Mountain Man Rendezvous

Every summer just on the edge of West Yellowstone you will find a little festival called Mountain Man Rendezvous.

Sadly, we aren't in Montana this year to see it, but we did have a fun stop there last year.  Fur hats and all.

There are lots of things to buy from furniture to horns...

Testing out a porch swing....

There are numerous tents and lots of characters dressed to period, all worth checking out.

Lucky for you if you're in the West Yellowstone area, Mountain Man Rendezvous is going on right now!

Stop by and say hi to everyone for us!

♥TCW

Hiking Wright's Lake, Kyburz, CA {Mom's Day Adventure}

My Mom & I started a Mom's Day tradition last year of taking a hike.  (You might remember our trip to Pt. Reyes.)  This year we decided to head up to Wright's Lake in Kyburz, CA.

Unfortunately a wind storm visited the area before we did.

It was still beautiful (and much more chilly than we expected) but the trail situation was not good.

After meandering through the campground (where most of these shots were taken from) and trying to find the trail head, Otis the brown dog ran ahead and met a new friend along with two ATV'rs, including the camp host.  He explained that due to the recent windstorm there were several "widow-makers" or trees/branches partially downed that could fall on hikers and campers.  Needless to say, the rangers had closed the campgrounds and all the trails.  Yowza.  He directed us to a trail to Beauty Lake that was semi clear.....

Well, we never made it to Beauty Lake.  This photo is a peak-a-boo shot of Dark Lake which we spied along the trail.  After running into about 3 downed trees in 15 minutes, we turned back towards the campground deciding it would be better to try a trail below Wright's Lake that we spotted on the way in.  You know, instead of meeting our end with a widow-maker.

We ran into some snow, which the dogs liked....

These dogs cracks me up.
Crunchy looks like an angry lion and Otis looks like....well he looks like typical Otis.

While these two numskulls messed around in the snow, we chatted with our friend the camp host for awhile longer.

And I noticed some wind storm damage....just some *minor* asphalt lifting and cracking from a tree being blown over.

Attempting to avoid those widow-makers was probably a good idea.
So, after driving around for far too long, we found ourselves back at South Fork Silver Creek.

Here we hiked up the very wet trail for awhile while Otis made more friends and we spotted foliage and flowers.

And moss....

And rock stacks......

And then our trail was suddenly covered in a couple feet of snow so we decided it was time to go on home.

So that is the tale of our Mother's Day Hike.

To next year and whatever adventures it may bring!

♥TCW

A Walk in the Woods {Rendezvous Ski Trails, West Yellowstone, MT)

My parents left for our favorite place in the world last weekend and have arrived at the cabin in the woods. We all so wish we could go this year too, but with baby on the way we are saving our time for her arrival instead......I'll say she's worth it, but we will all still miss our annual cabin trip so.

In my nostalgia I realized I have a bunch of things to share with you from our trip last year.  So let's start exploring now!

Welcome to the Rendezvous Ski Trail (which is a nice trail run or walking area in the summer).

Where dogs like to run and kids do too.  With a mouth full of Clif bar Levi was off......

....but thankfully willing to wait up.

That face!
And so it went, walking and running and walking.

And well.  Peeing.  Anyone with boys knows this is a common occurrence.

There are many beautiful things to see and photograph.

And when you spend a lot of time with a camera and a 4 year old this happens too.

Both dogs took turns running and running....

Crunchy:


Otis:

Then Levi decided to join Otis too.

And then we went back to walking.

And flower hunting.

All in all, this is a good place for a happy dog.

And a happy fam.

Hey, P.S.  Don't forget to check the map.

The trails loop and even though you are right on the edge of town, the loops might be confusing.  Also, the shooting range is nearby.

This area makes for a great flat trail run or walk in the summer and is conveniently located right at the edge of West Yellowstone.  Happy Trails!

♥TCW

Crystal Cove {Newport Beach, CA}

Guess what?  Today is March Fourth!  The only day of the year that commands you.
Get it?  March Fourth!

Anyway, in celebration of March Fourth!  I am commanding you to come on a daydream vacation with me.

Let's go!

Today we're visiting the beach at Crystal Cove State Park.

Remember when we visited The Resort at Pelican Hill?  Well Crystal Cove is right down the way.

It was a perfectly beautiful day summed up as follows:

Even though it was October it was literally the perfect day at the beach.

I have never been to a beach quite like Crystal Cove.  There is a whole community of quaint cottages that are being restored to period.  I loved that.

It is a great place and I only wish it was closer to home.

I'd love to take a road trip there and stay in one of the cottages.
(You can find out about reserving them here.)

We spent our time lounging on the beach, enjoying the weather and exploring.

I must credit The Cyclist for most of these shots.  Good job Cyclist!

I noticed a little painting class happening, it looked like fun.

So, if you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit to Crystal Cove!

Thank you for Marching Fourth!....and daydream vacationing with me today.

Later this week: Meyer Lemon Pound Cake.

Also, please "like" my turkey burger here.

Thanks everyone!  Have a fabulous day!

TCW