Gear Up for Montana: Picture This

Hey Chico Trip Parents! It's a little over a month until we convene on Chico Hot Springs and what better way to get the kids excited for Montana than reading about it! (I'm serious, reading is fun!) These books aren't required reading, of course, but if your library has them you might just learn a little about the land we will be exploring this summer. Most of them aren't fact-books, but stories that use Montana and Yellowstone as a backdrop, so they should provide entertainment as well as learning. We have compiled a few different lists for different reading levels, including one for adults that we will release in the coming weeks. This first list is full of picture books for kids who don't read yet or are just learning. Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments about this, or subsequent reading lists. 

B is for Big Sky Country: A Montana Alphabet by Sneed B. Collard

This is an educational book about Montana told in pictures while also teaching the alphabet. It has in detail explanations of each fact for older kids that may want to sit in, or help read. "In B is for Big Sky Country readers will find out where the Going-to-the-Sun Road really takes you and what city the copper capitol dome calls home."

Erick's Hungry Winter by Lois L. Sando

"A beautifully illustrated, tenderly told story about a young elk and his family foraging for food during a snowy winter in the Rocky Mountains. While searching for his dinner, little Erick Elk meets five new animal friends and discovers how they survive the worst of winter and in the process learns about patience, compassion and when to give and take a helping hand." 

The Cowboy ABC by Chris Demarest 

An alphabet picture book about cowboy life on the range that teaches letters, landscapes and prairie vocabulary using watercolor illustrations. 

Cowboy Country by Ann Herbert Scott 

"A genial old-time buckaroo takes a boy who's never met a real cowboy before' to his ranch, saddles him a pinto, and takes him out on the range overnight, sharing his know-how and showing him the landscape." 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague

"Wallace Bleff, who is reporting to his class about his summer vacation, tells of his travels over summer vacation. He relates how en route to his Aunt Fern's house, he is kidnapped by cowboys, he then joins the rawhide crowd; learns to rope, ride, and build fires; and becomes a "first-rate cowhand." In celebration of the end of the roundup, Aunt Fern invites Wallace and new friends to a barbecue. When a cattle stampede nearly ruins the party, the young hero saves the day."

First Dog: Unleashed in the Montana Capitol by Jessica Solberg

A little history, a few lessons on government, and a whole lot of tail wagging, barking, and squirrel chasing accompany Jag, Gov. Brian Schweitzer's border collie, as he makes himself at home in the state capitol.

Torosaurus and Other Dinosaurs of the Badlands Digs in Montana

"Boneheaded, duck-billed, and armored, what a display of dinosaur types! These animals lived in forests that are now the dry plains of Montana. Dig up facts about how these animals lived in prehistoric times."

M is for Montana (ABC Series) by Gayle C. Shirley 

"In this full-color book, each illustration portrays several elements indigenous to Montana that begin with the accompanying letter. 'A is for antelope. Keen eyes alert the antelope to danger far away. Amazing speed helps him escape from animals that prey.'"

Big Sky Or Bust!

General Info

Hey Chico Trippers! Just a note with some general info about Chico, so you can start getting the lay of the land and thinking about what you need to plan for. 

Weather

• Weather up in Montana for the end of June averages between the mid 70s to the 40s (the resort website says 73/44). Be prepared for nice weather bust also some chilly temps, Chico's elevation is 5,300ft after all. It's probably a good idea to have a sweater/sweatshirt or light jacked around especially in the morning and evenings. (also check out the weather app to the right for the current weather conditions at Chico) 

Time Zone

• Chico is in the Mountain Time Zone (see above for the Chico Clock to see what time it is there) which means most of us will either gain or lose a few hours. Just be sure to change your clocks over when you hit the border. 

Internet

• Chico has internet access in the following areas. 
• Wireless:
• Main Lodge Lobby
• The Chico Saloon
• Lower Lodge Rooms (Suites 405, 406 & 410)
• High speed Ethernet connections
•  Warren Wing (Room 114)
• Fisherman's Lodge (Room 802. 803, 808)
• Convention Center. 

