Wedding in Froid

Saturday, June 30, 2012 (Day 225)

We had a good night’s sleep, woke up with the sun and went for a short walk around Froid before it got too hot. Then back to Howie for a leisurely breakfast, and out for a bit more exploring. We found the one and only cache listed in Froid, and then drove back to Culbertson to visit for a short time with Keith..in between his groomsman duties. (Playing basketball, going out to lunch with the guys, etc). It sure is good to see him.

The only cache in Froid was called "Pressure Builder"

We sat outside for lunch, luckily in the shade because the mercury kept rising…probably hit at least 90 today! We watched a mother sparrow feed her babies in the rafters of the picnic shelter…such a hard life!

We went up the road to the Lutheran church for the wedding about 5. It was a beautiful ceremony, and all the kids looked great all dressed up. The minister asked how many of us remembered what the minister said at our own weddings. We looked at each other , smiled and shrugged…nope, we don’t remember. We all seem to remember funny or touching moments, but the minister’s message???

The birdies kept us entertained this afternoon

The reception was in the community hall down the road. There was good food and fun dancing. The Lake Stevens guys were in rare form…dancing and clowning around together. Alan and his new bride Kodi looked radiantly happy.

The men in black (Can you find Keith?)

We walked back to Howie down the moonlit road. The temperature was finally pleasant…at 11 PM as we listen to the Mariners play the Red Sox in extra innings. It’s been a beautiful, joyous day. We’re on our way towards Billings tomorrow.

Total miles driven today=37

Froid, Montana

Friday, June 29, 2012 (Days 224)

We knew we had a longish drive ahead of us, so we got up early and took off as as we could. Early for us, that is..7ish. We drove north a bit, and then hit highway 2 at Havre. Once on 2, it was pretty much due east on a straight road. We did go through a few tiny towns, and stopped at Glasgow for a quick lunch, but other than that we just drove….and drove….one of those days! The landscape is green and brown and hills and fields. The highway follows the Missouri River here, so there were lots of signs about the Lewis and Clark expedition along the way.

A sturdy looking building we saw on our way to Froid

Highway 2 leads directly to Culbertson, a small town where there are hotels. Keith and other wedding guests were staying here, as Froid has no hotels. So we stopped here first to find out if Keith made it in. He had missed a connection in Minneapolis, overnighted in Denver, and headed to Williston ND in the morning. We didn’t know if we’d have to drive another hour to pick him up…and our cell phone coverage was very spotty, almost non existent. Luckily, he was at the motel!


Nice to be welcomed

So, we drove 15 miles north to the tiny town of Froid. We were told we could camp at the ball field, so we looked around…hmm…football field? Baseball field? We found Ann (mother of the groom) at the church, and she told us the baseball field. Great…easy to find, and there is electricity here! We came and set up our camp…which takes all of 2 minutes.


Our spot for 2 nights

The grain elevator was our next door neighbor

Just a little while later, Ann drove up to invite us to the rehearsal dinner. So we “packed up” and drove back to Culbertson to join the party. We had a great dinner of prime rib with all the trimmings, and enjoyed seeing some of Keith’s friends and meeting new people.


The rehearsal dinner gathering

After dinner and visits, we drove back to our site and watched a small thunderstorm move over us. The highway was quiet during the night, and our sleep was peaceful!

Total miles driven today= 330

To the Wilds of Montana!

Thursday, June 28, 2012 (Days 222/223)

We left Lake Stevens yesterday, after getting up really early for our walk. It was a sunny day…a real rare occurrence this June!

Our lunch spot was at Vantage, WA

Then, we drove and drove and drove, ending up in Missoula, Montana for the night. We stopped for lunch at Vantage, eating cold leftover pizza down by the Columbia river. The stretch between there and Spokane sure seems long…but there were some very interesting clouds off to the east…never saw such clouds before. They seemed like hills painted on the sky.


A sign there that made sense and provided a chuckle

Because we knew we were just pulling in to sleep, we actually parked in a Walmart parking lot. (Shhh, don’t tell Judy!) We moved once, looking for a quieter, darker spot. Didn’t sleep well, then at 5 the sprinklers came on…moved again and tried to sleep a bit more.


The interesting two-tone clouds

Thursday morning we left Missoula and headed north, northeast on highway 200. (First time on this highway for us). It is a gorgeous drive through lots of forests and rivers…Judy even spied a moose! We stopped on the other side of the continental divide for a quick lunch, and then drove on. The scenery changed dramatically and rather quickly to dry rolling plains. Lots of ranches and cattle, some farms..not much else! (Although Harris spotted an antelope in a field.)


We were one of 20+ spread out at the Missoula Walmart

We stopped in Great Falls to see the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. It is a great place to visit, full of all sorts of interesting displays. Then we drove about 10 miles out of the way to see one of the
“great falls”..and the dam behind it. It was a very quick stop, because….the flies!!! Were out!!! In force!!!



We took a break at a Made in Montana business

Actually the flies were out in force at the center as well. A ranger told us these white flies live for 2 weeks, and this was day one. Lucky us. At least they don’t bite, but they were swarming everywhere and very annoying. Judy ran up the trail at the dam, and back down again about that quickly. Harris toughed it out a bit more to take his pictures.


Interesting sign in the Men's

Our lunch break today looking back at the Continental Divide

A made to scale replica of the canoe used by L&C

One of the four smaller falls

The "Great Falls" that almost killed the expedition

We drove on a bit more to Fort Benton, where we are parked at an RV place for the night. Obviously we didn’t have internet last night, so tonight we’re posting for two days. Tomorrow we plan to get up early and drive the rest of the way to Froid, in the northeast corner of Montana. Why? You may ask. Because it’s there. No, really, because we were invited to a wedding, and thought this would be a great reason to go out again. (Not that Harris needs an excuse, mind you.) Keith will be there as well, and we’re looking forward to seeing him and his friends.

Total miles driven:
Day 1= 500
Day 2= 212