Bozeman with Bobcats

This past weekend we drove up to Bozeman to take in a Montana State football game and hang out with friends. The drive up is very pretty, even though we were driving in chilly cloud cover again. At least we saw some fall colors!

We were lucky to stay at our friends' house (Can you say Carson?!?) this trip! We got an excited greeting party all the way from their neighborhood entrance, and the kids ran around together like a 10-legged tornado for a while. Finally, everyone settled down for some sleep, because the next morning we headed downtown to the homecoming parade!

It was quite a parade with music, floats, politicians, horses, and candy for the kids!

Next up was a tailgate outside the stadium at our friends' season spot. The 3 littles (including Hadley) hung out at Carson's grandparents' house while he and Owen came to the game with the adults. Gotta get game ready with some pulled pork!

Since we had a few hours before game time, the boys got filthy and sweaty playing football with some other kids on a grassy spot just outside the tailgate. They told me they scored 50 or 32 touchdowns!

On to the real game: Montana State Bobcats vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (formerly Sioux). Every seat in this stadium had a great view! We were on the 5th row at the 15 yard line, and it seemed like more than half the game was played right in front of us. It really allowed Owen to see the plays up close. Unfortunately, MSU lost, but they almost made it to overtime!

The boys watched most of the game, or did they? By the 4th quarter, they were enjoying the empty seats (and trying to push each other off the bleachers) more than the game.

It was a long day, but it was fun. Hadley had a great time eating pizza and cookies and coloring with her friends' grandparents in their cozy, warm home. We all reunited back at the other house and the kids played well together, making forts and fighting bad guys outside aided by flashlights. Sunday proved to be sunny and beautiful! 

A morning at the park and lunch al fresco suited us just fine before heading back home.

Sign of a weekend well spent:

Cheers for Touchdowns and Mountaintops

What a busy weekend! Owen had a football game on a perfect Saturday morning. He pulled some flags and ran a lot (he plays running back and/or safety). This time one of his runs successfully went for a touchdown, and we caught it on video!! His team is red. He has really enjoyed learning the game, but says he likes defense better.

At the same time, Hadley was at cheer camp (a fundraiser put on by high school cheerleaders where our friend is vice-principal). She had a great time! After football, we went to see her performance. She's in the red shirt and black skirt near the middle.

Then we spent the evening with friends and left our kids at a sleepover, so that us grown-ups could hike Table Mountain the next day. It required a very early start, but we got to see the sunrise over the mountains!

We ended up being gone about 11 hours, 8 of which were hiking up and down 4000+ vertical feet in 14-ish miles! (To put it in perspective, that translates to more than 400 flights of stairs!!) Here's our group at the start of the unmarked trailhead. Note the sign says "not recommended"; that's because we decided to go up the steep face route!

The fall colors were starting, so that was a nice backdrop to the work! It was an overcast day and we were hiking in intermittent, chilly rain. Here's a few trail pictures to show you the steepness and rockiness of the trail.

At least the Teton Range's mountain scenery on either side was beautiful. I can only imagine what it must look like on a clear day!

Looking back on the valley we had driven in from...

Finally above the trees, we could see Table Mountain (our destination)! Also, once out of the trees, the wind really picked up. It was frigid and unyielding! Luckily, friends supplied me with gloves, hat, and scarf, which really helped immensely. Note to self: always pack layers!! Duh!

But some parts of the trail were just silly, like this rock fall. Watch out, ankles! You had to keep an eye out for the cairns distinguishing the "trail" from the rest of the rocks.

And here's the last part of the trail to the top, scrambling over rocks. This is probably challenging enough without battling high winds and a smidge of vertigo.

Ah, finally made it to the top! The wind must have been 40-50 mph with temps in the low 40s. I think Mother Nature was trying to tell us that today was not the day to get up there to 11,100+ feet, but we did it anyway! The world was spinning a bit for me, so I did not leave my spot, as you can tell. Haha!

And for all that, this was our view from the top. A wall of clouds and just a glimpse of the bottom of the Tetons. Bummer!

This is what we should have seen - the back of the Grand Teton! (A friend shared this from her last trip up.) Maybe I would do this hike again on a clear day, maybe.

No place for lunch in the cold wind up top, so we decided to start the scenic way down.

Lots of switchbacks made for a pretty quick descent. They are not that far ahead! But the trail back was much longer, as we had to walk down through a canyon around the mountain. Because of that, it was much warmer (blocked from the wind) and so picturesque. We do live in a beautiful area!

Shhh...Don't Tell Owen

But Hadley and I do stuff while he's at school slaving away. Haha! He always asks what we did while he was gone and wants the full report. Sometimes, it really is fun stuff, like when Hadley got to pet a hedgehog at the zoo.

But most of the time, we are running errands or hanging out at the house. I like running errands with her. She's pretty helpful, interested, and entertaining. This wall of mirrors could have kept her busy for half an hour, if I let her!

Hadley misses him like crazy, but I do what I can. Occasionally she puts on shows for me, like this one with her animals.

Other times she actually plays on her own. I hear lots of talking to herself when that happens! And I'm on a need-to-know basis on what she's actually saying. Yes, that is her lovey, Kitty, stuffed inside her shirt "to keep her warm."

But, her quirkiness always shines through. Like when she wanted to try on her winter boots with her gymnastics leotard...

Mostly, I just try to enjoy this rare one-on-one time with my girl before she's in all-day school, too!

Harriman State Park

On a rainy and cool Labor Day, we headed an hour north to Harriman State Park. We may have been a little surprised at just how chilly it was when we had our picnic lunch in the trees! Luckily, we did think ahead to bring our raincoats too, so we all doubled up.

Henry's Fork of the Snake River goes through the park, offering serene river views along the east side of it. I think there's supposed to be a Teton view here, too, but it was way too overcast for us to glimpse on this trip.

It seemed some forest members were thinking it felt like fall already, too!

I'm so glad we all packed our raincoats, because shortly along the trail, we were walking in a light rain! With temperatures hovering in the low 50s, we decided to keep trucking on, since the sun was supposed to make an appearance in the afternoon sometime! 

After the river, we crossed back through the woods to Silver Lake, which was very pretty and probably even more so with clear skies.

Even the swans were out enjoying the lake despite the drizzle.

The area is all part of a large caldera; the rim of which was apparent to the northwest.

Between fits of rain, we enjoyed what we could. For Owen that meant finding the best gun-like stick and pretending to shoot imaginary foes throughout the hike.

When the clouds did part, it was evident that the scenery was quite beautiful!

It was a working cattle ranch at the turn of the century, and there are some ranch buildings remaining, including the owners' cabins with spectacular views of Henry's Fork right off the back porch. 

Of course, on the short hike back to the car, the sun came out! But we were all tired and damp and ready to call it a day by that point. We'll have to come back again!