Bozeman Wedding Trip Bombing Mission May/June 2019 68 hours of fun

John’s cousin Layne Glaus invited us to his wedding to Lexi in Bozeman, MT. So we went.  One small problem is there aren’t a whole lot of flights into Bozeman and none into Montana on Southwest.  Sooo....  Road Trip!


We flew into Boise Thursday night and had to be at the wedding by 6 PM the next day.   It’s only about 500 miles so we decided to take our time and boondoggle a bit.  The first leg took us to Idaho Falls where we enjoyed a late dinner at D’railed

The next morning we grabbed breakfast at the North Hi-Way Cafe before visiting the actual Idaho Falls.

Next stop Big Sky only a few hundred miles this time.  The drive is so beautiful that 200-mile trip wasn’t a burden.  

Especially when you run into a Mama Moose and her baby.

e made it to Bozeman in time to grab a bite and a drink before heading to the wedding.  

This is why they call it Big Sky country.  This is the view from the barn deck.  After the short but to the point ceremony we had the opportunity to see many of our Montana cousins. 

Here Comes the Bride as beautiful as could be.  Lexi Glaus is the #newglauseinthehouse

Congrats to Layne and Lexi!

Katie Dawson

Brother of the Groom Will Glaus

Even the one that looks like the actress on “Friends”.  And her name is actually Rachel. (Dawson)

There may have been a little break dancing too.

The groom and my aunt share the mother/son dance which is exceptionally meaningful since he lost his mother (her sister) to cancer many years ago.

The next day we visited some Folsom Friends that just happened to be in town.  Love those Bates kids.

Following our visit, we drove to Whitehall, Montana to have lunch with the family before traveling the long lonely road back to Boise.   

We visited the Craters of the Moon national monument and ran into so weather.  It was a long trip but we love traveling together so it was a great opportunity for us to spend time alone enjoying the views.  

The Boise sunset was the precursor to a wonderful dinner in the bustling Boise entertainment district.  We ate at Eureka! which I would give 3.5/5 starts.  The town was crazy. It was Pride Week so the people watching was spectacular and there was a cruising parade of lifted diesel trucks and “Fast and Furious” cars.  Lots of engine revving by vehicles filled with vaping college kids.  

We walked a few blocks to Pengilly’s to get in where we fit in with the “older” crowd.  And that ended our evening and our adventure. 

The 59 minute Southwest return flight had some spectacular views.  Squaw Valley is down there somewhere waiting for the next mini-adventure.  

Shoutouts to:

Southwest Airlines

HotWire.com

Thrifty Car Rental

Holiday Inn Bozeman

Hoteltonight.con

AirBnB Idaho Falls 

Firelight Farms

Extended Stay Boise Airport

Eureka! Restaurant Boise

D’Railed Restaurant Idaho Falls

North Hi-Way Cafe Idaho Falls

Stats

Fort Bidwell Memorial Day 2018

Visiting Ft. Bidwell is about getting off the grid, visiting family and friends and views that go on for miles and miles.

Our good friends  Chris and Teri Brown joined us for a weekend of food and fun including the   Memorial Day Picnic to benefit the Ft. Bidwell Volunteer Fire Department.

The sunsets here are as beautiful and almost anywhere I’ve ever been to.



John and Amber in front of the long-abandoned Ft. Bidwell General Store which lends its name to John’s dream project of opening a similar store on Sutter Street on Historic Folsom.

When the General Store stopped selling gasoline it was selling for 1.08 a gallon which was probably about 10 cents a gallon more than normal. My behest estimate was 1987-88

From fuel pumps to electric Semi trucks

John is a huge “Muskovite” and loves everything, Tesla.  He almost lost his mind when we stumbled across this early release Tesla Semi on a run to the GigaFactory in Sparks, NV which happens to be about half way between Home and Fort Bidwell.

Santa Barbara Fiesta Weekend

Accommodations

We were lucky enough to AirBnB the famous El Zapato house designed by Local architect Jeff Shelton.  Mr. Shelton has designed such building at El Jardin and the Ablitt Tower which also grace the Santa Barbara downtown area.   

Fiesta Parade

Although not the official reason for our trip we were delighted to learn that it was Fiesta Weekend, also known as Old Spanish Days, in Santa Barbara.  The Old Spanish Days Parade includes over 600 horses making it the country's largest equestrian parade.  The people in Santa Barbara take their parades SERIOUSLY and set up for the parade the day before.  

 

Fiesta And Old Spanish Days

Fiesta brings out the reveler in everyone. Between the parties and parades, there is always a good time to be had.

Smashing confetti-filled eggs on the heads of friends, strangers and even to an occasional police officer is a long-standing tradition at the parade and the after parties.   

It is not uncommon for Fiesta-goers to find confetti in cracks and crevasses for weeks after the actual celebration.

