Sunday, June 1, 2008

Big Sky Country

We spent Thursday night in West Yellowstone (a little like the Rocky Mountain version of Gatlinburg, Tenn. without the wax museum and proximity to Dollywood) and headed out Friday morning toward Flathead Lake and Bigfork, Montana. Another amazing drive through several mountain ranges and river valleys. The Madison River Valley area around Ennis was particularly beautiful. Stopped in Butte for lunch, then stopped at a great gourmet grocery and health food store in Missoula. We stocked up and headed toward the place we'd rented above the lake. Spent Saturday exploring the town and roads and trails in the area. We spent most of the afternoon with a picnic lunch on Swan Lake, not too far from town. We bought some lake trout for supper and brought it back to the house and enjoyed it on the deck, watching the sun go down over the Flathead Lake (see photo above.)

We got up this morning to attend St. Patrick's Church. Met lots of kind, hospitable Episcopalians. It turns out that lots of people from the Atlanta area end up in this valley. The joke is that there's a 4-lane road between Atlanta and Flathead Lake. Not sure the folks realized Atlanta has over 5 million people because I was asked a couple of times if I knew so-and-so.

2 comments:

katycrow said...

Dear Priests,
Miss you- especially when we took the kids to Camp Mikell, but your adventure is enviable! Will, your name was read at church for the birthdays this week-HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!Have you lost that tooth yet? Thinking often of you all.
Much love from Katy and the Crows

churchmouse1 said...

Hope you saw the Berley Pit when in Butte...how could you miss it! I remember seeing it when it was a working copper mine.
So......that make this old churchmouse older than water! :) Will, belated Happy Birthday. Can't wait to see you all very soon.
Shirley A.