We are hanging out in Missoula, Montana for a few hours today. And our house in Champaign closed this morning (whoo-hoo!!!) so we are free to go whenever we finish up our errands. Auggie is napping in the car while I am working on laundry and Dan repairs a small crack in our windshield.
As we made our list of things to take care of yesterday on our way here, including picking up a few camping clothing items, I started thinking about the stories behind all of my outdoor gear. None of it is all that expensive or super nice, but as the years go by the memories pile on.
My waterproof hiking boots come from a trip to Poland in January 2003. My dad and I flew over during winter break from college to visit my sister, who was living there teaching missionary kids. The winter was COLD and my regular gym shoes were not cutting it. We bought my boots in Krakow, and I wore them while we visited an incredible salt-mine, the castle, and, somberly, Auschwitz. I also wore them when we ate at a traditional Polish restaurant where we sampled, among other things, hot spiced wine and lard on our bread. My dad, ever the culinary adventurer, indulged in the blood sausage. And drunk men invited my sisiter and me to come dance around the restaurant with them... We declined.
My waterproof pants and rain jacket come from the L family's trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in June 2003. What a blast.. Great memories. I also wore them on many Betaflash trips, but most memorably on a climbing trip to Sandrock, Alabama. We climbed one day, took a very long hike the next day in the rain and got soaked despite all the rainwear, and climbed the day after that.
I have more memories, but I'll spare you.
Dan and I have decided that we don't like Missoula because it has a ridiculous amount of traffic for being a relatively small place, their REI doesn't carry baby clothes, neither does their Sports Authority, and there's a lot of smog covering the mountains here.
As I am finishing up this post we are well on our way up to Glacier National Park. The views are so amazing.
[Kallispell, Montana, odometer read: 2174]
- From My iPhone
2 comments:
Hey Val! the postings are great! Let us know how Glacier national Park is. We'll be there in the fall.
Aunt E
Very special memories! Must be really cold out there. I remember camping with family enroute to Colorado when I was 12. We camped in a tent near the North Platte River. I was frozen by morning - with the wind (?) from the river breezing by. Had no clue it could get so cold in July. : )
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