Sailing the Channel and saying Goodbye

The actual purpose of our visit was to spread the ashes of a friend at sea in the channel off of Santa Barbara's coast.

Our Captain "Spencer" from Santa Barbara Sailing Center navigated us around the channel with the utmost of expertise.  

 

Palace Grill 

The Palace Grill is known for many things. Mostly the wonderful service and their great food.  They are also famous for their Cajun Martini. Marinated for 24 hours these martinis have a flavor that I have never been able to replicate even though I have tried several times.  

Be sure to order your souffle early as it takes about 30 minutes to bake.  We opted for the dark chocolate souffle but there are several wonderful desserts to choose from including a bananas foster.

East Beach

For some of the best sunsets in Santa Barbara make sure to visit East Beach where you can also play volleyball during the day.

East beach provides courts that are often used by professional beach volleyball players for practice during the day.

Also, be sure to check out the Santa Barbara Zoo across Cabrillo Blvd from East Beach.

Solvang

The quaint Danish town of Solvang just north of Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley makes a great stop for those who are traveling to or from the north.  This charming little town provides a plethora of shopping and dining venues to choose from.


Be sure to stop by the Solvang Shoe Store and take a picture with the famous Red Shoe as featured in Huell Howser's visit to Solvang - Road Trip.  

Fort Bidwell, Ca

Fort Bidwell, CA

With a short break in work and baseball schedules, we decided to take a quick road trip up to the Northeast corner of California.

Modoc County is California's least populated county and some times that's a good thing.   When you're looking to get away from it all this is the place to go. 

John's Mother grew up in the tiny town of Fort Bidwell and his uncle still lives in their ranch house on the eastern edge of town.  If you are ever looking to really escape the rat race there is a hotel in town but be sure to bring your own food as the single restaurant in town is only open for brunch on the weekends. The nearest grocery store is located in Cedarville which is about 26  miles south on HWY 395. 

While in Ft. Bidwell, we explored the national forest and bathed in the natural hot springs.  We also hiked down Bidwell Creek and watched a beautiful sunset over the alkali lake known as Upper Lake.

For Fun Attend:

The Modoc District Fair

AUGUST 19 - AUGUST 21

or

The Fort Bidwell Annual Volunteer BBQ Late May

Water is abundant this year in stark contrast to last year when the wells were going dry.  Even two of the three Alkali Lakes are full of "water".  Here is Riley "The Ranch Dog" enjoying the crick (creek if you're a low lander).


For some serious R&R, I suggest staying at the Surprise Valley Hot Springs Hotel


For a nice treat, coffee, tapas or a glass of wine be sure to stop by
The Station Tapas Bar

For more information on this part of the world watch Huell Howser's Road Trip to the North East Corner of California where Huell and his team get lost trying to find the exact N.E. Corner of California which is about 6 miles from the ranch.

2016 June Arizona Adjunct

The Desert Museum and Lodging tips for Bisbee

Jack finding out what it's like to have ears as big as his dad.  

Since Jack's Baseball team had a "Day of Rest" on Tuesday we decided to take a side trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  John's Grandfather and Dad took him here 26 years ago.  The place has grown A LOT.

Located west of Tucson the Desert museum houses every plant species that grow in the surrounding Sonora Desert.  It also houses many of the animals you will encounter in the Sonora desert including javelina, bear, tortoises, birds of all types and of course snakes. Lots and lots of snakes.

"The Desert Museum is ranked on TripAdvisor.com as one of the Top 10 Museums in the country and the #1 Tucson attraction. Unlike most museums, about 85% of the experience is outdoors!

The 98 acre Desert Museum is a fusion experience: zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, natural history museum, and aquarium."

Straw'bear'y the black bear likes to play with her toys.   She is very active even in this 110+ heat. 

Vulture Culture

Jack enjoyed being a vulture a little too much. I had to drag him away. 

 

This entertaining exhibit humorously displays intriguing facts about this oft-misunderstood bird. Keep an eye out for the exhibit’s committee* of turkey and black vultures as they silently study your movements. (*A group of vultures is called a committee, volt, or venue.)"

The desert museum has all types of plants and animals including this beaver sleeping in his den.

Mountain goats including a very young buckling and a Ram(not in this picture)

Advice for lodging in Bisbee

We wanted to add some tips for lodging in Bisbee.  There are plenty of options in Bisbee including AirBNBs, actual BNBs,  Hotels and then there is the suite above the Brewery.

We didn't find out about the Brewery Suite until after our first night's stay and if we could have canceled the Airbnb we would have moved into the suite immediately.  Located directly above the brewery in Brewery Gulch. This suite is well priced and even more well appointed.  Please check with them brewery if you are interested in renting this spot for your trip to town. For reservations Click Here