After leaving that wonderful county park in Shelley, ID we headed north to Dillon, MT. The weather has been beautiful. Except cold at night. Today not so much. It’s windy and cold. Oh well.
Something is really strange, at least for me. I used to feel such an overwhelming sense of homecoming whenever I would return to Montana after being gone for whatever length of time.
I lived in many places during my working years but always seemed to return to Montana. I moved to Idaho, then back to Montana. From there to California and then back to Montana. Then I made the big move to Washington, D.C. for almost 15 years. Found Jim, had Todd, and then brought them both back to Montana with me. I was born and raised here and it has always been home.
But something has happened. Montana doesn’t seem like home to me anymore. Arizona does. I don’t understand why, but it’s how I feel. I know Jim loves to fish in Montana so we will continue to return here. But I will be looking forward to going back to the desert and even the heat.
The pictures in this post were ones I took as we drove from Shelley to Dillon. Montana is a beautiful state. I do love the lack of traffic (see the pictures) and the wide open spaces with that Big Sky overhead.
We had to stop at two boat check stations, one in Idaho and one in Montana. They are trying to control the spread of Zebra Mussels from one lake to another. These kids looked about 12 years old but they took their job very seriously and were extremely polite. They carefully checked the boat for any signs of bad stuff. Not going to find anything because this boat hasn’t been in the water for three or four months.
After the verify the boat is clean, they put the white tie, see the following picture, on to let other check points or Wildlife Management folks know that the boat has been checked and approved.
Next stop, Dillon, MT. (at least for the blog). I’m just behind a wee bit. We are in Helena until Saturday.
Hi Sandie......back home...I see. It is interesting that you now consider AZ home....and don't even mind the heat. AZ is a lovely spot to live in and so is Montana. I think the difference is there is just MORE OF EVERYTHING in AZ.....restaurants, shopping, medical facilities.....art galleries....you name it.....we have it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys got back safe. I know we will meet up eventually.
Jo
Back home in Montana sounds a bit like our Back Home Again in Indiana song..... they always sing it at the Indy 500... Fall is not that far away! Hang in there....
ReplyDeleteSeems like you may have the best of both worlds. Montana in the summer and Arizona in the winter. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, we understand. Arizona feels more like home for us too.
ReplyDeleteWe thought about that after we left Washington for Texas. We thought of Washington as home and not Texas. After lived there for nearly 20 years Texas was definitely home. Well, it was home until the kids starting moving back to Washington. Now Washington is definitely home. Isn't it great we don't have to only have one home?
ReplyDeleteWe are glad you feel at home in Arizona...hurry back!
ReplyDeletewelcome to Montana!!!..or should I say welcome home!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you feel AZ is home now because you have made so many new friends there, Aunt Happy and your sister are there. That would make a huge difference to me.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Montana and hopefully the weather will warm up for you. We have never been to that state before so will look forward to your pictures.
ReplyDeleteKevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
You have the best of both worlds..Arizona in the winter...Montana in the summer! Sounds good to me! Loved the flag post...my dad was a flag flyer everyday....he refused to buy one made in China...I still continue that policy...
ReplyDeleteSo nice you can consider both places as a type of "home"... having wheels makes that so easy! Some folks never leave their town, much less their state. Imagine that!
ReplyDelete~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
I LOVE Montana and Dillon's a neat little town. I really like that drive up through the Jefferson RIver valley where you cut across. I grew up in the mtns of W. Colorado and spent many fine times there, but as soon as I discovered the Utah deserts, that was my new home, so I fully understand how you feel. Sure would like to go visit Montana this summer, though. Love the Flathead Lake area.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen a lot of Montana, but I also love that big open sky in Montana and Wyoming. I can understand your feeling of "home" is now Arizona - Florida is now our home - too bad our family doesn't understand that. Love the photos of the girls!
ReplyDeleteI also love Montana and the open spaces, the great big sky. But I can also adjust to many different types of landscapes and always seem to find the specialities in places we have been.
ReplyDelete