Reunion - Packing & Traveling

What: Family Reunion

Why: Because We're Family

Where: Polaris, Montana

When: July 2014

Griffin Family - Did their dream family road trip & drove from Michigan 

- 4,000 miles round trip

King family - drove from Bellevue, Washington; toured Yellowstone on the way home

David - drove from Missoula, Montana

Joe & Julia - drove from Kirkland, Washington

Patrick - he was already there. He lives near Polaris.

Our car was packed to near capacity with luggage, crafts, games, food, and other necessities. We've never mastered the art of packing lightly.

I purchased this bag at the Missionary Training Center, Provo, Utah prior to our mission in Nassau, Bahamas. That was in January 1996. 

Oh, the places we've been, that bag and I, since then!

This box has some miles on it too. The masking tape is from our move across country 

3 1/2 years ago. Can't beat these paper boxes. They're just the right size for so many uses and they're sturdy. 

When Michael saw this bag, he exclaimed that it's been around forever. 

He remembers it from many trips during his childhood. 

See - when you get to be our age, almost everything has a story. 

(Some stories are more interesting than others :)

Saturday morning - heading east on I-90 just out of Bellevue, Washington

Cascade Mountains in the distance. This morning it was very hazy. 

We see overcast on occasion but don't often see hazy. 

Snow on Snoqualmie Pass, about 45 minutes east of our house

Oops - there's a reflection of my computer

I love the sight of a large American flag against a blue sky. This flag is at a travel center not far from Spokane, Washington. We stopped here on our first trip to Montana after we moved out west - and have stopped here on every trip since. It's about 4 hours - just the right distance for something to eat and to fill up the gas tank. 

Snow in the mountains at Lookout Pass, near Mullan, Idaho

This part of Montana, just east of the Idaho border, looks very similar to western Washington
It's eight hours of driving from our place to Missoula - that doesn't count stops and "losing" an hour due to a change in time zones. 

With David and Carol in Missoula

***********

Sunday morning we attended church in Missoula and then drove the 3 1/2 hours to Patrick's place, the Grasshopper Inn in Polaris, Montana. 

TO BE CONTINUED, AND CONTINUED, AND CONTINUED