Super Long Vacation Post - but worth it :)

Jon and I went away on vacation...Just the two of us. The only other time we've done so was a trip up to Utah for his Grandma's funeral. We went to Glacier National Park in Montana. We flew to Missoula form the little Mesa/Gateway airport for about $120 round trip. Not bad!! We then drove to Kalispell where Jon served 9 months of his mission. It was beautiful county and the weather was gorgeous.

GLACIER: How much gorgeous scenery can there be in one place? We drove the Going to the Sun Road - best way to see everything. Lots of turn outs with amazing views, rivers, waterfalls, sheer drop offs. We did three different hikes (about 12 miles over 2 days and I was dead - my legs were jell-o!) Logan's Pass to Hidden Lake.

Amazing scenery with the mountains.

There are some serious hikers up here with all their fancy gear and me - 20 years younger trying to keep up! St Mary's Falls - beautiful trail and amazing turquoise waterfall.

Avalanche Gorge and Lake -

My favorite hike, even though it was the longest. Because we were there later in the summer, the water levels were low and you could see all of the rocks under the falls and how they've been carved out for hundreds of years.

ANIMALS: We saw 3 black bears (one was in town and like the tourists we were, we pulled into the passing lane with others to stop and take pictures as it headed up toward some houses), ROUS's - They are called Marmots - GIANT gopher like things - ugly!!, Mountain goats, and a deer about 10 feet away that just crossed right in front of our path! Couldn't have cared at all that we were there.

FOOD: One word...Huckleberries!! Like blueberries, but better. We had huckleberry shakes, and pie,and cobbler YUM!!!! We also tried elk burgers- because we were in MT and Jon had talked about having it on his mission. Not too bad. We also had fantastic lunch in Big Fork, MT

Other HAPPENINGS: I read a book - uninterrupted!! In Whitefish we went up a ski lift and had amazing views of the whole valley and then went down an Alpine Slide - very cool. We went to a 9:00 movie on a Wednesday night - Cowboys -vs-Aliens. Toured Jon's mission stomping grounds - like the tiniest house ever that Jon and his comp lived in. So small they had to break mission rules and sleep in separate bedrooms because 2 beds couldn't fit in 1 room. Explored art galleries and got a crusty look from one of the proprietor when her glassware rattled as we walked by. I swear we weren't stomping! Wore sweatshirts and long pants!

The worst part of the trip was the stupid TSA that threw away my souvenirs. That's right - I was going to take down the plane with my huckleberry jam, but they thwarted my evil plan. What is annoying is just past the check point they sell the exact same stuff that I had thrown in to the garbage. Obviously I was tired at the end of the trip because it made me cry. It was like I was post-partum - crying over jam. Silly I know. Guess we should have purchased the small jars.

I was surprised at how shocked some people are when they hear we haven't gone away - like they can't believe our marriage hasn't crumbled to dust. I have several friends who are like us, maybe gone away one or twice. Now that kids are getting older it seem like it is something we'll be able to do a little more often than once every 11 years. :) Truth is though - if I'm going to be spending $700 (or more) I like going on vacations with the kids too. I want them to see and experience new things. Or I may want new furniture instead of a week away. And we can't do it all. Glad Jon and I can have fun together just about anywhere, even if we don't have to take a plane to get there!