Road Trip; Part 2 withOUT the boys

(continued from yesterday...)

We drove to Bismarck, ND for our first night without boys. The hotel was wonderful. It had an indoor pool with a huge slide and a water tree. We also discovered that we were a few minutes away from a movie theater and since Adrienne hadn't been able to see the new Harry Potter movie yet, we decided to work that into our evening. We swam, got some dinner and then Adrienne went to see Harry Potter, and Elise and I saw Cars 2. The next morning, we set out for Billings, MT. We were SO excited to see nature and God did not disappoint us.

This is the stunning view off Uncle Tommy's deck...

and this...

Aunt Lynn gave us rides on the 4 wheeler...

 When I asked Uncle Tommy if it was OK to pet the horses he said he didn't know as they never came close enough- ha! This horse came to the fence and nuzzled us.

During the late afternoon, we watched batches of clouds move over the mountains and head our way.

Here is Elise's new best friend, Rusty...

Elise took this picture of God's promise...

While Elise and I were playing with the horses, 

Uncle Tommy was teaching Adrienne how to shoot a rifle.

What a pro!

Here she is using the "magnifying glass"- (also known to most people who shoot guns as a "scope"..Tom and Lynn got a kick out of that!) 

So proud!

During our visit, we were treated to a ride in the mountains. 

We went to the top of Bear Tooth Pass and it was breathtaking...literally... as we were at the very top of, I thought I was going to pass out. But, I recovered :)

Yes, there was still snow on the mountain and it was very windy!

We also got to be a part of the official licensing of the Mercedes. It is a kit car that Uncle Tommy built...only one of his many hobbies.

We had a wonderful visit in Montana. Thanks Aunt Lynn and Uncle Tommy for the great food, fabulous activities and the peace and quiet. 

On the way home, I took the girls to Mount Rushmore and through Custer National Park.

We learned a little history and saw much wildlife. We finally saw a Buffalo near the end of the National Park drive. We would have gotten out and did a dance in the street if the sign hadn't said "Buffalo are dangerous. Do not approach."

This ended up being the most stressful day of our trip (well, maybe it tied with the day we dropped Adrienne off in Chicago at the Dave Matthews concert)... it could have been because Adrienne was driving on a road that wasn't straight, or that on the first curve in the National Park we almost got taken out by a tour bus, or that I almost ran over an Asian couple and a few kids when I came around a corner and found them snapping pictures in the middle of the street, or that while I was trying to get myself together and have dinner in a DQ, some freak wanted to know if I'd been at the big funeral of the day and tried to tell me his life story...whatever the case, we were relieved to pull into the hotel and find an empty pool to unwind in.

We are so grateful that we were able to take this fabulous trip! Although we missed the boys, it was nice to just be girls and enjoy time together. I'm thankful for the perfect timing.
Happy Summer!