a quick trip to the mountains

My husband kidnapped me for a drive into the mountains a couple of days ago. He works out of town a lot and tells me that he dreams of long, leisurely drives in the woods while he is gone. No telling what the weather will be like when he returns home so we smooched the kids good bye at school, loaded up the dogs (and a thermos of coffee) and took off.

One of our favorite drives includes a stop at the Polebridge Mercantile. It’s a sweet little shop that has a bit of everything. We usually go for the homemade bear claws and a cup (or two) of Montana Coffee Traders coffee (can one have too much coffee?)

Then off through the northern GNP (Glacier National Park) entrance into wonderland.

The autumn leaves have almost past their peak. But the colors are still glorious.

 

Every view is a vista (vista: visˈtə, noun~ a view from a particular place, especially a beautiful view from a high place).

With the farm and kids and work, we are pretty busy. It sounds dumb but sometimes I forget where we live.

We had a wonderful time just listening to music on the radio and sharing gentle conversation and eating sweet rolls and sipping coffee (more coffee).

Since we were in the Park, the dogs had to be on a leash or stay in the car when we were in the backcountry. That’s not their favorite way to explore. But they love whiffing the air while we drive. I always wonder what they are smelling as their ears catch the breeze~ woods, “free dogs” (wolves), wild things.

 

 

By the afternoon the shadows were growing long and it was time to return to civilization. Tim and I don’t often get a chance to be off by ourselves much. The short time away was invigorating.

But it was nice to get back home.

Our own wild things were calling.

Today’s count: 12 eggs.

What’s for supper: Pork stew with carrots, potatoes, onions and celery. Three cheese garlic bread.

(Note: This is yesterday’s weather report. Today we are socked in with misty skies. Yay!)

Weather:  Sunny, with a high near 61. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Tonight a 40 percent chance of showers after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. South southwest wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.