One afternoon, I hear someone outside the laundry rooom. I found several boys playing in the snow. Two on sleds and one with a real snowboard. I didn’t realize the hill next to our house was a good sledding hill.

Lynn agreed to go sledding. It was a great time!

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The post Lynn’s Knee Surgery first appeared on LeRoy Family Blog.

Day 1 and 2

We flew out early on Saturday, May 7 but we had a very long layover at LAX.  With nothing else to do, we set out on an early adventure.  We took a Lyft to Santa Monica Pier.  It was a little early and few shops were open but the views were great.

When we arrived in Hawaii, we stayed two nights at the Marriott in Honolulu.  This is where the night life is for Hawaii.  The next morning we took an small-group “island circle tour” around the island with John, our driver.  He’s an aspiring actor and talked non-stop about movies filmed on Oahu (Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, etc.) Bob’s favorite stop was Fumi Shrimp.  It was excellent.  Lynn’s favorite spot was where they filmed From Here to Eternity.  We also got very close to a sea turtle and he was very cool.

Day 3

Our Flight to Maui was great but took a whole day.  Note to self, plan that better next time.  Our hotel Honua Kai in Lahaina was excellent.  It’s just a small efficiency apartment with a great view of the ocean.  The first morning, we were treated to a spectacular rainbow at breakfast.

Day 4

Bob was planning a SCUBA dive trip for Tuesday but messed up the arrangements with the hotel Concierge.  We were able to schedule an even better trip for Snorkling with Sail Maui.  Funny how things work out.  We brought our 10-year old GoPro and it performed great.  You can see the video here.

Day 5

Lynn picked a hike for us on the Kapalua Coastal Trail.  It was a three mile trail along the coast.  The views are breath taking.  We found a beach that was nearly empty and went for a swim in the ocean.  It seemed like a good idea at the time but that made for a wet walk back to the car. Dinner at Duke’s on the property.

Day 6

Got married again!  This was the highlight of the trip by far.  It was officiated by Rev. Kolleen Wheeler.  She did a great job mixing Hawaiian and traditional together.  Kolleen’s husband Bruce was our photographer.  The ceremony was done on Fleming Beach.  After the ceremony, we went to dinner at the Cane & Canoe and paid way too much for dinner but it was a beautiful location. 

Day 7

For our last day, we wanted to stay close the the hotel.  The road to Hana sounded ok but was too far away and we heard it’s very crowded.  Instead, we drove along the north-west corner of Maui and it was spectacular.  There were hiking trails and breath-taking views.  Bob had to hike down to a blowhole near the surf and that was really cool.

Day 8

We packed and headed for home.  We both agree this was our all time best trip.

The post Hawaii 2022 first appeared on LeRoy Family Blog.

We flew into St. Thomas for a four day cruise on a 100 foot yacht. For eight people, there was a four of crew.  The Captain (Ryan), Cook (Ariel), Tender Pilot (Maggie) and Staff (Carmen). 

• The meals were all cooked in the galley.
• We spent most of the time playing in the water.
• Plenty of drinks.
• Lots of great conversation

We didn’t get to move around as much as we hoped due to an electrical problem with the motors.  We did get the British Virgin Islands and Peter Island.  But, we moored in Trunks Bay, St. John’s and stayed there most of the time.

I’ll never forget that trip and can’t thank Mary and Paul enough for inviting us.

Bob jumping from the top deck of the ship.

Bob Kayaking

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We planned a trip to Naples in October of 2019.  The plan was to rent Bob and Sheila Hague’s condo in Grandezza and work remotely for two weeks.  In December, Mom LeRoy decides she’s leaving All seasons and moving back to Grandezza.  

Turns out Mom’s move overlapped with our trip.  Lynn and I got to help her move into the new place.  Don’t get me wrong; it’s very nice and she seems very happy.  It just wasn’t on the original agenda.

