminton and went swimming. 

What a fun day. 

Glacier National Park

We met up with our good friends, the Schaerer's, got a great camp site in Kalispell at "Rocky Mountain Hi", and went on a hike as soon as we could.

In front of a topographic map of Glacier National Park, in the Lake McDonald Lodge.

Artie in the woods at Avalanche Gorge.

Our hike took us 2 miles to Avalanche lake, and then 2 miles back to the gorge.  It was beautiful.  A bit rainy and cold - but that made for less people on the trail.

 

 

At Avalanche Lake. 

It was a great hike. 

Bear!

David was almost eaten by a bear.  His mother saved him.

The Badlands

When John first told me he wanted to visit the Badlands, I was not nearly as excited as he was.  It didn't sound at all intriguing or worth the time to visit while on our way to Glacier.  I tend to be of the mind, "Let's get there" and John is more, "Let's see everything we can while on the way there".  We compromise quite well - but each time I give in to a John event, I'm never disappointed and usually quite amazed.  This was definitely the case for the Badlands.

We went on an epic hike (David described the landscape as "the moon") and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I'm glad we stopped.  

Devil's Tower

After Mount Rushmore we went to Devil's Tower.  I tried to explain the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to the kids, but I got blank stares and obligatory nods of the head.  Then I read a brochure about how important the site is to the Native Americans and that peaked a bit of interest.
When we saw it, all the kids were impressed.

David tried to push over the Tower.

Devils' Tower Wyoming

We parked in the lot, and the kids decided they wanted to do the trail around the tower.  My job was to watch the killer daschund and hang out in the shade.  As I did so, I was beginning to relax and take in the amazing scenery when suddenly John appears with all the cameras and hiking sticks that everyone took with them on the hike.  My heart skipped a beat as surely something went horribly wrong.  In actuality, all the kids decided to go bouldering.

The base of Devil's Tower is big boulders.

By the time John and I got back to the site, after putting away the dog and accessories, the kids had climbed almost as far as they could.  It was really cool.  After pictures and lots of waving, they made their way down.

Coming down the boulders.

The kids and John never did make it around the the trail.  Everyone was tired so we headed on to Buffalo.

Inside the metal box we call Artie

Here are a couple of pictures from inside in RV - John driving and Marley's little hideout.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. We are celebrating at a very appropriate place, Mount Rushmore. John and all the kids are hiking the Presidential Trail and I'm enjoying some shade and people watching. It's been a whirlwind of travel, but we are all still here and spirits are high. Marley may want to go home already, but I believe she's the only one.  Pictures to come- when I can get them to load!

How about a throwed roll?

We are up and driving - on our way to the St. Louis arch. We already bought seven tickets so we have to meet our assigned appointment at 9am.   Last night we went to dinner with some old friends at a place called Lamberts in Sikeston, MO. The place itself was very cool, decked out with everything from horse murals to Dale Earnhardt memorabilia.  The food was amazing and the staff was polite and fun. The best part, though, was the throwed rolls.  Really.  That's their coined phrase and they literally throw huge and hot rolls at people. You better catch it too, or you are roll-less. And that is a true shame. Check it out at www.throwedrolls.com   It's a good time.

On the way to Nashville.

We are officially on our way!  We have decided to go around Nashville on 55 so we can view the Grand 'Ole Opry as we pass by. Then on to Sikeston MO for dinner with friends. Except for a duel I had with a big block of ice (which I disintegrated into pieces after spewing all over my bathroom) it has been an uneventful first half day.   Pictures later!