Road Trip, Part 4

This is my dear friend Kari.  We met 14 years ago when she and Cody were both attending Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA.  Kari lives in Seattle, but she has a home in Martinsdale, MT which is where she grew up.

Martinsdale is a tiny town of maybe 50 people (on a good day).  It has a main street running through the center of town with views of the mountains on either end.

It has a bar.  The Mint has been serving liquor for decades.

It has a defunct rail station.  The same rail station where Kari's grandfather arrived long ago after traveling from Norway carrying not much other than a sign that read "MARTINSDALE."

It has a lake.  A beautiful, cold lake just minutes from Kari's house.

The kids spent one day at the lake and absolutely played their hearts out.  We meant to go back but were too busy with other activities.

It even has bears!  Within an hour of our arrival a neighbor came knocking on Kari's door to tell us there was a black bear right outside the house.  Though it makes for great photos, it's a bit of a problem to have a bear inside town.  Especially when it is reportedly a mama bear and 2 cubs.  They will probably have to get someone to trap and remove them.

The scenery around Martinsdale is the finest I've ever seen.  There are beautiful fields like this canola in bloom.

There are scattered small towns like this one with only a few buildings to mark their presence.  This town, Lennep, has the second oldest church in Montana.

Then there's the sky.  The Montana sky!  I've never seen anything like it!  I might as well confess here and now I am in love with the Montana sky.  It can look like this...

or this...

or stormy like this...

or heart-breakingly beautiful like this...

I talked with an old man who was sitting on his porch near by as I took the above photo.  He said he expects to see the hand of God reaching out of the Montana sky someday.  I completely understand.