Reverse Migration North

Highlights from our reverse migration north . . . I am on a bit of blog blitz here just wanting to get myself up to date!  This post is a photo essay of sorts. Photos are not in order at all!

Tally can never ever get enough swim time in . . . she just loves water!

Dos and life is all about the stick!

I would say we are the happiest outside.  We love camping--car camping, backpacking whatever we love sleeping in our tent!

Home on the road!

Life by a campfire . . . 

Our tent mates!

Look at Miss Sadie 8years old and as beautiful as ever.  My dear companion!

Little Miss tally is not a fan of bugs and loves to be snug as a bug.

More knitting along the drive

More swimming and stick action in the Yukon.

Cotton flowers as I call them remind me of punk rockers along hwy in the Yukon.

Our last camp in the Yukon.

Morning yoga in BC 1st morning on the road.

One of the ferry crossings which I just love in BC!

Morning road trip yoga! 

BC logging a huge operation!

Bear Lake morning yoga---I love this campground complete with loons!

One of those cultural events along the way!

Caribou

Are we close to being home yet?

Morning coffee on the road.

Haines Junction Bakery a great treat along the drive.

Yukon break

Yukon break

Yukon break

Our last camp

Our last camp

Our last camp

This greeted us at our last camping site.  I found it very fitting as so many folks can not believe in life itself and one must get up, get going and embrace life to its fullest!

Morning Routines

My favorite summer morning routines is as follows: to get up, drink coffee with half and half, write emails/check in with the world, knit a little, have breakfast, do some yoga, sit ups, and go for the morning farmland bike ride.  This is total summertime bliss for me!

This summer, I started doing my yoga outside.  Why I haven't done this before is beyond me!  

Another great hat pattern by knitwear designer Aimee Alexander.  This is Central Ave hat, and it is a great knit!  I am currently knitting 4 of these hats for my niece and her girls.

Hay fields with Big Mountain in the background.  Or as I like to call it "Whitefish Resort at Big Mountain."  Currently everything in Whitefish is being called "at Whitefish"--drives me nuts!  This is Big Mountain and recently had a name change to Whitefish resort . . . don't even get me started on this one!  This is part of my farmland morning ride.

My favorite bridge on my morning ride.  I look forward to this river crossing everyday.

My last ride of the summer.

Glacier Park Hike: Hiking with Friends

Whenever I get a chance to hike in Glacier National Park it is like hiking with a long time dear friend.  GNP is dear buddy of mine!  My first time there was in 1982 when I worked for GPI the concessioner for the park at that time.  I worked in the camp store and discovered summer camp for college students.  It was nothing but the best time ever!  I realized then there were people like me that loved to be outside, hiking, camping and enjoy the world around them.  This summer I was able to fit in a hike to Snyder Lake with my dear friend Lynn.

Lynn is both knitter, spinner, librarian and a teacher.  We used to work together in Alaska and swore we would visit each other every summer once one of us left AK.  She left/retired first, and now we get together at one of our places each summer.  Lynn is a creative fiber artist and she is a talented writer!  She has several books in the works both for kids and adults. Lynn can also illustrate her own work!

Off we went on a Snyder Lake hike . . . which was a double treat for me! Hiking in GNP is returning to an old friend and I was able to bring along an old dear friend as well!

A great resource for hiking in Glacier National Park.  Ok I am biased it is written by one of my friends as well!  I am even in a few photos!

Always time to knit, hike, and enjoy lunch on any hike!

Soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the view.

I always enjoy the vast variety of greens nature can offer against a bright rich blue sky.

On our way out from Snyder Lake.

Mount Edwards in the background.

Little Matterhorn from the Snyder Lake drainage.

A wonderful day with long time dear friends!

Hiking

Living in Northwest Montana one is never far from a great hiking trail.  We hiked some old favorites and explored some new trails this summer.  A recent hike we went on was just perfect!  We found bushes just loaded with green huckleberries which will be ripe in mid-August.  Be careful!  I am  sure the basin will be full of bears and purple bear scat!  Bluebird Lake was a great hike.  We had some steep climbs, hiked on snow, had great views, and our eyes had the wonderful treat of wildflowers bursting to life.  The dogs had plenty of water and snow to cool off on as we hiked through the day.

