The Rest of the Summer

August is winding down, and with it, the glorious season of summer. The kids go back to school on Monday, much to all of their excitement, and it's already starting to hit the 40's at night. Before we know it, the leaves will fall and the crisp breeze of winter will flow through the valley again. But for now, these are the random memories of summer!

Went to Garnet Ghost Town with some of the cousins!

Worked on the truck!

Waded in the cool mountain spring...

Mountain biked...

Broke a sweat...

Found a way to cool off...

Took a hike...

Went for a swim...

Lounged on the shoreline...

Had a shake and contemplated life...

Begged to come inside...

Waited in line to ride the rides at the fair...

Hung out lakeside...

Tried not to fall in...

Free soloed...

Complained...

And otherwise enjoyed a beautiful summer under the Big Sky!

White Water on the Clark Fork

A few weeks ago we took a rafting adventure with the Miller crew up the Clark Fork. While we weren't quite brave enough to attempt the real rapids of the infamous Alberton Gorge, we still managed to get wet and have some fun. We rented a couple rafts in town and pumped them up on the river bank before setting out like Lewis & Clark, minus the starvation and native attacks. The water was a little slow at times, but also had a few spots of excitement, and a few native creatures to observe. Definitely had a great time, so maybe next year we'll be ready for the real deal! 

Hard to wake up this early for fun...

Grandma brought the snacks... always necessary.

Would have been drier if not for the Miller boat that was with us...

And a picnic lunch, of course.

Another smoky Montana summer rolls slowly to a close...

Lakes and Falls

In early August we took another drive up the Clearwater River all the way up to Holland Lake. Becky and I had gone many years ago, but the hike to the falls was worth going again. We took the boys, Grandpa Bill, and Drax along this time. The trail works its way along the lake with some incredible views along the way, and the waterfall is pretty impressive and very cool on an otherwise hot summer day!

A high wire balancing act above the bottomless abyss...

It was a little cold beneath the falls with all the water spraying on you...

Just Keep Paddling...

The Clearwater River is a nice little twisty-turny waterway that meanders its way out of the mountains and flows through multiple lakes before it finally meets up with the Blackfoot River. North of Seeley Lake is a convenient access point to put in canoes and kayaks, so we took a little drive with the grandparents and Miller cousins, rented some boats, and took a little trip down stream. Unfortunately there wasn't much "down" to the stream, as the water was pretty still this time of year. So it took a lot of paddling to get back to the lake, but we made it! We rowed around the lake for a bit and tried not to get hit by speed boats, then the kids couldn't help but jump in. Fun was had by all!

The canoe crew...

My rowing partners

The paddled out grandparents...

Kayaking it up!

Good thing he knew how to swim...

He should have known payback was coming...