Hot Springs Pool

• Chico Hot Springs has two open air mineral hot springs pools which are open from 7am to 11pm daily. The larger swimming pool has an average temperature of 96 degrees Fahrenheit and the smaller soaking pool has an average temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's a link to the hot springs page for more info. http://www.chicohotsprings.com/hotsprings.html

Laundry

• I know it's a long trip, and especially when traveling with small children laundry is sometimes a necessity. For those of you without laundry capabilities, Chico does not have laundry facilities, but there are some down the road at Emigrant for when those emergencies arise. 

Big Sky or Bust!!

Where's the beef?

This is Daniel passing on a note from Marae offering to bring beef for a dinner for all of us:

“ Since I am driving to Chico I will have room to bring stuff.

For me:  the main point of the trip is to spend time with family and all the kids to get to know each other, what better way/time than eating together.

so...   I want to bring enough meat to have a cook out together at least one night or two, I could provide all the hamburger and steak or roast.  I could also bring our ice cream makers :)  can't have a family get together without homemade ice cream, especially in the summer.  Someone else can provide some sides (potluck).   It would sure be fun to eat dinners together.

I might even bring a pinata for the kids.

MaRae “
 
Chico currently has a “no outside fires” policy, so we are checking into the possibility of a grill for cooking hamburgers, otherwise we'll figure something out. There isn’t a set day for the cookout yet.  If it doesn’t happen Monday, it’ll probably be Tuesday.....
   
        

This picture is a reminder for the Arizona crew to bring warm clothes.  
It was late May, and Yellowstone can be surprisingly cold in the middle of summer.

Big Sky or Bust!

Love Bites

 One of the main reasons this trip got stared was to celebrate Renee and Daniel’s ten years of marriage! So, in honor of them and their enduring love for one another we are hosting a dinner on their anniversary, Thursday June 30^th  in the Knowles room of the lodge (more on this in a later post). This is an all expenses paid*, come as you are dinner! 

We ask for your help in making this dinner super special for Renee and Daniel! We have a choice of two adult entrées for the meal and wanted to give you the opportunity to pick your own. Please read the descriptions below and let us know which entrée sounds super yummy to you! There is also one choice for the children’s meal for those ten and under, so no response is needed for kids, unless there is an allergy concern.

Both adult dinners feature fresh vegetable medley, Chef’s choice of starch, tossed Chico Garden Salad with house dressing, Chico breadsticks and fresh baked bread & butter. So, without further ado, your mouthwatering dinner choices:

Choice One, Beef Tenderloin

Choice One: Beef Tenderloin, cooked to medium. This is an 8 oz. filet mignon lightly rubbed with toasted fennel and coriander, grilled, served over a Fonseca Port reduction, lightly finished with gorgonzola.

Choice Two: Pork Tenderloin, served with polenta and apple chutney.

*Alcohol is not included with the dinner, so please bring some extra cash if you are of age and would like to purchase a beverage from the bar. 

Children’s Dinner: Roast Beef Plate. Sliced roast beef served with mashed potatoes and Chef’s choice of vegetables. The dinner also includes tossed Chico Garden Salad with house dressing, and fresh baked bread & butter.


Please reply with your choice of adult entrée by May 30th. 

We look forward to having you join us for the celebration of Renee and Daniel’s ten years of marriage! May they have many more happy years together! 

Logistics:

If you signed up for a reservation with Renee and Daniel and have not called Chico and changed your reservation over to your credit card number, please let me know and I can help you get that switched over soon.

Also here are the current lists of those going on the rafting trip. If you would like to join us there are spots still available for both trips. (We are really close to having the 20% discount on both trips so pressure your friends to come along too!)

White Water:

·                     Alicia Rovey

·                     Karina

·                     Carsten

·                     Jonathan Rovey

·                     Nathan Rausch

·                     Kathy Rausch

·                     Samuel

·                     Abigail

·                     Joel

·                     Daniel Rovey

·                     Renee Rovey

·                     Angela Ramnanan

·                     Naveen Ramnanan 

·                     Tim Wolf

·                     Sandy Wolf

·                     Ashley Wolf

·                     Stephanie Wolf

·                     Matthew Wolf

Scenic Rafting:

·                     Renee Rovey

·                     Wonga Wolf

·                     Olivia Wolf

·                     David Wolf

·                     Liam Ramnanan

·                     Matthew Rovey

·                     Trevor

·                     Leah

·                     Cindy Rovey

·                     Ron Rovey

·                     Ruth Helen

·                     Nathan Rovey

·                     Nicole Rovey

·                     Amanda

·                     Emelia

·                     Seth Baker

·                     Kameryn Baker

Big Sky or Bust! 