A few great books to help you discover the great hiking northwest, Montana offers.

The start of our hike on Little Therriault Lake.

Along the highline with stunning views.

Little Therriault Lake from above.

Along the trail and do hike with bear spray.

Bluebird Lake and there are a few trails that will bring you into this stunning little paradise. One always has time for some relaxing knitting.  Working on socks with PDS sock yarn from my favorite local yarn shoppe Knit 'N Needle.

We made a nice loop and this was our trail down.  This is the way I would hike if you wanted a shorter day hike or had small kids with along.

Knitting, Mitten & Sock Blockers

Summer time knitting is always a treat! I often have a sweater on my needles, but this season I am finishing up smaller projects. These projects were either on the needles or were requested.  I usually like to knit larger projects, but I have been having a blast with all my smaller knitting projects this summer.

Mitten & Sock Blockers

The other knitting accessory I have wanted for years has been a set of mitten and sock blockers.  I went on Etsy and found some with excellent reviews by: Squire Country Crafts.  These blockers have excellent craftsmanship, smooth, and well constructed.  I look forward to using them.

Kokkeluri Mittens

Kate Davies, Kokkeluri Mittens are one of the projects currently on my needles.  This project has been a hoot and a great one to remind an experienced knitter like myself of the endless mistakes one can make while knitting!

Let me start with reading the directions correctly!  At which point for some reason I thought I needed to knit these mittens on a US DPN size 1 when the pattern clearly suggests a US 2.  I knitted a left mitten and thought "man Kate has small hands there is NO WAY this mitten will fit me even after blocking."  I frogged the mitten and re-knitted it with some added rows . . . tried it on again and thought, "What the heck again way to small!"  Now somewhere along the line I decided to change colors another huge mistake!  I frogged again!  Oh but before frogging the third time and starting the mitten the third time I realized . . . I WAS USING THE WRONG SIZE NEEDLES!   Oh knitting my most humbling friend!

The only lame excuse I could come up with for all these foolish errors was I was trying to knit these during ski racing season!

Once I got the right size needles, gave up on a different color combo my life got easier! I am now just finishing up the left hand thumb and hope to later today caston for the right mitten.

My dear knitting, hiking, biking, skiing, and relaxing buddy: Sadie.  We are both soaking up the morning sunshine in the side garden.

Morning sun, Sadie, coffee and a great project on the needles.

Love this photo showing mitten progress inside my house with yes a down jacket on in July!  Oh the joys of a Montana summer.

China . . . Really, I traveled with a day pack full of CHINA!

For years I would travel to visit my mother with a backpack.  She would pick me up at the airport and say things like, "When are you ever going to travel with a suitcase like a normal person?"  "Still with a backpack!" "You know they make nicer suitcases today." To this, "A backpack is easier to spot in all the regular luggage."  I will admit over the years we now travel with North Face duffel bags that are water-proof and do hold up well to travel abuses.  We have had these bags for about 15 years.  The oldest bag does have a few worn spots, but nothing that duct tape can not take care off!

Recently we were back east for a family visit.  My sister and I went through some of our mom's china/dishes and a bit of silver.  Then I had to figure out how to hand carry all these fragile treasures.  I wrapped all of it up in plastic and bubble wrap and placed it inside a stuff sack and then into my light weight older Dana day pack.  I was able to carry all of the treasures back to Montana without an issue. Meanwhile my mother laughed to herself, "still using a backpack I see!"

The old Dana Design Pack . . . perfect for travel and well used over the years.

The Stuff Sack full of old family treasures!

This tea cup and the one below were bought in the mid 60s and I always loved them.   

This is a great pack for travel as you can roll it up and stuff it away.  It was what I used to haul my treasures home.  I doubt they still make this back as it was made before Dana sold and has since returned to pack making.