Monday, July 22, 2019

Kaukau Bozeman, MT - Food Review




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Whistle Pig Korean
http://www.whistlepigkorean.com/
What a wonderful surprise! Ronnie and I didn't expect to find traditional Korean food in Bozeman, but we did! Our first visit was for lunch and it was so good, we went back for dinner after our visit to Yellowstone National Park.








Ted's Montana Grill 
https://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/
I don't usually eat burgers, but I wanted to taste Bison so I ordered the Bison Burger! First time tasting bison and it was delicious! It wasn't as greasy as hamburgers. 






Copper Whiskey Bar & Grill https://www.coppermontana.com/
Wow, this place rocks! The ambiance is very rustic, the waitstaff is friendly and the food is amazing! Located in downtown, the entire restaurant is in the basement below an Asian restaurant. Ribeye (left) and Whiskey Glazed Roast Chicken (right).



Dave's Sushi (off Main Street)
https://daves-sushi.com/
Ahi Sashimi from Hawaii! Just a bit of warning, they don't serve any beef, pork or chicken or any meat. Just seafood.















Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse
http://www.wasabibozemanmt.com
Light sushi meal for me, steak and shrimp for my groom. Good prices, friendly waitstaff, and fast service!







United Airlines
Flew first class on the Chicago-to-Boston leg and was served dinner. The food was delicious but then again I was very hungry. We were late getting out of Chicago and sat on the tarmac for 2.5 hours waiting for the ground-stay in Boston to be lifted. Attentive service and comfy seats.







Three Rivers Restaurant - Holiday Inn Bozeman
We stayed here during our entire visit and ate breakfast every morning here. I loved the scrambled eggs, bacon and the cup of fresh fruit slices!

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana 2019



Hyalite Canyon, hiking, climbing, montana

Today my groom and I headed out to the Custer Gallatin National ForestOn our way, we stopped at REI to pick up a Hyalite Canyon trail map ($5). The drive from Bozeman was only 20 minutes and the ride through the canyon was beautiful! We passed several campgrounds and at the pull-offs, several folks fishing at the creek. At the reservoir, there were many people taking advantage of the mild temperatures. Many were camping along the east shore of the reservoir. Many were enjoying the water in kayaks, canoes, or tubes. On our way out we stopped by Practice Rock to watch some climbers. Such a mellow day!  Enjoy some photos taken of our day.


hiking, gallatin national forest, haylite canyon, montana



practice rock, hyalite canyon, gallatin national forest, montana, rock climbing

practice rock, hyalite canyon, gallatin national forest, montana, rock climbing





Yellowstone National Park, Montana 2019



palette springs, mammoth hot springs terrace, yellowstone national park

My groom and I had a wonderful vacation in Montana. We got to golf and visit both a national park and a national forest. Since we stayed at the Holiday Inn Bozeman in Bozeman, Montana, we entered the North entrance of the Yellowstone National Park via I90 & US89, coming through the town of Gardiner, MT. From the North entrance, the Albright Visitor Center is 5 miles and Old Faithful Geyser is approximately 56 miles. If you drive the speed limit and there's no traffic (ha!) and you don't stop (ha! again), it should take about an hour and a half. We entered the park at 8:16am, made several stops along the way, and watched the Old Faithful Geyser erupt at 1:20pm. And yes, even on a weekday, there is a lot of traffic! 

Yellowstone National Park, north entrance


The drive from the North entrance was simply amazing. Traveling southbound along the Grand Loop Road, the Washburn Range was to the east and the Gallatin Range to the west. Ronnie and I drove in silence, taking in the grand views of the peaks of the ranges. Some had snowy tops and I wondered if anyone had climbed them. I took it all in as we drove. Flanked by those glorious mountains, I felt blessed. 

Our first stop, from the North entrance, was the Albright Visitor Center and the General Store. At the General Store, I picked up a Yellowstone t-shirt and baseball cap. Visiting the different national and state parks, I like to pick up a t-shirt and/or baseball cap as a souvenir and to also use for climbing and golfing. Our next stop was the Mammoth Hot Spring Terrace.






Mammoth Hot Spring Terrace
From the visitor center, you can see the Mammoth Hot Spring Terrace. Mammoth is one of two major geothermal areas within Yellowstone, characterized by hot springs bubbling and steaming down a hill of travertine terraces. There are several parking lots for the terraces and Ronnie and I parked in the lower lot, then walked the boardwalk over the hot springs. 

















Mammoth Hot Spring Terrace
Such a beautiful and fascinating area! There are several sets of steps along the boardwalk, but a lot of it is flat and wheelchair accessible. There are also benches along the boardwalk so you can sit and enjoy the different springs along the boardwalk.








Beryl Spring
Pronounced "Burl" - this is a little beautiful roadside spring on the way to or from the Norris Geyser Basin. There is a small parking lot on the west side of the road, giving easy and short access to the spring. We were lucky that it wasn't crowded at all when we viewed it. 









Gibbon Falls
The parking lot was a nightmare, so many cars, RV's and motorcycles entering and exiting the two entrances of the parking lot. But it's such an easy and gorgeous waterfall to experience! I can just imagine what it looks like, totally frozen in the winter!





Old Faithful Geyser
We finally pulled into the Old Faithful Visitor Center at about 12:15pm and we had just enough time to grab some lunch at the cafeteria, the Veggie Hummus sandwich was delicious as was the Chili!! The next eruption was predicted to be at 1:20pm, so Ronnie and I quickly ate our lunches, then headed over to the boardwalk to grab us a seat. I've never seen a geyser in person, so I was anxious to watch Old Faithful. When Old Faithful finally erupted, it was such an impressive sight and an amazing experience!






