Backpacking at Red Lodge

Last weekend Amber and I went backpacking up at Red Lodge. This experience proved to me just how out of shape I am. The view at the top of the mountains was great.

At Vista Point in Wyoming.Flippin' amazing truck.I had to cross a shark infested ocean to get to the snow on the other side.

In my efforts to cross the shark-infested-ocean I was swallowed by a whale. I rolled the rock, that I'm sitting on, down the whales throat and then it spit me out.

I think this is the exact spot I am going to build my house. I would have plenty of visitors hiking by each day.

We got to this point and had to go all the way back, I'm told it's not a good idea to be on the top of a mountain while there is lightening.I, eventually, got to play in the snow.Me crossing the treacherous waters below.

Just picture me holding a fishing pole.No, that is not a helicopter above my head. It's a mosquito. Oh that's Amber, by the way.

That was the hardest hike I had ever done.

The next day we hiked up to Basin Lake, in Montana. It was a very nice hike.

We hiked to the Upper Basin Lake and ate lunch. That was the first time I had ever eaten MRE's...surprisingly tasty. When we got to the Upper Basin Lake, we went swimming. Yup, I went swimming in a glacial lake...I was freezing and far from dry.

On the way down it started hailing with lightening. I thought Montana was supposed to be a dry state.

Week Three in Roundup Mt

Hey Y’all! This week was so slow that I, some how, got enough patients to scrapbook. I got all of my camp pictures scrapbooked…and, if I may say so myself, the pages look pretty darn good for what normally comes from my scrapbooking at home.
This week I drove on highway 87. Yup, no joke, and I don’t even have my permit. I do have to add that Roundup, Montana highways are completely different than our Portland highways. At 5 o’clock in Portland, you can expect to be in stop and go traffic all the way home. But here, the most traffic I’ve seen consists of, at most, four cars. Oh, and not to forget, I only drove about 30 feet down the highway before getting to the turn off I needed. However, my heart was still racing five minutes after that. Good thing there are no cops in Roundup.

That same day Amber and I went down to the Hooderite Colony (not sure if that’s how it’s spelled.) We met up with Carol and drove down to the river.

At the river we went fishing. I had to hold a worm, I almost died. Once I got my fishing poll, I got my thumb stuck on the hook, it hurt.

I was the only one to catch a fish that day. I was pretty proud of my accomplishment. I’d have to give a little credit to Lardy for all this fishing advice in class.


Fishing got boring so we hopped in the river. I was scared of being bitten by a fish the whole time.





I guess I shouldn’t have been scared of the fish; I should have been scared of the leaches. When we got back to the house Amber held out her hand and right between two fingers was a leach. It was right then that I began to flip out and look at my arms and legs for leaches. Thankfully, none were found.
I can check off four more things on my list of activities to do while here.
~Get a Portland postcard in the mail (I’ve always wanted one)
~Catching a baby Cat Fish
~Swimming in leach infested waters
~Illegally driving on the highway
Today my dad is officially 50 years old. Sorry dad, the world has to know who our senior citizens are. Hey at least you can get the senior discount. Okay my teasing is done; I wasn’t there to tease you in person, so it’s only far.
This weekend I will be going backpacking with Amber at Red Lodge. I’m a little nervous about sleeping outside with all the bears and snakes. But I’m excited to sleep under the stars. Stay tuned to find out if I get back alive.
Until next time, enjoy the Rose City!
PS. For all of you who know how much I don't read, I have finished two books...booyeah!

Week TWO in Montana

Hello my fellow Oregonians. Sorry ‘bout all the miss spells last week. My grandma’s computer doesn’t have spell check. I’m just going to use that as my excuse for horrible spelling skills. But you know what? You can’t blame me for the ‘spell check generation’ I was born in.
I’ve been here two weeks and they still haven’t kicked me out. Let’s get straight to the good stuff.
I had a picnic with my grandma this week. As you can see I am enjoying my very own quart of chocolate milk. To tell you the truth, I drank about half of it and was so full I wanted to…you know; get it out of my stomach.

What really cracks me up is how much chocolate milk my grandma drinks. You might say chocolate milk is her beer. In that case, I should have been driving. If she knew I posted this picture she’d prolly kill me….but it’s so worth it.

I went to the zoo here in Montana. I didn’t even know they had one. I was so pumped to see all the animals they have in Montana.

This little cutie is Taylor. I just love this picture because she made the same face that I always make. It’s like she’s my little apprentice.

I prepared myself to see all the lions, snakes, and etc. However, I came to find out that all I needed to be prepared to see were some horses, goats, bears, and bunnies that couldn’t even be considered Killer Bunnies. I guess I shouldn’t harp on the innocent, little zoo. At least they had one. I bet it saves a lot of moms from having to plan out stuff to do at home all day.

