Hi everyone.

Sending this by e-mail, because I can't seem to get anywhere on the net this AM.

Hey everybody! Guess who's having a birthday today?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANNINE.

Fishing and hiking

Hope y'all have been enjoying the summer.  I've been trying to squeeze in as much fun as I can before the fall starts up again and then it's back to the grindstone.  I didn't apply for funding to do research this summer so I'm not working in the lab.  I offered to teach a summer course but I guess folks didn't want to spend the long, warm summer days working on physics problems, because I only had two students sign up.  If less than five students sign up then the class is automatically cancelled.  Can't say I blame them.  

Since I have the summer off I have been trying to stay busy picking up chores at home and preparing for the big move in August.  For those that don't know, Steph took a job in Spokane and I got a one-year position at Gonzaga U.  This past week I was caught up on chores and I felt good about the progress as far as packing for the move I decided to take some R & R time.

Last summer we purchased a rubber raft and I've been wanting to take it out on some of the lakes around Billings.  One such lake is East Rosebud.  The fishing was pretty good.  In about 2 hours I caught a few brown trout.  They weren't monsters and from the fight reeling them in and from the pale color of the meat I think they were fresh from the hatchery.  Oh well, they were pretty good eatin' and that's what I care about.  

The trip up to East Rosebud is worth it for the scenery alone, but I'm not gonna lie, it's fun to catch fish as well.

After getting my fishing fix in a couple days later I went for a hike along the Lake Fork of Rock Creek trail.  It was a decent stroll (6 miles in and back) but I could tell I was out of shape.  Steph and I hiked this trail a couple of years ago.  I wanted to hike in a ways past where we turned around on our last visit.

It was nice to see the huckleberry plants all over the place, but as you can see they are pretty green still.  It's weird how in one area the berries are green and just over a ridge you can see fully ripe berries.  I have heard whisperings of ripe berries in other parts of the Beartooth Mts.  My brother in law is coming out for a visit.  Maybe he will be willing to do some huckleberry exploration to find where the ripe berries are.