Orlando, Florida - NDB/NMPF/UDIA Annual Meeting

That's a lot of letters for a meeting name, isn't it? I thought I should include it, though, because I definitely didn't see all Orlando had to offer this trip - but I did have a great meeting! In the past, we've taken advantage of the Disney parks, which we really enjoyed. This time, I had work and the meeting - plus I didn't take my kids - so the parks will have to wait.

I flew on Spirit at the low low price of $80. It's amazing to me that airlines can charge so little sometimes. I have no problems with Spirit, as they have never let me down. The seats are a little less comfortable, and they are small, but when there's no food or drink service, I just sleep the whole time without waking up for it! 

A note - on Spirit, they announced four times that you had to open your window shades for takeoff and landing. The other airlines I've been on haven't done this, but I like it because I want to see and if you don't have a window seat you have no control over this. They also announced when it might be a good time for kids to go to the bathroom, I'm guessing because there were/are always so many children on the flight.

To compare with the other airlines, obviously I love United because of my brother and the fact I can fly standby. They also have a really well-written magazine in their seatbacks! Most of them have done away with this - they all used to have them in the past. You can also bend the headrest to support your head while you're sleeping. I also like Delta, because of their comfortable seats and very chill attitude that they're not telling you what to do. On American, my flight was delayed through no fault of the airline - it was weather. However, there was no communication or announcements. They also tell you what to do all the time, before, during, and after the flight. Why do they wake you up 25 minutes before you land? Why not five? There has to be a reason, but I don't know it. I think it's surreal to look around a plane, see most people sleeping, as we're hurtling across the sky, and we all just take it for granted that this magical event is happening all day long every day.  

Our meeting was at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. Kris and I immediately changed clothes and went running around the property. We happened upon a nature trail, which was along water. We saw so many birds - hawks, plus two different kinds of herons than we see at home. Then we saw three giant, pink birds fly up from the water into a tree! I thought they were flamingoes, because my knowledge of pink birds is limited, but my friend Aimee suggested they were roseate spoonbills, which was right. We saw salamanders everywhere, but no alligators, even though there were signs everywhere warning against them.

We ate lunch outside by the pool, and I mentioned the signs about alligators to the server. He said everyone put signs like that up after the toddler was killed by an alligator on Disney property in 2016. He said, "Everyone knows you can't go near the water after dark! They just let their toddler go down to the water! Everyone knows that!"

I told him everyone probably doesn't know that. I certainly wouldn't have thought about alligators if I hadn't seen the signs. Florida is a different place. 

The hotel had really nice pools and hot tubs, and it was nice and sunny. We spent the afternoon swimming. We then walked off the property. It's so interesting being in different places - the tree roots of these trees were coming out of the ground, making all the ground bumpy around them. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. We also saw a tree completely covered with thorns. Nice armor. 

We walked to the Half Barrel Beer Project, and the man working and locals in the place were so friendly. We talked sports for a long time. They suggested we go to eat at Miller's Ale House, which they said had less expensive and good food. Our friend Aaron joined us, and we went there - and it was all tourists. We thought it was funny that the locals directed us to the tourist place, but it was in a district called The Pointe that was really cool. An upside down house (WonderWorks), people doing indoor skydiving (iFly - I did it once here and loved it), lots of restaurants, and good people watching. The Detroit Lions game was on and there was a huge group of Lions fans - all decked out in Lions gear - watching it. We won in the last few seconds, so that was exciting! 

After meetings and work the next day, our group went to the Capital Grille, which was in the same area. The next night, we went to Delmonico's Italian Steakhouse. Both were nice and fancy steakhouses, and the kind I really only go to when I'm at a meeting.

The meeting is for all the dairy organizations, and I love it because I get to see people from all over the country. It was fascinating, especially the part where they talked about how they can look at milk at the molecular level, choose one molecule, and one subject like 'brain health', and use AI to compile all research that has ever been done on this molecule and that subject. It was milk marketing at the molecular level! Kris was elected treasurer of the United Dairy Industry Association, which is a national board of farmers that makes decisions on how national dairy checkoff promotion money is spent.  

