Sula, MT - Day 4
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
We enjoyed a slower day in Sula today.
Andi worked in the RV until around 2:00pm while Tory, Aden and I did school in the cabin we’ve rented in Sula, Montana for the week. Meanwhile, Jim and Janie went for a walk together.
When Janie and Jim returned to the cabin and our schooling was finished, the five of us played board games together. Janie brought along Chinese Checkers from home, so she’s been teaching the kids how to play. Tory is a very serious and strategic game-player (always has been) and has been playing games with Janie since she could talk. Aden, on the other hand, is too busy to stay focused on a game. He looses interest, or forgets when it’s his turn because he’s too busy telling a story.
Aden was adamant that he wanted to play Chinese Checkers with Janie and Tory, but they both knew the game wouldn’t hold Aden’s attention. They were giggling because Aden never actually took a turn on the board. He happily ate his popcorn and talked about something or another all while feeling included.
The weather has been perfect in Montana this week — cool in the mornings and evenings, but it warms up quickly into the mid-70’s. The five of us — Janie, Jim, Tory, Aden and I — moved our game play to the front porch of the cabin to enjoy the beautiful day.
I pre-made several soups before we left Wisconsin, so I warmed up two of those containers for lunch and paired it with salad. Andi joined us on the cabin’s front porch for lunch when he finished work, and then we got ready to adventure into town for the remainder of the afternoon.
Sula is a map dot of a town; there’s not much to it but a gas station, post office and a volunteer fire department. Darby, MT, about 20 minutes to the north, is the closest town with a grocery store, shopping and restaurants. It’s also the location of several more hiking trails and Lake Como Recreation Area.
The only vehicle we have with us in Montana that fits all six of us together is the RV, so we all loaded into the motorhome and drove to Darby. Andi and I promised the kids huckleberry ice cream at the Old West Candy Store, but it was closed for a private event today. Instead, we grabbed groceries at the market in town and ice cream at Mr. T’s Mercantile. Andi also purchased fishing licenses for a float trip he booked for next week.
Next, Andi drove the RV to Lake Como Recreation Area. This is one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever visited with glistening blue water and tall mountain peaks in the background. When we came to the lake in early June of this year, the mountain peaks still had snow on them which made the scene all the more enchanting.
Today, we were surprised to see that the lake water levels were drastically low. The six of us had to walk over big rocks and boulders for quite a distance to reach the water’s edge. Later we learned that Lake Como supplies irrigation for livestock and crops in the area, so the low water level in September is normal. Today, the lake wasn’t as impressive as it is during the peak summer months, but it was still a great place to soak in the sunshine and relax on a warm, fall afternoon.
If there’s water around, Andi and Aden are usually adventurous enough to swim in it. Both guys put on their swim trucks and were ready to take a dip. Playing around as dads do, Andi picked Aden up and tossed him into the chilly water. That did not make Aden very happy, so there were some hurt feelings for a few minutes. Aden got over his anger pretty quickly though, and then the two enjoyed swimming together.
I thought it was cute the way Aden nudged closer and closer to Janie to warm up after swimming. He might be a growing boy, but he’s never too old for Grandma’s snuggles.
Meanwhile, Tory spent most of her time on the beach screeching and begging to go sit in the RV. There were some weird bugs with big antennas flying all around us. They were harmless, but Tory didn’t seem to care about that small detail. She stood on the rocks and asked “how much longer?” until we all decided to walk back to the RV in the parking lot.
The weather today was so warm and sunny for late-September that Andi, Janie and I wanted to go for a walk on the Lake Como Trail Loop. The 7-mile path goes around the entire lake which we didn’t plan to do today; we just wanted to walk a portion of it. Jim was hot from sitting on the beach though, and Tory was still panicking about the bugs outside. Aden said he didn’t feel like walking, so we left the kids inside the RV with Jim and Andi, Janie and I decided to go for a quick walk around the lake. The trail was mostly shaded by the trees which actually made it the perfect temperature to walk outside. It was a beautiful trail surrounded by pine trees and smelled so good.
I’d thrown one of my pre-made meals into the Crock-pot before we left for Darby, so dinner was ready when we got back to the rental cabin around 7:30pm. We enjoyed beef pot roast with potatoes and garden carrots for dinner. It tasted really good! I haven’t had pot roast forever and forgot how easy the slow-cooker makes meal times.
Some of us took turns taking showers tonight after dinner which is a nice perk of staying in a rental cabin compared to traveling around in the RV. Unlimited water! Aden loves that there’s a bathtub here, so getting him to bathe hasn’t been a hassle at all this week. Tonight, we heard a big crash when he was in the tub. One of the shower doors fell off somehow; luckily it didn’t break. “Good Enough Construction” to the rescue! (That’s the name of Andi and I’s made-up fix-it company coined when we helped my parents with several home-improvement projects at their house) Andi and I were able to get the shower doors back in working order, and then let the airbnb host know about the issue.
We spent the rest of the evening sitting around the living room visiting before bedtime. Aden is continuing to sleep inside the rental cabin while Tory prefers sleeping in her bed in the RV. So far, having the comforts of the RV with the space and convenience of the rental cabin has been really nice!
We’ve got another day on the docket in Sula, Montana tomorrow.
