August: Montana and the end of summer

The first week of August found me wrapping up a series of writing workshops at HMS and starting another set of workshops at a biotech company. It was tough to maintain the momentum of developing new material (and for a half-day workshop!), but I got through it. I was also thrilled to see the boys teach each other swim skills (Nikita taught breaststroke while Ivan taught the somersault), and amazed that Nikita and I missed hail while going to and from a chess lesson. Finally, I got a little time to prepare for our summer trip: finding a used paperback of Lonesome Dove and getting a much needed haircut. I was getting to look like the Heat Miser in the morning; Igor thought Karl Marx.

Separated at birth?

And then it was off to Montana! We actually flew into Salt Lake City, then drove to Flathead Valley. Along the way, we had some good food: Wop chop (The Freeway Tavern) in Butte; pancakes (Paul's Pancake Parlour) and homemade root beer (Tamarack Brew) in Missoula. But we also visited the ER because Igor's 5 cups of coffee did not compensate for a lack of sleep and food. Thankfully, things at the ER were quiet, so we were able to leave after 2 hours. When we got back to SLC, I had to take my burger-loving Nikita to In-n-Out Burger.

Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

The main goal of our trip was to visit Glacier National Park (above; more photos of the trip here), and it did not disappoint. Unlike Yellowstone (which we also loved), this park was made for hikers: only one road goes through it! The west side in particular reminded me of the Pacific Northwest - so lush and green. The boys finally showed an eagerness to hike, although Nikita preferred gathering the wild raspberries and huckleberries we found on the path - even during a rainstorm. Nikita would also pass the time by discussing war plans. Some of the conversations were quite funny:

Nikita: How many tanks do you still have?
Ivan: How many did I have? 

Although we didn't see as many animals as we did in Yellowstone, we did encounter a deer on one of our hikes, and from the car we spied mountain goats and bears! There also weren't as many concession stands in Glacier, but we enjoyed the white pizza at Jammin Joe's by Lake MacDonald and Cascade Glacier ice-cream (my favorite was the salted caramel) at West Glacier Restaurant.

The other major activity was fishing. We tried a number of places in Glacier and around Kalispell, but the best one was Dickey Lake. One windy, cloudy morning (i.e., perfect fishing weather), Nikita caught 5 fish from the shore! The water was so clear, too - perfect for swimming. Finding the lake was the best part of our brief foray into Canada; we realized too late that it was too far to see anything interesting.

Back at the house, the boys had a great time building fires and playing in the huge yard with the owner's dogs: 11 prize-winning Shih Tzus and an 11-year old labrador that loved to play catch, but hated to let go of toys. We also enjoyed visiting nearby Whitefish, which reminded us of a quieter Jackson Hole. The town also featured a good lake for swimming and a fantastic farmer's market that was more like a festival, with food trucks and craft vendors. The boys gorged on caramel popcorn; Igor picked up tons of Flathead cherries ($3 for 5 lbs). But I was amazed by the vine-ripened melons; the cantaloupes were super orange and as sweet as candy. On our last day, we visited nearby Whitefish Mountain Resort, where we found more berries on the Danny On trail and Ivan found huckleberry gummy bears.

Overall, we had a fabulous vacation, and I would love to return: there are so many other state parks and national forests in the area to explore, plus we missed all these events described in the local police blotter. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention our random encounters with Russians and Russian culture. It was not enough for Nikita to recite all roles of The Adventures of Dennis during car rides. Igor bought huckleberries and cherries from a Russian woman by Flathead Lake, and a T-shirt from a Russian coffee roaster in the Denver airport. And we found a Russian store in Kalispell! When the owner heard Galina speak in Russian, he was surprised because he didn't recognize her, showing the size of the Russian community in the area. Galina and the boys were thrilled to find pelmeni (dumplings) and zefir (marshmallow-like candy) - nothing like what Asians eat.

Eight hours after we landed in Boston, I started (and got through) another 4-hour writing workshop at a biotech firm. I spent the rest of the week putting together school supplies for the boys, and thinking about work again (our program retreat helped immensely), and finishing the fabulous Lonesome Dove. But I relaxed during Labor Day weekend: while Igor and Nikita were away for a chess tournament, I caught up with my blog (all the way from November!), and went out with Ivan to see "Guardians of the Galaxy" which had one of the best end-credits scene) and to kayak on the Charles (below).

Boston at its best