In July, we flew to Montana and spent nearly a week with Don's best friend Jim and his wife Karen. Their beautiful home was our base for great adventures. It was the most fun and relaxing vacation I've had in years. Every morning, Don and Jim planned the day before I even got up. All I had to do was eat breakfast, make a mug of tea, and head for the car.
Jim and Don have known each other since college, and theirs is a friendship for the ages. I've never seen grown men giggle as much as these two. They just crack each other up. It's a joy to behold.
I enjoyed getting to know Karen better, and we got to spend some time with Jim and Karen's son Ryan and his girlfriend Naomi...such a nice young couple.
We had to leave Abby home with my mom, which made us all terribly sad, but Leo the Shih Tzu/Pekinese mix cheered us up a bit. He was very sweet. Kirby the springer spaniel was leery of Sarah for most of the trip but finally warmed up.
Just as we'd settled into the boarding area in Hartford, Sarah realized she'd left her tablet in the car. She was disappointed that I wouldn't walk back through the airport, take the shuttle to and from the parking area, and go through security again, but she accepted the situation without much compaint.
When Don made our travel reservations in June, it was unclear how big a car Jim and Karen would have (long story there), so he reserved a large rental car for our stay. Due to our late arrival, he decided to ask Jim to pick us up at the airport, and the two of them would make the short drive back in the morning to rent the car.
Thursday morning, Don and Jim went the airport bright and early. They returned soon after I got up, without a car. It seems the biggest vehicle available had been a Toyota RAV4. Don rented it anyway, but when they both got in the car, it was obvious that it was no larger than Jim and Karen's new Subaru Outback. Jim proclaimed the rental idea stupid, and Don returned the car. It became a running joke for the duration of the trip, with many ideas (and people) earning the distinction of being stupid.
We loaded up the Outback and headed south to Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge in Stevenstown, stopping for lunch at Caffe Firenze in Florence. At the refuge, we went to the visitor center, then hiked a trail along the Bitterroot River.
Next, we went to Travelers' Rest State Park in Lolo. It's home to "the only archeologically verified campsite of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the nation." We hiked a trail to the campsite.
For dinner, Jim grilled bison burgers, which fell apart, and Karen burned the beans. Hilarity ensued, to the point where Sarah, not for the last time during the trip, told Don to quit laughing and asked what was wrong with him. 😂
Around 4:00 Friday morning, I was awakened in our basement room by what sounded like a fire alarm. I was about to leap out of bed, when it stopped abruptly (Don was already in the kitchen drinking coffee). It turned out to be the lawn sprinkler system starting up. The scenario was repeated two days later. By the final time, I was already awake when it went off.
We left bright and early for Glacier National Park, driving up the east side of Flathead Lake to Rte. 2, then along the south edge of the park and up to the east entrance. We arrived in time for lunch at St. Mary's Lake.
We drove Going-to-the-Sun Road through the park, stopping at various overlooks.
When we reached Logan Pass, Sarah, Karen, and I got out of the car and went to the visitor center, leaving Don and Jim to park. After about 20 minutes they finally appeared. They had circled the lot numerous times without finding a spot and, in an act of desperation, pulled out Karen's disabled placard (again, a long story) and slipped in to a wheelchair spot.
We decided to take a hike from the visitor center and saw a mountain goat just off the trail. After a while, we hit large snow patches. Since I had left my hiking boots in the car and was wearing sandals, I decided to stop. Don and I waited while Sarah, Jim, and Karen went on. They saw 11 more goats, including kids! (The pink flowers are Indian paintbrush, which is usually orange but pink in the park.)
On the way out of Glacier, we stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge and spent some time on the waterfront, where Sarah waded and skipped rocks. We also checked out one of the iconic "red buses" that offer tours of the park.
We ate dinner at Mackenzie River Pizza in Kalispell then went looking for a place for ice cream. We passed a Dairy Queen, and Don was about make a u-turn in the middle of the road, when Jim called out, "Watch out for the cop!" We all had a good laugh when we realized the 90s-vintage police car parked on the side of the road had a mannequin at the wheel.
