Picture Books and The Great American West

For our road trip from Idaho to Minnesota, I picked up a handful of picture books from the library in hopes that they would connect M with some of the places we visited. 

Mountain Dance

Thomas Locker

This one was probably his favorite.  Mostly because it had pictures of hot lava.  Even though we didn't see any lava on our trip, we did talk a lot about the Yellowstone caldera and the volcanic explosions there.  I think now we just have to take him to Hawaii so we can really blow his mind with REAL hot lava!  Field trip!!

I am a huge fan of Thomas Locker's books because I love the illustrations.  So I'd recommend this one even if you aren't headed to the mountains anytime soon.

The Camping Trip that Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and our National Parks

Barbara Rosenstock

I had not heard this story before and M found it mildly interesting.  Not as interesting as hot lava, unfortunately, but I liked it!  

Welcome to Yellowstone National Park

Teri Temple

I didn't read this with him on our drive, but I overheard Papa reading it to M before we left on our trip.  It's not a picture book, and was probably too long/advanced for him, but it sounded like it had a lot of interesting information.

Yonder
 Tony Johnston

We borrowed this one, but never had a chance to actually read it together. I want to try it again with him here at home.

Hello, Yellowstone!

At Yellowstone, we bought this board book and really like it.  It's cute and goes through all of the places we visited, as well as others that we didn't get to see (this time).  This was a great souvenir from the trip.

Has anyone read Hello, America?  Please share your recommendations for other kids books about the National Parks - we'd love to plan another trip for next summer!

Northwest to Midwest Part 3: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park was an unexpected delight for me.  D took several trips there as a child and teenager, but this was a first trip for me since I didn't drive through western North Dakota when we initially moved West.  This time, we spent a night there camping, which, of course, was too short, but it was a lot of fun.

Backing up a bit - the drive through eastern Montana had to have been the most remote- and desolate-looking part of our trip.  The landscape was mostly flat and sparsely populated, I was surprised at how uncomfortable it made me because it made me feel like we were really, really isolated!

We also pushed our luck and spent too much time driving from Yellowstone to North Dakota.  Both boys had had it after six hours.  For all future road trips we will be limiting our driving time to no more than six hours a day!

When we finally arrived at TRNP, we spilled out of the 'burb and relished in the cool air while D set up our campsite!!  M basically played "construction vehicles" in the dirt the whole time we were there while I kept my eyes on the bison parked right across the river from our campsite.

I thought I was being sly and not communicating my concern at the proximity of the bison when I asked D "can bison swim?" (I didn't want him to think I was being a wimp, and he said no, btw.)  So imagine my surprise when I looked down the river and saw another bison ford the six-inches-deep water with ease!  He did meander his way down through our campsite, and when we woke up the next morning, he was hanging outside the bathrooms!

The park ranger also casually mentioned to us that they also have "ticks and rattlesnakes in the park."  Luckily, we didn't see any of those during our short stay.  We saw lots of bison, prairie dogs and wild horses.  On our way out of town, we stopped at the Painted Canyon Overlook, which was striking.  This park, while remote, is worth the effort that it takes to get there, and I'm hopeful for future trips there!

From here, we drove across North Dakota to our final stop on our road trip: D's parents' lake cabin in Minnesota.  We saw so many beautiful places that I want to return to again and again!  I think Montana might be the most beautiful place in the world. =)  But for now, I'll settle for all of the Minnesota exploring that we have to do!

North Idaho Bucket List: Ride the Hiawatha

There was one thing that I REALLY wanted to do before we left Idaho:

RIDE THE HIAWATHA!!

The Hiawatha Trail is a roughly 15 mile gravel/dirt trail through the mountains of Idaho/Montana.  There is a VERY slight downhill grade, but not enough to just coast the whole way down.  It was such a fun experience and I'm so glad we did it.

D and I took a day off from packing to take M up to ride in the Burley trailer with us, while grandparents watched baby J.  We started riding around 9:45 am and I'm really glad we didn't start any later because it got warm and it took us quite a while to finish!

The first 1.5 miles pass through an old railway tunnel.  We knew this, and friends told us to bring flashlights/headlamps and wear a sweatshirt, but man, even with that knowledge I was still surprised at how dark/cold/unsettling it is to ride a bike for 10 minutes in pitch black!

