School Starts, Brain Plays Catch Up

I'll spare all of you the boring details, but this semester has me backed up against the ropes and is continuously hitting me below the belt. It's not all calculus and physics though; I was able to join a small research group that has a team of us hiking a different peak each Sunday for the next 5 weeks. Last week I went up Sacagawea Peak in the Bridgers and this coming Sunday we're headed to the Spanish Peaks south of Bozeman. We're taking pics of geologic features and marking their locations in order to build an informational website for hikers. Now everyone that hikes one of these trails will actually know what they're walking on and through. That is all---back to the books for now...............................

Labor Day Weekend on the Yellowstone River

Sacagawea Peak

Folded and Tilted Sed Beds of Hardscrabble Peak


Gallatin Valley Looking to the Southwest



Mountain Goat at top of Sacagawea

Moonlight at Cabin

Sunrise in Paradise Valley

Fossil near top of Sacagawea

Soil Profile East of Bozeman

24 Hours of Grand Targhee

The 24 Hours of Grand Targhee is a sadistic mountain bike race that tests the stamina and sanity of anyone willing to take part. The race took place at Grand Targhee Resort which is situated on the West flank of the Tetons, near Alta, Wyoming. The race started at 12:oo pm this past Saturday and ended at 12:00 pm the following Sunday. The object of the race was to complete as many laps as possible in the time allowed. Teams ranged in size from 1 to 6 people, with all males, all females, and coed. Our team consisted of four guys: Orlando, the seasoned veteran; Matt, the experienced road biker/racer; Tripp, the singletrack afficianado; and me, the ex-downhill racer whose longest race ever was 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
The course was 8.2 miles long with a total elevation gain of approximately 850 ft. The track was a mix of gravel/dirt roads and lots of singletrack trail. The first lap went well for everyone except me. My chain broke which in turn aided in the obliteration of my front derailleur. I fixed the chain and was able to complete my lap, but I delayed us by at least 20 minutes. The rest of the race went smoothly with everyone keeping fairly consistent times. Our best lap was 42 minutes and our worst (my worst) was 1 hr 14 minutes. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to keep pedaling all through the night. The best part of the race was that I got to do two of the things I love most: biking and eating. You would ride a lap, then eat a bunch of food, rest and repeat. I ate pasta, candy bars, chocolate milk, strawberry/banana gu, pumpkin bread chocolate chip cookies and lots of water and gatorade. And, I weighed less this morning than when I did last Friday. This is the new ultimate diet craze. Everybody needs to go ride a bike for 24 hours, eat whatever they want, and then sleep for 12 more hours. Anyway, we completed 27 laps which was about 222 miles. I only had to ride 6 laps while everyone else rode 7. Tripp completed his last lap 3 minutes past the cutoff, sparing me from further punishment. Enjoy the pics and go out and do a 24 hour race!

We Have Moved..............

.........so I decided to celebrate by leaving Molly to unpack while I went on a bike ride. Best wife ever! A couple of us headed west toward Butte and tackled part of the Continental Divide Trail. There are only a few simple rules to follow to ensure that your ride is a good one.
1. obtain a mountain bike
2. obtain beer for post ride refreshment
3. put beer in creek in order to sustain ideal temperature
4. ride bike
5. enjoy post ride beer

Oh, our new address is 516 E. Curtiss, Bozeman MT, 59715

4th of July Recap

We touched on how fun the 4th was, but here are some pictures showing our first Montana 4th of July. We went rafting with our wonderful guides, the Cooneys, then finished the evening at a BBQ in their backyard. A little late on posting this, but late is better than never.

Guide Lander:

Guide John is in the back with Nick and I bringing up the right side of the raft.

Kelly and Tyson on the left.

Rough waters! Look at those Kansans paddle!

Deflating the tube and resting after an adventure!

Moose and Lucy were ready with 4th gear provided by dograndma/pop Bennetts.

Nick and Kelly also adorned cute 4th outfits also care of Mama Bennett. Aren't they a cute couple!?

All of the dogs at Lander and John's. We always tell people how dog friendly it is, but I think this really captures HOW dog friendly. Note: I love my dog even though he's the only one looking in the opposite direction of all the dogs awaiting their next command from Dan, the Dog Whisperer.

Kansans Travel To Mountain Lake: Catch 50 Fish

Travis, Joe, Rome and I hiked into the Gallatin Range this past week for a little fishing. The lake we chose turned out to be a hidden gem. Everybody had a fish by the third cast, and dinner that night was a bountiful feast. We caught around 50 cutthroats in all, ate 10, and sent 7 back to the midwest in a frozen zip-lock tomb. If you want to know the name of the lake, you will have to pay us a finders fee or submit a bribe.