Wildlife
We exited the park via the West entrance into the town of West Yellowstone, MT. Just past the Madison Campground, we encountered traffic and it was at a standstill. I told Ronnie there's probably wildlife and sure enough, there was a herd of Buffalo on the north side of the road. This gave me a good vantage point for videotaping and taking photos without having to get out of the car. Yeehaw! 



We only spent one day visiting the park and saw just a tiny bit of it. There is so, so much more to see and experience. It would probably take several days to see it all!

Friday, July 19, 2019

Bridger Creek Golf Course



Montana, golfing, bridger range, mountains

Bridgers Creek Golf Course is a quiet, 18 hole golf course at the base of the Bridger Mountains Range. My groom and I got an afternoon tee time and the weather was phenomenal! The course is in really good condition and the greens were fast, and the course layout plays well. Enjoy some photos taken of our round!





12th hole along Story Mill Road

The 13th tee box at 4,780 feet elevation with the
Bridger Mountain Range in the background

The 13th tee box overlooking the Gallatin Valley

Pond at the 15th hole


The 13th green


Monday, July 15, 2019

Redrocks - Rock Climbing




sport lead, redrocks, gloucester, rock climbing, slab climbing
Leading Roll The Bones (5.5)

Don't like the humidity and heat, but love climbing more! This morning, Nuno and I met up at Redrocks in Gloucester, MA. to get in a couple laps of climbing. Started on the Main Crag warming up on High Me (5.7), then getting a short sport lead in on Roll The Bones (5.5). Afterwards, we moved onto the Pink Floyd Wall crag. By noon it was so, so humid and the wall was super slippery. So slippery I couldn't even finish Atom Heart Mother (5.6). And I attempted Meddle (5.6) but my hand jams kept slipping out - even with my Ocun crack gloves on! I really wanted to just try and get into the crack up to the midpoint, but I couldn't keep my hand jammed. I'd love to get back to give the Pink Floyd Wall a try again but when it isn't so humid. Thank you Nuno, for your photos and your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project!  With today’s climbing, I’m at  27 leads of 71 pitches! Enjoy some photos taken of our day.

Nuno leading Roll The Bones (5.5)
sport lead, redrocks, gloucester, rock climbing, slab climbing

Animals (5.5) on the 
Pink Floyd Wall

Left side of the Pink Floyd Wall
The second bolt of Atom Heart Mother and 
the first bolt of Unnamed Bolted Face are rusty.

Meddle (5.6)
crack climb, pink floyd wall, redrocks, gloucester, MA. rock climbing

Nuno at the anchors of Pink Floyd Wall
Route 128 in the background thru trees
rock climbing, pink floyd wall, redrocks, gloucester, MA.

bouldering, rock climbing, pink floyd wall, redrocks, gloucester, MA


Reuse, Repurpose & Recycle


Sunday, July 7, 2019

Buffalo Pit & Buffalo Corral - Rock Climbing



buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney, sport lead, slab climbing, arete
The arete of Lonesome Buffalo (5.8)

Brought some of my favorite climbing friends together for a day of cragging at Buffalo Pit and Buffalo Corral in Rumney. Got an early morning start to beat some of the humidity, heat and possible thunderstorms. Fun climbing Innocent Prairie Dog (5.1), Mr. Buffoolo To You (5.4), Sunny Side Up (5.10c), Lonesome Buffalo (5.8), Mild Horses (5.5), Ghost Pine (5.6), Bleached Bones (5.7) and Book Of Sins (5.5). We spent most of the morning at Buffalo Pit and then headed to Buffalo Corral for more climbing. Didn't stay long...the heat and the humidity continued. But mostly I didn't feel like continuing to listen to the guy on the 5.9+ Flaming Arrow constantly swearing. He couldn't make the crux and was literally throwing a temper tantrum. 

Yes, the humidity and heat were brutal. But the climbing and friends more than made up for it. And a great big MAHALO - Nuno, Jackie, Noah, Iskuhi and Danica for your help and support for my "Turning 60 and Climbing About It" project!  With today’s climbing, I’m at  26 leads of 69 pitches! 


buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney rocks, sport lead, wet, dirty, mossy, slab climbing


On the Small Wall of the Buffalo Corral, I lead Book Of Sins. It was only 5.5 but the fact that it was so dirty, wet and mossy made it a super fun climb. The rocks up to the first bolt were all mossy, so I stick clipped it. After that it was just pure dirty and wet -sure wished it was a longer climb! And yes that's a rusty ax! It was covered under leaves and Nuno and I almost stepped on it. 








buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney, sport lead, slab climbing,



No. Nuno's pants are not two-tone. It's the first time he has sweated through them. But even 90°+ temps and 90%+ humidity can't stop friends from climbing!


















Noah leading Innocent Prairie Dog
buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney rocks, sport lead, slab climbing

Jackie leading Lonesome Buffalo
buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney rocks, sport lead, slab climbing

Danica leading Sunny Side Up,
Lonesome Buffalo & Bleached Bones
buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney rocks, sport lead, slab climbing

Iskuhi leading Sunny Side Up with Nuno on her belay.
buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney rocks, sport lead, slab climbing

Noah on Mr. Buffoolo To You, 
Lonesome Buffalo and Mild Horses
buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney rocks, sport lead, slab climbing

Jackie leading Lonesome Buffalo and Mild Horses
buffalo pit, buffalo corral, rumney rocks, sport lead, slab climbing

YouTube Channel - Hawaii Girl Adventures

Check out my YouTube channel at:  Hawaii Girl Adventures I will eventually be phasing out blog posts and be posting videos of my climbing, h...