In the morning I was running back to the hotel and was in the parking lot, when I was surprised to see four giant sandhill cranes on the sidewalk in front of me. They weren't scared of me at all. I stood about three feet from them, taking pictures as they tore up the mulch, throwing it on the sidewalk as they searched for whatever they were eating. Sandhill cranes are not a popular bird among farmers, because they do a lot of crop damage. We now have them in Michigan, but they certainly aren't as tame as the ones at this resort. I like them and was happy to see them up close.

As I was standing there, a woman from the toxicology conference at our hotel stopped to watch them with me. She had an Irish accent. She commented on how amazing it is to see all the different flora and fauna when you travel to other places.

I do love a Disney park, but Orlando has a lot to offer even right in the parking lot.  

Asheville, North Carolina

Last year a group of us went to hike the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, and this year we took a trip to North Carolina! Many of us flew into Asheville, some drove, and Rondi flew to Nashville and drove with Molly from there.

Asheville is one of the smallest airports I've seen! You still walk out on the tarmac.

We met our friends at Burial Brewing, where the woman working there said, "Your hair is so nice, and it matches your personality so well." Great way to kick off a city. What's not to like?! We ate outside there - I had a great burger.

Asheville is known for breweries, hiking, and a cool vibe. We walked from Burial to Dirty Jack's and then the Funkatorium. Everywhere had outdoor seating and lots of people - but not too many to be too crowded.

We drove to out Airbnb which had everything you could hope for and some you didn't even know you wanted...hot tub, sauna, shuffleboard, hockey, arcade games, theatre, fluffy robes...and not one but two slides! We hung out here and only one slide-related injury occurred, due to a friend going headfirst. Why would the wall be at the end? Poor design. : )

On Saturday, we left the house at 7:00 a.m. in three cars and dropped one of them at the end of the trail. This is easier than it sounds. One, the trailhead was so difficult to find. Second, we had to drive my friend's really nice car on what was essentially rocks, with trucks coming toward us on what appeared to be one lane track. Three, the roads there were all switchbacks through the mountains and some people got really carsick - and I get it! It was so twisty. 

But everyone soldiered through and we made it  to the trailhead to start - Buffalo Creek. We then went on an 11 mile hike with some really beautiful views of Lake Lure -  including Gray Rock and Tunnel Trail, and made it to Eagle Rock. (It was called the Weed Patch Mountain Trail, which sounds like they gave it a bad name to keep other people away. See Muskrat Lake by my home.) The leaves were colorful, but thinned, so we could see views the whole way. A nice 6ish-hour hike on a gorgeous, blue-sky day!

We got the cars and went back into Asheville for dinner straight from there. We chose Asheville Brewing Company for dinner (where our NC friends Will and Adam met up with us!) and stopped at Wedge before heading back to our Weaverville Airbnb with all the amenities. 

I went for a walk in the morning by our house and thanks to the Merlin app got to identify so many different birds including two kids of owls! I used to hear birds and think 'I wish I knew what that was.' This app is so amazing. I read a funny thing where the writer said that she didn't used to care about birds and BANG, one day she did, but this has been a lifelong love of mine instilled by my mom. 

We stopped for breakfast at Biscuit Head, and it was so packed, and there was nowhere to park, and you had to back out of what was supposed to be a one-way but was a two-way, and I would have given up, but I'm glad we didn't, because it was delicious! So southern.

Our friends went to the art district and some went to more hiking to waterfalls (and accidentally detoured into South Carolina!) but we decided to spend our day in the airport waiting for a delayed flight. Okay, we wouldn't have chosen that, but that's the way it goes sometimes...but still totally worth the trouble! The hiking, the people, the fun...thanks Asheville, and thanks trip-organizing friends.

Minneapolis-St Paul

Are we in Minneapolis? Are we in St Paul? Who can tell - these twin cities ran together in one happy combination for us this weekend.

