Welcome to Montana...

Who knew that Montana would be such an adventurous state. We were running low on gas when Penny saw a Safeway sign off the freeway and since she had a hankering for cherries, she thought this would be a perfect pit stop. We filled up the car and then headed off to find some delicious cherries. We headed to the first door that we saw and we kept walking but the doors didn't open. If we would have taken one step further we would have walked smack into the door. It was only 10:30 but by then I guess we were already tired. We wandered around the store in search of mini bagels but sadly they were all out, so we setteled for some Montana water and thoe delicious bing cherries. As we headed to the car I saw two guys standing by the back of their F250. As we approached their truck I noticed that something was a little unusual. They had shopping carts full of cases of pop. They just kept loading up their trunk bed and I could not figure out why two guys would need so much pop. Was this their monthly trip into town so they needed to replenish their beverage supply?? Or maybe there was some major party in Montana that we were not invited to. I knew I had to get a picture but they kept staring at us so I felt really awkward. Penny still hadn't gotten in to the car so as I went to take the picture she said, "Traci don't take any pictures of me." Really loud hoping that that would through them off from the fact that I was really taking a picture of them. I don't think it really worked because they kept staring at us so I quickly locked all the doors in the car not knowing what they would do to us. Luckily they got into their truck and drove off but to this day I still wonder why on earth they needed so many cases of pop.

Now I have been to many a rest stops but never in my life have I been to a rest stop quiet like this one before. As we got out of the car and raced to the bathrooms we passed this amazing sign. Now if this doesn't entice you to stop at use their rest stop, then I don't know what it would take. So I managed to stay on the sidewalk as I ran up the stairs to the bathroom but little did I know that when I opened the door that I had transported to a Montana prison. The stalls where white, steel plated heavy metal doors. It took all my strength just to close the door and then throw the bar over the latch to keep the other prisoners out. At least I felt safe in this rest stop knowing that if any unsuspected individuals lay in the grass in await for my return to the car, they had the possibility of being bitten by a rattlesnake. If that isn't a good security system, then I don't know what is.

Driving through the night is certainly a challenge but with the help of sour patch kids it is absolutely possible. I think the most rewarding part of driving through the night is the miraculous sunrise that awaits you when you come out of the mountains and see the vast Montana skyline. Now I know why it is called the Big Sky state. The horizon seemed endless as the sky was painted pink, orange and yellow.