Thanks to Joe for being today’s photographer. Great job on the pics, Joe!
Today was a split day. The adults were taking off to do a hike while I was staying behind with the boys. Rich wanted to do a pretty good hike for length and height. He picked the Scenic Point trail that we had gone partially up on the first day in the park. Since there was no way I could do a hike like that, I was the logical person to stay and handle the rowdy rounders.
Alex and Joe got moving to go do 9 holes of golf before the hike. I thought they were going out at 7:00 so I peeked in on them. Turns out, the shack didn’t open until 8:00. Sorry for the early alarm. They got up and went out for coffee and some supplies that we needed.
After getting breakfast, the adults loaded up and headed for the trail. Meanwhile, the boys and I settled in for some quiet time at the house.
Back at the ranch
Zane and Owen settled in pretty quickly after their Mom and Dad took off. We watched some cartoons and played with toys. I was working on the blog to get updated and doing some laundry around the house. Before you know it, it was lunch time. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Chocolate milk was the treat for lunch.
After cleaning up, the boys went down for a nap. Well, kind of. I had them lying in bed quietly for an hour or a little more. I don’t think either one of them fell asleep. At one point, I heard a noise and went in to find Zane standing up in the pack and play with Owen.
A very stern expression was enough to send him crawling out and for his own bed. I think he was a little upset with me for overreacting. He had his chin stuck way out there with attitude. The rest of nap time went quietly. However, I could hear Owen singing very softly to himself.
I worked on my blog and getting pictures posted so I could actually publish it today. I wanted to be able to keep up with our activities and not get too far behind. I got the text written with most of the pictures inserted. Then it was time to let the rascals up from enforced quiet time.
I got out the sheets that I brought and made a tent in the kitchen with the chairs. The boys gather up their toys and hung out there for a while. They were talking and giggling a lot. We came out and hung around talking and playing for a while. It was a really great afternoon.
Then about 2:00, I grabbed hands and we walked up to town for ice cream. This was just a couple of blocks from the house. We got into the store and made our way to the counter. Since the girl serving was busy, I sent the boys to sit down. Unfortunately, the toys were hanging right there. I totally lost them to the toys. Zane kept asking for a specific toy and I just answered with no. He informed me that his Mom would buy it. That was fine with me.
We got our chocolate ice cream and sat down to eat. The boys were pretty good at talking my ears off. Even the 2 year old has a lot to say. Owen is still learning, but he does pretty well. I’m learning to understand him.
We left the store and headed to the playground. There wasn’t much that they could do since the equipment is for grade school kids. The equipment was hot from sitting in the sun. Zane did the slide, but said it was not a repeat performance.
We walked back to the house the long way. Wendy, the owner, was getting ready to leave. We stopped to talk to her again. The boys had lots of questions and she was very patient and answered them. The biggest question was about the skulls at the back of the house. Turned out to be a horse skull. Zane was duly impressed with the answer.
We came in and settled into a movie and hanging around the house. Around 5:00, the adults straggled home looking weary and dirty. Sounded like they had a great day, too.
Way on high
The adults packed up the car and took off for Two Medicine where they were hiking the Scenic Point trail. The trail started out pretty well. They got to the point where we made it on the first day. From there, it gradually got steeper and steeper. As they made their way, they were pretty sure they had made 3 miles. Then someone on the trail informed them they had 2 more miles to go. Darn, had it only been a mile!
The trail goes through alpine, subalpine and some really rough terrain on the way. It contains a lot of switchbacks that get you slower up the mountain one level at a time. A saddle, or split in the mountain, was tough, but the last few feet were the worst. Rich made it just beyond the saddle before the altitude got the better of him. He waited as the others continued to the top.
The top was at about 7,522 feet. That’s actually quite high for going it without oxygen. Rich experienced dizziness, which is not good on a trail that narrow and high up. Alex was calling him the trail Sherpa. I think it was the hat. As Sean said, it wasn’t the first 3 miles, but the last 2,500 feet that killed you.
Up near top, Alex was trying to look over the edge. I don’t think he knew exactly how close that Kelli came to collecting the insurance. The pictures tell it all. I think when the 50 to 60 mile an hour gust came through, he had second thoughts about that ledge.
The views from the top were wonderful. You could see all around at the mountain tops and down into the valleys. The pictures of Two Medicine Lakes were beautiful. Alex even got a shot of the store and marina where we had been the first day.
The group got back down the mountain about 4:15 and returned in dirty and tired triumph at the house around 5:00. We got some dinner and settled in for the night. Needless to say, the sleepless nap meant the boys went to sleep in good time. So did a few of the adults.
