Hey there! We made it safe and sound to Missoula last Thursday afternoon. We really did have a great trip and so much fun to see the country....but we were READY to get to our destination. I PROMISE to post pictures, but we've just been so busy having fun that I haven't had time to collect my thoughts enough to make a decent picture posting. (Sorry! I know I'm bad!)
The weather here changes constantly, which is actually nice because if it is chilly and rainy, it doesn't stay that way for long. And also, just because clouds may be hovering all around the mountains, it could be perfectly sunny where we are. It is great not to be hot all the time! (Refer back to this post next February when my arse has been frozen for months ;-)
I kept my promise to Roger and we purchased 2 really nice mountain bikes and all the acoutrements within 24 hours of our arrival (pics later). Roger has been doing research for months on bikes, as that was his "cherry on top" for this trip. I would have been happy with something from T*rget, but no, he insisted I have disc brakes, etc. So he has a "Specialized" brand bike & I have a "Giant" brand. It was worse than car shopping, as Roger wanted to discuss every aspect with the bike guy....oy. I was getting bored after 3 hours, so I went to the car to make a couple of calls. Roger comes out to the car without bikes & said he thought he'd sleep on it.....duh...I don't think so! I told him to get his hind end back in there & buy the blasted bikes & we could go riding that day!!! Yeesh. So he "obeyed" and we came right home and took a short ride. Yesterday we rode a really nice bike trail for an hour & it was a perfect day for it. Ahhh, Montana.
Today we enjoyed our 2nd Little League baseball game....our nephew has been doing a great job & it has been alot of fun.
Simon the cat has been busily attacking the black lab, Duke....who wants nothing more than to play with Simon....Actually I think Simon likes attacking the poor dog & is happily asserting his dominance. Ha!
I cannot get over how nice in general people are. It is an incredible change for us. I really really love that part. But I also really really really really miss my friends :-( And I'm sure as each day passes I'll miss them even more. I think it helps alot knowing that so many friends and family want to come for a visit (and who knows.....they may take a page from our book and ....
LEAP!
Finally! This was the sign we wanted to see for so long! And aren't you impressed that I was able to take this clear shot from a car traveling at 75 mph??
Entering the beautiful state of Montana....the road leads to such amazing beauty it can take your breath away sometimes. And what they say about the weather is so true....it changes every 15 minutes. It has been so gorgeous here the past few days, but this time last week, we were watching the snow fall and driving thru slushy ick.
This photo of the Bitterroot Mountains (which are visible from our home) was taken a few days ago on our drive to Hamilton, MT, which is about 30 minutes from here.
I love this photo of the family taken when we visited the Badlands of South Dakota. More in a slide show later.
Of course, every kid needs to have their picture taken while riding the giant Jackalope at Wall Drug in South Dakota! ;-)
Natalie: Earning her Jr. Ranger badge at Mount Rushmore
And in case you were thinking our road trip was all sunshine and rainbows, I leave you with these parting shots of the little one (the one who was insisting "I'M NOT TIRED!!") ;-p
