GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

This is a beautiful national park filled with wild flowers, carved out mountains you can stand right next to, glacier clear + blue water and abundant wild life.  Mountain life is slow and peaceful. 

We spent 6 amazing nights camping in Glacier.  We camped at the St. Mary campground just inside the East entrance.  We hiked 35.2 miles and absorbed so much.... really words can not describe it.

Glacier is bear country and we followed the rules strictly.  We slept in our tent + kept our clothes in there and then everything else was kept in the truck at all times.  We got a routine down pretty quick and those days were simple and fun.  We went to bed early (out of exhaustion) but not before cleaning up dinner and then packing our breakfast and lunch for the next day.  We pulled out of the camping spot each morning between 6:30-7am and headed to the trailhead for the day. Our hikes ended between 1-2pm and then we relaxed each afternoon back at the campsite before making dinner. 

Day 1:  We drove to Logan Pass and got a parking spot. As we packed our bags and assembled our hiking gear the parking lot filled up. We started hiking The Highline at 7:30am.  I'm so happy we got to do this because it had been closed the week prior due to high grizzly activity.  We hiked 8 miles round trip making a large patch of snow our turn around point.  This day was HOT which was disappointing coming from a desert. Thankfully it rained that night and cooled off the rest of the week.  

Day 2:  We went back to Logan Pass, this time hiking the Hidden Lake trail. IT WAS FREEZING and extremely windy.  It was still beautiful but you couldn't really see the mountains peak.  After that hike we drove to the next planned hike trailhead and parking was impossible- either wake up early for a spot or time it perfect with a little luck.  So we decided to hike that another day and went to see Apgar village and Lake McDonald.  We set up our mini chair on the shore and ate our lunch.  You really can see straight through the water to the colorful rocks.

Day 3:  This day was our biggest hike- 10 miles round trip. ICEBERG LAKE IS INCREDIBLE!!!! This is one of our favorite days and hikes.  Even though my feet were screaming on the way back it was all worth it.  We also saw our first bear on this trail- bear spray was not used or needed, we all minded our own business. The wind was also insane at the lake making it really cold. But who cares when you're in Glacier National Park!

 

(us being super proud of ourselves)

Day 4:  Eric's parents and his brothers family joined us for the rest of the trip. We drove Going To The Sun Road, stopping for some sight seeing and pictures.  The we hiked to Avalanche Lake and had some epic rock skipping.

Day 5:  My only, very small, regret this trip... not doing the Grinnell Glacier hike on day one.  It was by far our most strenuous hike and we did it on our last full day.  BUT the views on this hike were my absolute favorite!

And for our camping tent. I LOVE THIS THING.  I had some of the best nights of sleep ever.  

Don't let me fool you that the trip went 100% smoothly.  Each day around 3-4pm I was on the phone with the passport agency.  Cell service was really hard to find so that was a whole separate issue.  At the start of the trip I did not have a passport and we were supposed to be going to Canada on day 6.  On day 4 I found out my passport was delivered to MY FRONT door in Utah at 11am.  It had been sitting there for about four hours. My sister in law picked it up and UPS overnighted it to me.  I had a small window of time to pick it up Friday because the dingy, little post office of Babb, Montana has weird office hours and they were closed over the weekend.  MY PASSPORT WAS DELIVERED.  And it was onto Canada on Day 6!

See post all about Canada here 

Trip to St. George

We started our drive at 4am. I was actually proud of us getting on the road on time! We hit the road and at 6am we were starving and stopped one last time at Whataburger (a texas thing) for some breakfast. I can't believe how much we have spent in a car together since our marriage... It's about 100+ hours between our trips home to Texas and Eric's family moving to St. George. And did I mention we've done every drive straight through? So this trip was a breeze! We're pros. And who else better to drive hours with than a best friend? So easy and so fun. 

Eric drove 6 hours.
I drove 4 hours.
Eric drove 3 hours.
I drove 4 hours.
Eric drove 2 hours.
A complete 19 hour trip!
And we were in St. George.

This was a very relaxing trip for us. It seems like we did a lot, but it also feels like we hardly did anything we were so relaxed. That's how a vacation should feel! We stayed at my in-laws who we are so grateful for and enjoyed the pool and exploring.  We concluded St. George is awesome.  So many hikes to discover. We also enjoyed an evening at Tuacahn. We saw 'Sister Act' and oh was it hilarious! I was so impressed by how good the show was! Here are some pictures of Zion's National Park and adventures. 

I'm lucky Eric likes these adventurous things and that he makes me try it with him.. because I end up LOVING it. We took these Ace's and a Razor out on some sand dunes. I never flipped! I came around a curve one time to Eric's Ace flipped over HAHA

I've been in caves before but nothing like these! These Lava Tubes are at Snow Canyon State Park. They were a little challenging with some drops and narrow places that left me feeling a little shaky, but that feeling passed and the feeling of exploring set it and they were really fun! 

The way out! ^

I now drive by golf courses and exclaim "that looks like a fun golf course!!" HA. Guys, golf isn't boring... It doesn't have to be like what it is on tv and maybe I'm just weird, but I had a ton of fun! Probably because I only drove the golf cart around... Anyways, we had to see if we are cut out for golf! First clue if we were or not..  I had no idea there is a 'dress code'! I enjoyed watching Eric play and cheering him on! He wasn't too bad.. He could of been a lot worse haha. BUT THE VIEWS! This golf course is beautiful. The contrast of green with the red rock and mountains was very pretty. It was a beautiful day. Our new date idea is to go to a driving range! 

I loved the St. George temple. It is one of the oldest operating temples and beautiful inside and outside.. I feel so much happiness when I am inside any temple, especially with my eternal companion by my side. 

ZIONS NATIONAL PARK. We got here a little late in the day but I'm so glad we decided to go. Just the shuttle drive through the park is beautiful. We hiked The Narrows and they didn't disappoint. We spent about 6 hours there, but really you can spend days. 

Yellowstone National Park

I found one of the most beautiful places, and it's only been 2 hours away from me this whole time!

When my Mom and sister, Audrey, were still in town we made a trip to Yellowstone National Park. I have been living in Idaho for three years now and still had not visited. It would of been a shame to never visit after living so close. It is simply beautiful! There are over 2 million acres of this beautiful place. So much to see it could take days. We explored and saw a lot for one day! Maybe in the future Eric and I will plan a longer trip. 

Now, here's a photo dump of our day! 

Everyone has to see Old Faithful. It ranges up to 8,400 gallons of hot water erupting.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

^^^ ok, this was awesome! We stumbled upon these Elk at their home. As they started coming out of the water closer and closer, I was a little freaked out and backed away, while my sister ran to the car. Some people were getting way too close for a picture! Seriously, the animals could become angry any time. They're lucky! They are so big up close. And those antlers! Huge in person. You never know what wildlife you'll run into! 

 And last, gotta take a selfie at Yellowstone.