Day one 

When direct flights work, it's so amazing and wonderful. It seemed like nothing to get from Detroit to Minneapolis. We rented a car, dropped our stuff at our Airbnb, and headed out to meet up with Kris' cousin and his wife at a place called Nook. My friend had told me to try a Juicy Lucy, and I didn't even know what that was. Local delicacy! Cheese-infused burger. We had them and they were delicious.  

It was Halloween weekend and the bars were filled with college kids all dressed up. Fun to see.

Day two

A few of us went running to the Mississippi River, and the leaves were so colorful.

We went to Minnehaha Falls Park. The falls were beautiful and we walked down and around for more views, then walked on a (closed) trail through the woods. 

We drove over to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and it was great! Really impressed with the art. 

We walked to the Stone Arch Bridge. We ate lunch at Freehouse (fine), then visited Bricksworth (okay) and Modist. Again, the town was packed with college kids in costume! We tried to go to Stub and Herbs (both nights actually) but it was too packed for 12 of us. Some of us ate at Groveland Tap, and some went to listen to music at Gluek's. 

Day three

Up early to tailgate at the Ski-U-Mah parking lot! For those of you who don't know - and that was me before we left - this is the rallying cry of the University of Minnesota, and it was everywhere! We parked early (8:30ish) and walked 0.9 to breakfast in Dinkytown - yes, that's what the neighborhood is called. Minnesotans are into catchy names. There was this really popular place that was too packed (Al's), so we went to one block more to Tony's and loved it so much. 

Tailgating was great - so much family and so many Minnesota-nice Gopher fans! Our hosts were friends that had tailgated with us when their daughter was a student at MSU, so that was lovely.

We got great tickets for the game months ago...before our team didn't have a coach or a good season...and it was fun to be so close despite the loss! The Gophers had great stadium music, band, and cheerleaders!  

Afterward, we ate at Surly Brewery because at least five people had told us to go there. It was great - nice, open atmosphere, German style seating, and friendly people. (We also tried to go to Stub and Herbs - again - but still too packed.) 

We stayed in an Airbnb on St Clair Ave in St Paul, close to the University of St Thomas. But I could have been in any nice, tree-lined street in many Midwestern city - it had the same nice college feel.

Minneapolis-St Paul is actually the first place I ever flew. My dad used to have bank board meetings there when I was young, and I flew there with him when I was 13. I remember walking over the bridge, all lit up - I assume it was the Stone Arch Bridge. Then the next day he put me on a plane alone to Denver to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I remember the plane seemed very small. And they're only getting smaller! 

Thanks for a fun time, Minnesota! We'll beat you Gophers next game...  

Ireland

Kris and I had planned on going on vacation together (to Greece) and using Gage's pass. As the days got closer, it became clear that the corn harvest was going to be at the same time. Latest season ever! I already had the time blocked off and had it in my head I wanted to go somewhere, so I chose Ireland because I'd never been and Kris had - he studied here in college for 6 weeks.

Gage's pass worked like a charm, and I arrived in Dublin bleary-eyed and ready to take on the day! I took just a backpack so I could get started immediately.

I had rented an Airbnb (9A Ballinteer, near Dundrum), and the host Paula suggested that the public transportation was great. I found the bus, figured out how to pay (you needed exact change), and found out how to get to the city center of Dublin. Everyone was very friendly and helpful.

Dublin

I walked to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour. It was a museum (they had a video of men making barrels out of wood without measuring, which was fascinating) and ended with a Guinness on the seventh story all glass, circular room. I just sat and looked at the skyline and realized everyone was right - Gunniess does taste different in Ireland!

Christ Church - This was the prettiest one of all the churches I saw.

Saint James's Gate – This was right outside the storehouse.

Castle-looking, modern art museum - I didn't go in but admired the castle-like exterior.

Kilmainham Gaol – No one was here, so I didn’t get a ticket, but I liked seeing it.

Part of old city wall - Just right along in the street! I love when they just leave things plopped right where they used to be.

St Audoen Church – This had ruins in the courtyard. The guide here was super friendly and wanted me to love his place and I did.

