On The Move

It's official, I have left Montana.

I can honestly say that I never thought that some day I would live in Utah. It seemed like one of those places I always just passed through, heard about, and didn't really think much of until the past few years when I started realizing just how great the mountains and therefore skiing were.

Apparently having the Winter Olympics here didn't really register with me in 5th grade but now it's all coming together unlike the Olympics being in Sochi....which I will never understand. Moving on..

I decided to take the long way down to Salt Lake to make a couple stops to see friends and get my fill of the northern mountains. I might as well admit at this point that I was also getting my fill of being in states with regular alcohol laws and "regular" beer. My first stop was Big Sky, MT to see my friend Katy. Everyone should probably visit Big Sky not only because it's beautiful but because there is a bar there that sells vodka slushies. A night can never go wrong when you're in the high country of Montana, surrounded by ski bums and flannel, and there is a dive bar selling vodka slushies and 50 cent wings. You just can't. The morning view isn't half bad either.

I could wake up to this daily.

The next day I headed out in search of the Tetons. Staying the night in Jackson on Halloween turned out to be a great success full of new friends, wine, killer mountains, and more wine. Let me just say that you never know who you're going to meet, so stay open minded and be outgoing because life is exciting and one should always explore the opportunities that arise.

Surreal. 

After two days in the mountains I finally made it to SLC. 100 papercuts, boxes, and 7 days later I had moved into my new place and unpacked my life. Hopefully that will not occur again for a long, LONG while.

I love pizza and had been craving it now more than ever after the long hours of unpacking. The rise of the "low carb" veggie crusts had me intrigued so I decided to give it a shot.

Spinach Pizza Crust
2-3 cups of leaf spinach
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 egg

Toppings:
2 cooked links of chicken sausage, sliced
roasted tomatoes, sliced
shallot, sliced and sauteed
chunks of brie, gouda, mozzarella, any cheese really

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Chop the spinanch in a blender, magic bullet, or food processor. I don't have a food processor and things were a little difficult. After several rounds in the blender I basically just chopped the spinach as small as I could and put it back in the blender with the cheese and egg. Pulse the mixture enough to mix the egg in. The important thing to remember is that you don't want a pureed spinach. If that means you end up doing a lot of hand mixing, that's just fine.

Line a cookie sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread the mixture into a circle about a 1/2 inch thick. Season the top with any spices you desire. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are slightly golden.

Turn the oven to broil. Top the crust with the desired toppings and set to broil until the cheese melts. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

I was really surprised as to how well the crust stayed together with the weight of the toppings. I ended up folding most of my slices in half, but the recipe ended up working out really well for a healthy alternative. Next time I think I will use a little less cheese in the crust to cut down on the grease, but other than that this one will be a keeper. Enjoy!

Before I left Montana I bought my tickets to see The Black Keys in SLC. Being one of my favorite bands, I was extremely excited that I was going to be in town for the show. I can definitely get used to the music scene that Salt Lake has. The show was absolutely amazing. You can't beat a good show and good company.

Little Black Submarines encore - my favorite.

My first couple of weeks in SLC have flown. I can't believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Opening day at Snowbird is in 9 days and we are counting down in this household.

Eat, sleep, snow dance, repeat.

k

Time Flies.

The last month has been a bit of a hiatus between driving back to Missoula, going out on a fire assignment, and traveling around catching up on all the summer hiking in Montana that I missed. How is it already the second week in September? This month marks my sixth year in Missoula and I seriously don't know where the time has gone. Over the years I have been able to explore and experience so many great things in the area, but there's always room for more.

To all my fellow day-hikers, I highly recommend checking out your local REI or Barnes and Noble for any hiking book by Robert Stone. If you're in the Missoula area, I recommend "Day Hikes Around Missoula". I always had thought I was pretty knowledgeable about day hikes around Missoula and had been on many. After buying this book I realized how many I didn't know about and how over the years I had clearly found my favorites and put myself on repeat.

I tried to diversify my first hikes back with all new routes. Some were simple, some were long, but they were all beautiful. It feels great to be back in the forests. I finally visited the largest Western Larch in the country last weekend which is right outside of the town of Seeley Lake.  Over Labor Day weekend my dad and I made a rainy and cold (48 degress) 10 mile trek in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Ravine Trail - Grant Creek/Rattlesnake Wilderness

Morrell Falls - Lolo National Forest

Bass Lake - Selway Bitterroot Wilderness 

The snow hasn't started to fall quite yet. There is still plenty of time to check a few more off of the list and still be able to hike a few of my favorites. My goal is to get 60 miles in (since I've been back to Montana) by the end of September. Currently I'm at 37 miles, game on.

If I haven't mentioned before, I love fall. The weather is great, ski season is almost here, and it's football season. GO CHIEFS. Fortunately I missed the game yesterday because I was hiking as they lost terribly to the Titans. The thing about being a fan of a team that is hit or miss every year is that you finally accept the "no expectations, no disappointments" attitude and find that you will be much more happy. Especially when they pull through with a win.

Cooking during the fall/football season is also one of my favorite seasons to explore in the kitchen. Time to dust off the crockpot. Bring on the baked goods and beer-cheese dip.

I hope to have an update on my mileage goal and will have a new recipe next time, I promise.

Go explore.

k.

The Northwest Gypsy

Hello all!

I'm Kayla. 

When you meet someone new one of the first questions asked is: "Where are you from?" After growing up moving around every couple of years, I haven't really been able to determine a place that I'm actually from. Born in Washington, moved to Montana, Idaho, South Dakota, and back to Montana for college. Finally, I came up with what I am: a northwest gypsy. 

So ta-da! Here I am. 

Things to know:

I love cooking.

Mountains. 

Traveling is my passion.

Embrace change.

Skiing keeps me in love with winter. 

So here we go. I'll be writing about my life and the things I love. Enjoy