BACK TO SHERWOOD FOREST

June 26

I was so impressed by the Kootenai Falls and the Ross Creek Cedar Forest, that Delores and I drove over to Libby to see these attractions. But first....lunch!! By the time we got out of the apartment, did our walk on the Swan River Nature Trail, went to the post office, and got to Libby, it was almost 1:00 and we were hungry. So we stopped at the Libby Cafe in downtown Libby. It was great food. And they are famous for homemade pies -- made right there in the restaurant. And I am telling you they were GREAT. If you ever get to Libby, you must eat here. They also have wonderful homemade pastries and muffins, and they even make their own huckleberry syrup.

So onto the falls. Like me, Delores thought the falls were beautiful. I had already published a number of pictures, so I'll just put a few here. Since I now have a friend with me, I can get some people into the shots.



































After the falls, we headed to the Ross Creek Cedar Forest. It was still fascinating for me the second time. It could have been a bit more sunny for better pictures, but the same magical feeling comes over me. Again, with Delores along, I can include some pictures of us standing by the huge cedar trees so you can get a perspective of how large they were.

And after our little sight seeing trip, I thought we should try to find some of the home listings I had pulled from the MLS system. One was a beautiful 1300 sq. ft. long home with a 2 car log garage (for $215,000), and it was in Troy, MT which was just a mile down the road. Troy is located in the upper most NW corner of Montana, and probably only 20 miles to Canada and fewer miles into Idaho. So I knew this was most likely further away from civilization that I wanted. We did find the house, and it was just as cute looking as the pictures. But Troy turned out to be a real disappointment. The log house for sale was the nicest home we saw in Troy. Many old homes with junk around them, fairly worn trailer homes, etc. I was so bummed, because just from the outside of the home and the pictures on the listing, I knew this was a PERFECT house for me. Those who know my current house would say exactly the same thing. But Delores told me she would REFUSE to let me buy this house in Troy. And she was right -- I wouldn't want to live in that town.

So there was another nice looking 2 year old log home on 7 acres in Marion, MT which was right on our way back from Libby. It was listed at $229,900, and I'm sure it would have been a great place. BUT WE NEVER FOUND IT. I still think we found the general location, and it was an absolutely beautiful meadow area with mountains and trees all around -- a place I could really enjoy living.

However, that darn GPS system is just not all it is cracked up to be. It kept trying to turn us down 2 track trails through people's property. We went down one road, and Delores was driving so I could navigate, and neither of us saw this pothole (or should I say canyon) until the truck hit it and actually left the road momentarily. And we were only driving about 25 mph. So we turned around, and I tried another tack with the GPS -- just using the map and enlarging it to find the road names. I think we were on the right track, when a coolant warning light went on. Now I am freaked -- in the middle of no where with no cell phone reception, and something might be wrong with the truck. We looked at the engine and under the truck and it didn't seem to be leaking anything. And I looked through the manual and could not find this warning listed anywhere. So we thought it might be associated with the AC (which we will need coming back to GA). I decided our quest to find this home was now over.

We did drive through what was listed on the map as Marion -- nicer homes on larger acreage, but not really a town. there was a school, but I think Marion is more a mailing address, as the home I was trying to find was probably about 11 miles from Marion. The good news is that Marion is only 30 miles from Kalispell, so that is a very doable location for the future. The main road is a great road, 70 mph speed limit, and Kalispell is a large city (for Montana). So it would be easy to get there, and not that far from my friends (relatively speaking).

With all the adventure of driving down dirt roads, into potholes, etc., it was rather late when we got back. And tomorrow.....shopping!!