We woke after the sun was up. (This means we slept in.) It was a little chilly, but not bad at all. We got ready for the drive to Helena rather leisurely, trying not to wake Lisa. It was probably another two hours before Lisa was up. The back of her Subaru must have been more comfortable than our mattress.
We parted ways with Lisa around 11:00am or so. Our destination was Helena, but what I really wanted was a shower and Ax just wanted a burger. After a while we passed a sign that said Lochsa Lodge and “FOOD” so we got off the road in a hurry hoping at least to find the burger.
We parted ways with Lisa around 11:00am or so. Our destination was Helena, but what I really wanted was a shower and Ax just wanted a burger. After a while we passed a sign that said Lochsa Lodge and “FOOD” so we got off the road in a hurry hoping at least to find the burger.
There appeared to be some sort of car show going on. We saw many beautiful Model-A and Model-T Fords. We took a little time to admire the cars but were far too focused on food at that moment.
We had a great lunch and joked about some of the taxidermied animals and pelts the lodge had on display. There was one wolverine that seemed to confuse people into thinking it was a badger. There was also a small black bear in a tree that hung from one wall and a raccoon watching over the lunch crowd from a roof top built over the bar. Not to mention the typical Elk and moose racks. They all fit very well in a “lodge”, but I really don’t want these things in my house. (Just in case anyone had any ideas.)
From Lochsa Lodge to Lolo, Montana it was a slow drive. We followed several of the old Fords over Lolo pass, (5233 ft. elevation). The Model-Ts don’t exactly fly up those mountains. In Lolo our cell phones suddenly had service. Since we are such “city folk” we each made some calls and got back in touch with civilization. We did plan to camp that night in my cousin’s back yard. But, when I called Grandma, she offered us a room. We jumped at it, I mean, I had "nature and stuff" on me.
We found Helena easily and my cousin’s house almost as easily. I introduced Ax to the family and I was introduced to my little cousins. Trevor (3), Kelsey (2)
, Hailey (2)
and Riley (1).
My cousin, Lloyd and his wife, Amanda hadn’t arrived yet, but apparently, Linda and Glen brought Hailey up from Big Timber with them.
After dinner we headed east to Townsend to find Grandma’s house. I had a bit more trouble getting us there than the other places. I was following my head and ignoring my instincts. But we got to see some wildlife close-up.
We had a great lunch and joked about some of the taxidermied animals and pelts the lodge had on display. There was one wolverine that seemed to confuse people into thinking it was a badger. There was also a small black bear in a tree that hung from one wall and a raccoon watching over the lunch crowd from a roof top built over the bar. Not to mention the typical Elk and moose racks. They all fit very well in a “lodge”, but I really don’t want these things in my house. (Just in case anyone had any ideas.)
From Lochsa Lodge to Lolo, Montana it was a slow drive. We followed several of the old Fords over Lolo pass, (5233 ft. elevation). The Model-Ts don’t exactly fly up those mountains. In Lolo our cell phones suddenly had service. Since we are such “city folk” we each made some calls and got back in touch with civilization. We did plan to camp that night in my cousin’s back yard. But, when I called Grandma, she offered us a room. We jumped at it, I mean, I had "nature and stuff" on me.We found Helena easily and my cousin’s house almost as easily. I introduced Ax to the family and I was introduced to my little cousins. Trevor (3), Kelsey (2)
, Hailey (2)
and Riley (1).
My cousin, Lloyd and his wife, Amanda hadn’t arrived yet, but apparently, Linda and Glen brought Hailey up from Big Timber with them.After dinner we headed east to Townsend to find Grandma’s house. I had a bit more trouble getting us there than the other places. I was following my head and ignoring my instincts. But we got to see some wildlife close-up.
My brother, Brent, was visiting Grandma (Mary and Stan) from St. Louis for a week while Mom was at a convention in Dallas. When we arrived at the house, Brent and Stan had just returned from fishing (with nothing to show for it). Again, Ax was introduced to more of my family. We took showers, did a load of laundry and started to feel civilized again.There was a brilliant sunset that night. I thought of the camera at nearly the last minute. I don’t think my picture will do it justice.
