Glacier and Going to the Sun Road

We arrived at Glacier National Park on Friday midday and easily found a camping spot. As soon as we settled in we got out the tandem and took a ride. The bear sign is the only bear we have seen. 

It has mostly been cloudy, but still lovely. Today we took a red bus trip on the Going to the Sun Road. Our tour guide Marlon said that the clouds would actually improve our photos as the light would be better. I wasn't sure whether this was a story, but we managed to get some neat shots. Marlon drives the buses so his wife can put up more easily with a retired earth sciences teacher. He makes a pretty good guide, but certainly liked puns. 

The light and clouds made everything greener and bluer. Is that a word? Even the photos out the window were pretty. 

Glacier is a beautiful park with many spectacular views, and some scary rivers. 

We are heading to Canada tomorrow, so won't have data anymore. Postings will probably be limited. I hope we don't run into any of the fires raging there. 

To Montana Friends

We drove through Wyoming and Idaho to get to Stevensville, Montana to visit our friends Tom and Tina. We saw part of Teton National Park on our way. The mountains were amazing!  

Tom and Tina have a lovely home in the Bitteroot Valley. Actually, they live on a bench of land just above the valley with a fantastic view of the mountains. The sunset made me understand why they love it there. 

 

Tina made meatballs for us the first evening we arrived and the next day we toured - a quilt shop for me, a brewery for Mike, dinner at a great steak house with typical Montana decor, and a visit to Lake Como. 

Thanks for a great visit! 

Colorado 4th

We spent the 4th with Dan and Karen and their family in Westminster. They have a view that is spectacular! We saw at least six different fireworks shows from their house. We met many of their friends   - I think they had nearly 50 people at their place! 

We had the pleasure of meeting their granddaughter. She is a sweety! 

The next day we did some sightseeing and had dinner with some of Mike's old co-workers at a great place ( Aji's) in Boulder. Thanks for a lovely time! 

Colorado Visits

We drove to Colorado Springs to see our Navy friends Cordy and Rod. They took us to all the local sights, including old Colorado City and historic Manitou Springs.

We had planned on driving up Pikes Peak, but the clouds got in the way. We did get to a great bakery though for some Dutch treats. 

Colorado Springs is a great spot and we had a terrific time! 

Colorado Has Breweries

We spent a day in Aurora at the Buckley Air Force Fam Camp. We woke up to a beautiful sunrise. 

We went looking for a quilt shop I wanted to visit, but it was closed. We did the next best thing. We found a highly recommended microbrewery and visited it instead. The Dry Dock had some cool beers! My favorite was their Amber. 

Tuesday morning we headed to Fort Collins, as I wanted to see where one of my favorite beers (Fat Tire) is brewed. The New Belgian Brewery is a hugely popular destination! We couldn't book a guided tour as they are filled through August. We did a self guided tour and tasted beer! And I saw the original drawing of the label! 

We bought some beer to take with us. 

Tuesday evening we went to celebrate the retirement of Mike's previous boss, Dan Gibson. It was held at another microbrewery, Fate Brewing, in Boulder. 

From what I understand, we have only touched the surface when it comes to Colorado breweries. 

We took a late evening walk on Pearl Street, which I remembered from previous visits as funky and fun. It rained on us, so we ducked into a restaurant called Riffs. It was a fortunate find - small plates of great food.  

Pearl Street itself was otherwise a disappointment. It has been gentrified too much, although some of the street performers still looked a bit as remembered. 

 

Colorado Wedding

We were at the lovely wedding of our nephew in a beautiful setting in the mountains this past week end. It rained just a little during the wedding, which is good luck. 

The bride and groom planned for every possibility. We had umbrellas, blankets, and a great tent to celebrate the occasion. The music was neat and there were games to play. 

We spent time with family and stayed in a casino in nearby Black Hawk. I am not a casino fan, but the hotel was lovely and in a beautiful mountain setting. 

Mike, his sister, her spouse and I had a great time! 

We got to spend time with the parents, brother Logan and one of the newest members of the family, Teddy. He is adorable! 

Our great nieces, Tatum and Olivia, were flower girls. They had a fun time with their cousins. 

All in all, it was a lovely family time! 

Quilt Shops to Colorado

We have been on the road for almost a week now and I haven't posted. But I don't think many would be interested in hearing about the dozen quilt shops we have stopped at while traveling. I had a couple of favorites, Appletree Quilting in Columbia, Missouri and

Uniquely Yours in Salina, Kansas. 

These two shops stood out with friendly service and lovely offerings. As I am following the Row by Row trail this year in my quilt shop visits, it is interesting to see the approaches the various shops are using in the designs of the patterns and in their kits. These two shops have great instructions. And their designs are nice too. 

We made it to Colorado  and will be spending the next week here.