Spring Break, Red Lodge Montana

      

The Whole Group!

Chair Lift!

  This past week was spring break, and for me, that meant an adventure to a whole different side of the country. I travelled to Red Lodge Montana with thirteen other Coe Students. I was a little nervous, as this was the first spring break that I wasn't going to be spending with my family. We began our 19 hour roadtrip on friday at 4 and drove through the night, arriving at about 10 the next day. The car ride there was an adventure, and it was cool getting to bond, while planning some awesome events for the next week.



Skiing day 2!

       Once we got to Red Lodge, we got set up, and then took a much needed nap. That night, we all looked at the stars; It is amazing how many you can see out there, with no lights of big cities!    The Next day, we went skiing for the first of three days on this trip. Growing up, I loved skiing, but it has been about 7 years since the last time I went. Needless to say, I was a little rusty, but once I got my feet back under me, I was ready to go! (I only hit one tree).

Yellowstone sign!

         Other than skiing, We also took day trips to beautiful places like Yellowstone National Park. Don't get me wrong, I love Iowa, but no matter how hard you look you will NEVER be able to find places as beautiful as yellowstone. We saw some beautiful mountains, and were about a foot away from a group of buffalo! At the end of our trip to Yellowstone, we ended up getting our car stuck in about 2 feet of snow, but after digging and digging, we were finally able to get out.

Teamwork at its best

  What really sticks out for me about this trip was the fact that everyday, we all sort of split off and did our own things during the day, things like skiing, or hiking, or going to yellowstone, or just hanging out at the house and relaxing, but at the end of every day, we all met up again and hung out the whole night together. We all just played cards, and took turns cooking dinner, by the end of the week, it was clear that we all became so much closer, by simply spending time together.

       

The way back, EXHAUSTED

Unfortunately, at the end of the week, we did have to leave, and come back to school. We packed up our bags, cleaned up the cabin, and began our drive back. Like I said, the drive was about 19 hours and on the way back, everyone was so tired and grumpy!(we did listen to alot of Miley Cyrus) We made some stops in places like Wall, South Dakota,and tried our best to avoid a crazy snow storm! When we FINALLY got back to Coe, I did a little thinking about the whole week. I know I'm gonna miss the beauty present in Montana, the mountains and the Stars        More importantly, I started this week really homesick, missing Plainfield and my family, but this trip really openend my eyes. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by family every day on this trip; great, caring, friendly people who take me into their home for a week, help pick me up when I ski into a tree, hold my hand when we are driving through 2 feet of snow, and even put up with me in a car for 18 hours. I know that as classes start tomorrow, we wont all be seeing each other all the time; but what I learned in Montana is th
at whether its stars or family, just because you cant always see them, doesn't mean that they wont always be there, when you need them the most.
Until The Next Adventure,
Ryan Rey




Family