Sula Country Store and Resort in Sula, MT

After three days of heavy touring, August and I were ready for a low key day. This morning we took our time eating oatmeal in the RV, then playing on the playground at the KOA. This place had several sets that were just the right size for him. It's always nice when I can take him to a playground and not have to follow him around because there are 5-foot dropoffs on the set. As usual, he liked the slide.

We packed up and headed out not too long after that. I had planned to take him to the Dillon library, but it didn't open until noon today. One of the continuing effects of the recession, I have noticed that most small town libraries have greatly reduced hours. Many are only open a few days a week for a few hours at a time. I am thankful that small towns still have libraries, but it's sad to see many not as accessible as they were when we were in school.

So, instead we stopped by Safeway for milk, the Taco Bus for a mid-morning snack, and then pointed towards Sula, our destination for tonight. I realized several miles out of town that I only had a quarter tank of gas and had forgotten to fill up as planned. I decided to take a chance, knowing there were small towns coming up. I got very lucky, as the first three towns didn't have gas stations, and we coasted into the fourth on fumes and fueled up. That was our excitement for the day, nearly running out of gas.

Our day was truly uneventful. One of our highlights is always passing "Da!" on the road at some point. Today we managed to miss him as we later learned he was eating lunch in one of those small towns that didn't have a gas station. I watched for him the whole way but realized as we hit the homestretch that we had passed him without seeing him. Bummer!

The drive was beautiful, as all of Montana is. Now that I have seen several regions of the nation on this summer trip, I can say that they are all "God's country" in their own way and I can see why most people love where they live. Montana is a special sort of this, with green grass, mountains in the background, and blue skies as far as the eye can see.

Many writers have called it home and been continually inspired by the landscape in their writing. I always thought the setting of A River Runs Through It might have been more of a fictional ideal than a real place, but now I know why Norman Maclean had to put his characters here. There is a gorgeous calmness to the natural beauty, and fly fishing is king.

We made it to Sula, which as far as I can tell consists entirely of the country store/gas station/restaurant/ resort/campground we are staying at tonight. It's a wonderful spot here though, and we spent much of the afternoon enjoying the shade and breeze in this little valley.

I haven't talked much about the weather lately, probably because I don't want to make my Indiana brethren jealous. For the past two weeks, we have not had to use the A/C and have been basking in the cool, dry climates. It has rained a bit here and there, but never for long and overall it is so comfortable.

At night we crack the windows in the RV and it gets just chilly enough to sleep really well. It will be a rude awakening coming back to humid Indiana at the end of July!

August got a fishing lesson from Chris tonight at the kids' fishing pond this campground has.

Tomorrow we head to Missoula, a town I have read a lot about and am excited to see for myself.