Bowman Lake

We finally had made it to Glacier National Park!  Nearly 1,000 miles later, two roadside motels, a people watching stop in Provo, endless road in Idaho, and a lunch stop in Montana we arrived to Bowman Lake.  The cool thing about Bowman Lake is that it's a rustic campsite, about 30 miles from anything else on majority dirt, bumpy, and twisty roads. 

This is also the campsite where the mountain lion took down a deer in the picnic area.

More Matterhorn

Sometimes you re-learn basic things about yourself.  Especially after a crazy three months of work where you felt like you hardly remembered your own rhythms.  Being amongst the trees, mountains, and crowds of eager bluegrass fans- I remembered my need to be an introvert and do introvert things.  Thus, the third morning I took "off" and stayed at the campground to hike, photograph, organize the car (surprisingly a hobby), and sit in awe of the mountain behind our campsite.  

Dusk falls in camp

Matterhorn Campground at dusk. July 17, 2015.

Bowl Foods

The biggest rewards of living outdoors for a month plus is by far the simplicity.  Food is no exception, as all meals were served and eaten in one vessel: the bowl.  We each had our bowls, which quickly became dirty with remnants of crusty oatmeal or the oil from the following night's pasta sauce.  Cooking for the first time became instinctual and unlabored, not hindered by a quest to find the "perfect" recipe for chili.  Here is a series of photos to give homage to the beloved bowl food.

Camping at Fisherman's Island State Park

I've been wanting to camp here for years now.  Growing up, our extended family on my dad's side rented the same cottage for years and years in a row.  This cottage was one of the greatest manifestations of an earthly heaven- surrounded my dense pine forests, huge sand bluffs, and of course Lake Michigan.  Fisherman's Island State Park is only two miles from my cottage and abuts the road my cottage is on.

So coming back to Charlevoix after all these years felt really good.  Coming home in a way.  Smelling that pine again.  The campsite was also amazing.  I'm hoping to make it a yearly pilgrimage/tradition. 

 Note for next year: get a campsite next to the water!  Although, this one was also beautiful.

 

 Had an amazing meal at this restaurant right off of Lake Charlevoix.  For being off the beaten path, this restaurant did some interesting things with their menu.  My meal consisted of: thai spiced sweet potato waffle fries with peanut butter and jelly dipping sides, fried green tomato salad, and a classic cheeseburger. 

Got up the next morning and went for a walk down to the beach.  Enjoyed some Mussar reflections.

On the last day, I went for a hike out to the island, which is now a peninsula. 

I like to think this log floated up from a shipwreck...

Cool flowers.  I feel like I've seen this on every Anthropologie decorative pillow.

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged, to find the ways in which you yourself have altered"

Telluride, CO Part II

Now, for the actual music festival part.

Telluride Music Festival has been in operation for 41 years.  It's a festival for those who love banjo and bluegrass music and can dance to it four days straight.

This is what the stage looked like.

Mountains to the left.

 Me with my fake mustache and tattoo. 

Making new friends!

Chairs in a line for tarp run numbers.

"all the freaky people make the beauty of the world"

Riding the gondola again!

The town of Telluride.

 

Our friend's house.

 A stop at Black Canyon National Park on the way home.

Goodbye Colorado, until next time!

Glimpses of Summer - 1

Location: Bishop Lake Campground- Brighton, MI

Significance:  Memorial weekend camping with the Barbers.  This night also marked the night that Marin ate her first s’more.  Life will never be the same for her. 

Tetons & the rest of the trip

With new plans we decided to explore the nearby town of Jackson, Wyoming, and go for small day hikes.  We all decided to leave a day early and check out Lincoln and Omaha Nebraska.  Here are the rest of the pictures from the trip.

The Grand Tetons was like no other national park that I had ever visited.  You never got sick of looking at their beautiful rugged peaks.  However, unlike Yellowstone all of its main beauty was within the mountains.  It is often considered one of the top best backpacking destinations in the United States.  With that being said, there wasn't much we could do with the condition of my feet of exploring the other world of the Grand Tetons.  I guess this means we will just have to come back some other time ;).  

We watched the sun set from atop of Signal Mountain.

And then got closer and watched it over Jenny Lake.

Always exploring.

Some bison on the way back to our campsite.

Potatoes and griddle bread for breakfast :)

Phelps Lake day hike.

On our way to Inspiration Point.

I used this picture to make my own version of a poster my dad had on the walls of his childhood bedroom.  The poster has a saying that has inspired us for years now, "Do not pray for an easy life, pray to be a strong person".  I gave this poster to my sisters for Christmas as a daily reminder.

We ended the trip with a pile of famous nachos.

We drove the next day, and then checked out Lincoln and Omaha the next day.  Omaha has a surprisingly cute downtown area.  We antiqued, shopped, and people watched.

At that's the end the trip.  Mike and I drove home dreaming of many more road trips and visits to National Parks in the future.  I'm so thankful to be married to someone who love adventure as much as I do.