I'd like to solve the puzzle

In the long-running TV game show Wheel of Fortune that features host Pat Sajak and the long-legged and silent letter-turner, Vanna White; the contestants guess the letters of the alphabet hidden on blank tiles, and when enough letters are revealed, the contestant announces, "I'd like to solve the puzzle."  And if they correctly guess the words to the erstwhile blank phrase, they win fabulous and valuable prizes - like plane trips to far off destinations.

So, let's play Wheel of Fortune.  Sue you take the first spin--

Wheel of Fortune: Solve the Puzzle (A Location)

   ORD_ _ _

So the proverbial wheel of fortune turns in dramatic fashion for Sue at the end of July.  The wheel spins and fortunes are good, Sue gets an invitation to go to the International Presbyterian Youth Conference, known as Triennium, held every 3 years on the Purdue University campus. Expenses paid by the denomination for her to fly on Southwest Airlines [i.e., not ride the bus] to Indianapolis and then report for duty as staff, helping with information booth for those attending the event. It is a fast-paced good time.

Good times, but Saturday comes and it is time to return home.  So once again the proverbial wheel of fortune spins as Sue texts home, "I have set my face toward Garland, C U soon."  I reply, you have good fortune to be booked on United Airlines for your return, rather than Southwest, since SW had a complete meltdown of their computer system on Wednesday - what a mess!"  Sue catches her flight out of Indianapolis, will make a connection in Chicago's O'Hare (airport abbreviation ORD) and onto DFW.

Another spin on the wheel of fortune, this time fortunes are down.  I check online for her flight arrival time and gate information.  
   Flight DELAYED 31 minutes.  Recheck flight info 20 minutes later.
   Flight DELAYED 1:35 minutes.  Recheck.
   Flight DELAYED 2:18 minutes.  Recheck a couple more times.  

Finally I read, Flight CANCELED.  Good night.

Air traffic is backed up at her departure gate due to thunder storms.  The flight crew timed out.  Around 1 AM O'Hare personnel break out the cots for stranded travelers.  Weary would-be travelers are rousted by security around 4 AM, time to move back onto those uncomfortable terminal chairs for Sunday morning.

United agents working on rescheduling hundreds or maybe even a thousand who spent Saturday night in the airport.  Sue does not always do well with a lack of sleep, and she sends me a text Sunday AM saying, "It's a bright sunny day at Hobby [as in Houston Hobby Airport?].  
I reply, "So R U in Houston now??"  
She replies, "Yep!"  
Then after a moment, truth and reality dawn, she sends another text, "Oops, No. I am still at ORD.  I'm kind of punchy & groggy right now."

If you though Saturday at ORD was unproductive; wince, repeat and wince once again.  She was booked on a 10:30 PM flight out of Chicago, but the agent said she might get out on an earlier plane to DFW.  She texts the news of her ending captivity.  My reply, "Yeah. Right."

The wheel of fortune takes a spin for the worse on Sunday.  She is issued 10 boarding passes, most of them are worthless.  No planes to DFW available.  Then the Sunday afternoon more thunder storms develop over ORD with now predictable results:

   Flight DELAYED
   Flight CANCELED
   Flight CANCELED...

Can the wheel of fortune spin toward good - ever again?  Maybe.

The United agent says he can get her on a flight tomorrow afternoon.  Sue is incredulous, "That is exactly when these thunderstorms arrive, every day, can't you do any better???"  She suggests a late flight to Houston.  The agent asks, "So, would you like to go to Houston instead of DFW?  Answer, "Yes!  Just get me out of here."  Done.  She uses boarding pass #9 to fly out of ORD at around 1 AM Monday.

At least the plane does not fall from the sky, that's gotta count as good fortune, right?  An uncomfortable set of wee hours in the George Bush International Airport (Houston).  Boarding pass #10 says, "Arriving DFW at 08:39, Monday, 07/25/2016.  It actually works.  Her luggage was sitting outside the United claim office when we picked it up.  The United claims attendant asked us to wait until she was free before she checked us out with our baggage.  I said, "Let's just keep walking sweetheart."  And we did.

Now, time to solve that puzzle:  ORD_ _ _ (A Location)
Sue: "Vanna, I'd like to buy a vowel, 'E'."
Pat Sajak: "Yes, there is an 'E'."
   ORDE  _ _.
Sue: "I'd like to solve the puzzle - ORDEAL!"

