As we were leaving daughter Jentry's, she mentioned a little trip in Montana she had taken her last time driving through. Not really out of our way, but a side excursion she said we'd be sure to enjoy. We'd spent last night at the Best Western in Missoula, where Finn had a badly needed bath.
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| A tired, damp Finn~ |
After his swim in the ocean, Finn's fur was a mess & I'm sure his skin was dry. We went to the store for shampoo. He doesn't mind a bath & lets me use the blow dryer. He was so tired from his adventures with the Grandkids, especially Skyla & swimming!
The drive to Phillipsburg was just beautiful, rolling green countryside, with occasional farms along the way. No traffic & a perfect sunshine morning. We expected the town to be along the road, but it was off just a short way.
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| Spectacular Amethyst Geode~ |
I don't know how large a specimen can be found, but the one above has to be the largest ever. It would be a shame to break it up for jewelry, so I suspect it will sell as a statement piece.
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| Finn & a friend - Not! |
Most of the shops were dog friendly. We always asked first. Finn walked into Gem Mountain & instantly went over to check out this
dog! He did some sniffing before giving the carving a dirty look! He wasn't excited about having a photo with this
dog either!
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Beautiful downtown~
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We walked the town & I spotted the
Sapphire Gallery Jewelry store. Jewelry has never really been my thing. Horses have always been my weakness of choice, but I never pass up an opportunity to
look.
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| Front of the Sapphire Gallery~ |
Butch & Finn sat outside in the sun while I browsed. I had actually almost made it through all the display cabinet's when I spotted exactly what I'd envisioned in my mind. I'd always wanted a
Montana Sapphire & there it was. Just the stone in a rose gold setting. The salespeople were so nice & friendly - of course :-) They offered to let me take the ring outside to show Butch. He just looked at me, smiled nodded his assent.
By now, it was lunch time & with Finn our options were limited. Butch & Finn sat at the table on the right, while I went inside to order. The lunch special was homemade chicken salad on fresh, out of the oven rye rolls! The baked goods looked out of this world, but the Sapphire Gallery staff had given me a $10. gift certificate to use at the Sweet Palace. The server brought our meal outside, the best chicken salad ever! With only one person working, we were impressed with the service. She even made a second trip with a bowl of water for Finn!
We both love fudge! I picked out two different kinds & my gift certificate just covered the bill! We had enough fudge to last us as an after dinner treat until we got home! After lunch, we were back on the road with over 400-miles to go to reach Sheridan.
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| The canyon on our way ~ |
Seeing this country was well worth the detour. We saw several places we would love to call home, if we were at a different time in our lives. We've both experienced the advantages of living closer to a metro area with the medical facilities & amenities to be found there. If funding were no object, we would be visiting relators to find a second seasonal home.
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| Silver Lake~ |
This lake was off the
Pintler Veterans Memorial Scenic Highway. It was somewhat disappointing when we reached a few towns & the onramp to I-90. It was 8 p.m. when we crossed the Wyoming state line at sunset. We arrived in Sheridan by 8:30 p.m. Our family there, had made it plain we'd better be planning on a good visit & time together!
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