Back in the USA

Good news: we had 2 weeks of pretty adventurous hiking near Banff and then in Glacier and there were almost no injuries. There were some sore muscles, an insect bite that caused an uncomfortable swelling, an accidental slip-and-fall into a stream - but other than that, we were all safe and sound. 

One of us (I will not name names....) hated hiking, and made it known to everyone, and was sitting out some of the hikes at the airbnb (vegging out on youtube shorts and TV shows, but ah well)... The rest of us enjoyed hiking, marvelous views, and animal encounters.

The bighorn sheep (males) got pretty close and personal - we did our best to stay out of their way and give them plenty of space.

Photo by H.

I loved Jasper and want to go back there...

Montana (we were near Kalispell) was interesting. We went to see a rodeo (a first for all of us). We meant to stop by one of those drive-by coffee shacks that were pretty much everywhere, but somehow we never got around to it. Big Fork was pretty cool - very artsy, with a nice touristy vibe that was not overwhelming or obnoxious. Kalispell had a more gritty feel.

There was still a lot of snow in the mountains and some of the trails we went on were partially closed.

I did not do any work during those 2 weeks other than keep an eye on email. 

I did check the news. What can I say. Civilization is an illusion. Stability is always temporary and chaos is but a step away. We may be at an edge of a cliff, so to speak, but I find it strangely comforting to think that that is just how it always is.... We do what we can and "Que Sera, Sera*."

*Husband and I watched "The Man Who Knew Too Much" a few weeks ago. I am going to try to convince my kids to watch it... and I put "Dial M for Murder" on hold at our library. I am definitely in the mood for some more Hitchcock.