I spent a year in Chicago one weekend [badda bing].  It was an ordeal at ORD.

Sue Suneson Wins! Yes, You have won a flight to Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, by way of a Chicago's ORDeal.  Congratulations.

If you have time to spare - Go by air. 

[The kids from Garland who rode the bus to West Lafayette, IN Purdue campus got back home before Sue did on the airplane - which is an ironic twist of fortune].

Two Medicine Trek

My plans were for a low-key drive to Polson, Montana.  Sit on the deck overlooking Flathead Lake, settle some estate business with Dad and sip in the view of water and the MIssion Range and just have an 'old folks' talk.  A simple plan, a simple life.

But with a half-dozen other youthful voices added to the social soup, it was arranged to make a visit to Glacier National Park, just 90 miles up the road for an afternoon of it.  When plans got to being made, it was noted that this being the 100 year anniversary of the National Park Service, that the parks are packed to the gills especially this year.  The trip we always take is the West Glacier, Apgar Village, trip; a drive (or now shuttle) up Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass and a walk up to Hidden Lake overlook and/or a walk around the Trail of the Cedars.  I lamented we've all done that over and over, let's go for something new.  Brian quickly seconded the motion and pulled out his phone and found some sort of app and let us know the time to get to Logan Pass was equivalent to driving to East Glacier and the Two Medicine area.  Agreed, let us take a Two Medicine Trek!  A breakout from our usual Glacier excursion.

Our car caravan makes a stop in West Glacier where we pay a visit to the Alberta (Canada) Visitor's Center.  They have "nice facilities", Canada is so clean.

At Alberta Visitor's Center
Inga comes face-to-face with a Bear!

At Alberta Visitor's Center
Mom comes face-to-face with a T. Rex!!

Feeling refreshed from the clean Canadian facilities and ready for adventure, our caravan circles around the south end of the Park boundary and heads east and then north again toward East Glacier.  

We will make another stop at the summit of Marias Pass which traverses the Continental Divide.  It was charted in 1889 by John F. Stevens and allowed the Great Northern Railroad to reach the western US (of course the Indians knew about the pass long before Stevens gets credit for charting it).  We stop for a photo op and a selfie with John Stevens before entering Glacier National Park proper.

Inga takes a selfie with John F. Stevens
Prinicpal Engineer with The Great Northern
Marias Pass

Incredible exposure of geologic over-thrusting of

Pre-Cambrian (1,4 Billion Years) sediments

over Cretaceous sediments (65 Million Years)

Our first stop inside the Park proper comes with a short trail to Trick (Running Eagle) Falls, where the waterfall begins in the middle of an outcrop, highly unusual, as every waterfall I've ever seen the water comes over the top of the rock face.  I fell in love with this unique design of 'Trick Falls'.

We will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Trail to Trick Falls

Streambed of red and green Super Belt Pre-Cambrian argillite

Tick or Runnig Eagle Falls

Mark & Sue

Lunch time comes at Two medicine Campground.

A cool Inga with a cold cut sandwich

A crow awaits an invitation to lunch

We form up a hiking party on the shore of Two Medicine Lake.

Brian & Amy - Trail Worthy

Sinopah Mountain at far end of Two Medicine Lake

Inga & Sue check out what's ahead

Some of the wildflowers and forest understory scenery.

Purple Asters

Indian Paintbrush

White Thistle

The selected trail will l lead us to Aster Park, Aster Falls and up the mountain-side to the Vista Point.

Sinopah Mountain from Aster Park Trail

Rising Wolf Mountain

Sinopah Mountain grows larger

Single-log Foot Bridge over Aster Creek

Aster Falls

Inga with a hop, skip & jump at Aster Falls

Top of Aster Falls

Over the brim of Aster Falls

Down coming cataract

Pool above the rim of Aster Falls

Keep your eyes on the rocks beneath your feet - they tell a story. 

Taking a lichen to this stone

Pre-Cambrian Slate

A Satisfying ascent to Vista Point on the Aster park Trail.