Dublin Castle - The grounds were so European and there was a statue of a tiger. Felt royal.

Trinity College - A friend in college studied here and I was happy to see it. It was absolutely nothing like I pictured. I was going to buy a tour and saw there was a footnote that the books had been removed from the book of Kells. Is it worth it? I asked the ticket seller. No, he said. Go to Marsh's.

St Patrick's Cathedral and Marsh’s - I bought  a dual ticket to St Patricks and Marsh's. St Patrick's was okay, but I loved Marsh's as soon as I walked in because apparently I LOVE the smell of 16th century books. They had an old map exhibit too, and I really enjoyed being here.

I was so tired and so jet lagged, as I’d been up more than 24 hours. I got a burrito to go and the cashier asked if I had a student discount.  THANKS! I rode the train home and saw I had an 18 minute walk to my house. Whew. I went to bed early.

Day two

At the suggestion of my host, I walked to Marlay Park and headed on Wicklow Way, which is really long – it actually goes 78 miles across Ireland. There were tons of runners out at Marlay Park, plus people walking dogs. It was a lively place. I walked on pavement for awhile thinking...this isn't what I meant when I said hike...but then it turned into one! It got steep and rocky and opened up to views of the city and the water.

Then it happened - what I pictured when I thought of Ireland. I saw SHEEP and ROCK WALLS. I have a deep affinity for rock walls because my mom built them at both of our houses. I wanted to see sheep because Kris talked about his farm tours in the past.

I was thrilled. It was incredibly windy, but still warm. I walked right up a mountain with mountains in the distance to Fairy Castle, which is a pile of rocks I'm convinced people built to get out of the wind.

The view was gorgeous. Mountains to one side, trees another, city, and the bay. Beautiful.

I didn't want to walk the same way back, so I figured I’d go to a car park and call an uber. I had checked to make sure ubers came here, so no worries there. I talked to a woman and she said, you should go to the coast - pointing at it. It looked so close. Could I get there by train or bus? I asked. Oh, probably, she said, though she had no idea how.

I kept going and eventually descended into a car park. I had hiked nine miles at that point and decided I'd uber to lunch. Just kidding! The uber pretended it worked but when it came to 'find driver' it just circled. Oh well. I walked another mile to a pub, but i didn't like the feel of it, so I hit up one on the way home for a toastie (what they call a grilled sandwich). A 12 mile morning!

I changed at home and headed for the coast. It took me a little to figure it out, but I had to first ride a train and then a bus. The entire trip minus waiting was 50 minutes. When I asked people for help along the way they couldn't believe i was going there. I'm not sure why - it must seem far? I drive 50 minutes for dinner with friends.

I went to Dun Laoghaire which is pronounced Done Leery. Much easier.

I loved it here. I walked on the pier, I watched the waves, I ate ice cream - so great. It was really pretty and there were so many people out, even ones swimming. There were also tons of young people. I would spend more time here but I had to get back to watch the World Cup rugby match at the local pub. (Did I know this was going on? Have I ever watched a rugby match? No to both, but my host told me the pubs would be busy because of it so I wanted to join in.)

The crowd was FIRED UP. It was a familiar sports atmosphere to me. I looked around. Not one person was eating. I ordered  a burger. Not one person had a glass of water. After Ireland scored (they killed Scotland), when no one was paying attention, I quietly asked the bartender for one and slammed it.

Day Three

I stopped by a beautiful street with umbrellas over it, and then I booked it to Christ Church for the service. The music was so great - the voices and minor harmonies and the acoustic quality - I loved it. The message was about not worrying, which I noted for later when I was trying to get home and there were no seats on the flights.

National Gallery of Ireland - I love art museums, and this had a couple of my old favorites (Carvaggio, Monet) and then some new ones I loved (Geraldine O'Neill). They had an entire section of Irish artists that I didn’t know, and I got to see what was voted Ireland’s favorite painting, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, open only one hour a day. Beautiful place, and just the right size so you could see every room, and free.