Seeing the Bald Eagle confirmed to me why it is our nation’s symbol. If looks killed I would be long gone.
The zoo might have had a microscopic selection of animals, but they sure did spread them out. I felt like I was walking the distance of a marathon from one cage to the next. Plus the little kids wanted me to give piggy-back rides. Yeah, I was feeling my age by the end of the day. Who ever made up that style of traveling is definitely NOT on my favorite-five list.

I now know why parents take their kids to the Zoo. All the kids, including me, fell asleep on the way home.

I went on my first trek to the mail box. It took me forever, but I did get to see nature.

I was planning on being helpful by getting the mail and bringing it back home. My plan was shot down and so was my energy level. I opened the mailbox to find nothing but dust. Gee, thanks to my so called friends in Oregon, I had nothing to be excited about on my way home.

On Friday we went swimming…Montana style.

When I first saw this sign on the bridge I wondered... “Hmmm, this small town has a problem with suicides, or they have a problem with their depth perception; it’s easy to see that the river is only four feet deep.”
Taylor found out how much she likes to play in the mud. She insisted on drawing faces on everyone.



I’ve definitely had a memorable two weeks here in “Small Town USA” (that’s a country song, if you didn’t know.) If my grandma had something faster than Dial-Up I’d tell you all my funny experiences that I’ve mailed home to my family. I’ll try to convince Sarah to write about them on her blog.
I’ll write again next week. Until then, enjoy Oregon!

Week ONE in Montana

Ignore the hyper linked words, I couldnt fix it.
Hey y'all, I made it to Montana on the 3rd of July. I might as well get straight to telling you about my first week in a little town called Roundup. On my first day in Montana I celebrated the Fourth of July. I woke up at 6am and went golfing. I only lasted two holes before having to go to the bathroom. The golf course was on my cousin's land so I just cought up on my beauty sleep while the others finished out the course. Later that day I went to the parade, a Gene Watson concert, and finally launched some fireworks into the big sky of Montana.
My cousin's son decide to catch a frog and he had the nerve to bring it within two feet of me. I would have never guessed that Montana had frogs...I learn something new everyday.

These are my cousins Ty and Amber. We discovered that you can draw pictures on Grandm's patio using rocks...let's just hope Grandma doesn't see.

I went on a hike up the (small) mountains in front of my uncle's ranch. The view was amazing. I wish I could capture what it really looked like. At the top I ate lunch.

I bet none of you have ever made REAL lemonade...let's just pretend I'm not the only one who had never made real lemonade. Well as you can see I made lemonade. It was a nice treat on a hot day.
I just thought I'd add a picture to remind you all back home what I look like.

After having my lemonade I went with Amber to concur my fear of chickens. It took a while but eventually I put both of my feet in the door...but I was as stiff as a board until Amber got all the chickens out of the coop. With my sneekyness skills I quietly gathered the eggs. I was looking back every second to make sure chickens weren't about to attack me.



On Wednesday morning I went with my aunt Shelly to my cousin Chris' house to pick up a horse. Rapelje is the town that we went to. Here's a little comparison to show you just how small Rapelje is. On a map Roundup would be smaller than the pin point of a needle....Rapelje made Roundup look the size of Portland. I don't think it would be true to say I drove through Rapelje because by the time the back of our truck made it into the town, the front was already out. Anyways, once we got home my uncle Jeff unloaded the new horse. I am terrified of horses, therefore, I stayed a good distance, of a mile away, the whole time .

Once all the horses were put away I got to test out my gun skills...actually all I did was prove just how much gun skills I lacked. I would have to say that I did make some progress. So all you boy who think you're good enough to date Sarah better watch out when I get home.

I doubt any of you will believe that I went shopping for over 6 hours. Yeah, it's hard for me to believe too. I went with my cousin Amber and her friend Carol.
You don't see bears like this in Oregon.

I have to admit I almost fell asleep in one of the stores. But then we went to Starbucks. I got the yummyest thing on the menu...vanilla bean frap.

After my hunger was satisfied we went to Carol's house. She gave me a tour of the colony that she lives in. She also showed me the dog that she had told me I could have. I knew I didn't want a dog until I laid my eyes on the cutest puppy ever. All I have to do now is convince uncle Jeff to let me have it...I'm pretty sure I can do it.
The time that I have spent in Montana so far has been an experience. I love when the wind goes through the trees here because it sounds like the ocean. I have had an amazing time being in a place without the distractions of TV, music, phones, and computers. Most teens would think that being unable to have cell phone service 247 and no TV shows or friends around would be near impossible to enjoy. However, without these worldly distractions around I am able to freely see all the beauty that Montana has to offer. If you asked me what the hardest part about being here has been, I would say no being able to hang out with Sarah has been torture. I miss my friend back home, but I guess being away only brings us closer.
I can only get on the computer maybe once a week so I wont be able to update.