Ryan & Jordan

with Pioneer Bible Translators

Tag: camping

October 11, 2013

There & Back Again: the last day

by ryan

When our headlamps shone before the sun did in Saint Mary, Montana we did not know this would be our last day on the road; the darkness around us paralleled our sight into the future.

Filling up the tank we head north as the victorious sun ascends in the east–assurance of some continuity.  Alberta beckons, the wide open Montana sky a canvas for the morning’s paints.  We quiet ourselves and hear the sweet song of Canadian parks, mountains & glaciers, trees & streams.  We want to go there.

But first: coffee at the Tumbleweed in Nanton, Alberta: a homey place you’ve got to stop by–if you ever find yourself in Nanton.  Onward!

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Banff is so beautiful, and so are the 7,167,223 people with us in the park.

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The crowds continued as we traveled west into British Columbia toward our home near Vancouver.  We kept looking for an open camp site or accommodations elsewhere to no avail. So we kept driving.  And driving.  And we found a place to stay three hours from our house, but at that point we just wanted to be home, so that’s where we went.   It was about time.

We can plan all we want for an adventure, but we always plan to be surprised.  Life is kind of that way, isn’t it?

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September 20, 2013

There & Back Again: Day 14

by Jordee

We are nearing the end of our trip (and the end of this series of posts), feeling like we are now going back again. On the morning of day 14, though, we agreed to take the long way home.

This meant heading east, leaving Idaho and entering the beautiful state of Montana. A Canadian friend of ours told us that going to Montana made her love America, and we can see why. We drove up the Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier Mountain National Park, feeling small and wanting to soak in all the beauty–to drink it up and remember it. I have seen beautiful mountains before, but these were breath-taking. We thanked our Creator.

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We saw mountain goats and two grizzlies (from a comfortable distance) and made it to our campsite around dinner time. We drove into the town of St. Mary, Montana (population 4 or so) to eat at a seasonal diner. Saturated by the dinner and all the beautiful landscapes, we drove back to our tent and slept.  Content.

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September 2, 2013

There & Back Again: Day 9

by Jordee

It was time to leave Boise and venture into the wilderness. We saw a dear aunt and uncle in the morning, packed up, and researched our options for the next few days. After a couple hours planning excitedly, we got on the road and headed into the mountains of Idaho: a new place for me and a favorite place of Ryan’s.

The drive was so fun. I had never seen anything like those mountains, and my excitement would build every time I saw a “Watch for Wildlife” sign. (Oh yes, I discovered on this trip my delight at seeing animals in the wild–grizzlies, mountain goats, big horn sheep. Bring it on.)

The trail leading up to Ryan’s favorite lake was pretty smoky, so we drove into the town of Stanley Idaho, population 63.

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We talked to some helpful people and drove out to a different lake where we camped that night. Though we got a later start on our hiking, we felt pretty blessed to have a couple days in the forest by ourselves, and the view from our campsite was not too shabby.

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