I walked to the street along the Irish Whiskey Museum and it seemed everyone was out. It was a 72 degree day in October, and it seemed everyone wanted to be outside. Families, couples, people shopping, street performers people loved (singing Ed Sheeran of course) - all such a pleasant atmosphere!

I walked to the Ha'Penny Bridge and the Sprire, two things I didn't know were famous until I researched.

I took the train to see St Stephens Garden (their Central Park) and Ivegah Gardens which surprised me with a waterfall and palm trees, plus a hedge labyrinth! My friends Amy and Julie had just been talking about these and it was adorable. I totally figured it out.

I took the train back to the Temple Bar and wandered in and out of places playing traditional Irish music and traditional American music. The city was packed with people. You could hear so many languages at the same time.

I had a burrito made by a guy from Mexico (such traditional Irish food!) On the way home, I was immediately on alert at my train stop when I saw a group of guys fighting. I stayed far away, but no one else was worried and stood near them. I saw it was three train police arguing with a drunk shirtless guy. He eventually left. Danger free!

I awoke the next morning to see that instead of there being 16 seats available on my flight, there were now -27. I didn’t make that flight, nor the next one, but I got the third and made it home. It was all worth it in the end!

Notes:

Irish people greet you with ‘Hiya.’

I asked if the Wicklow Way hike was good, and the guy told me, “All the country walks are grand.”

Lots of earbud use among adults and kids.

Even though they drive on the left side of the road, they do not walk on left side. This surprised me.

There were so many more people smoking, vaping, and kissing. Not at the same time.

You're not allowed to eat on the train or bus but I noticed this everywhere...no one is eating or drinking. I didn’t see one water bottle or sippy cup. In the gardens, where everyone was hanging out, no one was eating. At the pubs outside, no eating. People might be drinking a beer, but never water. So different from home..

In America there is a public trash can within view almost everywhere. I don’t notice this until I’m somewhere else and have to carry my trash.

People often had to ask me to repeat myself. I often had to ask them too. The older Irish had much stronger accents than the teens and adults, which is true all over now, of course.

Anytime people asked where I was from I would say Michigan, because I assume I sounded American. Things I heard about that: We don’t get many from Michigan. I had a great time in Detroit once. I know it's beaten down now, but I had a great weekend. On top of Fairy Castle, a woman said, I bet you don’t have anything like this in Michigan. (Sure do!)

People looked just so Irish. That was fun.

Traveling alone - People were always willing to answer questions and then often asked about me, where I was going, what I was seeing, and then offering suggestions of good places. They all wanted me to love it there, and they all commented on my luck with the beautiful weather! I didn’t see a drop of rain.

Cleveland and Cedar Point

We made plans with Alicia, Aimee, and their families to go to Cedar Point. Aimee said she and Will were going to Cleveland ahead of time, and she invited me along, because I'm a great third wheel on their adventures (i.e.: Rome. Who doesn't want their best friend along on a romantic vacation?)

I hadn't been to Cleveland, I didn't do any research ahead of time, and I liked it so much! 

Day one:

We got in late Friday afternoon and got a nice Airbnb apartment near Huron Street, which was within walking distance of so much. I just left my car in the parking garage across the street. 

Aimee and Will had everything planned out for the whole trip. We walked to Barrio to eat, then The Butcher and the Brewer, then City Tap. The Cleveland Guardians vs. the Tigers game had gotten cancelled because it rained earlier, and there were lots of happy people out. Good food, good atmosphere (esp The Butcher and the Brewer) and then we walked through the street steam coming from a manhole on our way back home. It makes you look like you're in an 80s music video!

Day two:

We ran to the waterfront, but we had to stop every few minutes to take pictures of Lake Erie and the public art! We saw a giant stamp, a statue, a Soldiers and Sailors memorial, a Cleveland script, Jesse Owens, and so much more. It was such a great run.

We walked to the Phoenix to get coffee afterward. There are many locations, and this one had a giant chocolate chip cookie with sea salt on it and I don't know why I've never had that before. So good.

