And it all started with flat tire, folks. The trip I had been looking forward to the most this summer got off to an unexpected start.
On Tuesday, August 16, I flew out from Sacramento Airport to Portland, Oregon to Spokane, Washington. My final destination was Missoula, Montana, a three hour drive from Spokane. The day was looking long as the plane finally touched down on the runway in Washington. I was thinking about the 3-hour leg that still lay ahead of me. I was greeted by a gorgeous face, my best friend Kait, in baggage claim. We caught up while we waited for my bag to come around on the carousel. Finally, the olive green suitcase with the pink luggage tag was in sight. I grabbed my bag and headed for her car. We were pretty hungry so we stopped at the mall in Spokane to grab something to eat. After dinner we piled back into the car, and within 5 minutes of our drive on the highway we were alerted by a helpful driver that her back tire was flat. To make a long story short, AAA did not help us out. Instead, a man resembling Herman Munster and a hill billy helped us change the flat while his wife pointed us in the direction of the nearest hotel and auto shops. It was about 9:00 PM at this point and driving on a donut for 250 miles didn't seem too safe to us, so we crashed at the Ramada just off the highway.
We stayed up much too late watching people eat snakes and drink venom wine on TV. We woke up super early to get to the auto shop after a complimentary breakfast in the hotel lobby. The Les Schwab easily patched the tire and we were back on the road in no time. We zoomed through Idaho and into Missoula. Kait showed me around her new apartment and took me out to lunch where they serve sandwiches with bread baked in coffee cans. It really is one of the best sandwiches I have ever had.
The next day Kait had an interview with one of her professors for Pharmacy school, so we drove over to University of Montana. While I waited for her, I toured around campus, read my book and took some pictures.
Kait, proudly posing in front of this very historic building.
That night, we made our way to Lindbergh Lake for a few nights stay at the infamous McDonald Cabin. It was a true girl's weekend. We spent every day laying out on the dock and getting sun. We ate way too much good food (thanks to Kait's mother-in-law), told and listened to hilarious stories, and simply relaxed. Lindbergh Lake is one of the only places I can completely and totally let go of everything. Here are a few pictures from that weekend.
I stayed in The Bear Room. Kait was across the hall in the Twin Room and Jenny (aka Aunt Sunshine) stayed in the Moose Room on the other side of the den.
This was the view from my room. Spiral staircase to the deck is to the right and the dock was just a few steps down. It's absolutely amazing to wake up to this view.
Two girls wiped out after a day of swimming, fetching sticks and running.
Hard to pass up a Huckleberry Milkshake. Just look at the joy smothered all across her face.
There's joy on my face too. Sooo delicious! Kait's mother-in-law made us huckleberry pancakes one morning with the berries that we picked the day before, and I bought some homemade huckleberry jam at the farmer's market in Seeley. Mmm Mmm delicious!
View from the deck. Right here is where I enjoyed some fantastic food and stories.
One morning I took the canoe out and paddled across the lake. I was dying to see some bears, but all I got were giant dragonflies.
So, the visit was drawing to a close. I always feel like I never get enough time at the cabin. Before Kait and I left, her mother-in-law and good friend convinced us to put on a fashion show on the dock with some old clothes from the 50's and 60's. We were happy to oblige.
After Kait and I packed up the wigs, hats, coolot dresses and swimsuits we made our way back to Missoula. Along the drive we noticed a thick, dark smoke rising from the mountains we were heading towards. As we got closer to the source we noticed that we were heading towards a huge forest fire. Cars had pulled over onto the side of the road and we did the same. We stepped out to take a few pictures, but the smoke was pretty intense so we didn't stay too long.
The fire burned a good part of the mountain, but I don't think any houses were damaged. So after that eventful drive, it was time for me to head back home. This time I had a layover in Las Vegas, which is an insane airport. I knew gambling was big over there, but slot machines right outside of the gates? That is crazy.
It was tough to leave Montana and head home. It's so relaxing and such beautiful country. So a big, BIG thank you to two wonderful people for sending me on this trip. I love you both!
