Missoula Montana Bound

Hello and Happy Tuesday to you all.  It's a cloudy, rainy morning here in Spokane, but that's just fine with me.  We need the rain desperately.  Before I tell you about our Montana trip, I have a little more news about our Oregon trip last week.  You remember that we got to meet with Gracie and Teresa and spend some time with them?  Well, we exchanged a few goodies and here is what those sweet ladies gave to me.  Teresa gifted me with some amazingly soft Knit Picks Billow yarn in the Willow colorway.  It is SO soft.  I have to find just the right project for this yarn.  And Gracie gave me this fun Granny Square Flowers book and a leaf bookmark that she crocheted.  I love all of the beautiful ideas in this book and can't wait to make some of these squares.  Thank you ladies.  I so enjoyed the time Dennis and I spent with you.

While we were at the coast we went to Walmart where I knew the Pioneer Woman had her new products for sale.  I always like to get things while in Oregon or Montana because there's no sales tax!  Yippee!  I thought this sugar bowl was very sweet.  I think I may use it as a salt cellar instead of sugar bowl though.  Don't you just love the happy flowers on the bowl?  I've been reading Ree's blog since LONG, LONG before she became popular with her own TV show on the Food network.  I'm very happy for her that her products and show are doing so well.i

Last Friday just after noon we began our trek from Spokane to Missoula, MT.  Not a long drive, only about 200 miles or so each direction.  Here we go, just east of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and heading up over the first pass.  The trees were gorgeous last weekend.

And then we reached the top of 4th of July Pass. 

Dennis talked me into taking his truck on this trip instead of my little Honda CRV.  The truck is a MUCH nicer ride and it seats 6 people, so once we got to Missoula, we could all fit in the truck for our excursions out and about town.  (Sorry about the bug "splat" on the windshield.  There's not much you can do about it when you're barreling down the road at 80 mph!)

Down in the Silver Valley of Idaho.  It's been a dry summer here too.  I love the layers of mountains on the horizon.

The colors were gorgeous, although we couldn't decide if these were trees changing color for autumn, which would be unusual for evergreens, or if it is a blight of some kind that is killing the trees.  If it IS blight, it's worse than we've ever seen on previous trips through here.

And here we are heading over the top of Lookout Pass on the border of Idaho/Montana.  Exit 0.

A series of tight twists and turns through the mountain.  How do you like the sign of the truck tipping over?  These are some serious turns.

But oh so pretty.  (If you don't look at the bug splat)  Ha!

And here is the reason for the trip.  Kyleigh and Caleb, our two oldest grandkids.  Gosh I love them.  We had a wonderful time with them.

Off to Red Robin we went.  It's always interesting finding places to eat because both of the kids have Celiac Disease which means no gluten at all.  I know a lot of people that just avoid gluten, but these two have no choice or they get very ill.  Caleb especially is not able to have anything that is even cross-contaminated.  They're very good about know what they can and can't eat and even know the questions to ask the servers.

This is the hotel we stayed at.  It's the same one we were at last spring and the kids love it.  Two swimming pools and five hot tubs.  It's an amazing log structure that I never tire of looking at.  

Aren't these stairs fantastic?  That's Caleb in the hot tub down there.  Our room is on the ground floor right next to the hot tub.

Another view from the opposite end of the hotel.  See the mountain goat on top of the rocks.  The stones are a waterfall on each side.  In the lobby is a massive stone fireplace that had a roaring fire in it all weekend.  Big overstuffed chairs were all around the fireplace as well as lining the top two levels where you see the walkways.  Outside our door we had a patio table and chairs.  The breakfast was huge and came with your room.

My happy little guy.  He spent a lot of time in the hot tub.

The kids kept Grandpa busy playing Ping-Pong too.  Lots to entertain them in this hotel and it all comes with the room at no extra charge.

But, we had to say goodbye on Sunday afternoon and head back over the mountains and home.  This is a picture I took at the rest-stop at the base of Look-out Pass in Montana.

So pretty.  I have to stop and appreciate the beauty surrounding me or the days pass by and I don't even notice.

Last night I stepped out onto the deck to grill some chicken for dinner and look what was right in front of me.....

An entire rainbow that I couldn't get in just one photo!  And a double one at that.  See the faint colors above the bright ones?

And the other side.  What wondrous beauty God has provided for us.

Then after dinner I drove to the church and defrosted the freezer there.  As I drove home I saw the HUGE full moon.  When I stopped to get a picture, this is how it turned out.  Isn't it fantastic?

Next time I'll show you what I've been busy making during these drives.  We added up the miles and figured out we drove about 1600-1700 miles in the past 9 days.  Whew!  My back did fine on the drives but it's still spasming at night.  Yesterday my primary care doctor did an x-ray on my chest to make sure the leads from the pacemaker hadn't moved and were triggering the spasms.  It all looked fine and I got to see that little thing in my chest.  It looks like a mini computer!  You could see the circuit board and everything.  So now, he is referring me to a spine and pain management clinic.  It's always something isn't it?

I just booked tickets for us to fly to D.C. the first part of December.  We don't like to fly at holidays and Mandy wants us to see the holiday hoopla in D.C.  I'm looking forward to the lights at the Capital.  I think they'll be very pretty.

I hope you're all enjoying fall.  The blogs I've looked at have such pretty decorations.  I may not like winter, but I do love the cooler weather of fall.

"I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.  Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as love as I live.  Psalm 116:1,2

Blessings,

Betsy