Montana Day Trip

When we found out my parents would be visiting over 4th of July we wanted to plan something special to do with them. We knew they would be tired from traveling the day before so it needed to be something low-key but fun. Lyle heard about a small-town car show over in Troy, Montana (about 2 1/2 hours away) and having been that way before we knew it would be a scenic drive that my parents would enjoy. So we decided to do that.

We planned several stops along the way to provide opportunity to stretch our legs and take pictures.

The first scenic stop overlooked the bridge and dam on the Moyie River on Highway 2.

When we got to Troy we found the festivities going on in the city park. We staked out a shady picnic table near the Kootenay River to use as our “base camp.”

We had a picnic lunch and then took turns venturing out for a little sightseeing. First, Lyle and Dad and Rebecca went to look at the old cars. Later, Dad escorted Mother to look at a quilt he had spotted in one of the vendor booths.

After they came back Lyle and I went for a little stroll to see what other vendors were there. One vendor had a beautiful selection of polished native Montana stones.

Most were larger than the polished rocks you often see in souvenir shops, and these were all natural colors. The man had small collections in little “treasure boxes” for sale. Lyle helped me choose a set that included a lovely piece of petrified wood and several pieces of jasper.

When we got back to our picnic table I bragged to my parents that my husband bought me a box of rocks!

After two or three hours of hanging out in the park we decided to wend our way home.

Much to our delight we spotted a small herd of Bighorn Sheep along the highway. At least 3 of us were snapping pictures out the window as we went by. We couldn’t stop because the road was curved right there and it wouldn’t have been safe.

Lyle turned around and went back so we could get another glimpse. The sheep didn’t seem alarmed by us passing by. Dad has a nice zoom lens on his camera so he was able to get the close-up shot above.

Don’t they look like goats? Every time I see Bighorn Sheep I have to stop and think about whether they are Bighorns or Mountain Goats. Then I remember, Mountain Goats are white and shaggier, and yes, Bighorn Sheep look very much like goats.

Our final scenic stop of the day was at a dam on the Clark Fork River.

Beautiful scenery. Good company. Relaxing day. What a lovely way to spend the 4th of July!