After a quick drive up through Yellowstone, we arrived at Aaron and Julie's house in Bozeman. However, we barely recognized it! About seven years ago, they purchased a one-bedroom, one-bath house and quickly set to work expanding it. The last time we saw it, the entire house had been raised up in order to basically double the size of the house, and, frankly, it looked like it might never be completed. Today, it looks like a totally different house. They have done a great job.
And they live in a funky little neighborhood that really suits them. Check out the bicycles on the roof of the house next door.
On our first day in Bozeman, we hiked a new trail located just about a mile outside of town: Drinking Horse Mountain. Here are Aaron & Julie with their two energetic sons Wylie and Hayes (with Pat and dog Jasmine as well).
The next day, we hiked to Lava Lake, a perfect hike in the Gallatin Canyon. The trail is just six miles round trip but feels remote.
We also did some fun in-town kids' stuff on July 4th. This little train is operated by a guy who just has a love for everything railroad related, and he gives out rides for free a few times a year. Pat and Aaron rode with the boys while I took some pictures. All in all, it was a great visit!
Before leaving Bozeman, we also had breakfast with our friend Bill and his lovely wife, who we were meeting for the first time. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture but I wanted to give them a shout-out all the same.
After a few days backpacking in Yellowstone, we had the opportunity to meet up with my college roommate Jen and her husband Matt in Gardiner, MT where we went whitewater rafting. The water was actually warm (unusual in MT), and we had a great time.
After the rafting trip, we introduced Jen and Matt to the world-famous K Bar where we stuffed ourselves with food and beer. Amazingly, we also ran into an old friend from Yellowstone, Deb Cowley (Hudziak). We hadn't seen her in well over a decade, and it was such a pleasure to catch up with her a bit.
After two nights in Gardiner, we headed to Cookie City, a little town just outside the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone where we lived for two years in the mid-1990s. The Beartooth Cafe where we worked hasn't changed much at all except that our friends Scott and Vickie now own and manage the place. They treated us to a most excellent dinner. We also ran into George McCormick who, despite having a master's degree and an academic job during the winter months, remains the Beartooth Cafe's summer dishwasher. Both Pat and I have always had an affinity for George so seeing him was an unexpected bonus.
Here are Pat and I with Scott and Vickie outside the cafe. They now have four kids but most of them were visiting their Grandmother in Florida so we didn't have a chance to see them.
After several adventures in Yellowstone, it was off to Missoula, MT to visit with our good friends Casey and Jody. Together, we decided that canoeing down the Blackfoot River would be a great way to spend a day. So, off we went. Here is a great picture of Pat and I looking like total yahoos. Would you trust these two people in a boat?
I hope you enjoy this picture because it is the last one our camera would ever take. You see, Pat and I managed to capsize our canoe not just once but twice. The first time the camera happened to be in my pocket. Whoops. I put it in a dry bag after that but it was too late. Our first dunking came when Pat tried to jump out of the canoe for a swim and was a quick dunk. The second is somewhat inexplicable but we managed to capsize in a swift-moving, deep section of the river. It was quite an ordeal to wrangle the canoe (upright but full of water) to shore. Let's just say we got our money's worth from the (rented) life vests.
Despite the misadventures, our visit with Casey, Jody, and their kids, Saul and Ellie, was great.
A special thanks to all our friends who hosted us. We miss you!
Next up: Adventures in Yellowstone
