We began our trek to Montana about 9:30 a.m. not knowing if Bob would be able to do services on Sunday or not, because of Diocesan rules. Our goal for the day was Couer d’ Alene, ID. We arrived at the Couer d’Alene Resort about 3 p.m. after an easy drive. Fortunately, traffic was relatively light. We checked in and unwound on their Terrace overlooking the lake. It is a beautiful day. Bob found a Hawaiian restaurant that we tried for dinner. We could have easily split one dinner. Before we retired, Bob found out that he received his license in the Diocese of Montana, so he can do services Sunday.
The next day we woke early and headed out for the second half of our trek. We stopped at the Breakfast Nook on the way to the freeway. There was a lot of construction on this part of the route which slowed us down a bit. We stopped for lunch in ?, and then continued on to Livingston. I thought we could make Bozeman’s Costco before gas ran out but had to stop a get a few gallons to tide us over. In Bozeman we made a stop at Costco and then travelled on to Livingston where we met Jim at St. Andrew’s. He showed us around and gave us directions to the cabin where we will be staying.
We had no idea what to expect and were pleasantly surprised by our cabin. It has 2 bedrooms, a bath, a living room and kitchenette with a four-person table. It is nicely furnished. There is no dishwasher or laundry facility, so we will have to wash our own dishes and go to a laundromat. We are surrounded by grass, shrubs, trees, and the beautiful snow-capped Absaroka mountains. On the other side of the hill behind our cabin is Pine Creek. This morning we woke up to deer in our front yard. There are lots of Black-tailed Magpies in the area. They are interesting birds.
We look out at the Absaroka Mountain Range, which is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains and part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It is the largest single range in the Rockies and extends from the Yellowstone River in the north to the Wind River Range in the south, about 150 miles. Interestingly, it is at its widest here in the Paradise Valley.
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