Raible Designs

What a great vacation

We just rolled in last night from our family road trip to Montana. It was definitely a long drive - taking 2 days both ways. Yellowstone was awesome. We arrived at Old Faithful just minutes before it went off. We also strolled around a number of geysers and Abbie loved all of them. They were very beautiful and easily the best part of the drive up. Abbie even got to go fishing for the first time, in the Snake River just south of Yellowstone.

Once we got to the cabin, a great time was had by all. We attended the local 4th of July festivities and I got to catch up with some folks I went to grade school and high school with. It was fun meeting everyone's kids and spouses, and you can't beat the beer prices in Montana ($1.50 for a cold Bud Light). Abbie loved all the horses running around.

On the eve of the 4th, we had an excellent fireworks show and also broke ground on The New Cabin that my dad is building. Julie had a lot of fun operating the Excavator. The rest of the week was spent swimming, fishing, taking saunas, and tearing off the roof of the cabin. My mom even bought a 4-wheeler, which was a blast to ride around. I'd longed for one ever since I knew what they were, so it was pretty cool to have a childhood dream come true - in the same location I'd always wanted one.

I definitely recommend the road trip thing if you have kids. It was a great way to spend quality time together and enjoy some of the beautiful world we live in.

As for e-mail, that wasn't bad at all - only 243 messages. We had so much fun on this trip, I think we're going to include the drive up as part of the tradition. It's neat to think that I'll be taking the same vacation every summer for the rest of my life. It'll be especially fun to watch the kids grow up and how their perception changes each year. Now I just need to figure out a way to spend the whole month of July in Montana. Those Europeans are smart - we all need to take a month off in the summer.

Off to Big Sky Country

In only a few more hours, we're heading on Raible Family Roadtrip #9. Number 7 was when Julie, Abbie and I traveled up the California coast, and number 8 was when my Dad and I drove my '66 Bus to Denver from San Diego. This time it's going to be much more special. The end destination is my favorite place on earth. We're heading for the cabin, which is a log cabin my grandpa built in 1918. I was born in one corner, my sister in the other, and I spent the first 16 years of my life there.

Spending the 4th of July at the cabin has been a long standing family tradition. It's always fun to watch the parade and the O-Mok-See in the small town I grew up in. The Swan Valley is a very special place and my friends that visit often return. It really is one of those uniquely special places on Earth.

I love road trips. Julie hates them, but tolerates the fact that I love them. The main reason we're not flying to Montana is because the flights are very expensive. It's a 1 and 1/2 hour plane ride and a 15-hour drive in the car. It's a good thing we have a DVD system in our Odyssey for the kids - 15 hours is a heckuva long trip.

While I was at JavaOne last week, Julie did some research and discovered that Yellowstone isn't too far out of our way, so we're staying there tomorrow night. I've been to Yellowstone a few times, and every time it takes my breath away. I can't wait to see the look on Abbie's face when she sees an Elk right outside her window.

The best part about the whole trip? It's sure to be the family, laughing and creating memories. But I'm also going unplugged - which I haven't done in a while. For the next week, I'll be without a laptop and refusing to check voicemail or e-mail. E-mail is going to suck when I get back, but the peace of mind while I'm gone is sure to be priceless.