Coming up on Vista Point

Mount Henry

Wendy warms ups on the 'summit'

Inga chills out on the 'summit'

Rising Wolf Mountain shoulders Two Medicine Lake
Aster Park Vista Point

Flinsch Peak

The crest of Sinopah Mountain

Rising Wolf Mountain

Mount Henry over our sholder

We come back down off the mountain.  We need a reward for our efforts.  Inga has on her mind that the proper and fitting reward is a Huckleberry Treat.  Grandpa was easily persuaded to buy all around.

You scream, I scream, We all scream for ice cream.
Only Mark, Sue and Inga go for huckleberry shakes.
Thanks Grandpa!

Amy orders a single scoop of huckleberry ice cream

Wendy gets a face full too

The Road to Montana in 2016

Not being much of long-term, way-ahead planner types, we put in our reservations with my parents in Montana for a brief 4-day visit straddling the Independence Day Holiday a mere few weeks ahead of our arrival.  Plenty of room they said. Reservations confirmed.

1.   I then called my sister Wendy and inquired if she would like to rendezvous with us at Flathead Lake as well.  Husband Barth could not make it, but Wendy was game for the trip.  

2.   Her arrival happened to coincide with plans that her oldest son, Andrew, was making to bring his girlfriend Katerina up to Montana as well.  A good gathering so far.  

3.   A nudge to her other son Brian and his wife Amy. They would also like to come- pending getting approval from their employers.  At the last minute they got free and drove from Olympia, Washington.  

4.   We gave our daughter Inga the high sign and suggested she should make the trip to Montana from Oregon as well.  She agreed and booked a flight to Missoula.  
5.   Sister Sheri and Tony had already scheduled a July 4th retreat last year and rented a cabin in Oregon.  Sorry, not able to be a part of the gathering this time.

6.   Our favorite son Grant was on the short list for invitees too, but his girlfriend was starting a job in New York city, so he opted for the bitter-sweet adventure of helping move his sweetheart out of town and into her digs supplied by her employer the Daily Mail (of London) in a swanky flat in uptown Manhattan, instead of chilling with the old family.  Understandable decision. (Word has since filtered back to us that he and Kaileen had a grand time of it in NYC).

Great Gathering of the Suneson Clan (with some notables missing)
July, 2016

First Step

Always a good first step when leaving Dallas is to check in with Sue's brother Bill and his wife Susan in Wichita Falls.  Fighting traffic out of Dallas is slow and maddening start to a long trip.  So an afternoon arrival in Wichita Falls just 120 miles from Dallas for an overnight stay and a fresh and early start from the unencumbered, broad-horizoned, no traffic congestion spot of the North Texas plains is the best cleanest way to start a western road trip.  As a courtesy for putting us up for the night, Sue proudly selected a few tomatoes from her above average garden as gifts for brother Bill.  Once she arrived and looked at Bill's garden and his large tomatoes, Sue had a bitter epiphany: "Never compare your tomatoes with those from a professional and degreed botanist".  Indeed, Brother Bill weeds a mean and superior garden.

Road to Denver

It is good to have friends in high places.  Denver has always been high in elevation, now it is high in the cannabis context too.  We'll take in the thin air and leave the inhaling of smoldering vegetation to others.  Having lived quite happily in Denver back in 1985-1986, we made some good friends quickly, but had lost contact after the years.  Our journalist son, Grant, had done a digital (video) story which was picked up by a local Denver TV station.  Our good (but long lost) friend Cindy saw his report that ended with his sign-off identification... "and I am Grant Suneson".  Cindy wondered, how many Suneson's can there really be out there?  So, through FaceBook she found Sue and asked if we were related to one particular Grant?  Proud mother, said why yes, that is my son!  So, with old friends welcomed back into the circle via digital means unavailable in 1986, we invited ourselves to stay with Cindy overnight both coming and going from Montana.  I'd say it worked out very well.

Dining al fresco on Cindy's Denver Patio
We picked right up laughing a good bit right where we left off with our friend some 30+ years ago.

Race to Missoula

We had to leave Denver early in order to pick up Inga in Missoula at 8:57 PM once her flight landed from Portland.  It is 907 miles to the Missoula airport from Cindy's place. A 7 AM departure should get us to to passenger pick-up zone about the time Inga lands.  We get a text that Inga is boarding as we are driving through Butte.  The race is on; Who will get there first, driving from Butte or flying from Seattle?  Inga landed 10 minutes ahead of schedule, so she deplaned while we were on the outskirts of Missoula.  Plane beats car.

