August 2023 – Hawaii Adventure – Part 1 – Giant Springs, Montana
Monday August 7, 2023
Today Clifford and I move from Quartz Flat near Superior, Montana, where we have been camped, to Ed’s Creek west of Missoula. The temperature is 73 degrees, very comfortable for August. The spot where we park is slightly on a hillside, so it is a major and rather unusual job of leveling. Other than looking a bit sketchy, it is temporary and works for now.
Wednesday August 9 – After breakfast I finish organizing my stuff to take with me to Hawaii, and then Clifford drives me to Lincoln to meet up with daughter Becka and son Matt. It is a beautiful drive, especially along the Blackfoot River on the western side of the mountains before going over the continental divide at Roger’s Pass on Highway 200.
After the pass, the landscape changes to prairie with it is own kind of beauty. Then on to Great Falls where Kyle has made dinner for us. I will be staying here for a couple of days before Becka and I leave for Hawaii – my Hawaii Adventure!
On Thursday August 10, I wake up early and do some tai chi before coffee and journal with Becka on the back patio. Becka and I have brunch with my son Matt and his friend Joe. The egg benedict is good but the hasbrowns cold, as is the dining room, so it is a relief to finish the meal and go stand in the sunshine to warm up.
In the afternoon, Kyle’s mother Karen, came to visit. She is an attractive lady, much more stylish than me, and spunky. I like her.
Friday August 11 starts with coffee and journal with Becka on the patio again. What a nice way to start the day. Becka and I go out for lunch before driving to Giant Springs, which is located along the Missouri River on what used to be the outskirts of Great Falls.
Matt and Kyle meet us there to hang out, admiring the springs flowing 156 million gallons of water into the Missouri River daily, and the Roe River, considered to be the shortest river in the world at 201 feet, as it flows out of Giant Springs and into the Missouri River.
This beautiful park is now a state park and is a great place for photos, especially of the spring, which has well earned the title of Giant Springs!
In the evening, I repack my travel backpack one more time before heading to bed.