She Fell Down

Our time in Idaho was short. We didn't know northern Idaho had so much to offer! It's really beautiful and full of magnificent lakes. It is not potato country though. We were disappointed to discover this. A big thanks to Tim and Jill, Mindi's family, who took us in for a night, fed us a yummy meal, and convinced us we needed to make a return trip to Idaho. 

Montana greeted us with this guy. We found him on a travel magazine at the rest area. We made it our Montana mission to find him. 

As we drove through Montana, we kept seeing signs for huckleberry. Huckleberry everything. Whole stores devoted to huckleberry. Naturally we had to stop and check it out. We ended up with huckleberry ice cream and a huckleberry shake. Tasty berries!

Our first stop in Montana was Glacier National Park. I can not imagine this place in the winter. The snow was so deep. Because it was melting the waterfalls were magnificent and plentiful. We saw one glacier, Jackson Glacier. Having been to Alaska, we think of ourselves as glacial experts. I will tell you this, Glacier National Park was beautiful but if you want to see glaciers, trek to Alaska. We kayaked in Swiftcurrent Lake. The water was freezing!!! Good thing we didn't fall in! It's the clearest water, though. We have seen some of the cleanest lakes on this trip! We saw a coyote meandering down the road. We drove the scenic Going to the Sun Road. 

These are the rocks along the lake shores. They are beautiful!

We drove through Montana. It's vast and remote. You definitely don't have to worry about pesky neighbors here. We always wonder where these people grocery shop. And I must give props to UPS. We have seen UPS trucks in some of the most remote parts of this country! 

We ended the night just outside of Big Sky. Our camping neighbors just happened to be a bluegrass band. One pick in the banjo and we were all ears. Listening to bluegrass music by a campfire in Montana is a great way to end the night. We also learned, thanks to a major thunderstorm, that our tent doesn't leak. Good to know. 

Mindi has wanted to ride a horse in Montana since we left. So we ended up at Jake's Horses in Big Sky. She says this, "I'm so excited to ride a horse in Montana! You know, I'm a little skittish around horses." We saddle up anyway, ready for a two hour ride through picture postcard scenery. We end up on horses that look identical. Beaver and Lilly. Looks is where the similarities end. Mindi gets a horse that happily trots along. He keeps up. He does what he should. Lilly has zero interest in what we are doing. She wants to eat. This isnt allowed and I try to get her to stop. She gives me a head shake and eats anyway. This causes us to fall farther and farther behind. (You can see from the pictures that I am not behind Mindi as I should be.) And a good kick (or ten) doesn't phase her. Nothing. I'm not too worried. I figure as long as I have them in my sight all is well. And all was well until it wasn't. Lilly fell down. True story. The horse fell to the ground. Seeing that I was on her back....you can imagine what happened. My 'fall off a horse that is falling' instincts kicked in. Mindi said I yelled 'she fell down.' She turned in time to see me crawling. I knew I needed to roll off and get out of the way! I didn't want her to step on me. We both popped right back up. Lane, our trusty cowboy guide, helped me back in the saddle. The only causulty was the dirt on my jeans. I'll let you know that the second half of the ride went just like the first. Lilly eating her way along while we fell farther and farther behind. 

Lane was as close as we came to our cowboy :)

We've been in grizzly and black bear country for a few days. I have not been concerned. I have Mindi with me, and she is now armed with bear spray. 

Mindi to the Rescue

Washington greeted us with fir trees as far as the eye could see. They are tall. They are plentiful. They beckon you to hike within their shade. So that's exactly what we did. We conquered two mountains (volcanoes really) in one day. 

Mt. St. Helen's was the first stop. She last blew her top with a major eruption in 1980 and the evidence is still lingering. The paths around her are littered with decaying trees. A house half buried in mud can still be found a few miles away. She was smoking a bit....which could have been cause for alarm. But no worries, we didn't feel any rumblings. We were also able to test our knowledge on animal poo here with a park ranger. I'm happy to report that we matched poo to animal correctly on the first try. We weren't fooled by the elk poo. Alaska made us experts on moose poo and we know that it is deceivingly small. Big animal, small poo. 

It was also here that we encountered Big Foot. He's left his mark all over this part of the country. Mindi believes he (and mermaids) really exist. 

