Whitewater Rafting on the Flathead River...

Glacier Park is so beautiful, we decided to combine our sightseeing with a little adventure. I booked us into a half day trip down the Flathead River. This particular stretch of water was made famous by Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon when they starred in the movie, "The River Wild". The movie was filmed on this exact stretch of water.

I assured the assured the rafting company that Max was not afraid of the water and could swim - especially if in a life jacket. He was a year under the age limit, but because I was confident he would cope they were fine with that. Great - our first family adventure activity was about to become a reality.

Our trip began with a short bus trip up the river.

Our adventure would consist of a six mile trip down the river. The first two miles would be quite gentle, while the last four would contain grade 2 and 3 with one grade 4 rapid. It was a perfect day with the temperature in the mid 30's. The first two miles gave us time to really admire the scenery - Wow!

Things were starting to heat up, so Yas and Max took their new seats on the ground of the boat in the center of the boat between Garry and I. With their feet wedged under the seat and gripping the safety rope tightly the real fun began.

The following images were taken by a photographer who worked for the Rafting Company. These shots feature the rapid named, "Bonecrusher!"

I am so happy I have this memory that I can share with my Husband and Children. We had a great day!

Crater Lake - an Unexpected Surprise...

After leaving Ed's home we headed for yet another National Park - Crater Lakes. This was another two days of solid driving. I must admit the time on the road was starting to take its toll on me. At this point we had travelled for more than 4,000 miles in our trusty Subaru. We had already visited seven beautiful national parks. I was starting to dream of Gaylord street in Denver.....

Thankfully,  Garry remained tough and we continued our road trip because Crate Lakes was really beautiful - I was not expecting it to be so amazing.

The water inside the Crater was the most wonderful ultra marine blue - I called it Brett Whiteley Blue.

No place else combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color, sheer surrounding cliffs, almost two thousand feet high; two picturesque islands; and a violent volcanic past. It is a place of immeasurable beauty.

Under the trees at our campground, we collected pine cones and really enjoyed the beautiful evenings around the fire together. Smores were a big hit with Yas and Max, while Garry and I really enjoyed the incredibly clear night skies.

We were lucky to spot some wildlife both at our camping ground and while exploring in and around the park. We spotted a little Squirrel, a Clarke's Nutcracker and even a Deer.

Besides the actual lake, we completed some hikes including one to Vidae Falls.

We also explored the rock formations known as the Pinnacles. These towering needle-like formations of rock, called fossil fumaroles, projecting from the Sand Creek Canyon floor, were formed under sheets of volcanic pumice that preceded Mazama's collapse.

As the surface of the hot pumice cooled over the years, steam and gases were released by the hot rocks underneath through vents and tubes that were welded into cement hardness by their passage. These ancient vents now stand alone due to the erosion of the surrounding softer materials.

After three nights and two full days exploring this National Park we said farewell and hit the road.

Sam's Dad's House ....

On day two at Sam's Dad's we had a really slow start. We all enjoyed a lovely breakfast of freshly laid eggs, collected the previous day by the children.We sat around the fire pit, enjoying, lovely fresh food in such a beautiful place. 

After breakfast we met up with Sam's Dad Ed - who kindly took us on a tour of his beautiful property. Ed is a retired Forester and is extremely knowledgeable about his land and surroundings.

Max especially enjoyed hunting for Frog's

During our tour, Ed introduced us to Huckleberries. These small berries are delicious.

Max didn't enjoy them as much as everyone else.

I do believe Ed lives in an exquisite part of the world.

After a quick trip down to the California Coast we returned to join Ed and Merry for a great evening of dinner, wine and conversation in their beautiful home.

The Koi pond is my favorite part of the house. At the end of the night we said our goodbyes - we had all bonded and again I felt close to Sam and Annie. This is the really strange part of a teaching exchange - we live in their home, sleep in their bed and holiday with their family - yet we have never met. But I feel like we know Sam and Annie so well?

Thank you Ed and Merry for your generosity and company. Our stay with you will be a wonderful memory.


P.S.  Ed - your art print will be in the mail - please not to the Chicken shed!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

A huge thank you to our dear friend Susan who organized free tickets for us to attend our first baseball game in Denver. (Thanks also to John and Nancy who arranged the tickets from the Rockies!) We had fantastic seats, a few rows back behind third base.

I can tick another box from the bucket list - a visit to Coors Field in Denver was a must.

The only downside to this experience was the almost unbearable heatwave - 106 degrees at 6pm was difficult to take, (41 degrees in centigrade)!

Maxie tried his best to catch a fly ball - even with his glove on the wrong hand.

Even with the heat, we still had a fantastic time cheering the Rockies home to victory.

We really enjoyed the night as a family and have vowed to go to at least one more game. Go Rockies!