D and I each had 1 headlamp on and M had a flashlight in the trailer.  If I did it again, I would bring even more lights because I could really only see about 5 feet in front of me!  The folks who went through before us had flashing rear lights, so I tried to focus on following them while not freezing my fingers off.  Wear gloves if you go!  I had a sweatshirt, but that wasn't enough so I was frozen by the time we popped out the other side.

The rest of the ride was gorgeous.  We stopped for photo ops and snack breaks.  M did great until we had about 5 miles left to go - by that point he was tired of the bike trailer and the trail was fairly bumpy, so he had enough.  We made it to the end though, without any major fits, and he LOVED riding the big school bus back to the top of the trail.

The bus ride was probably the scariest part of the trip for me because there are no guardrails along the road back up the mountains, and people on ATVs were driving crazy out there.  Dude, what's the rush?  I was having some mom-heart palpitations for sure.

At the end, you ride back through the 1.5 mile tunnel again, and it got really exciting for us because D's crank fell off of his bike midway through the tunnel!  So there we were, standing there in near darkness as he put it back on.  It was comical, and he was able to fix it enough to get almost out the tunnel, so we only had to walk about a quarter mile in the dark.

It was super fun and I'm so thankful that we had the opportunity to #ridethehiawatha!  

Q'emiln Park - Post Falls, ID

Before we left Idaho, we did some family hiking at Q'emiln Park in Post Falls.  It's a pretty cool spot.

The hiking is rocky with lots of ups and downs.  M loved the adventure and we got to see lots of folks working on their rock climbing skills on the cliffs.

 

Not representative of a "rocky spot."

It's another great local place to spend a morning outside -we are going to miss it!

Manito Park - Spokane, WA

When my parents were here a few weeks ago, we stopped at Manito Park in Spokane after taking my sister to the airport.  While most of the flowers weren't blooming yet, it is obviously a lovely park!

We stopped at a cute stone bench for a photo op of M with his grandparents.  He thought the bench made the perfect stage, and recruited Granddad to be the "electric bass man" for his band.

 

The greenhouse had beautiful blooms and was a nice warm retreat on the gray day!  I think it was baby J's favorite spot - he loved the warmth.  There were also a couple of men who found a nice bench on which to sit and play a game of chess.  A pretty good spot to enjoy the blooms!

 

 

I'd never seen a climbing onion before!  Anyone know how they taste?

We really only explored a small portion of the park.  On our way out, we stopped by this pond, where M made friends with Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.  We've been reading a lot of Robert McCloskey these days, so he was thrilled to meet the stars of one of his favorite books.

You're lovely, Manito.  We'll be back to keep exploring!

January Thaw

While our East Coast friends were prepping for the big blizzard earlier this week, we enjoyed a beautiful January thaw.

 We went for a bike ride/walk one day and had a lunchtime picnic by the lake on another day. 

 It was gorgeous!

Monday at Tubbs

Happy Monday, Friends!

Our music class* was canceled this morning, so I took this big boy for a 4 mile stroller run down by the lake. 

In his mind, I'm sure this was the most exciting stroller run ever because we saw: (1) a working excavator, (2) a working dump truck, and (3) a police motorcycle pulling over a big truck (he even remarked that the truck looked "just like Daddy's" but thankfully it wasn't his!). 

Then we went to the playground where he played for 10 minutes before running over to Tubbs Hill because he wanted to find a trail and go hiking.  So, that's what we did.  I asked him if he would please help me climb up this rock, and you know what he said? "Of course!!"  He is so sweet.  It was a wonderful morning to be outside together.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

We do the Music Together program.  Are you familiar with it?  I think it's fantastic - M loves it!

Hiking at English Point

There are some lovely hiking trails just 10 minutes north of our house, and we finally got out to explore them recently!

You know our little hiker had the best time. 

We only did the shortest section of trails since we were letting him walk. 

But we'll definitely go back with the hiking backpack and do more.

M was totally soaked from jumping in puddles, but he had a great time. 

We relaxed afterwards with drinks and garlic fries at the Marina on Hayden Lake.  Isn't summer awesome?!

