Dog Dayz of August

"At the end of the day your feet should be dirty, 

your hair messy & your eyes sparkling."

Today one of my good friends & I kayaked over 20 miles on the Clarks Fork River. The Clarks Fork is a winding & s-l-o-w river, even when that water is "up" & muddied. Really enjoyed this day - It was so quite & peaceful. & I got the most amazing (ever) tan on my legs. We saw lots of beautiful birds & waterfowl: a couple bald eagles, a golden eagle, sea gulls, pelicans, geese, numerous species of ducks, & "sand piper" type birds. The sun was hot, & the water was cold; it was a perfect day for relaxing on the water, enjoying creation, & soaking up summer…

… Here's some music for your ears too. A song that reminds me of summertime. & days gone by, & the simple repetition of life; longings, dreams, work, knowledge, fulfillment - journeys to find ourselves, only to find we already know who we were - & already have what we want.

"I know there's California, Oklahoma and all of the places I ain't ever been to, but down in the valley with whiskey rivers, these are the places you will find me hidin', these are the places I will always go, these are the places I will always go, I am on my way, I am on my way, I am on my way back to where I started." ~The Head & The Heart

Beartooth Mountains —

- REMEMBER TO EXPLORE -
today is the oldest you've ever been, & the youngest you'll ever be again.

Today a friend & I when up into the mountains, & did some kayaking at West Rosebud Lake. The lake is located at the base of the Beartooth Rocky Mountains. We did a little hiking too, climbed up some gigantic boulders & ate lunch. The mountains are so majestic & snowcapped year round - I'm always struck with awe at the sight of them - & even more awestruck with the One who created them. To put it simply, when I see mountains, I think of God. He's so awesome, He *created* the mountains. He owns the skies - & still He wants my heart… It was a really beautiful day, the water was FREEZING cold, (guessing around 40 degrees) but the sun was nice & hot. Perfect Friday.

"You are worthy, our Lord & God, to receive glory & honor & power, for you created all things, & by your will they were created & have their being.” Revelation 4:11

Kayacking the Yellowstone

So recently I went on a kayacking adventure! 13 miles on the Yellowstone River… it took about  3hrs. The water was still up a little bit from snowmelt… But overall it was lowest it had been all summer. Even then the current was deep & fast. I loved kayacking - I took a few pictures when the water was calm. It looks pretty tame here - but there were numerous class 3 - bordering class 4 -  rapids that we had to go through! It was fun exciting & scary. 

…Later in the day when we were pulling out, we found out that 2 people had drowned on the very stretch of river we had just came down.  Some ambulances & very distraught people were at the finish point. Pretty sobering. Both of the people who perished didn't have on life vests - one victim was a grown man, & the other was a small child. Both were separate incidents.  If you get out this summer - make sure you wear your life vest! They don't always save your life, but they sure can help!  

Kayaking

 The weather was perfect for spending the day out on the water... 
  

……...We (myself, my brother & two cousins) drove about an hour away, to a nice sized lake nestled at the base of snowcapped Rocky Mountains…...                               The views were gorgeous & the sky was bright & cloudless…….                                                    . …….I glided through the water effortlessly in my kayak, without making hardly any sound or breaking the still surface……. . ……...The cold water was crystal clear, I could see the bottom of the lake, 20some feet beneath me; a whole other world of with fish, algae, pretty rocks & sunken logs…... I soaked up the sun's warm rays & enjoyed the calm afternoon…….  . ….It was just perfect…… .                                   . …. Wildlife didn't seem to mind us, birds went about their lives without hardly giving me a glance……. ……Everything was so quite and picturesque…….                       Kayakers can get right up into little coves & inlets, places where the water is only inches deep…... Unless you've kayaked, you do don't know what ya are missing. I took my camera out on the water. (I was really paranoid I'd drop it or something, thankfully I didn't.)        

 We packed lunches & kayaked across the lake. We hiked  to the top of a large rock formation & ate. 

“You are worthy, our Lord & God, to receive glory & honor & power, for you created all things, & by your will they were created & have their being.” Revelation 4:11

-GB