We had an amazing week in Glacier courtesy of Joanne & John R. and our ultimate host, the inimitable Cathy C. But really it was the people that made the experience. We laughed, hiked, ate well, and swam in the lake every day. It was a tremendous way to start the adventure.
Highlights included:
Stopping at the town of Wallace on our way to Glacier . . . so we could soak up the history of the Big Burn. If you haven't read the book (of the same name), you'll be amazed by it. In 1910 there were 1700 fires across the Western States and 3 million acres were burned! The devastation and the heroics in Northern Idaho were both incredible. It's a great read.
Cocktails by Lake MacDonald and especially Cathy's tales of being at the camp in her youth. The feeding of the bears at the garbage pit is an image I don't think I'll EVER get out of my head.
Our "favorite" beer --> Teddy Roosevelt, American BadAss IPA. Look closely at the label. It's a bear driving a stock car while Teddy is wearing an Evel Kinivel white jumpsuit.
Game nights. Lots of Rumikub!
Daily Bear sightings.
The hikes to Dragon's Tail and to Piegan Pass. Paul H & I were always hearing bears "just off the trail" but they never really happened.
El & John having to carry the plate of sausages together.
Paul & I going antique shopping with Cathy and Margi . . . who wore us out! But we had a tremendous time.
Thought for the day:
Randy: The world seems smaller and smaller the older I get. I know some people who dismiss the idea out of hand, or who say, “the crust is thin” as if it were an elitist phenomenon. Yet, if you live in Seattle, odds are good that you know my cousin Joe or my old friend Rich. . If you live on Bainbridge Island, it’s likely that you know my cousin Jason or my high school friends Brad and Darcy.
It’s not unlike the old math question about “How many people need to be in the same room before you’ll have more than a 50% chance that two people have the same birthday. The answer, surprisingly, is about 23. Not very many at all.
I suppose it’s also a variation on the Kevin Bacon game as well.
So what? Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about connections and people. I suppose as a bit of an introvert I’ve always felt like I COULD be isolated. I’ve been under the impression that I could walk into a room and be sort of invisible. BUT, if there really is all this connectivity out there, that’s not true. The likelihood that I have someone in common with another person in the room may turn out to be quite high.
The reality is that I should never think of myself as separate or alone. Odds are decent that I’m already connected to the next stranger I’ll meet. And I suppose the older I get the more likely that becomes.
It makes you look differently at new people and places. They’re already familiar. We just have to figure out how.
Having lived with Joan for all these years, I should have realized this, but “better late than never” I guess.
Joan: On a less philosophical note I too was blown away by the few degrees of separation that existed with all of us. Arriving at Glacier we knew only two of the couples but quickly found out that Paul had dated my friend Adrienne, Joanne and John knew Randy’s cousin Joe in Seattle and Lars and Maria who ran McMenamins in Seattle had hired and adored Randy’s other cousin, Jason. Small world! Everyone bonded over cocktails, hiking and cold dips in the lake. By the end of four days the group felt like old friends.
Special thanks to our hosts: Cathy C and Joanne & John R. You're so so wonderful, warm and inclusive. Joanne was the hostess with the mostest. Whipping up homemade cookies, mac n cheese and pizza effortlessly with a smile We could NOT have had a better time. |   |
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