Independence Day: Camping in a Grizzly Habitat

Hello!  I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!  Its my favorite non-religious holiday - I love celebrating this beautiful country that I am fortunate to live in.

This year we celebrated with a VERY rustic camping trip in northern Idaho - yes, even further north than we live now! ;)

We drove up to Priest Lake hoping to catch a first come, first-served campsite on the lake (i.e., "camping light" because you can get running water/restroom access, but really, my style of camping.). All the brochures promote Priest Lake as "the crown jewel of Idaho" so I figured it was time to see for ourselves.

Turns out, they were right - it IS beautiful!

Every campground that we passed on the lake was totally full!  I was shocked.  D remarked about how funny it is that we now live in a state where everyone camps.  Very different from the East Coast!

We headed north up Plowboy Mountain towards a "dispersed camping" spot that D had stumbled upon while hunting last fall.

On the way up the mountain, D tells me that we should "manage our expectations" which really turned out to be code for "be prepared to live like a pioneer for the next few days." =)

After a 6 mile bumpy drive up a dirt Forest Service road, we arrived here:

There were a lot of good spots to set up our tent, and it also had a fire ring and a lot of wood already chopped and ready for our camp fire. 

He just loved playing in the tent!

 And it was about as quiet and peaceful as you can get!  It was a very nice spot and we all had a lot of fun there.  It was definitely off the grid, so my husband was thrilled, but I laid awake all night long trying to devise our escape plans in the event of an emergency (i.e., bear attack)!

Bear locker provided so the bear will only eat you, and not your food.

We toasted our nation's independence by exploring the mountain, roasting hot dogs over the fire for lunch and dining on a gourmet venison dinner. 

Grass-fed, lean, and all organic too!

We didn't see any big game, mostly because M & I did our best to scare them away with our normal noise level, much to D's disappointment.  Although two cars drove by our camp site and stopped to tell us that there was "fresh bear scat" just around the curve from us, and asked if we had seen any bears.  Yikes! #toocloseforcomfort

 M loved exploring and playing in the woods and we all got a chance to get some fresh mountain air.  It was a beautiful weekend, but we were thankful to get home to our showers, a/c and cozy beds. =) 

Icy cold stream won't bother this guy!

 After we came back down the mountain, we did one short hike along the lake shore.  It was really beautiful, M splashed in the water and we found another awesome beach camping spot.  Hope we can get back to claim that one next time!

Awesome little beach on the west side of Priest Lake

 It was definitely an adventure, we'll be back to do some more exploring of this pristine area!

Anyone ever been to Priest Lake?  Seen a bear?

Family Hikes: Memorial Day at 4th of July Pass

We spent the morning of Memorial Day hiking up at 4th of July Pass.

It's a beautiful, lush green spot with a ton of trails for hiking.  It's a great spot - and only 20 minutes outside of town!  Our toddler was in HEAVEN.  He loved walking the trails, spotting snails, centipedes and moose droppings (and you should here him say "moose droppings" - hilarious!).  We probably covered about 2.5 miles in 2 hours because we were mostly walking at the speed of a 2 year old. =)  We don't have a hiking baby carrier (yet) so we let him walk or he would ride on Dad's shoulders. 

Talking about bugs.

I printed out the trail map from the Panhandle Nordic Club website and it was very clear and easy to follow.  The signs for the trails were well-marked.  The parking area is just off of the interstate exit and there are toilets at the parking area.  We didn't see anyone else out while we were hiking, but there were a couple other cars at the parking lot.

He loves to say: "Don't fall in da wadee!" [water]

It was a beautiful day and a great post-race recovery - we'll be back for sure!

With my favorite little hiker

CDA Half Marathon: I Survived! (Race Recap)

I ran/walked the CDA Half Marathon Sunday morning.

This was my second year running this race.  The course was entirely different this year: still some hills but very shady and beautiful.  I thought it was a great course.

The race benefits the Centennial Trail Foundation, so it makes sense to have the course feature some of the most beautiful stretches of the Centennial Trail.

