Picturesque Yellowstone

This past weekend, we headed down to Yellowstone with a few of our friends (Neighbor and her Fiance). We stayed one night in West Yellowstone and then we were taken into the park, where we stayed one night in a cabin near Old Faithful. I'll post more about what we did and what we saw in future posts, but to begin, here are some of the scenes and sights that we were able to enjoy :)

 Even in the middle of winter, when everything should be white and blah... color was bountiful in Yellowstone!

 Steam/fog/mist was everywhere as heat came out of vents and geysers and even rivers.

 Old Faithful was as amazing as ever - during the day, at twilight and from the Observation Point trail.

 Bison. Bison. Everywhere. Those future posts of mine will describe a few run-ins with them while we were on the trails, but here, let's just enjoy the steady serenity they seem to posses as they calmly dig through the snow for food.

 Last but not least, a few quick details... it has been awhile since I've had such great lighting while using my camera, so I couldn't pass these moments up!

Yellowstone Post #2
Yellowstone Post #3

Instagram Overview of San Diego

 We flew out of Bozeman because it was cheaper. To get there we had to go through Helena. Things were going wonderfully, but then we heard a weird noise by the back tire - I though we ran over something but Grizz thought maybe something just flew into us. We didn't worry about it until we were a few miles outside of Helena when the tell-tale thuds of a flat tire halted us in our path. Grizz and I put that doughnut on it no time (the first time either of us have had to do it on an interstate!) and we were heading toward Walmart. Forty-five minutes later, we were on our way again. After getting stuck behind a semi, getting through construction (including following a pilot car for a bit), and checking Google Maps on my phone like every ten minutes for updated estimated arrival times, we were through security at the airport with 20 minutes to spare. We had planned on having an hour and a half to spare. Thank goodness we scheduled that extra time in!

During our layover, we gladly relaxed and ate lunch: me with my cheeseburgers and Grizz with his Chinese!

 While in Cali, we were surrounded by unusual things - spiky plants, slimy bugs and of course the ocean. I'm blessed to have a brother who lives in a perfect place to visit :)

 We had so much fun visiting with my brother and sister-in-law, oohing and ahhing over the new baby, and of course hanging with this little dude. I do believe I have the cutest little relatives ever (that of course includes the niece and nephew in SD!).

Sadly, all trips must end... but I did get some sewing in! We had over a 2 hour layover on the way back... hexie time!

Road-trip to Missoula

A few weeks ago, we had planned on taking a trip to Missoula (I need to start seeing some of these Big Sky cities!). However, that was the same weekend that Grizz hurt his back snowboarding, and we pushed the "vacation" back. This weekend, thanks to Presidents' Day, we have a three-day weekend. Thus, it was road-trip time!

We started Saturday morning with a snowshoe hike. We've been spoiled this winter, rarely having to drive on roads like this. By the time we were down snowshoeing though, the roads were dry.

Grizz was great and drove the entire time...

 ...therefore letting me crochet for upcoming Cali-Baby and sew quilt block #4.

 The scenery was so much fun - we only saw a few deer, but we love this sign!

Random picture of my driver's hat. It was a great weekend for our university's basketball teams!

 Mountain states are so weird sometimes. We had to drive over the mountains to get to Missoula... it was quite snowy in the mountains and on the Missoula side of the Rocky Mountain Front. However, on our way back, this is what awaited us on the east side of the Front. NO SNOW. Remember, this is February, so like I said... weird. Grizz calls it the "dry and moist adiabatic lapse rate."

While in Missoula, we enjoyed the hotel hot tub, various eating places (no cooking!), a brewery, a winery, JoAnns (I had coupons, and their store is bigger than ours!), REI, and a 4-level antique mall. I refrained from buying anything there, knowing that our apartment is already full. We did buy some fun stuff at REI though. Grizz got some quick-draws and I got some different climbing shoes... these won't squish my feet like my other pair! We may enjoy playing in the snow, but we also look forward to summer activities like rock climbing!

A Midwest Heart

As we drive toward the Midwest, I cannot help but smile. Don't get me wrong, the Big Sky is a great adventure - perfect for Grizz and I to learn and grow together... However, we both grew up in the corn and bean belt of the Midwest (complete with its own tree-framed big sky), and that's where our hearts belong <3

 As we get closer to the weekend, we drive closer to our destination (a cousin's wedding). I've already flashed my big smile at a few things that remind me of home:

 A semi hauling parts of a wind turbine... Who would have thought I would have missed such a small thing as seeing turbine parts everytime I was on the interstate?!

Having the ability to determine the distance from our next turn by counting the sections on the map ... The roads around our new home don't have the lovely, grid-like quality of having a road every mile... how I have missed that!

Looking at all the waterfowl in NE SD... sure we can hunt ducks and geese in MT, but there aren't the constant pot-hole-sloughs and lakes around here like there is back home!

CORN FIELDS! All we see out in MT are beautiful flowing fields of golden wheat. Makes you miss the corn and beans of home.

OK, this one made me giggle. There is wind where we live now. The locals are SURE that their wind is the worse than any other place in the US. Well, the Montanans have a thing or two to learn about SD wind... I actually smiled when we stopped at a ND gas station as I leaned into the blowing breezes. It could have blown me over. (yah, yah, yeah... I know. Strong winds anywhere are annoying, but when you have to put up with Montana natives complaining about how bad their wind is, it is comforting to know that they don't know what they're talking about and that our prairie gales are worse than the mighty chinook winds of Montana!)


Ok, that's all I remember of our highs of returning to SD for a weekend... if I remember any more or if Grizz reminds me of more, I'll add them!