Lolo, MT (09-01-20)

This was a short,  uneventful stop so it will be a short post. I forget why we decided to stop here for a few days.  I think it was just because it was on our path, and there is some hiking to do here.  We are really just outside the town of Missoula.

Our hike took us to Blue Mountain, which has a maze of trails, most of which just take different routes to the top of the hill.  We plotted one out and it turned out to be about 5 miles. 

 I am wondering if the mountain was named for the blue skies of Montana. They really are incredibly blue. 

On our way home we passed by the local brewery, which had nice outdoor seating, so we took advantage and had a drink and an early dinner.

The following day we took the “scenic” drive into the national forest and up the mountain. At the apex is the continental divide, the “entering Idaho” sign, a 1.5 mile hiking trail, and the pasture where Lewis and Clark stopped in 1805 and 1806.

There was also a “Moose Crossing” so I had my camera out and ready, but nope, no moose.

One of the museums I really wanted to visit was the museum of Smoke Jumpers. This is their main training ground, but the visitor center and everything else was closed.

With time to kill, we realized it was Tuesday so we stopped at the local T-Mobile store. Every Tuesday they give away something to their customers. Sometimes its just a free Redbox rental, but I also have aprons, hats, gloves, scarves, mugs, grill spatulas, sunglasses, a backpack, and who knows what else. Today we scored two masks. 

So, not an exciting two days, but sometimes thats juuuuussst fine.