In the middle of it all, Lynn went to Winter Haven to help her parents.  She went to the doctor with Mom and visited with Lawyers and friends too.  They all come to Naples for a few days too.  

Space Launch

One of my bucket list items was completed on this trip.  Over almost 30 years of traveling to Florida, I’ve not once seen a live space launch.  As Lynn says “Bob was bound and determined to see it this time”

It was scheduled for Saturday but it was obvious that weather was going to scrub the mission until 8:00 the next day.  I got up at 3:30 and checked the weather and the NASA sites.  It looked like a good day to fly.  I left Naples and headed to Cape Canaveral at 4:00.  It’s a 3 1/2 hour drive and the 

When I arrived the launch was delayed until 9:00.  So, I continued to drive closer.  I was funneled into the actual space center visitors area.  It was $10 to park.  When I got to the ticket window, I asked where the best place to view the launch and she said the Saturn Launch viewing area; $50 to enter and a 30 minute bus drive.

I arrived at the viewing area at 9:00 The launch was now delayed until 10:30.  Because I was alone, it was easy to find a single spot on the bleachers. The guy in front of me is a tour guide but attended on his own.  He could answer every question you asked.

The rocket launched at 10:30 as planned.  Feeling the vibration from the launch was incredible.  The mission was to test the emergency escape system on the Crew Dragon capsule.  The mission was  perfect.  And, the booster exploded just as planned. 

Five minutes after launch I headed to the buses to return to Naples.  While in line the guy in front of me was looking at his pictures.  I asked him for copies (weird I know).  While he was sending them, I asked “where are you from”.  Of course, she said Cincinnati.  Small world.

Tisdel Boat

Turns out John Tisdel was in Naples at the same time.  He invited us onto his boat for a tour around.  It was short and tons of fun.  Hopefully, next time we’ll be able to stay longer.

The post Naples Florida first appeared on LeRoy Family Blog.

The highlight was going to dinner at Tavern and the green.  We also got to see people skating on Rockefeller Center in the rain.  

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To be different, we took a new path back to Montana.  We went East to Calgary and then South to Glacier National Park.  It was surprising to see how big the city of Calgary is.  They are building a ton of new homes.  We went past the Olympic village too. 

The highlight of the drive was the plains east of the Canadian Rockies; they are so beautiful.  The downside is, they are huge!  And, there’s nothing out there except a boarder patrol station.  It took much longer to drive back to Kalispell than anticipated.  Even when we drove over the “Going to the Sun” road at record speed. The whole trip took over seven hours.

The trip worth it because we saw lots of animals like Elk, Deer, and most notably two bears.  One was a grizzly bear.  He was huge and less than 100 feet away from the car. 

The post Banff Canada – Day 3 first appeared on LeRoy Family Blog.

Lynn wasn’t feeling very well.  After lunch, she and I headed back to the hotel while Cliff, Nancy, Bill and Trisha drove north to see the Ice Fields. Bob got bored in the hotel and took a walk up Tunnel Mountain. It was a short 4 miles walk at full speed.  It still took 90 minutes to complete.  

The post Banff Cananda – Day 2 first appeared on LeRoy Family Blog.

1. We started with Johnston Canyon.  It’s a short 3.1 mile (5K) hike.  We saw a bear on the drive in.  There are two major stops, the lower falls and the upper falls.  Both were spectacular views.  
2. Then we took a drive around Lake Minnewanka.   It’s a nice loop trip around the lake.  It was crazy windy along the way.  When we arrived at the lake, it was extreme. As we left the lake, we saw a small group of mountain goats resting next to the road.
3. Finally we went to the Tunnel Mountain drive and stopped into the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for a night cap.  

It was a great day.

The post Banff Canada – Day 1 first appeared on LeRoy Family Blog.

We couldn’t find a place to stop for food until Radium.  That was abut 75% of the way to Banff.  

First impression of Banff is very impressive.  Can’t wait for hiking tomorrow.

The post Montana to Canada first appeared on LeRoy Family Blog.