80 Days of Summer - Days 42-46

Star Valley Wyoming

We go up to Star Valley to visit Brandi's parents or brother's family each summer. We love it up there. I've always wanted to move to Star Valley, but the door has never opened. Someday.

 Walking through Boone and Laura's new clinic - Boone is an occupational therapist and is building a new office in Thayne. 

 Boone and Laura's property - part of Brandi's great grandparent's original homestead.

 The day before we left, I had the boys fill in two big holes I had dug for footings for the fort. They were mad at first, but then they really got into it. 

 James filling the hole.

 Stopped to buy a new fishing reel - a Mitchell 300 XE - on the way up to Wyoming.

 We arrived in Wyoming Friday night, stayed up til 1:00 am and then I got up at 5:00 am and ran the Star Valley Half Marathon. It starts back in the mountains there and runs out through the farm country and into Thayne.

 Laura and kids were cheering at the 12.2 mile mark. Boone and Brandi and the boys were cheering at the 12.8 mile mark. Boone made this sign.

 Boone and Laura's pet squirrel. It keeps licking me. Like non-stop. My head, my legs, my toes. And it keeps stealing Brandi's stuff and hiding it under the coffee table. It even stole her toothbrush (she bought a new one).

 My go-to place for fishing licenses since 1996.

 Saturday afternoon, Boone and Laura took us to their favorite place in Jackson Hole. We had havarti en croute, roast rack of lamb served with a peppercorn-rosemary cream sauce with jalapeno mint (the best meat sauce I've ever had in my life), and beef tenderloin au bleu served with a crab and artichoke spread. It was freaking good. Expensive, but good.

 Star Valley always means golfing with Boone. The fields just past the pine trees is the future site of the Star Valley LDS Temple. 

 The rack of lamb at The Blue Lion in Jackson Hole.

 Cruising around Jackson Hole with my gal Brandi and Boone and Laura. We ate dinner, saw the new Spiderman movie (which was actually pretty good), and visited some shops - saw a petrified redwood table top selling for $250,000.

 Cruised up Strawberry Canyon near Boone and Laura's house for an afternoon.

 Joe escaping the sand. Took two shots.

 Jackson retrieving sticks. Years ago, I had Jackson out on the Salt River over Christmas hunting ducks. He jumped in the icy river out of the snowbank after a duck I shot and got swept around a bend where the ice froze over the river. He couldn't get out and was clinging to the icy shelf on the bank about to get swept under the ice. I jumped in the river and made my way across (with no waders), lost a nice winter glove in the process, and ran through the snow looking for Jackson. As I rounded the bend, he came walking up to me with a duck in his mouth. He got out somehow while I was floundering in the icy waters trying to get to him. 

 The kids.

 Lathering Jackson up with doggy soap so he can wash off in the creek.

 Boone.

 Boone and Bailey.

 Kids cheering at the Star Valley Half.

 Boone waiting for me to run by.

Me running past the boys hanging in the truck with Jackson. 

 Strawberry Canyon.

 Emmy and Tyler are best friends.

 Laura and Brandi.

Finishing the Half. I actually ran my best half marathon ever, which surprised me a little. I ran a 1:52 averaging 8:30 miles. It was a beautiful mid-50s day with clouds and a nice gentle flat or downhill course. Perfect.