Smoke in the air..........

Enjoying the down time but disappointed that we can't see any views. We awoke to smoky air. We decided to drive south along a valley between mountain ranges and we saw NOTHING. Nada...only the haze of smoke. We explored a bit of Missoula but decided that the view of the campground was the most interesting. We have discovered Bota Box wine.....very easy to carry along.....and no cork. The larger boxes state that they are good for a month once open. How great is that. We discovered it at the golf course in Detroit Lakes after our round of golf with the Hatlies. I ordered the chardonnay and found it to be very tasty. The young waiter sheepishly admitted that it was 'box' wine when I asked him for the label. I found more of it in a gas station/convenience store/casino in Montana and grabbed a bunch. It comes in the small box and the large 4 bottle size. It's packaged in Lathrop, Ca near my mother's house.....(big wine country). Not sure if I can find it in Florida so may have to stock up.....altho we are consuming it at a fairly alarming rate.

Tomorrow, we would like to head south into more scenic country. We will call ahead to inquire about the smoke issue before starting out. We would like to wander about Jackson Hole and the Teton area and maybe meander up to Yellowstone. It would be a return trip after many many years and I'm sure there are alot of changes. But the mountains never change.

We are in no hurry to get home. The open road has its appeal and we have all the comforts of home with us.....This country is quite amazing. The views through the windshield are expansive but the towns are rather homogeneous. There was a time when there was some originality but now you can find a Starbucks, a Walgreens and assorted fast foods and restaurants on every corner of every town. They all kind of blend together..... but the expansive horizon is always different and beautiful.

I ordered "A River Runs Through It" by Norman MacLean on my Kindle and it is perfect for this part of the trip. He captures the mountains and the rivers and fly fishing and relates it to life. He grew up in Missoula and started writing at the age of 70. I will order the movie when we get home.....I'm trying to figure out what role Brad Pitt played...

Hopefully, we'll have a more scenic update after tomorrow.