Bikes + Pubs = Bike Pub Crawl

A few of us celebrated the end of summer in fashion by cruising around town and rigorously testing a variety of libations. No one was hurt (seriously), and since we started at 5pm we were all in bed by 11:00. Here's to getting old.

Big Sky

My talented brother created a video by pulling together over 2,000 photos from his trip to visit us in Bozeman. During that trip, we also went to Coeur D'Alene to one of his friend's cabins. Of course, it wouldn't be a full visit without starting with Moose... Enjoy!

Big Sky from Adam Bennett on Vimeo.

A Weekend in the Crazies

This past weekend was spent at Sunlight Lake in the Crazy Mountains. Ten Bozemanites and six dogs made the trek into one of the more isolated mountain ranges in the area. We left Friday evening and made a quick stop at the Bank Bar in Wilsall for some pub 'n' grub. After the last pitcher of beer was finished we headed to the trailhead to camp for the evening. Our impatient animals awoke us early the next morning. After refueling and packing our gear, we finally set off with wind at our backs and the sun in our faces. The hike was relatively short (4 miles) but the vertical gain was over 2,000 feet. Everybody's dogs were barking when we got to our final campsite for the night.

Seriously. It's an old bank.

This tent is not big enough for the three of us.

Ready to go.

Altitude sickness has set in for Molly.

Hanging out at the saddle.

It's always a good time to stop and fly a kite.

The many lakes of the Sunlight cirque.

High plains campground.

Eating in style.

That is one massive inclusion.

Tent City

Moose patiently waiting for something to fall on the ground.

Ready to go.

The trek home.

Montana/Wyoming Border Tour

Molly and I spent Wednesday and Thursday travelling around south central Montana and north central Wyoming with her aunt and uncle. We visited a wheat farm near Laurel which was also the site of the historic Battle of Canyon Creek where the Nez Perce Indians, led by Chief Joseph, narrowly missed being captured by the 7th Cavalry in the late summer of 1877. After visiting the farm, we journeyed south into the Pryor Mountains and the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area to try and find some of the wild Mustangs that roam the area. We happened upon a group of nine horses, including a foal. Next, we drove west into the Bighorn Mountains where we encountered Moose, Elk, Deer, Black Bears, and Sandhill Cranes. The Bighorn Mountains are now on my top list of sites to visit. And the geology isn't too shabby either (uplifted Precambrian rocks flanked by remnants of Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks). I would like to thank Aunt Mary and Uncle Mike for all of the weight I gained eating extremely good food this week. Thanks for everything! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I salvaged two ten-speed bicycles from the farm to add to my collection, much to the dismay of my wife.

The expansive wheat fields north of Laurel, Montana.

Molly and Aunt Mary.

A view looking to the northeast of the ranch.

Frannies Tack Shop: The best little horse house in the west.

Molly has made a new friend.

A view of Bighorn Canyon and the Bighorn River looking to the south.

Important stratigraphic information for all of you.

The white spec is a motor boat moving through the canyon.

Difficult to see in this picture, but there are a couple of wild horses and a foal.

Attentive Horse Watchers

The Young and Old

I have had the pleasure of spending the last five and one half weeks with my youngest brother, Kenneth. He got his proverbial "sh!t" together and decided to spend the better part of his summer with his extremely old (and hopefully wise) brother in Montana. I have been away from home for two years now, and I had forgotten what it was like to have a sibling around. Needless to say I enjoyed every minute.