We showered and got ready and stopped in Heinen's, which was a gourmet grocery store with a gorgeous, high ceiling. I read later that it was the original Cleveland Trust Rotunda built in 1908, and it was reopened after being closed for 20 years.

We had ice cream here. Healthy start to the day!

We headed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and on the way there I was telling them something and said, "Geez oh petes," and they both burst out laughing and said no one says that. I told them about Kris' goal to normalize 'whoops there,' which my dad says. Will later dropped that in front of Kris and we were all delighted. Ah, regional language. Makes me think fondly of my college linguistics course! 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was really fun, because not only did they have clothing and handwritten lyrics and stage items from lots of musicians, but they also wanted you to be a rocker. They not only had soundproof rooms for you to play, but they had a live band you could perform karaoke with! 

We spent a few hours here and ubered to lunch at Great Lakes Brewing Company, where we sat outside in the perfect weather. Aimee and Will were coming from extreme heat, so they were even wearing jeans, because this was a nice change in temperature for them.

We ubered to Edgewater Beach, which I said was nice despite it not being Lake Michigan. Aimee and Will were curious why I prefer Lake Michigan to Lake Erie, and it's because it's cleaner, probably just because it's on the West coast of Michigan. This place was so nice - giant willow tree, huge rocks, a walking path, a park, people flying kites, people swimming, white sand - and a concession stand and bathrooms. Highly recommend.

We then took an uber to a different part of the city to look at murals, (there are a lot of good ones in Cleveland), and we had such a delightful surprise! People were parking and walking somewhere, and we followed them to see where they were going. They led us to an old American Greetings factory which was packed - for three floors - with art vendors! It is now called 78th Street Studio and it was Third Friday, which meant it was a social event. There was so much interesting art (dolls made into clocks, clothing, earrings, moss on a wall that was somehow beautiful) and SO many people. We were so impressed with the turnout and art.

Will said he'd gone to a Punch Bowl Social before and it had an eight man foosball table. We went and sure enough, it did! We played Aimee and me on one side vs. Will on the other, and you had to really concentrate to get to all of your guys! Mine were somehow very lazy. We played all combinations of people. We had so much fun playing this that Aimee looked into getting one, and it was a mere $7000. We got our money's worth!

We went to eat dinner along the river at Collision Bend Brewing Company, where we had a bridge view and watched the many party boats going by - similar to pedal trolleys, but in boat form. Everyone was having a good time - us too!

Day three:

Cedar Point! We drove the hour from Cleveland and met up with Alicia, Bobby, and their son Billy, and Kris, Ty, Cole, and Max. 

I rode these roller coasters:

Gatekeeper - so incredibly steep and fun. 

Valraven - We rode in the front. which made it even better.

Magnum - Good, but rough like you were in a car accident.

Steel Vengeance - Also rough, but totally worth it because it's long and surprising.

Millennium Force - Also fun, and good memories!

Rougarou - We waited in line for this for a long time, and then when the kids got on, they made them get off and had to repair an exit gate that wouldn't stay closed - even though there were two exit gates, and even thought IT WAS NOT PART OF THE RIDE. This was really frustrating, because we waited a long time, and then we gave up. I went back later and rode it in the front, and it was just an okay roller coaster. 

My favorites were Gatekeeper, Valraven, and Steel Vengeance. Totally worth the trip!

We left my boys there, and the rest of us went back to our Airbnb just four miles away in Sandusky. We walked to an area near the water and happened upon a great, open air venue called Barrel House Saloon. They band was on the second floor loft, so everyone could see and hear them perfectly - and they were great. 90s songs mashed up with other 90s songs and a rap in the middle. Perfect formula for the audience. They had food trucks and were right on the water so we could watch the sun set. Just perfect.

We ordered pizza for the boys (and we had some too) and we all sat around in the hot tub or around the dining room table and talked and laughed.

I didn't expect much out of Cleveland and Sandusky, and I was pleasantly surprised! But really, anywhere is fun with the right people.

