Camping at Seeley Lake

All the gear is ready for camping.  The dogs are too!

We have been running around all summer.  We traveled all over the country, found both of us jobs and got married.  So much excitement has left us exhausted.  We wanted to get away, but not have to drive too far.  So we settled on camping at Seeley Lake, MT.  We packed up the camp kitchen, our tent, sleeping bags, dogs and were on our way!

Our campsite

We stayed at the first campground we came to, Seeley Lake Campground. There was a nice lake view and plenty of space for the doggies to run around.  Aside from the dirty 30 birthday going on at the site next to us, it was pretty quiet.

Each day was the same.... get up, coffee, bike 20+ miles, eat breakfast, sit by lake and read, eat dinner, campfire, and sleep.  The only exception was our evening at Alva Lake.  We wanted to scope out other campsites and the fishing.  We spent a few hours on the lake looking for good fishing, but ended up drinking beer and eating mac and cheese at the Lake Alva day use area.

The trip was much needed.  We needed to get out and see another part of this beautiful state.  The Seeley Lake area was perfect.  Plenty of sunshine, places for the dogs to run free and just the right amount of time to unwind.  Below are some pictures of our time up there.

The boys swimming in Seeley Lake

T in the lily pads

Porter in the lily pads

Alex fishing for some monsters

Lake Alva

Broken dreams and new beginnings

It has all been going so well; smooth and happy. Then it broke.  And it broke hard with loud noises and a crunch.  No I am talking about my marriage... I am talking about my bike.  

One would think that a new blog about a newly created family should start with a lovey-dovey tale of friendship, love and happily ever after.  However, this blog starts out with destruction and despair that comes with a broken bicycle.  In my defense it was not just any bike...

My Trek has been with me since 2007 in State College, PA.  It was essentially gifted to me by my dear friend Nate (I paid him $40, but I definitely got the better end of the deal).  This bike made me a biker again, it gave me freedom and it started Alex and I on a journey of biking together.  Alex used it a lot in Centre Hall to stay in shape, I used it to tool around town in PA and it made the long journey out to Montana where it became my primary form of transportation. I even equipped it with a milk crate (from Barre, VT) in the back to hold my bags and it rides real nice on the smooth Missoula bike trails.  

While riding to work the other day I must have put a little too much energy into my pedaling and snapped my front derailleur and broke my chain.  I was in the middle of the commute and sitting on the side of the road with a broken bike.  In the haze that followed, I managed to get to my office and call Alex for help.  Through the tears and despair, Alex calmed me down and said that it was time to let the bike go.  The grief paralyzed me... but only for a day.  Then I did what the bike would want me to do... I got back on a bike (metaphorically speaking).  I looked on craigslist and found a Schwinn Suburban from the 1970's; white with fenders.  It was my perfect cruiser!  $50 later I am a new bike owner.  

Some would think that I gave up too easy on my Trek and I would say yes I did.  After I brought the new Schwinn into my life Alex fixed up my old Trek commuter with a new chain and took off the broken derailleur.   I now have 2 perfect bikes!

As ridiculous as this story is, I can't help but think what this means for my life.  Things break and they can break to the point where you think they will never be fixed.  Alex stood by me during my bike despair, helped me find a new bike and helped me fix my old one.  I am not sure I can ask for a better husband to stand by me when things are broken.  We both love bikes and biking.  But more importantly we love each other to help through the tough times.

Alex fixing my old Trek

Schwinn Suburban!