Hello from HiYo: July 19

July 19 - July 26

Ennis, Montana with Dan, Emily and Amelia

We left NY for Bozeman, Montana and arrived late Sunday evening, picked up our car in the airport and drove to Cody to pick up Hiyo. After 4 hours sleep and a few cups of coffee with Wendy Schneider, we headed for Ennis to unload our gear and return to Bozeman to pick up Dan, Emily and Amelia for week #2 of an outdoor extravaganza. We had a fabulous week just outside of Ennis, MT, where we stayed with friends in their guest cabin near the Madison River. Bruce and Sandy went out of their way to make sure our visit was a memorable one. Bruce took Dan and me on a float down the Madison where we honed our fly fishing skills with Bruce’s coaching. We caught about 20 trout, a few rainbows but mostly brown, and had a relaxing float with beautiful mountain vistas from the valley where the Madison flowed. Hanging out with Emily, Dan and Amelia the rest of the day and evening was the highlight of our day. Our cabin was on a two- acre pond stocked with 12-18” trout, and Dan and I were able to work on our fly casting technique throughout the week. Next, we all headed for a day at Yellowstone. On the way, Dan and I were dropped off at the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) on the Idaho/Montana border where Jim Vivaldelli and I had ridden three weeks previously. Dan and I mountain biked up the trail and it was a gorgeous morning. The girls met us below 2 hours later and we headed for Yellowstone. On the way, we stopped for a brief visit at the ranch of Pat and Ginger Povah, who had been instrumental three weeks before in helping Jim find the best medical care available for his neck surgery. Then, it was on to Yellowstone. We went on a hike to see a beautiful prismatic lake, enjoyed an eruption of Old Faithful, studied a grizzly bear with our binoculars from about 200 yards, and enjoyed dinner at the Yellowstone Lodge. On our return to Ennis, we passed by two huge bison right next to our vehicle on the road. It was great being with the kids for an extended period of two weeks, something we had not done since our visit to Dubai in 2007. We hope we can adventure with them often through the years! Also, a special thanks to Bruce and Sandy Carter for their tremendous hospitality. We hope to see them one day soon again!