He is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed! 

Alleluia! 

Happy Easter from your friendly neighborhood Chico Blog!

 Plus, a fun B.C. comic for the occasion.

Heaven or Bust! 

(click the picture to make comic bigger)

Daniel's Daily Plans

Kyria the Chico Trip Webmeister headed for St. Louis and Oklahoma, foolishly leaving the keys to the blog in less trustworthy hands for over a week.....

In case you've been wondering what to do each day of the Chico trip, here are Daniel's ideas:
 

Sunday, June 26^th:  Check in, hot springs pool, walk to the trout pond 15 minutes up the hill behind cabin 604.  Pizza in the afternoon/evening between chalets 601 & 602.

Monday, June 27^th: Old Faithful.  It’s a long drive, and I like wandering around the geyser basins, so this will be an all day excursion.  Don’t miss the Firehole Canyon Drive on the way there.

Tuesday, June 28^th: Flying in the morning, either local sightseeing or taking kids for rides.  Whitewater rafting in the afternoon.  Hot springs pool in the evening.

Chico Hot Springs from the air.

Wednesday, June 29^th: Beartooth Highway, from Silvergate toward Red Lodge.  I’ve never driven this road, but the alpine scenery is highly rated, and the road reaches 10,947 ft. in elevation.

Thursday, June 30^th:  Yellowstone Falls & Tower Falls.  Dinner in the Knowles room at Chico Hot Springs.

Friday, July 1^st: Check out.  Airplane camping somewhere in Idaho or Montana before heading back to Arizona.

What I’d do if I had 1 more day:  Hiking.  Either up the hill from Chico Hot Springs, or up Mill Creek Canyon just north of Chico.  

I've been facing serious flak over missing the scenic float trip on Wednesday, so the Beartooth Highway trip might slide to Friday.

This itinerary is subject to change, so it'd be wise to check for last minute updates if your goal is to avoid seeing Daniel on any given day....

Are we there yet?...Are we there yet?...Are we there yet?...

There are so many awesome things to do in Chico, but before the fun can start we have to get everyone up to Montana! Just to get an idea of the collective distance we all have to travel to get there, each little star on the map below marks the starting location of someone coming to Chico. (the big star is Chico itself) Note: We are feeling the love, everyone is coming from so far away for 'ittle 'ol us!  Thanks everyone!  We hope you all will love this vacation much as we do.  To be blown away by how far you have to travel click on the map below.

Road Trip!

For those brave enough to venture to Montana by car, we have some basic info and maps for you below, as well as a movie clip to instill confidence in your decision to drive. 

The address for the resort is:
1 Old Chico Road, 
Pray MT 59065
Either enter this address or "Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa" into google maps or mapquest and it will get you there.


For some fun ideas of scenic routs and interesting stops to break up the monotony, check out this website with interactive maps here, or click on the map below. 

Since everyone lives in different directions it's a bit hard to map out a specific route here, but if you need any help, have any ideas of things others might want to know about, just comment here or send us an e-mail. Also, look for our next post Getting there via small airplane and our future posts with fun stuff for kids to do in the car. 

Logistics!

Our Current lineup for Rafting is: 

White Water:

• Alicia Rovey
• Karina
• Carsten
• Jonathan Rovey
• Nathan Rausch
• Kathy Rausch
• Samuel
• Abigail
• Joel
• Daniel Rovey
• Renee Rovey
• Angela Ramnanan
• Naveen Ramnanan 
• Tim Wolf
• Sandy Wolf
• Ashley Wolf
• Stephanie Wolf
• Matthew Wolf

Scenic Rafting:

• Renee Rovey
• Wonga Wolf
• Olivia Wolf
• David Wolf
• Liam Ramnanan
• Matthew Rovey
• Trevor
• Leah
• Cindy Rovey
• Ron Rovey
• Ruth Helen
• Nathan Rovey
• Nicole Rovey
• Amanda
• Emelia
• Seth Baker
• Kameryn Baker

If you aren't on the list and want to be, just let us know! For more info check out this post.

Big Sky or Bust.