Lake Angeline Hike

Yesterday, Jordan, our friend Troy and I went on a hike to Lake Angeline.  The lake is nestled at the base of the mountains in the photo above, between the peaks in the middle and right side of the photo above.

The lake is located about 5.5 miles from the parking area (which is a few miles from the highway on a fairly rocky dirt road).  The scenery along the way consists of a rough trail through the woods, alpine meadows and then rocky fields above the treeline.

The vistas near the lake are expansive, with views of the foothills and rolling sagebrush prairie beyond.

 

The lake is fed from rain and snow, and it's waters are crystal clear.  Situated around 10,450 feet, much of the water was still coated with a layer of ice in mid-June.  It was partially the memory of this aqua blue water that made Jordan want to return to this beautiful spot and share with me.  He first discovered Lake Angeline when Grampa Frank took him camping there when he was a boy.

For perspective, that's Jordan fishing in the photo above.  The mountains here are steep!

It was super windy up high, which must be fairly routine as many of the local trees grow out, rather than up.

On our hikes, it's sometimes hard to shake that "let's just see what's over the next mountain top" feeling.  Yesterday was no exception, and we succumbed to a short detour to climb a fairly steep nearby hill. We were rewarded with a view of Lower Frozen Lake and the impressive cliffs of a nearby mountain.  We could also glimpse at least 5 of the 7 Brothers Lakes in the distance (photo not shown).

Overall, we trekked almost 12.5 miles and gained just under 2,700 feet of elevation.  On our way back to the highway, we were bemoaning the fact that we hadn't seen any wildlife throughout the day (although we saw plenty of signs of moose, elk and coyotes).  To our delight, within seconds we spotted several snowshoe hares in their brown summer coats. 

It was a great day!

Spit and Polish

 

The weather is finally nice enough to start working on the Airstream in earnest.  Jordan recently started polishing the aluminum shell of the trailer, using a few different methods.  He's decided on the best way forward, and will work on this project more after taking a break to work on the frame. 

The frame underneath the trailer needed some work as it was a bit rusty in spots, but overall appeared to be in great shape for being 71 years old.  But first we had to fit our 9ft+ Airstream into our garage to start the next phase.  This turned out to be a bit tricky since said garage only has 8ft doors!  No problem!  We removed the axle and tires, and then Thane slowly backed the frame into the garage, with Jordan and I directing, angling and pushing as needed.  What could possibly go wrong?!?!  😂  

After some rather careful maneuvering, we were successful and began the next task: removing the rust, painting and resealing the frame.  The boys spent grueling hours removing hundreds of rivets to separate the various components of the trailer.  Then we braced the inside and lifted it off the frame.

Once the rust was removed and the frame sealed, Jordan cut plywood to make a new base.  He had to carefully recreate the rounded curves, as none of them matched (much to his chagrin).

We still need to poly the plywood and wrap it in metal, but we are thrilled to be heading in the direction of reviving Ellie (instead of breaking her down).

We'll keep you posted...

First Hike of the Season - the Western Edge of the Big Horns

Jordan and I are planning to do a long, multi-day hike at the end of the summer, and we (and by we, I mean primarily me) need to ensure that we are in shape and somewhat adjusted to the high altitude, so we have lots of hiking plans for the summer.  Unfortunately, there's still quite a bit of snow in the higher elevations as can be seen in the photo above.  While it may not appear so, the drift to the right of the picture is over 9 ft high!  That squashed our original plan of exploring Bucking Mule Falls.  Instead we crossed the highway and walked around the base of Bald Mountain out to the western edge of the Big Horns.  Our lunch view was incredible, with the valley, Big Horn River and the Absaroka Mountains in the distance:

One of my childhood dreams was to be an archeologist, and I still love when we are hiking and randomly come across old signs of civilization, like this cabin:

Later I discovered an old campsite with a metal wash tub, a broken crock, melted glass, zinc canning lids, an enamelware bowl and pieces of old china:

After our 6 mile hike, we opted to take the scenic road home to see some of the local ranches nestled at the base of the mountains.  After seeing plenty of elk, moose and rock chucks in the higher elevations, we were treated to sites of sandhill cranes and some enormous bulls on the way home.

We do love this place!

A Northwest Weekend in Washington, Idaho and Montana

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Washington last weekend.  It was exhausting - but so fun!!  Melissa, our friend who moved to WY from Maine, tagged along.  Our first stop was Colville, where we got to visit with Mama & Papa and acquaint ourselves with the new lambs.  We also got to visit with our dear friends Tom & Becky for a few hours, but I don't have any photos because I forgot in the excitement of the afternoon.  Later we celebrated birthdays, Mother's Day and Father's Day with a delicious meal ending with homemade blueberry pie.  Um, yes please!

On Sunday we went to Farm Chicks with Mom & Jordan's sister Abby.  Farm Chicks is a HUGE vintage/craft show, and we all walked away with some treasures.

We decided to head halfway home Sunday, with a brief stop in Idaho at the Cataldo Mission.  Completed in 1853, the Mission was part of a Jesuit compound that brought Catholicism to local Native American tribes. You can see the mission from the highway, and I've always wanted to stop to take a tour of the grounds which include a house, mill, cemetery, an old bell and museum.

The interior of the church is simple but so elegant, as seen in the wooden molding that workers painstakingly crafted onto the very tall ceiling.

Many other original features remain, including the old confessional.  I'm not sure exactly what Melissa was repenting of, but man we were there for a LONG time!  Just kidding...

We spent the night in Butte, and then headed southeast for the remaining 5.5 hour drive home.  But we did make time to stop in Bozeman for breakfast at the famous Jam!, which had one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten.  Everything on the menu looked amazing, so we settled on two dishes to split.

Caprese eggs benedict with assorted roasted potatoes and a citrus arugula salad, and blueberry pancakes with a lemon ricotta spread and toasted hazelnuts.  YUM!  We are already plotting ways to get back to Colville and Bozeman!