Tuesday September 11th...Final Day

Today we woke up and took our time as we knew we were close to home. This morning we left the hotel and arrived at the Kentucky Horse Park around 10:15. We caught a few shows, walked the grounds, cut up, perrused the museum, and by 1pm, home was calling us! We headed home with anticipation of knowing our beds awaited us!

The last hour, as you probably know, was very long...we arrived back at the house at 8:15pm, we were 15 minutes shy of being gone for exactly 3 weeks! We unloaded the Surburban and loaded up the garage...headed to bed....we slept until about 8:15am..since I (David) have woke up @ 6am or earlier for the past 5+ years, this was a blessing in disguise.

Our Quest to find the Best Jerky West of our Kitchen, was achieved in Jackson Hole, texture was the way we like it, taste truly beat dads. BUT, there was only this one that beat dad's. Our conversations about the jerky were mixed with each one we had. One note about all the jerky we found, all was made by a processing plant and quick dried, we did not find any jerky that was hand made or slow dried....atribute to dad...lol...I am writing this!!!!lololol

There may be a few additional postings about various things, as there were many we left out, not to mention all the stuff we actually learned...I have encouraged the kids to post but they are "just so busy".

I hope you have enjoyed the sights as these pics represent about 10% of all pics taken on the trip! I hope this can give you the desire to take your family and hit the road and see what our great country has to offer.

Saturday Sept 8th thru Monday Sept 10th

Saturday morning we got up, said our good byes to the Ingles, and met them for breakfast 30 minutes later in Bozeman!!! From there we split our ways as our family was en route to Mount Rushmore. We arrived there about 3:30 in the afternoon, spent about 1 1/2 there looking aournd, reading in the museum, wathcing the videos about how the park was created. It was really neat.

We were fortunate, it was the end of Sturgiss Motorcycle Festival..we saw lots of "things", some we did not need to. The actual small town of Key Stone, reminds us of Chimney Rock in the NC mountains.

We headed back on the intersate and headed for Pierre North Dakato...the capital of ND..arrived around 10:30 that evening..saw lots of deer on the small roads leading here...even past thru towns populated with as few as "11" persons. Pierre is another town that I'm not quite sure how it came about..perhaps its the middle of the state and this was where the capital should be...don't think I need to go back unless its for Pheasant or deer hunting.

Next morning (Sunday), we left and our destination was the Embassy suites in Kansas City...this was an all day event as we arrived about 7:30pm...dinner, pool time, bed.

Monday Morning again got up, left and headed for Embassy Suites in Lexington Kentucky. Arrived in Lexinton in time for, of course, dinner and headed to "The Mellow Mushroom". Again Dinnner, pool, bed!

Trout For Dinner Friday Night!!!!

Preparation for the feast began in the gourmet kitchen by the two "master fishermen". The recipe is as follows: we rinsed and patted-dry the trout, then massaged a light layer of olive oil inside and out. We salt-and-peppered the inside, then placed garlic, lemon slices, and a big bunch of rosemary and thyme, fresh from the famers market, in the cavity. We then wrapped bacon slices around the fish and - holding the fish closed - toothpicked the bacon on to hold everything together. These guys went on a very hot grill - covered and maintained at about 425-degrees - for 10 minutes per side.

Dinner was served with Lori's famous Tomatoe Tart and some nasty rice (Lori's description of the rice). Dessert was Lori's Chocolate Bundle with Ganache topping!

The evening ended with packing, final fooseball and bed!

Friday IN Montana

We took a little hike, to some local water falls called Ousel Falls (many of the plant pics actually came from this walk). It was really nice. What do you think we did after that? Eat, yep, eat! Drove back to the little village and had the best tasting Cheese burger I think I have ever had...the beef was fantastic.......We should not have eaten that much because tonight is Grilled Trout Night!...By now we're used to all of this food!

With all that food we headed back to the house to rest, you know to rest for our next feast..and to mentally prepare to become mobile on Saturday.....

Thursday In Montana

Today was somewhat of a lazy beginning...again....we eventually decided to pull out the tennis raquets (we brought them all this way, we must use them). We headed down to the Big Sky Village and played for about an hour and 1/2. and then of course....it was time to eat...then we shopped a little, had some ice cream...little more shopping, then headed on down the mountain to the famers market were Wendy bought a "rock", this is not a pet rock, I mean a "ROCK"...no not Bling Bling!!! A R-O-C-K! lol...we bought some more Huckleberry Jam (Boy I wish we could find this in NC)....SAW NO JERKY @ the Market...Jeff & I did decide to give a "Best in Show" Prize to one of the Vendors...This guy had built a Mobile Brick Oven Pizza Stand, with hydraulic doors, gates, etc, it was truly a never been seen item to these eye.

But according to the locals, it was Thursday, they planned an event and it was going to rain as it always does when they have the market and the Band planned later that evening.....and rain it did.

We headed back to the house just in time for the snow to begin falling...not much but it did snow, in August, in Big Sky!

Dinner, Fooseball, Bed

By the way...the attractants have not worked all week in the back yard....We figure a raccoon perhaps has been the beneficiary of our efforts ( I can't say what efforts as I think it could be illegal) but there have been no large Paw prints or tracks but the goods have been gone every morning!

SMORES....

Smores happened about 3 times this week off the grill...it was just good & fun!

Wednesday in Montana...The Girls

The girls drove down to West Yellowstone...SAW A GRIZZLY Bear along the way..again thanks to Avery....they attempted to shop the tourist trap, went to an IMAX Theatre to see a story on Bears, of course. IMAX was beside the Bear & Wolf Discovery Center..they were let down with the center as the animals appeared to be drugged...Lori says "it was just lame".

I know this is not much about them but this is all I can get out of them!

Oh, they saw a Bull Moose on the way back! Then they drove back and did not do anything but wait for their MEN TO ARRIVE!!!!