I woke up at 5 for the 7:30 start.  Last weekend before my trail run, I felt like I didn't have enough to eat and had too much water before the race.  This time I got it right: I had 1/2 a bagel, banana and half a cup of coffee.  I also sipped some water occasionally up until about 15 minutes before the race started.  I drove downtown around 6 because I wasn't sure how tough it would be to park.  Needless to say, I got a spot 1 block away from the start, whoop whoop!  #winning  I walked down to try to exchange my shirt at late packet pick up in the resort, but they were only doing exchanges after the race.  I tried to use the bathroom in the resort across the hall from packet pick up and they had locked the doors!!  Boo on you, CDA Resort!  #notrunnerfriendly.

Marathoners started at 7 am and Halfers started at 7:30.  It was nice and cool, in the low 50s for the start.  There was an adorable kid playing his guitar and singing just around the corner from the start - he was rocking out! 

I planned to take walk breaks every 5 minutes so I wouldn't completely bonk.  I ran the first 2 miles and then started my 30 sec walk breaks.  I didn't end up doing this exactly every 5 minutes because I walked thru a few of the water stations and didn't walk any downhills.  I didn't take my gel until 1 hour in, which might have been a little too late because I started to feel pretty pooped around miles 7-8, and I think those may have been my slowest miles.

I chatted with a really nice woman around mile 10 - she was from Naples, FL!  She had the prettiest southern accent and we traded stories about the Sunshine State.  We parted ways at a water stop, but she totally zoomed by me shortly before the finish line.

My time was 15 minutes slower than last year.  Yikes!  That's a lot, but that is what I get for not getting the long runs and workouts in.  I have been running a couple of days a week, but just jogging along for 2-4 miles is not the path to improvement.  I am still glad that I did it and glad to have finished healthy.  Here's to a great start to summer. 

In Brief:
Expo: small, packet pick up is a breeze, shirts are good
Half Mary: About 900 runners/walkers, out & back course (marathoners do 2 laps, so you get to see them run by), some teeny hills, 1 moderate hill, shady with good crowd support, except for coming up out of Sanders beach - where was everyone??!!
Post-race: line for water (wish they had bottles, or some prepped!) was kind of long, bananas, bagels, oranges, cookies, beer garden (but we didn't stick around for it), cool medals (much better than last year)

Trail Maniacs State Park Series #1 - Farragut State Park 5 Miler

Last weekend I ran in the first annual State Park Series hosted by the Trail Maniacs.

What a blast!

The SPS is a series of trail runs held at gorgeous state parks in Idaho and Washington all summer long.  There was a 5 mile race and a half marathon race, I opted for the 5 miler because I have my half marathon this weekend (gulp).

I did not have a fast race, but it was a ton of fun!  The scenery is incredible and the atmosphere was really nice too.

We drove up as a family, and D & M were able to explore and play while I ran.  The course had some ups and downs, with one steep hill that I had to walk up.  It was very shaded and picturesque as we ran along the shoreline of Lake Pen d'Oreille.  I was amazed at how sore my feet and lower legs were on Sunday and Monday - mostly from the rockiness and unevenness of the trail - but that is trail running in north Idaho!

It took me about an hour and three minutes to complete the run.  Whew, it was tough - trail running is so different from road running.  They had a great set up of grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, chips, cookies, beer, water and soda available as some post-race goodies.  I ate more than I should have - doesn't everything taste better after a nice, hard run?  There was also a raffle for some cool running gear - sadly, I didn't win anything - next time!

After the race, we hiked around and checked out some of the views.  The park was a Naval Training Station in WWII (yes, I said Navy in land-locked Idaho), so there are some old remnants from those days.  Then we got on our bikes and biked over to one of the campgrounds where our friends were camping.  We will definitely be back to camp this summer.  We've heard the park gets pretty busy as it warms up, but there is so much more there that we want to explore.

The race and the day spent at the park was a lot of fun and I am hoping to participate in some of the other races in the series this summer.  M was in heaven just getting to wander around, play in the woods/grass, throw rocks, etc.  When I picked him up after the race, I noticed that his shoes and pants were wet.  D said he had looked away for .02 seconds and of course, he was already in the water.  Haha!  He is definitely an outdoorsy kid, isn't he?!  It was a long day with all of the running, biking and hiking, but being outside was good for all of us.  We are so lucky to have such beautiful resources so close to home. 

I highly recommend a day (or more) at Farragut State Park and a run with the Trail Maniacs!

Have you done a trail run?  Tell me about it!