Lookout

I'm looking for any reason to stay in Missoula at this point & am going to attempt a bucket list per se of things I need to do before considering leaving. After a 4 year hiatus I convinced myself it was a good idea to try my hand at skiing the big powder of the Rockies once again. So I borrowed some friends gear, piled into a car w/ some good people & took off towards the Idaho/Montana border.

Despite not being the blue bird day the weatherman said it would be, it was still beautiful on top of the snow covered mountain. I took a few practice runs down an easy trail a few times before trying to keep up w/ my friends. The continued to smoke me the rest of the day, but I was grateful for their patience & support as they pushed my limits. I hope for a few more chanced to get out on the slopes again before spring. *Mom stop reading here* Maybe even try my hand at some back country runs since that is what everyone out here seems to love so much. 

Winter Wonderland

It was a rare beautiful blue sky this winter. I had just dropped my roommate off at the airport & was snuggled up in my bed w/ Bosco dog attempting to fall back to sleep. But staring out at the clear blue sky from my bed proved to much & before I could stop them, my feet were on the floor heading towards the closet. As I was whipping up a quick breakfast deciding where the day would take me, I got an idea stuck in my head. After a quick phone call to a friend who can be counted on agreeing to my [mis]adventures, I was throwing my day pack in the baja & headed towards the east entrance of Glacier National Park.

After a few hours of driving we finally made it to the park & almost hit three moose w/ my car about a mile from the entrance.
The scenery was absolutely stunning. We only had about 2 hours left of sunlight, so after taking plenty of pictures of the first three moose we continued down the Going to the Sun Road.

Then another moose jumped out in front of my car! He was huge. This was about the point I was screaming "Do NOT hit my car you cussing moose!"

Going to the Sun Road is only open & plowed for the first 6 miles. We were able to go as far as Rising Sun campground before the snow plow (or lack thereof) stopped us in our tracks.

So we took off on foot for a bit to watch the sun set behind the mountains.

End of the World

Epic Grooming

I spent a long weekend w/ my friends Twila & Ashlin grooming 30 malamutes & a Bosco. While it was slightly more dramatic than usual, the weekend as a whole was one well worth the 3 hours drive to their mushing quarters.

O Christmas Tree

It's [sadly] been a few years since I've had the Christmas spirit to go get a Christmas tree. I've never seen the purpose of going through all the trouble living alone the past 2 years. Since Bosco & I are living w/ a roommate this year, we all decided to venture out into the woods this weekend & cut down our very own evergreen.

With a fresh snowfall on the ground we took off towards the Lolo National Forest area in search of the perfect tree. It was a beautiful day so while the main goal was supposed to be finding a tree our priorities were more on playing in the fresh powder w/ the dogs. I have a hard time believing Bosco will be turning FOUR! in March, but he turns back into that 16 week old puppy anytime there's snow around.

Notice the frozen drool.

As the sun started to set we decided to get serious about our tree search & ended up picking one that we had liked early in our adventure.

We were trying to take a "family" photo. Bosco started playing w/ a stick in the first attempt, & Lima "attacked" the camera in the second attempt. We gave up.

Parade of Lights

Having never been to the infamous Parade of Lights in Missoula, my friend Ryan invited me out for a warm drink & night of light gawking. After grabbing some Liquid Planet tea to go (an idea EVERYONE in Missoula had that night) we headed onto the street for the parade to start. After following the slower than average moving parade a few blocks down Higgins to the giant evergreen tree, we sang a few Christmas carols & then the countdown began. 3...2...1...

Although somewhat pretty, it was very anticlimactic. I guess I've been spoiled by Rockefellar.