Month: August 2015
Hummingbird
While in Montana, we managed to see hummingbirds!!! That was such a treat because I really really really reallllyyyy love hummingbirds. And these ones were so tiny that I could easily fit three into the palm of my hand! I couldn’t handle the adorableness. I was giggling so much.
Anyway, here are some pictures I took!
DIY Facial Toner for Healthy, Glowing Skin
Toners.
What the heck are those things?
Total waste of money?
Total waste of time?
And the answer is bududududududududu (drum roll) NO! Toners are great and super and a really good addition to your skin care routine. And here’s why –
1. Balances the pH level of your skin
2. Removes environmental toxins
3. Shrinks pores
4. Tightens skin
5. Reduces acne
6. Hydrates skin
Wow. all that packed into one little container!
I just started using toners less than a year ago because I had no idea what purpose they held. I used a couple different kinds I bought at various stores, but after doing some (a ton) of research I have concocted my wonderful beautiful toner. *cue wind chime/harp music* As you can tell, I love this stuff.
Basic ingredients packed with a whole lot of good stuff for the skin upon your darling little face. And no nasties whatsoever!
Apple Cider
Vinegar– It helps make skin brighter and tighter— Skin is naturally acidic but when vinegar is used it reduces the skin’s acidity helping to balance everything out. POW.
Witch Hazel– A natural astringent so it helps maintain oil, reduce pores, and brightens skin. WHAM.
Tea Tree Oil– Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. BULLSEYE.
Lavender Essential Oil– Calming, anti-bacterial, regulates sebum (oil), and reduces scarring. ZING.
Now, lets get to it:
INGREDIENTS
2 tbs witch hazel
1 tbs apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
3-4 drops of tea tree oil
3-4 drops of lavender oil
DIRECTIONS-
mix all into a dark glass bottle.
shake each time before use.
use once in morning and once at night after washing !
Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy
We’ve been hit — by the Heat Wave
We have been looking forward to sun and warm weather for months.
Months I tell you.
Traveling since late February, in Alaska for the summer, we had missed out on the well-known and desired beach weather. Shorts, tanktops, flip flops, dresses.. all lost beneath the heavy winter clothes.
But at last! Montana! It brought sunshine and water and dark nights…. and the lovely heat.
But oh. no.
The heat is great … when you have a working AC unit. It keeps the air flowin’ and the temp down when you’re sitting in a 30 ft travel trailer. Keeps people happy. Keeps everything working together in a beautiful harmony.
Ours, of course, decided to not work. When we needed the AC, the wonderful cool air, the thing decided it’s kaput. We’ve barely used the thing because it’s been cold so how come it’s not working? WHY WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYYY
Irony, friends. It’s a jerk.
So, what do you do when it’s too hot outside? When it’s too hot inside? When you can’t escape the stifling heat?
Fans. fans fans fans.
We tried opening all of the windows, but that really only works when there’s a breeze. So we drove an hour each way into town to buy fans. And even still it’s nearly unbearable.
You can’t sleep, can’t read, can’t think. You can only sit in a hot, uncomfortable, nearly unbearable state and constantly remind yourself how hot you are.
So, I decided to also make some ice cream. Some delicious dairy-free strawberry ice cream with only three ingredients- full fat coconut milk, strawberries, and maple syrup. I can’t wait to surprise James with this wonderful gift of delicious coldness.
And we might buy a small kitty pool. Because that sounds divine.
Glacier National Park
We made it to Montana! And we are lovin’ it. Well, Glacier National Park that is.
^^ if you look closely, there are two deer near the water’s edge, they were drinking earlier.
Lemme tell ya, this place is one heck of a beauty. The colors of the water are incredible. We’ve been able to stay for a couple days and have managed to do some hiking, swimming, canoeing, photographing, animal-spying, and eating (yum yum.)
(beaver bringing some goodies back to the hut)
As far as wildlife checklist goes : deer, beavers, mountain goats, bighorn ram, and a grizzly bear. (!!)
There were a ton of mountain goats in the upper side of the park when you drive up ‘Going-To-The-Sun’ road, that was really neat. The adult goats were all wearing these large, boofy collars for the gps tracking, I cannot imagine how annoying those things are. And they all had one baby – no idea what a young mountain goat is called- and two of them were play fighting which was adorable of course.
Now, the water was pretttttyyyyy cold. We were so so hoping that we could go hiking and just get into a nearby creek or lake whenever we got hot…. but it didn’t turn out quite as we hoped. You really couldn’t stay in it for that long unless of course you’re used to swimming around in 73 degree water which sounds a lot warmer than it actually is. But we still had fun of course. It’s been ages since we’ve seen the warm sun and been in water, so we enjoyed it as much as we possibly could.
A word to the hikers —– the national park trail map and signs aren’t quite up to snuff. The map doesn’t specify the length of the trail, nor is it very specific in what other trails coincide with it. And the signs .. or lack of… aren’t the best at giving directions either. You’ve gotta rely on those inner nature explorer skills (probably just common sense to most.)
Another cool thing is there was a meteor shower one night! And because we were out hiking late, James was able to capture the milky way and meteors over the mountains. (I … however.. was tired and cold and a bit crabby so I slept in the car.)
Our next journey will be Yellowstone ! Yay! Something we’ve both been looking forward to since we started this great road trip of a lifetime.
The Long and Winding and Bumpy and Construction-Obsessed Road — an ode to Canada
Driving through Canada. The journey back home to the lower 48.
It really is a beautiful drive. Endless mountains, forests, rivers, and fields full of dandelions. Again, we have been blessed with wildlife; bears, elk, mountain goats, buffalo, and I’m sure more as we finish the drive within the next couple of days.
The journey back through Canada is going a lot quicker than the first drive. It may be because we know what to expect or that long drives day after day isn’t quite as horrible as it was before.
We decided to go another route and pass through Jasper National Park which was such a beauty. We, unfortunately, only stayed one night because we were both too exhausted from the previous ten hour drive to do any hiking, but that did not distract us from the seemingly unending beauty. Both of us wished to stay another day, but it just didn’t work out in our plan. If you have the option of visiting Jasper, I would definitely recommend it. There’s also a really cute town outside of it, reminded me of a college town.
It’s funny because now that we’re moving more down south, the sun is starting to set sooner and sooner. In Alaska we could stay out all night and there would always be some little light. But now… what is this darkness!? It’s great at night though, one can get back into that normal sleep time and not have to hang heavy blankets from the windows. Canada is beautiful but I am excited to get back into the ‘USofA’! Because America rocks, dude.
Caribou
As promised— pictures of Caribou from Denali! (if you click on the picture it will open up into a larger view in flickr) 
The Wild Flight 