30 Hour Layover: Vacation or Work? (And a Sasquatch Sighting)

Base of Mt. Helena; Helena, MT

Can you call it a vacation if you're working?  Typically on my trips I have anywhere from 11 to 16 hour layovers in a city.  Circa 8 of those hours are for sleeping... another 0.5 for getting ready for bed/wake up routine... and whatever is left over for food consumption and/or personal interest.  Well this month I landed a 30 hour layover in Helena, Montana. 

Captain Sara

30 hour layovers are either something you're into, or not.  With a family at home, I try to avoid these trips because I want the time I spend away from them truly to be productive and work related.  But these are also opportunities to explore, while being paid!  

Our last leg of the day was from MSP to HLN.  My wife listed to fly standby on my flight and was able to join me! We had care for our boys for a couple nights which gave us the opportunity to have some quality respite... all while being "on the clock."

We learned Helena was a gold rush city... once one of the wealthiest cities in America... Wikipedia says $3.6 billion extracted in gold over 2 decades.  We took the hotel shuttle downtown to grab some breakfast and hot coffee, and then set out to hike up Mt. Helena.

Breakfast Sandwiches and Coffee @ Park Ave Bakery

Walking through Reeder's Alley

Hiking and biking in the Sonoran Preserve in Phoenix had become such a regular part of our lives there, we seemed to have forgotten how much we missed that kind of slow and steady work that hiking is... that affords so much wonder and marvel in the midst of God's creation, and time for uninterrupted conversations... well between the catching of our breath. Oh and we also met Sasquatch at the summit.

WARNING: Extreme Fun Ahead

Sasquatch Sighting

View from summit of Mt. Helena

After hiking we spent a few hours at the local library. What set out to be our "Pimental Planning Day" (our monthly planning of next month's work and life schedules for our family...since no two weeks are ever the same), became a full on reflection on where we are in work and life, sharing our anxieties and fears about what is next, and remembering God's faithfulness to us all along.  

October Scheming

Eventually we got hungry again and walked to lunch at a bar/restaurant that used to be a brothel up until the 70s.  Good food though... and enjoyed some local beers.  We grabbed some homemade chocolates from the Parrot Candy store and then visited the Cathedral of St Helena.  It was such a quiet town every where we went, and especially the cathedral... we took a moment to kneel and pray and thank God for the way he has been providing.

Cathedral of St. Helena

One of the *perks* of a job in the airlines is the flight benefits... we've been looking forward to taking advantage of these, and have here or there as time allows, but this was the first time Sara and I have been able to go out on an adventure kidless.

A Flower

Some Grass

Man, respite is wonderful! Who said it? "Take breaks, but don't turn your life into a break."  Does this count as a break though if I was technically working??