We were up around 7:30 am and out the door at 8 am. Derek and his roommates were all still sleeping, so we left without disturbing anybody. The drive to Montana was the first time we’ve headed east this whole trip – what a realization to wrap our heads around! Alex realized he forgot to transfer videos from the car’s dash cam to his tablet, so after a few hours of driving we stopped at a Starbucks in Ellensberg, WA. By the way, in case you didn’t assume so, I’d like to confirm that there are more Starbucks than people in Washington state. Got a small breakfast and some tea to help my sore throat while Alex did his work. Way free WiFi and outlets!

The rest of the day was spent pretty much in the car. We crossed into Idaho around 1:45 and since we were driving across the top portion (skinny part) it only took an hour to get to Montana. Shortly after arriving in Montana we changed time zones again. Now we were only 2 hours behind east coast time! When we first got into Idaho we drove through a stunning view of a lake surrounded by mountains and pine trees. We weren’t able to get a picture unfortunately, but it’s the kind of thing you’ll remember for a while.

Around 5:30 pm we stopped in Frenchtown, Montana for “lunner” at a Quiznos (yep, still have them in Montana). I bought 2 $1 scratch offs and won the lottery again! I got $10! So much good karma on this trip. Montana is farms and wide open land surrounded by incredibly clear mountains and big sky (of course). Every town we passed through in Montana had something carved in a mountain above the town, usually the first letter of the town (for instance, Frenchtown had a massive F carved in their mountain). I guess that’s a Montana thing? I’ll check with my uncle to confirm when I see him.

We arrived at Ferry Creek Ranch, home of Montana Grasslands Beef and my uncle Robbie, around 9 pm. As soon as we stepped out of the car we were engulfed in one of the most beautiful starry night skies we’ve ever seen (including those in Maine). The last time I was at his ranch was when I was 8 years old, so I tried to remember the layout and recall memories from the ranch. My uncle stayed up to greet us. We had a drink and caught up. I had seen him last year at Thanksgiving at our place, but not since his 3+ month long journey throughout Asia. I guess I get the traveling bug from him? He was in bed around 10, leaving us to hang out downstairs. His internet was super slow, so we struggled for about 45 minutes to watch Netflix and stream something from Alex’s tablet to the computer. Eventually Alex plugged in his tablet to the TV and we watched Inside Out. SUCH A PHENOMENAL MOVIE!!!! It’s one of those kids movies that truly appeals to all generations. If you’re reading this post and haven’t seen it, go watch it. Right now.

We went to bed around 12:30 am or so. Tomorrow is another relax and catch up day for us. Sleeping in, haircuts, exploring Livingston, reading, and good food are on the agenda. So happy to be back in Montana.