Silly Kitties

Now that Justin's family is gone, he has 6 alerts in a row and then goes out for a week for code change. Because of this, I am back to taking pictures of my adorable kitties.

Recently, Fatty decided he liked to climb on top of the television and walk back and forth meowing. This turned out to be a better picture of Anthony Bourdain than of my cat, but you get the idea.



Swirly likes to sleep in strange places, one of which is on top of the cabinets in the laundry room.



Another of which is the half empty case of water bottles.



She also likes to go in boxes that are too small for her. Here she is in the box our new sheets came in.

Giddy Up

On the last day before Justin's family left, we went down to the Bull Run Guest Ranch to go horseback riding. I've been wanting to go horseback riding for a really long time so I was super excited that Justin's family wanted to go too. The drive down there wasn't very long but the last part was on a gravel road so it took almost an hour. On the way we saw some antelope. They were laying close to the road but the noise from the car made them retreat.



It was sorta rainy when we got there.



But then the clouds started to break up and the sun came out.



Justin and me in front of the sign outside the lobby area of the cabin.



While our guide saddled up the horses we hung around outside. Justin decided to wear his lumberjack shirt for our horseback riding adventure.




Once the horses were ready, we all waited by our assigned horse for the guide to help us get the stir-ups adjusted. Here's me with my horse, Cisco. This particular horse was actually a wild mustang that was later broken and acquired by the ranch.



Justin on his horse, Major. It was a good match for him. He liked that his horse had a rank.


Me on my horse, getting the stir-ups adjusted.



Once we were all on our horses, Major and Wrangler decided to start grazing and walked away from the group.



Eventually we were on our way, out into the great wide expanse that is Montana.



Jared and our guide, making sure he was comfortable handling the reins.




Justin's horse always wanted to be in front of the pack and my horse followed close behind so a lot of the pictures have Justin's backside in them, haha.



The stream had some muskrats swimming around in it.




Me and Cisco on the trail.



Following the leader.



Heading up into the hills.



The sun came out and it turned into a gorgeous afternoon (or as Sheldon would say, prevening).




The guide took a group shot: Jessica and Boots, Mark and Cody, Jamie and Wrangler, Jared and Gypsy, Stacy and Cisco, Justin and Major.



Justin and Major after the ride was done. Major was all sweaty since he hadn't been out very much this season. You may be interested to know that horse sweat looks like soap suds.



Me and Cisco at the end of day with the wild Montana sky in the background (also the name of a great John Denver song).

Random Happenings

While Justin's family was here, the 10th Missile Squadron softball team had a couple of games. I'm not sure if Justin actually wanted to play softball or just wanted to buy a jersey. Since he paid for a team jersey I made him go to the games while his family was here :)

Here's Justin up to bat:



At some point he made it to first base. Yay.



We also did some shopping during the week since it was rainy for a few days. Ever since we were in Alabama, 2 years ago, Justin has wanted these "toe-shoes." At first I think he wanted them because he thought they were neat and different. Then last summer, on the way to and from alert, Justin and his first commander, James, listened to an audio book about running barefoot. Supposedly it's better for your body and shoes are actually the reason a lot of people have running injuries. After that he claimed he needed the shoes to run in. Well, this week he finally got some.



These are the Vibram Fivefingers. They are extremely popular now and hard to get. Every store is consistently sold out of them. Fortunately for Justin, Scheel's just happened to have a pair in his size the day went to the mall.


They look kinda silly, but he really likes them.

Ryan's Dam

Great Falls is located on the Missouri River and, not surprisingly, is home to multiple dams. Just outside of town is Ryan's Dam. This particular one is neat because you walk across a bridge to an island to view the dam. The last few months we have had a lot of precipitation. To give you an idea of just how much the river has risen, here's the dam last August when my family came to visit:


And here is the dam last week:



As you can see, significantly more water is rushing through it. Also, there were nice dark clouds in the sky, fitting for the extra river water. Luckily, they were nice enough to stay put until we were on our way home, at which time it poured. Outside Great Falls, from where we were driving, is pretty flat and barren. You can literally see for miles. We saw huge lightning bolts on the unobstructed horizon.

Here's Justin in front of the dam, being his usual goofy self.



Justin and me, with a slightly sunburned nose and forehead (sarcasm). Also, notice the matching t-shirts. I feel like 75% of the time, we both happen to pick the same color shirt on the same day. Must be a sign that we're meant to be!



Because of the intensity of the water, there was a lot of mist in the air, some of which was noticeable from the bridge. It felt like Niagara Falls, not Great Falls.



Don't sway the bridge!



Some pretty flowers near the parking lot.

Giant Springs State Park

Later in the week we went to Giant Springs State Park, which is located right in Great Falls along the Missouri River. I didn't take any pictures that day but I have a ton of pictures from the numerous times we've gone to the park.



Giant Springs are natural springs that originate in the Belt Mountains. The water takes 50 years to work its way down the mountains before it surfaces right here at the Missouri River.



Some of the vibrant vegetation under the water.



The springs create ripples in the surface where the water comes out of the ground.



Every spring the park is overrun with geese and about a million little goslings.



Looking up from the springs.


The view down the cement steps of the springs overlooking the Missouri River.



Trees in bloom.


Justin and me at the springs a few weeks ago.

Gates of the Mountains

On Monday we drove down towards Helena to go on the boat tour through the Gates of the Mountains. This area is full of history, mostly surrounding the journey of Lewis and Clark along the Missouri River. This is one of the most scenic things around Great Falls. The boat tour lasts about 2 hours and the captain tells stories about the history of the area and points out all the interesting scenery along the way.



View from the dock.



Jones family on the boat.



About to leave the docks for the tour.


Heading up the Missouri River through the limestone canyon.


Limestone cliffs.



Bald eagle and a nest with fledglings in it.



One of the places the Lewis and Clark expedition camped.



The burned out trees on the mountain in the background are from a massive forest fire that started during the summer of 2007. Lightning struck and started the fire. It spread so rapidly because of the severe drought the area was experiencing. The vegetation still hasn't recovered.



View back down the Missouri River.



The rocks look like a rhino looking out over the river.



Native American drawings on the rocks.



Justin and me at the entrance.



The Gates of the Mountains is a must-see if you're ever in this area. This is the second time that Justin and I have gone and I would gladly go again. It's a wonderful, relaxing boat ride through gorgeous scenery.