Glacier National Park

Summer vacation and time for a family trip! It was difficult planning this one to Glacier, because all the sites and people said the same thing - it's all good, there's no best hike. It was hard to plan anyway, because you have to have a vehicle registration to enter the park (we didn't have one), and it was iffy if the Going to the Sun Road was going to be open anyway. So we got a place, rented a car, got flights, scheduled horseback riding, and decided to figure out the rest when we were there. It all worked out!

Day One

We flew from Detroit to Kalispell, Montana. No delays - perfect. This was the first time the boys had flown since 2020, and they were excited. The car rental was 50 steps from the airport, there was no line at Thrifty, and it took them about three minutes to hand over the keys. If flying and car rental were always like this, I'd travel twice as much!

We loaded up with groceries in Kalispell (there aren't grocery stores where we were staying) and drove right to Glacier National Park. We went on a hike called Appistoki Falls and Scenic Point Hike in the Two Medicine area of the park.

As soon as we got out, we saw a mountain goat and a bighorn sheep right at the trailhead! It was a good start. 

This hike had was about 3 miles to the top, lots of elevation climbing up the side of a mountain, and you could see really far - mountains and water, and waterfalls trickling down from melting snow. There were also flowers blooming the whole way. The waterfall was a dramatic cliff. There were twisty, white, dead trees the whole way. Great view of the lake and mountains. 

Cole had gotten hot, so he'd stuffed his sweatshirt into the hole of a dead log, planning on picking it up on the way home. When we went back...it wasn't there! We were all so surprised, since hikers usually don't steal things. Cole said he had seen an animal hole by the log, so maybe an animal took it. We made jokes about seeing a bear wearing it.

When we got down to the trailhead, Cole's sweatshirt was hanging on a sign. Hooray! He took it down and noticed it had two holes in it and it was wet. There was a man getting into his car, and I asked him if he'd put the sweatshirt there. 

"Yes, a marmot almost got it," he said. "I saw him dragging it across the path, so I grabbed it from him. Animals out here will take anything."

Ha! We drove to East Glacier, checked into our Airbnb house, and ate at Whistle Stop in town. We sat outside and had a view of the mountains.

Day Two

Since we didn't have a vehicle pass, we had to get to the park early, since you don't need one 6am-3pm. We left our house shortly after 4:00 a.m. and made it into the park by 5:30 a.m. It was like we were the only people in the world! The mountains and water were pink and purple as the sun rose. 

We stopped at Avalanche Falls trailhead for that hike, and we were the only people the entire way there. We hiked along a rushing river, we saw falls, and then came the big reveal - Avalanche Lake, which was surrounded by mountains, and is clear, still, and reflected them. It was gorgeous. Some other people came down then, which was great, because they took our picture for us. It was a couple, and she said she lived in Kalispell but this was her first time at Glacier. Wow!

On the hike back, there were a lot of people coming in, and I was glad we'd gotten an early start.

At 4:00 a.m. I had checked to see what part of Going to the Sun Road was open, because it hadn't yet opened for the year completely due to snow. We decided to see how far we could drive on it until it ended. 

We kept going and going...driving on mile high cliffs, with waterfalls on one side of you, and certain death on the other. You could see forever, since you were so high. My mom told me when she was here she was cowering on the floorboards because it was so scary. I got it! I wished I were driving because I'd be less certain I was going to drive over a cliff, but of course Kris did great. 

We went past a point and I noticed we had passed where they said the road was closed - which meant we could go to the hike I wanted to do.

We parked at Logan Pass Visitor Center and walked to the Hidden Lake trailhead. There was SNOW! And not a little snow - a lot of snow that was kind of melty, so when you walked it in you slipped. It was pretty challenging to do, since there were a lot of people here, and they were all slipping and sliding all over.

I'd worn a Michigan State shirt, and a family talked to me about when they went to Michigan. I asked where they were from, and they said Helena in Montana.

"I got the text at 7:00 a.m. that the road had opened! So we left the house by 7:20 a.m.," she said. "That's the only way we were able to park here - usually it's too busy, but people didn't know until then."

"It opened for the season today?" I said.

"Yes!" she said. "You are lucky. I remember one year it didn't open until July 4!"