Inga traveling light.  Arrives at MSO minutes ahead of us who
raced from Denver, CO to meet her.

 Welcoming Party

Emphasis on party.  Everyone had already arrive at the lake ahead of us.  So we texted ahead from the airport to let them know we were to arrive soon.  Andrew had beer on ice, he had also purchased some fireworks from the local Indian tribe and as we pulled in on the gravel drive, everyone was out on the front lawn ready to light up the pyrotechnics in our honor (this being July 2nd).  Brian lit a fist full of sparklers, and that did not end so well.  But the intention was noted and appreciated.

Brian and Wendy
Applaud and Cheer our safe arrival

Andrew starts the gathering off with a spark

After the outdoor show, we gather in the kitchen for some gentle ribbing and enthusiastic boasting between cousins, nephews and assorted kin.

Andrew with an enthusiastic boast to Inga,
while his girlfriend, Katerina (R) looks on in bemusement

Late night game of Camel Up
Wagering on dromedary & dice

And the First shall be last...

I was the first to put in reservations for a stay at Suneson Chalet; but the last to arrive.  Shuffle your feet loose your seat, swivel your head and loose your bed.  Finders keepers, losers weepers - so they say.

Wendy, Andrew and Katerina all came up a few days ahead of us.  So they snagged the 3 upstairs guest rooms.  That leaves the basement and the garage for the late-comers.  Inga and we, her parents, get a pair of mattresses on the basement floor.  Brian and Amy get private accommodations in the camper shell stored on blocks in the RV garage.

Cellar Dwellers: Inga sleeps in the basement along with us.
Fashion Forward decor in brown cubism furnishing - so chichi moderism

Camper Dwellers

 Morning Montana!
We wake up to an early sunrise of the northern latitudes and find ourselves in paradise.

Our morning view as we sit for breakfast

Fruit, cinnamon rolls, muffins, and eggs over easy for me 

Celebration! 60th Wedding Anniversary

Before Andrew and Katerina have to return to California for work, I called a family gathering in the living room.  The joyful cause was to observe and celebrate Grandma & Grandpa's 60th anniversary of last week.  Wendy offered a solemn and spiritual thanks tied to the lyrics of a country western song for the good union and the fine family, now 3 generations, that have gathered.  I composed and read a tall Texas tale in parable format of the mythical (or not?) 'Shugga 'Dillo' who is said to help provide for good and kind folks in thin times.  Those in the room that morning know the Shugga 'Dillo is real.

The Suneson Family Gathers in Celebration

Wendy reads and shares her thoughts aloud
in gratitude and spiritual praise

Grandpa shares his memories and thoughts on courting Grandma 64 years ago.

Sixty years. Well Done!

Activities Woven Around the Gathering

We all mixed in a trip to Glacier National Park, did some hiking (to be posted on a separate post).  There was rhubarb to pick and pies* to be made.  The Arotcas had purchased 2 paddle boards in Kalispel before we arrived, so those had to be part of the aquatic entertainment.  A water color painting session on the back deck and there was a side trip to the National Bison Range by the Suneson girls along with Amy and Brian.  A lot to work in for a brief time.  But we all did it.

* Some have suggested this Montana trip was solely so I could get a rhubarb pie - could it possibly be that simple?

Stalking the Rhubarb stalks

Bhee-Bhop-a-Rhee-Bhop
Rhubarb Pie!!

Mom leads a water color painting "class".
We experiment with color and technique.

Inga scoots along on the new paddle board on the waters of Flathead Lake

Brian & Amy scan the landscape for wildlife
National Bison Range

I see one!

More wildlife. A bighorn sheep

Where the deer and the antelope play
Home on the Bison Range

Chasing Rainbows all the way to Montana

Click on the link in the box below to see an extensive slide show of the Great Gathering if you've got the time and interest to see most of the doings under the Big Sky.

Photo slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Nerdy Numbers
OK, so maybe I don't plan way in advance, but I do like to track numbers attached to this narrative:

Miles Traveled = 3,977
Gasoline Consumer (Gal) = 203.2
Cost of Fuel = $442.19
Average MPG = 19.6

Flying can be nice - or a TSA disaster these days.  
But driving across the western states is a joyous birthright.
Enjoy the journey.