One Night in Essex
For our second visit to a historic lodge around Glacier National Park, we booked a room in the newly renovated Loge Glacier, also known as the Izaal Walton Inn. We really enjoyed our room, everything was in great condition, the bed was comforable, and Loge does a good job of making a stay enjoyable.
Going To The Sun
I took Mario on the Going to the Sun road to Logan Pass. The pass was over course, very busy and most of the pullouts were full. We did make a few stops along the way. We did stop at Lunch Creek and hiked up to the Lunch Creek Falls to make a work call using his Starlink. Once that got overrun with people, we headed back toward town. Before leaving the park, we did stop along McDonald Creek for Mario to fish for a few minutes.
Lone Pine Loop
We went to Lone Pine State Park to get a training hike in. We did a three mile loop around the exterior of the park starting at the bottom. This is a fantastic hike with some beautiful views overlooking the Flathead Valley. If you want to avoid bikers while hiking here, stay on the southern most trails as they are not allowed on that side of the park.
Visiting Gonzaga
I signed Bridger up for a Soccer ID Camp at Gonzaga University. I spent my time walking campus and taking some photos. This was a more intimate camp than the other two I have him signed up for this summer. This camp was solely the Gonzaga coaching staff (who were tremendous) and there were only about thirty five kids participating. This was a fantastic introduction to the pace of play and expectations of college ID camps for Bridger. Next up is the ID camp and Denver University with about twenty college programs in attandence. His final camp is the Montana ID camp in Missoula near the end of July.
A Quick Trip to Belton
We decided to be more determined to get to Glacier National Park this year. In the past few years since we moved here, we just haven’t gotten to the park and hiked like we normally would. So this year we booked three differenet trips to some of the lodges in and around the park. First up is the Historic Belton Lodge just outside the west entrance to the park at Apgar. This lodge is a a timeless design that really standes out with its western roofline extending much futher than the eastern side.
Tessa’s Graduation Party
We held Tessa’s Graduation Party at the historic Somer’s Mansion on the north end of Flathead Lake. The weather was perfect, all her family and friends attended and everyone agreed the venue was amazing. What a fun day of celebration after four wonderful years at Flathead High School.
Tessa Graduates from Flathead H.S.
Tessa graduated from Flathead high school after four very successful years. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Fine Arts distinction and was the only recepiant of a Presidential Scholarship for the University of Montana from Flathead. She earned several scholarships and developed some amazing friendships along the way. Several family members from out of town made the long trek to Kalispell to attend the ceremony and celebrate her accomplishments.
Two Days in Nashville
We got a quick couple of days in Nashville over spring break. We stayed at the Loews hotel across from Vanderbilt University. In addition to visiting Vanderbilt, we toured downtown Nashville and the Ryman Auditorium, stopped at the historic Union Station Nashville Yard, had tea at the Hermitage, and attended an MLS Nashville SC soccer game.
San Antonio Xmas
We headed south for Christmas this year and booked a room on the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas. We spent 5 days in Texas and had a blast enjoying some warmer weather and a bustling city. Over the week we visited The Alamo along with all the other area Missions, took in the River Walk, visited Six Flags, and visited the Natural Bridge Caverns.
Dramatic Flathead
We went for a short drive and decided it was worth the stop at the overlook. There was some amazing clouds and lighting over the lake.
Tessa’s Final Marching Band Performance
Tessa concluded her senior season of Marching Band as the Drum Major for Flathead High School with a performance in the school theater. The band put on an amazing show, it was awesome to see how much they improved in such a short time. Tessa won several awards, two of which puts her name on a plaque outside the band room. She split both the Outstanding Senior and the National High School Marching Award with her buddy Chollman, in addition to making Montan’s All State Band for the second year in a row. This was a perfect ending to a great marching band career at Flathead High School.
Bridger’s Freshman Homecoming @ Stillwater
Most of the Freshman class at Stillwater met up at Game & Taps prior to their homecoming dance to play some pool and hangout. Here are a few photos of everyone dressed up.