Mt. Rainer was next up. Here we were greeted with a majestic mountain still holding onto winter. This made for a fabulously fun (and funny) hiking experience!! We really needed a sled. We hiked out to Snow Lake, which was still partially covered in snow and beautiful. 

This reflection lake was beautiful. I would just like to say that it took Mindi a good five minutes to see the reflection. I'm not sure where she was looking. 

We have hiked a lot on this trip. We haven't encountered any wildlife. But we've been taught what to do should we have an encounter. Make yourself as big as possible. Don't run away. We are coming back from our hike to Snow Lake when we heard it. The crackle and crunch of branches. Mindi is ahead of me a bit on the trail. I assume it's another hiker. I keep going and come around a small bend. It's here I see Mindi. Still as a statue. Legs spread apart. Arms up in the air. She looks like a giant x. Whatever made the branches crunch goes crashing into the woods at full speed away from us. I double over in silent laughter. Mindi scurries like a crab to me and puts my arms up in the air. A whispered hiss of "make yourself big" hits my ears. I can't. I'm laughing out loud now. Tears are streaming. She was terrified.  We never saw the animal. I will tell you it was big. It made a lot of noise. Mindi wants credit for acting appropriately in the face of danger and for saving our lives. She is convinced her giant size made it run away. #couldvebeenabear

We make it to Seattle for two days of gorgeous weather. The mountain was out. Not a cloud in the sky. The local people were complaining about the heat. 

We began our time in the city with a Duck Tour. We are not ashamed to admit that we love city tours. They are full of informational tidbits one wouldn't know without taking them. They give you a good overview and help you see what you want to to back and explore. I think they are always a good bet. But the Duck Tour takes city tours to a whole new level. It's crazy and fun and upbeat and creates a great soundtrack for the city. AND...it's on a busboat. One minute you're on land and they next you've driven right down the boat ramp and into the lake. That is cool. I would like to have a car that transforms into a boat. 

The Space Needle gives a great view of the city. We didn't eat at the revolving restaurant. We will wait for our Tom Hanks to take us there. 

At the base of the Space Needle is the Chihuly Garden and Glass. We weren't sure what it was but we could buy a combination ticket at the Space Needle so we decided why not. What a great decision!! The artist who created it is beyond talented. Everything is blown glass and the details are intricate. Truly impressive. 

A walk along the waterfront brings you to the Olympic Sculpture Park. This city LOVES art. We learned (on our tour) that when a new building is built 1% of the budget must be spent on art. This makes for some really cool and random pieces of art all around. The waterfront also brings Ivar's. A fish and chips joint that encourages feeding the seagulls. These guys have obviously been coming for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for years. They were waiting with open beaks and screams of thanks. 

The waterfront is also home to all sorts of people selling their creations. Every now and then you come across someone that is truly talented. We found her. Jen. You can find her on Facebook under Zeal Rattlecans. We watched her take a piece of foam board and cans of spray paint and create something truly impressive. Of course we bought her art.  She was really, really good. 

One can't go to Seattle without visiting the first Starbucks!

We also found this gum wall and left our mark. It was giant....like the entire alley. 

The real gem of Seattle though is Pike's Place Market. The market is a place we both love. Like lose track of time getting lost in all there is to see and do and sample love. We came out with chocolate pasta, dried pears, chocolate covered cherries, garlic dipping oils, and some crafty ideas to try at home. And watch out for the fish...they fly!

We found a great cheese making place, Beecher's. Mindi had the mac and cheese for lunch. I'm not ashamed to admit that I ate more than my share of free samples. It was really good! I didn't eat here because I was saving room for chowder. Elizabeth sent me to Pike Place Chowder and instructed me to order the chowder and a crab roll. AHmazing. 

It doesn't take a lot to fascinate me. Like this for example. It's an escalator for your shopping cart. I wanted to try it out but wasn't sure how it worked. I didn't want to have to use the 'from Virginia' excuse when I screwed it up. 

We have to give a giant thanks to the Ephram's: Ermi, Amy, Yabi, and Keli. These are friends of friends of friends who took us in and left Trader Joe's chocolate treats on the bedside table. We think you have two of the cutest boys ever and are so appreciative of your hospitality. Let us know if you're ever in Lexington!!

We will leave you with this mental image. In both Portland and Seattle we have just missed the naked bike ride. Yes, a naked bike ride in which thousands participate.  Interesting.