JJJ - Horseback Riding

July 31, 2008: Guess what we did today.....No, really, guess....Correct! We rode horses. There is always a lot to see. We took a ride into the high country as a family. A fair bit of trail breaking on the way down. The wrangler lost the trail in the open field up high. Quite frankly, it is impossible to get lost because the valley is so narrow and the sides so high. The trail was visible below us and we just wove our way down. The horse is in "self-preservation" mode on any rocky or hilly terrain so you just hold on and there is no worry about getting where you are going. There were several small children (including our own) on the trip without incident. It was a great ride and a welcome change from some of the 'nose to tail' riding we did before.

When we returned, dug into one of the beers I brought - it is BYOB at the ranch. Don't forget that! There are no stores nearby.

The rockies appear to be waves on the ocean in some of our photos. Very peaceful here.

Travel from Glacier NP to JJJ Wilderness Ranch

July 27, 2008: We had breakfast at the Park Cafe - excellent food, but it is hard to justify hte wait. The pie is good any time of day. After breakfast, we drove the roughly 3 hours to Great Falls, MT where we were to meet up with the Triple J Wilderness Ranch folks. Along the way, we spied a lot of horses both on and off the road.

The anticipation of the horses kept the "are we there yet" to a minimum. Good for all!

The ranch is about a 2 hour drive from Great Falls. We were picked up by Max, who (with his wife Ann) first named the ranch in the mid-seventies. His son Ernie (and Ernie's wife Kim) run the ranch now. We did the one week vacation at the ranch in our own log cabin on the site. They also offer week-long back country trips that seem a long way from roughing it.

You can't help but be in awe of the wide open land, the views, the wildlife. What a way of life!

WHITEWATER RAFTING GLACIER NP

24 July 2008: West Glacier National Park: We flew in to Kalispell, MT shortly before noon. We arranged for a 1/2 day raft trip down the North Fork of the Flathead River with the Wild River Adventures Raft Company ( http://www.riverwild.com/) near the west entrance of the park. These guys did a great job - mostly class 2 and 3 on this short trip, but it was the kids first whitewater experience so we were gentle. The water is freezing since it was snow/ice a few miles up the river earlier that day. This was a great way to get the plane trip off our mind and get in the mood for 12 days of R&R.

The 21 year old guide played the stud role well, but he did know the river and give us options to avoid some of the more serious swells (for instance a Class IV rapids). We did avoid the worst of the river due to the small kids. In all, you just get going when the trip is over, so make time for a longer trip - especially in this area with such incredible scenery.