Pushing toward Summer...

Or, at least that is the general idea. Rene is out of school, so I've got both kids at home until the end of August and the plan is to be home as little as possible. Biking, hiking, camping, playing in the park, and sitting down by the river are all on the agenda, and it will be really nice once it stops raining, the sun decides to come out, and temps get out of the 60s. I keep telling myself to have patience... it is, after all, only June.

Our trip yesterday was a sanity preserving exercise. EVERYONE was sick of being inside, even Rene who usually registers some kind of complaint about having to go do something requiring effort. We pedaled out in fair conditions toward Rattlesnake and planned a full day armed with PB&J, bananas, and gatorade. We rode the trails north of town, climbed to the Sawmill TH and stopped for lunch. Then the sun disappeared and the wind kicked up.

Happy kids having lunch in the last of the sun.

I finally got some pics of Rene riding his bike!

A quick roll down the singletrack to the main corridor and then we started the long climb up Curry, headed for the ridge above Sawmill. This area is absolutely beautiful with views of the Missoula valley, Rattlesnake, Grant Creek, and oceans of rolling grasslands below and hillsides aflame with wildflowers.

Winding around the ridge above Sawmill Gulch.
I think I take a picture near here every time I ride up this way.

Indian Paintbrush.

Rene, my trusty wildflower field guide, tells me this is "Fuzzy Tongued Penstemon."

No idea what this is, but it is remarkably complex for how small it is.

Bluebells.

And the ubiquitous, but ever lovely Lupine with Arrowleaf accent.

 We managed some pretty special glimpses of animal wildlife, too. Babies. I was in the woods with my kids, so it was fitting that we saw animals with theirs.

This doe was with her fawn near the start of the Stuart Peak Trail.
I missed getting a clear picture of the baby, but we all stood around looking at each other
for what seemed like a long time.

They didn't seem afraid or bothered by our presence.
In fact, comfortable enough for baby to have some lunch.

Oh, and there is a bear in this tree. I could see him clearly every time he moved,
but then he would stop and be nearly invisible.
Baby black bear. No sign of mama. Best keep moving.

By the time we reached the trail that takes off across the ridge and looks down into Grant Creek, we didn't really have another climb in us. It is a small, easy climb up to the "saddle" (more like a little knoll) and then a drop back into the west side of Sawmill Gulch. But we took a shorter, more direct (read: steeper) route back down. Very fun! Tight switchbacks are always entertaining with the trailer making my bike effectively twice as long. This particular trail apparently gets quite a bit of equestrian use, and judging from the erosion and potholing not many riders can be bothered to stay off the trail when it is soft. I do think it is funny that I have seen signs advising mountain bikers to stay off the trails when they are soft enough that the tires leave ruts... but I've never seen a sign like this directed at horses and their riders. I wonder why not?

Rene struggled a bit with the bumps and the steepness.

Relax, dude.

An awesome ride. I got a killer workout (as usual) pulling Julian, and Rene put out some good effort on the climbs. We rode back down the trails headed for town tired, in good spirits, and ready for some food and relaxation. I keep thinking how lucky I am... I mean, not everyone gets to be out in the woods like this when they have kids, let alone take their kids and have everyone enjoy the experience... on second thought, that probably seems pretty normal if you are a deer or a bear I suppose.

23 miles, 2250 feet of climbing.