| On the first day of my summer
vacation, I woke up at 3:45am to be out the door by 4:30am.
Dominick drove up from Cincinnati the night before and Susie, Dom and I
arrived at the Columbus airport around 6:00am. After eating a "Breakfast
Pizza", Susie & I left for our flight to Chicago while Dom was traveling
through Denver. Once in Chicago, Susie and I met up with my sister
Maureen (AKA Maur) and her children Dominic, Nick and Jamie. (AKA
pipsqueak) The six of us then caught the same plane to Missoula
which conveniently landed at lunch time! Greeting us at the airport was
my sister Suzi, her husband Byron, and my mother Dollie. (AKA Gabbo)
Lunch in the Park is every Wednesday in Missoula and it features many
food vendors, a live band, and plenty of entertainment along the banks
of the river. There were surfers taking advantage of the waves caused by
the strategically placed rocks in the river. After lunch, we made
another trip to the airport to pick up Dom. We didn't book his flight
until a couple days after ours and the Chicago flight had filled. (We
were able to book the same return flight!) Suzi and Byron live in Florence, which is about 20 minutes south of Missoula. After checking into our assigned rooms, we started to prepare for burgers on the grill. When you are in Montana, the last thing you would expect is to run into someone you know from high school in Bellaire. Joining us for dinner was Suzi & Byron's neighbors, Mike & Fran (DePaulo) Sadowski and their college age triplets, Alyssa, Aaron and Ryan. We talked about growing up in Bellaire and going to school at BHS and St. John's. After dinner, Alyssa and her friends took Dom to climb the "M" and watch the sunset at 10:30pm. Day 1 Pictures |
Day 2 was basically a travel day to Glacier National Park. I got up at 6:00am to take advantage of the clean mountain air and low humidity to get in a few miles. Once I made the turn on the Eastside highway heading west, I was running directly at two snow capped mountain peaks. That was my motivation to run every morning while I was in Montana! On our way out of the Bitterroot Valley, we stopped in Missoula at the University of Montana to climb the "M" in the side of the mountain. Of the 10 people in our family group, only the seven youngest made the climb to the "M". What a view from the top! I can see why Lewis and Clark was so intrigued with the area. Our journey to Glacier National Park took us north along the west side of the Mission Mnt. Range. The fires from last year were still evident in the mountain side but it was still a beautiful drive. We stopped for lunch at Flathead Lake then proceeded to the Meadow Lake Resort at Columbia Falls. This was a typical golf resort and there was a green right outside our back door. Our afternoon entertainment was the "Amazing Fun Center" which offered a variety of games for the kids which included a maze, miniature golf, water cannon boats, and go-carts. Dom and I tried our luck at a basketball shooting game which had multiple angled back boards which added an interesting twist to shooting a basketball. Day 2 Pictures |
Day 3 started with a driving tour through a "Bear Park". It wasn't easy getting pictures through the van windows but these 400+ pound bears were literally feet from the vehicle. Glacier National Park is a dream location for a photographer. Unfortunately, a late season snow a couple weeks before still had Logan Pass closed so we could not drive completely through the park. The view was spectacular at the Lake McDonald Lodge and we had lunch along the swift Flathead River. After lunch, we took the "Walk of Cedar" tour then proceeded to the "White Water Rafting" adventure. Since we had eight people rafting, we had the entire raft along with our guide Dustin. The water from the river is formed from melting snow so the water temperature was about 40 degrees. Dom and I were at the front of the raft and consequently took the brunt of the spray in our faces. Everyone aboard enjoyed the hour and a half trip down the river. Before heading back to the resort, I got to sample some Huckleberry pie and ice cream. Thanks to Byron, we were always within close proximity of a Huckleberry Ice cream location! Day 3 Pictures |
Day 4 started with a stop at Holland Lake for a few pictures and a chance to stretch our legs. We then proceeded to Seeley Lake and spent 4 hours on Wave Runners. Since the wave runners were rented, an adult had to accompany the children while on the lake. I am glad I did because I probably would not have gone that fast by myself. The highlight of the day was when Gabbo wanted to give it a try! Hopefully, when I'm 82, I will still have a sense of adventure. Thank you to Gene and Helen for such wonderful hospitality and letting us use your dock, yard, and house. After a wonderful day on the lake, we headed for home and stopped at the Lolo Steak House for dinner. The taxidermy display on the walls of the restaurant was very impressive. Across the street from the Lolo Steak House is a place called Traveler's Rest. In the summer of 2002, archeologists found evidence that this is where Lewis and Clark camped in 1805 and 1806. Day 4 Pictures |
Day 5 was basically a rest and take it easy day. We took a hike through the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge with Mike and Fran. Jamie was changing while we were being sprayed with "Off" and was the main target for all of the mosquito's in the park Maur took her back to the van until were finished our tour of the park. Dinner was at one of the most interesting places I have ever seen. The Grubstake Restaurant is located on the side of the bitterroot mountain range about 2000 feet above the valley floor. There are 17 switchbacks in the road up the side of the mountain. Mike, Fran, Alyssa, Aaron and Ryan joined us for dinner and we took advantage of the view for a few group pictures. Suzi and the kids decided to walk down the mountain and made it about half way before we caught up with them. Once back at the house, we built a tent in the basement to Jamie would have a more interesting place to sleep. Day 5 Pictures |
Day 6 was spent on Lake Como with Suzi & Byron's neighbor's, Chuck & Bev. A pontoon boat is such a relaxing way to spend on the water. We hiked a trail near the south end of the lake that had a breath taking waterfall. Dom, Suzi, Dominic, Nick and Jamie were brave enough to get in the water. Thank you Chuck & Bev for sharing your day on the lake with us! Later in the afternoon, Dom, Nick and Jamie received some fly fishing lessons. The combination of the mosquito's and the high river wasn't conducive to catching fish but I think they had fun. Day 6 Pictures |
Day 7 was time to say goodbye. What a great time it was spending a whole week with family in a beautiful place. Thank you to Suzi, Byron, Booter and Abby for such a wonderful time and letting us take over your spare bedroom for a week. Thank you to Maur, Dominic, Nick and Jamie for the never ending entertainment. And of course, Gabbo being there made the week special. The only way the week would have been better is if Barb, Kelly and Amanda would have been there also. I hope some of these pictures bring back some wonderful memories of the 2008 Montana vacation! Paul =--= |
| paul@pskinnovations.com |