We spent the night at an Airbnb in Lakeside. It was off the beaten path and a little questionable from the outside, but roomy and nice inside. Jim and Karen's master suite had a virtual fireplace on the wall. Sarah loved the place and wished we could live there.
On Saturday, we went to the National Bison Range in Moiese. We drove Red Sleep Mountain Drive (one-way), which joined Prairie Drive (two-way), stopping for a short hike on Bitterroot Trail. We saw a golden eagle (my favorite!), a couple of bald eagles on a carcass, about a dozen bison, mule and white-tailed deer, and pronghorn antelope. We ate lunch at the picnic area in a juniper grove by Mission Creek (with lots of toilets!).
We returned to Missoula mid-afternoon and relaxed for the rest of the day, then got Chinese take-out for dinner.
In the evening, Jim, Karen, Don, and I decided to watch "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." We set Sarah up to watch TV upstairs and settled into the living room. After about half an hour, our TV suddenly and mysteriously switched to a slime video. Hearing our shouts of surprise, Sarah came downstairs laughing. Somehow, she had commandeered our TV using the upstairs remote.
Sunday morning, we went to the National Elk Foundation visitor center, just down the hill from Jim and Karen's. It had beautiful displays (as long as you have a high tolerance for mounted wildlife). We took a drive up to Snow Bowl Ski Area before returning home for lunch.
In the afternoon, we went to downtown Missoula. Our first stop was A Carousel for Missoula. Sarah had a ball. They had a dragon that dispensed colorful rings for kids to snatch as they went by. Whoever got the gold ring won a free ride. Sarah was nervous about trying, but by her third ride, she was a pro at grabbing rings. No free ride, though.
Back at the house, Karen and I sat on the back patio and watched a doe and fawn in the neighbors' yard. The doe proceeded to jump the fence, leaving the fawn behind and frantic. After jumping back over a couple of times, the doe finally led her baby back out through the front yard.
Ryan and Naomi came over for dinner, and we all played Monikers afterward, men versus women (and girl). It was kind of a combination of the old game Password and charades. There were lots of laughs, and the women prevailed.
On Monday, we headed east to the Blackfoot River Valley. We spotted five bighorn sheep beside the highway. One had a full-curl horn!
We drove around some waterfowl production areas and visited Browns Lake. We spotted a canvasback brood; ruddy ducks; pied-billed, red-necked, and western grebes; black terns; a ringneck brood; and cedar waxwings.
We then went for a short, steep hike -- with lots of pointy "hitchhiking" seeds and very little trail -- on the Blackfoot Waterfowl Production Area. We didn't get too far before deciding turning around was the best option. The view and the wildflowers were beautiful, but the road was loud, and Sarah was miserable.
We drove to Ovando for lunch at The Stray Bullet (what a great western name!), then walked around the very small town (population 50). Sarah spent some time in "the hooscow."
On the way home, we stopped at the Fish and Wildlife Service Private Lands Office in Ovando to visit some former colleagues of Don's and Jim's.
Perhaps this is the time to recognize that Sarah was an amazing traveler on this trip. Not only was she stuck with only adults for a week, but she was cooped up in the car with them for hours on end and survived two really challenging days of flying. On the whole, she was a joy to be around, and I'm very proud of her. I can think of only one bad scene, and it lasted only a few minutes (but was caught on camera -- can you find the photo?). She's quite a kid.
Our final meal in Montana was at Ciao Mambo in Missoula, with Ryan and Naomi. Delicious food and great company -- a celebration of a week to remember.
We left Missoula at 5:45 Wednesday morning and had a three-hour layover in Minneapolis. Sarah and I shopped the main concourse while Don sat with the luggage. Sarah had a ball looking at all the Vikings gear.
We were so excited to see Abby again, and the feeling was mutual. Traveling without her is hard, but this trip was worth the separation. It really was amazing -- I wouldn't change a thing. We will all treasure it forever.
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