Home Again

After our weekend on the road it was good to be back home again. We were greeted with an awesome "sunset" of sorts. A storm was moving through and as the sun went down it colored the bottoms of the thunderheads a brilliant orange.

On the way to Hiawatha

We took the St. Joe River Scenic Byway to Avery and then North to the Route of Hiawatha. We had to travel through 3 tunnels to get to our camping spot.


I took this from outside the truck window and I accidentally got the antenna in the shot as well.

Here we are ready to go through the tunnel.

We are set up at our overnight camp spot. We were right on the banks of the St. Joe and the little trout were jumping in the water. We sat on the river bank with our cocktails and watched the river flow by.

Route of Hiawatha

Here we are on one of the first trellis' that you cross on the route. We started about 8:30 in the morning at the bottom of the route and rode uphill (only about a 2% grade, which wasn't tough at all). We didn't see anyone for about 2 hours!!

When we got towards the top of the route there was a waterfall that was very cool and refreshing. It was a main stop for people coming down from the beginning of the route, cause they needed to regroup after the long tunnel.


It took us 3 1/2 hours to bike from the bottom to the top. We stopped and read each info sign and took pictures. At the top we had lunch and then down we came. The return trip to the bottom took a little less than 2 hours.


This is the first tunnel you have to go through if you start at the top of the route. As you can see it is a long one!! Very dark, very cold (about 40 - 45 degrees inside). If you are the least bit claustrophobic this would be a tough one. There are about 10 tunnels on the route and 7 trellis to cross.


All the tunnels are either named and/or numbered as well. Each has an information plaque that tells the length of the tunnel as well. The trellis have the name of the creek or draw it spans and the length and height of the trellis. There are info kiosks along the route that talk of all things railroad and other bits of interesting info. It was a very fun way to spend the day.

We camped at Lolo Hot Springs on the return from the trip to Route of Hiawatha. It was great to soak the sore saddle in the hot springs. This is the view from our tent area. This is a beautiful campground and one of our favorite overnight spots.

At the border with Idaho and Montana along Hwy 12 they have an Interpretive Center for the Lewis and Clark expedition, which is another of our favorite places to stop. We walked the wetlands trail and took a few pictures.


As we followed Hwy 12 down the Lochsa Canyon we spotted a Moose eating out of one of the boggy areas, so we turned around to get a picture.


The Lochsa River is soooo pretty. The water is clear and in the sunshine was very sparkly, and the big timbers grow right up to the edge of the river.

camping on the Imnaha

We have only taken the pickup tent out a couple of times, so this was a great time to practice again. We drove the Hess Road to Hidden Campground on the Imnaha River where friends Jim and Diane were camped. We were the only people in the whole campground, and maybe even for miles around. It was beautiful up there.



Jim and Diane with Ally


We all posed on the big rock by the creek. This is the same area that Diane had cleaned off for lying down to star gaze in the evening. If you want to see stars, this is the perfect night time sky to look at.

Balanced on the log...about 6 feet off the ground. A little scary, that is why we are holding on!

My First Attempt at Cake Decorating with Fondant

This is my first attempt at cake decorating using fondant. We had a family in church that is expecting and we gave them a baby shower. It isn't a perfect cake but was ok as a first go.
I have to start practicing if I am to make a wedding cake next June. Anyone need a cake??

Happy 4th of July!

To All of you out there...Happy Independence Day!! Hope your day is sunny and filled with watermelon, sparklers, and good friends!

Cherry Pie Time!!

Yesterday Pat picked pie (sour) cherries from Grandmas tree. He had picked enough for three pies. One for Dan, One for Pat and One for Shannen. Hopefully they will share with the rest of us!

Making Beer

When Pat comes home he usually gets another batch of beer brewing. This time he is brewing up some Wizard Wheat & Huckleberry Beer. We used the last of the huckleberries from last year to make it so we hope it is delicious!

This pic shows Pat and Em straining the chunks out of the wort. Sounds icky, but the results will be divine!!