Helena, MT to Sheridan, WY – 8/11/2016

August 11, 2016 (Thursday)

Got up and left the Shiloh Inn at around 9:00 AM.  Today was a long drive (almost 400 miles) and we told Tommy and Mary Kay that we would be there between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. Tommy is Michael’s cousin. We had tried to see them a couple years ago when Lexi was traveling with us, but a bad snow storm canceled our plans and we ended up going around the storm. The last time we saw Tommy was in 2012 when Michael’s mother died (Tommy’s aunt). We haven’t seen Mary Kay since the kids were young and we visited with them in a motor home trip across the country.

We stopped at a nearby McDonald’s and got our travel breakfast, then off we went. We knew it would be a long, hard day in the car and couldn’t stop for sightseeing, even if we wanted to. We stopped once somewhere in Montana for gas. That was an interesting experience as it was a casino/gas station/market. Some of the people in the market area were all tattooed up (face, neck, etc.) and looked at us and the Prius with long stares. Was glad to get back on the road.  The weather cooperated with us as it was sunny but not too warm.

Sights along the road...
Sights along the road…
We were tricked by these statues a few years ago.
We were tricked by these statues a few years ago.
Beautiful mountains and snow drift fences.
Beautiful mountains and snow drift fences.
Lots of blue sky and lovely scenery.
Lots of blue big sky and lovely scenery.
Classic church.
Classic church.
Last time we were here these fences were in heavy use.
Last time we were here these fences were in heavy use.

We stopped in Sheridan and got some wine for our visit. What a cute little town Sheridan is.

If you get a chance, it is a bit of the wild west.
If you get a chance, it is a bit of the wild west.

We got to Tommy and Mary Kay’s lovely home right around 3:00 PM.

Found his house.
Found his house.
Found his gate.
Found his gate.

 

Found his driveway.
Found his driveway.

 

Neighbors horses.
Neighbor horses.

How nice to see them again. They both look wonderful and seem to be doing great. They sure keep busy because their place is huge and it’s kept up nicely – and they do it all themselves. Mind you, they are no spring chickens (around our age) and they do all the work, painting, carpentry, yard work, etc. Wears me out just thinking about all they do.

We visited and visited and then had supper. Mary Kay had made a great pasta dish, bread, and a watermelon salad. Tommy had made a delicious stir fry dish on his outdoor (and handmade by him) stove. After dinner we went out on the deck and visited until well after dark. So relaxing and beautiful. They have a lovely pond in their front acreage and sitting in the swing on the deck, listening to the waterfall – awesome. I pooped out early and went to bed around 10:00 PM. Michael finally crawled into bed around midnight.

That was our wonderful day. Hope yours was great!