Three years ago, some of our Colorado friends showed up. This year they came back for a second time… although technically now they’re Utah friends. And they were joined by our other Colorado friends, who visited for the first time. These are the yahoos we’ve spent time with on multiple trips around the West over the years, and it was a lot of fun to get the band back together again.
The first order of business was, naturally, Glacier National Park. Even though it’s mid-July, there hasn’t been any wildfire smoke and we could enjoy a brilliant view.
With three years of Glacier experience under our belts, Pepper and I knew what sort of itinerary to suggest for the group. We started at St Mary Lake and went down to the shoreline to enjoy lunch beside the chilly water.
It was only a matter of time before Kurt took the plunge. Fully clothed. Yep, it was really cold… even in mid-July.
We hiked up to Virginia Falls, and I continued practicing my waterfall photography.
Jason did the same, but got a little more creative.
So many waterfalls!
At the top of the trail, Virginia Falls never disappoints.
While I was busy snapping photos, Aaron was doing something he called the “Mario Dance” on a rock below. I’m not sure what that means.
After Kurt and I did some cliff-jumping at St Mary Falls, we snapped a group photo near Logan Pass. What a glorious day in the Park.
Back at the homestead, the next few days were filled with board games, pool, ping-pong tournaments, spikeball, and a lot of good food. Skunk was popular, as always.
The Party House is so great for company– plenty of room for everyone to have space and do their stuff, while we cook and eat and hang out.
Lake days are always a hit, and the kids remembered how much fun the jet skis are. They’re a little older now, and Lexi is a little less crazy (but only a little).
Holland Lake is a frequent destination for us, so we headed there as well. It was a gorgeous day: sunny but not too hot, despite the time of year.
Hey look, more waterfalls!
The end of the trail provides a great view, but the Mission Mountains in the distance were looking a bit hazy. To the south (left, out of the shot) there was a brownish tinge to the sky. We later learned there was a massive wildfire near Seeley Lake, not too far from where we stood.
One evening all of us went outside to admire the sunset. It was absolutely spectacular. I took the following two pictures within a few minutes of each other– it was incredible how the sky went from pink and blue to orange and grey. It’s worth noting I did not adjust the colors in these shots.
We miss so many of our Colorado friends, and it’s always great to have them come up to visit. This was a fabulous week.