Yay, what lucky timing! We continued the 1.5 miles up in the snow and made it to Hidden Lake, which actually looked like three lakes surrounded by mountains. We ate our lunch there.

On the way down, we made jokes about sledding down it. We saw someone slide down - not sure if they were trying to or not. Cole saw him and said, "I'm doing it," and immediately took off sliding down. 

We laughed and looked down at him. Cole yelled up to Ty and asked if he could grab his phone which fell out of his pocket on the way down. Ty did, much to our entertainment and that of the people around us.

"I'm not doing that," Max said. Then he, too, took off and slid down.

We met up at the bottom and saw a herd of bighorn sheep. 

"I started counting them and immediately fell asleep," Ty said.

We drove the rest of Going to the Sun Road, stopping along the way at Jackson Glacier, Wild Goose Island, and other beautiful places. 

We ate in St Mary at the Snowgoose Grille, which had giant windows toward the mountains. I had the bison quesadillas.

Day Three

We got up early to go horseback riding with Swan Mountain Outfitters. (They sent us a pass for Going to the Sun Road to bypass the reservation issue.)

There was construction on the road and we had to stop for a long time. I was glad we left early. We walked around the St Mary Lodge, which was beautiful, and threw rocks in the water.

At 11:00 a.m., we went to horseback ride all along Lake McDonald trail. We went over a bridge, and along a river, and through a tunnel, and through woods. It rained a little most of the time, and we got kind of cold by the end, but all of us really enjoyed it! The girls working there, the horses, and the scenery were great. Very different activity for us. Highly recommend.

We drove on Going to the Sun Road to go home again, but this time it was sleeting! I said to Kris, “Why is this so terrifying?” He said, “Because we’re on the edge of a cliff and the wind is blowing.” Ha! We made it home and went out to eat in East Glacier at The Peak Restaurant, which was really good.

Day Four

We saw wild horses on the drive to the Iceberg Lake trailhead! This was a 10-mile total hike, 5 each way. This was our favorite hike of the trip. We saw two moose right away, and one million wildflowers, and so many varieties. We walked over 32 (me) or 120 (Max) waterfalls, depending on how you counted it. It was sweeping vistas the whole way…and there was almost no one else on the trail!

Right when we got there, a man was leaving the trail, and he was very shaken. He showed us a picture of a grizzly bear on his phone and said he’d done everything wrong – stopped to take a picture, was hiking alone, and then when the bear charged him, his bear spray canister broke. He said we might find the pieces on the trail. We did, and we watched for bears (and had our own bear spray) and were disappointed when we didn’t see one!

We got to a river and four people were in the process of working on a bridge (basically two heavy boards) and they told us we should walk across the river and they might be done by the time we came back. So we took off our socks and shoes to walk across. It was slippery, but the hardest part was it was so cold that you had to go fast before your feet froze. There was snow on the ground.

We got to Iceberg Lake and it was unlike any place I’ve been. Mountains on every side, snow, and filled with blue and white icebergs. It was so perfect. We took turns standing on them, trying not to fall in. We ate lunch there and enjoyed the scenery. The hike back seemed short.

We stopped for ice cream (huckleberry, they love it here) and then went back on Going to the Sun Road to see some more sights. We looked at Sunrift Gorge, which is right off the road. We hiked to Baring Falls and could walk right up to it. We stopped at Sun Point and admired the view. We said goodbye to the park and had dinner at Serrano’s in East Glacier (not worth it, skip this one.)

Every night we played cards in our Airbnb, laughed a lot, and went to bed early, because every morning was an early one!

Day Five

I went running in the morning from our place and saw the golf course, the lodge, and …water and mountains! Truly a beautiful place. Downtown Kalispell had a lot to see, especially the Western Store, which had more boots and hats than I’ve seen anywhere, plus a basement full of antiques, and a soda shop. We actually purchased things. We had lunch at Bias Brewery (it was great), then headed to the airport. No delays on the way home either.

This was one of my favorite vacations. I got to do exactly what I wanted with the people I love in one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen.