I consider this to be our first real camping trip with no service, no close bathrooms, no running water, and all gas or fire cooking! What a great start to the week we were able to have with good friends and apparently other campers that were too close for real privacy. We drove up Sunday afternoon to Bloomington Lake and honestly almost got lost on the way, but made it to set up camp with no one else around. Another couple and their dog showed up before bedtime but that first night was quite as we had a dinner and s'mores around the fire. Claire wasn't happy about being stuck in the car seat but had a furry friend borrowed from her cousin to keep her happy. I think she just keeps getting cuter and cuter the more I look at her, and she handled the rest of the trip really well besides wanting to stay up with us each night.
Monday morning, we visited the lake after breakfast and it was so beautiful, even if we didn't catch any fish. Check out the pictures of the clear Bloomington Lake, just don't confuse it with the ponds you run into before you get there. It was less than a mile from our camp to the lake and on the way there Claire enjoyed riding on mom's back and checking out the scenery. We had packed our lunch stuff and ate by the lake, then did a bit more swimming, but gave up on fishing. There was a rope swing that was full of people when we were there this time but we had our try of it another day.
On the way back, Claire fell asleep and got a good long nap making everyone jealous, but she was so cute we all forgave her. The boys brought their 22s and we went up a hill to find a good make shift shooting range after dinner. I got to join them since Claire refused to go to sleep and we shot clay pigeons and targets set up a ways away. Claire fell asleep to the sound of gun shots that night...and we stayed up and had more s'mores around the fire until I couldn't stay up any longer. I feel old around these guys who stay up till 2am with no problem, but I usually am awake before them too.
The next day we visited a place called Minnetonka Cave after lunch and saw some cool (literally) caverns with all the stalagmites and stalactites, and at the end they turn off all the lights which scared Claire. It was Chris's turn to carry Claire on his back and she had just as much fun once she is up and moving. I don't think she likes when we put her in it but she is happy when we start walking around with her and she is interested in things she sees. We went to these ice caves right after which was more of a free exploring place and smaller but just as fun in its own way. Back to camp for dinner and another relaxing evening shooting bows that our friend brought with targets, we even saw some deer who seemed to be not afraid of us at all.
The last day of camping was pretty relaxing, some of us visited the rope swing, and some finished shooting the rest of the clay pigeons. Claire learned to hate being contained in her Pack N' Play by this time so we tried to entertain her in other ways than letting her tare apart the tent. I know she won't remember much of this trip because she is so young, but I'm glad we got to go and have a great experience. I was relieved to finally get a real shower when we got home that night and sleep in my own bed though. There is always a relief about coming home from a trip successfully and being able to get back to normal life. Next will be a camping trip up in Montana! Unfortunately, Chris won't be here for that because he will be off to do some military training in Utah. Such a bad month to be separated because we will be separate for all 3 of our family's birthdays.
Claire
It has now been 365 days since our beautiful Claire came into the world and joined our family, and it has been wonderful for the time we have had her in our lives. From the very fist time we heard her cry in the hospital to the babbling talk she has constantly now has been such a blessing. She is very close to walking and is brave enough to stand on her own for a few seconds, and loves to explore new places we go. She loves eating any food we give her as long as we don't start with sweets. We had her doctor's appointment to get shots for her and found out she is still only 15 pounds 2 ounces and 27 inches tall so our tiny but awesome baby is still thriving.
Montana and Glaciers National Park
We had another day of hiking on day two of our Glaciers trip with a steep un-shaded climb to see the lookout over a Hidden Lake. The real tricky part was getting there using the very busy shuttle system though because it took 2 hours to get from the west entrance to Logan pass using their shuttles. I do not advise waking up late! It was beautiful anyway though and wore us out so we went out for dinner to get a famous buffalo burger and then shopped for some gifts and souvenirs.
We got up a little earlier the next morning and drove to our hike this time, and we were lucky to find a good parking spot that was close. We hiked to the other side of a very clear (and cold!) lake where we ate our lunch and enjoyed the shade on our hike back. Our afternoon adventure was kayaking and paddle boarding at Lake McDonald where there was a eagles nest we went by.
My mom and dad joined us that night and we came to explore the Two Medicine Lake on Saturday. We found a short hike around the lake to a small beach area where we played for a bit and then had a lunch and followed a short nature trail to a really cool double waterfall. Apparently the water fall only have one at this point in the season though, it was still pretty and a nice relaxing walk before our next fun adventure.
I got a short break from being mom when grandpa and nana took her back to the campsite with them while I went on a short hike/jog to see the twin waterfalls. We didn't run the whole way but I sure wanted to because it felt GREAT! I haven't been running since my half marathon because so much has been going on and trail running can be so much fun. Going on this trip was amazing and I'm glad Claire was such a good girl for the most part. She even got a souvenir or bear socks to match her nickname: Claire Bear.
