Houston Astros Game - August 14, 2010

A couple of weeks ago we attended our first Astros game of the season.  They had a good deal going so we got $9 field box tickets!  Great seats and many foul balls hit our way.  Even better...they won the game.

This was the final score of the game...even though it says the 8th inning.

Maui, Hawaii - Road to Hana Driving

I recently found some more pictures from our Maui trip.  They were, for some reason, not being pulled into photoshop when I originally posted.  So here they are for your enjoyment.

Maui, Hawaii - Flowers

These were my favorite flowers pictures from our Maui trip a couple of months ago.

I didn't realize until I printed the picture above that there was a bee feasting.

Maui, Hawaii - Random Picture

Words cannot describe...

Blanchard, Idaho - Stoneridge Golf Course

Over the remaining free time of our trip those that enjoy golfing played a couple rounds at the resort where we were staying, Stoneridge Golf Course.  I tagged along a little and snapped some pictures of the golfers.  Enjoy!

 Surveying the water hazard on the 3rd hole, after we fed the fish.

 This was the 9th green, which was right outside our condo door.

This was Justin's birdie dance.  He did it several times throughout the game.

Northern Idaho/Montana - Route of the Hiawatha, The "Wildlife"

Riding the Route of the Hiawatha the rangers warn that you could come across deer or bears.  We did not see any deer or bears but we did come across something else. 

The chipmunks were all over the place.  They are so used to humans at this point that they would run up to us while we were stopped basically begging for food.

We also saw a moose in a pond on the way back up in the shuttle bus.  I did not get a picture of it though.

Northern Idaho/Montana - Route of the Hiawatha, Fear of Heights

I have a fear of heights.  It can be pretty bad at times.  Justin makes fun of me when we ski because I generally ski better when it is cloudy and I can't see the bottom of the mountain.  Before the bike trip on the Route of the Hiawatha he was giving me a hard time about going across the bridges and possibly having an attack and falling off my bike.  Well...I had to prove him wrong.  On each side of the bridge is a "footpath" of sorts. 

So I pointed my camera through the boards of the footpath and snapped a picture.

Justin was so proud of me but of course he has to go and show me up by riding his bike to the edge of one of the lookouts.  For a minute I thought he was going to do some real mountain biking and head down.

Northern Idaho/Montana - Route of the Hiawatha, Bridges

There are more than tunnels as you bike the Route of the Hiawatha.  The 15-mile bike ride also goes across the old bridges.

Take the time to stop and enjoy the views along the way.  They are stunning.  It took a couple of hours to make the trek but we could have easily done in either less time or more time.  We stopped along the way to take pictures and just look.  The ride down can be a little bumpy because the trail is made up of gravel and small rocks.  After you reach the bottom you can ride the shuttle bus back to the entrance of the St. Paul tunnel.  To get to your car you have to ride another 2 miles through the tunnel.  All in all it was a great activity that I would do again if I had the time and was in the area.

Northern Idaho/Montana - Route of the Hiawatha, More Tunnels

Along the route, you occasionally share the road with cars (more specifically the bus that will carry you back to the top).  That stretch of road includes one of the tunnels.  This was something I didn't know until we pulled up to one of the tunnels and while we were stopped enjoying the view we started hearing the bus honk its horn.  This was the scene before...

then you see this.  It made me think about all those Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons where they run into the tunnel and get chased out by the train.

Once you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel the sights can be amazing.

Northern Idaho/Montana - Route of the Hiawatha, The First Tunnel

If you are ever in the Northern Idaho/Montana area, one activity should not miss is biking the "Route of the Hiawatha".  You will ride approximately 15 miles through the tunnels and across the bridges that used to be part of the old Olympian Hiawatha train route. 

The trail starts at the St. Paul Pass in Montana, a tunnel which is more than 1.5 miles long and ends in Idaho.  There are no lights inside, only reflectors on each side to mark the drains to carry all the accumulated moisture out.  So make sure your light works.  I ended up having to borrow a light from the rangers because the one on my rental bike did not work.  We were warned about the tunnel being cold and each of the girls somewhat reluctantly bought a sweatshirt.  But as I rode up to the tunnel and the cold air was pouring out, I was very happy to have that extra layer.

Once you get to the other side the tunnel exit is vastly different than the entrance (which to be honest made me a little nervous).  This tunnel can be very dangerous.  There were 2 accidents while we were there. 

 There is a waterfall on the other side of the tunnel.  Very pretty.

But this was only the beginning...

The Things We Do To Our Dogs...

But then there are the things we do FOR our dogs...

Like when the arthritis flares up and he can barely walk.  We haven't had to deal with this lately thanks to the medicine but when he hurts and I go grab the heating pad, you can see the happiness in his eyes that someone is taking care of him.  *Please notice the extension cord because he tends to want to walk around with that thing on him and he kept pulling the cord out of the socket.  Pretty darn funny!

But It's Houston!!

I was looking through some old pictures yesterday and found these.
 

They were taken in December of 2009.  With the heat in Houston right now, these pictures are nice to dream about.  They might get your mind off the fact that every time you step outside these days you are drenched from the sweat.  UGH!  Can't wait for winter!

Las Vegas Airport

What do you do when you have an hour to spare in the Las Vegas Airport?  You play the slot machines of course!!  About 2 weeks ago we traveled to the Northern Idaho/eastern Washington area for the wedding of one of Justin's cousins.  On the way we had a layover in Las Vegas.  This was the first time I have been to Vegas and technically I still haven't because I haven't enjoyed the strip yet.  But I can now say I have at least gambled in Vegas.