Leigh Leigh Land: The Montana Wild

Swan River view from the back porch

Ash and I were the first to arrive in Montana. We were up before the sun to make it to Kalispell before lunch time. Friday we spent the day grocery shopping and settling into our home for the week. That night, we dined at Invite in downtown Bigfork and then enjoyed closing night of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Bigfork Playhouse. After a long day of travel and being up for just under 24 hours, we called it a night.

Saturday we slept late and I stayed in my pjs until circa 4pm. Ash was up and at 'em most of the day....cooking and running a few errands for items we forgot. We spent much of the day fretting over Alicia's travel issues....as she was delayed and would miss her connection that night. We muddled through without our friend dining al fresco on lobster with angel hair and truffle oil. Might be the best thing Ash has ever cooked. After dinner we hit The Rocky Mountain Roadhouse (The Roadhouse to us) for a few drinks, a little mixing with the locals, and to sing a few karaoke tunes. The Roadhouse, as always, did not disappoint and was filled with colorful locals.

Ash and I at The Roadhouse

I never miss an opportunity to perform

One of the colorful locals

Sunday morning we ate brunch at Echo Lake Cafe, our favorite breakfast/lunch spot. After lunch we headed back into Kalispell to pick Alicia and Brett up from the airport. They arrived in one piece, on the same plane, and with all their bags. Quite a feat for Alicia style travel. That afternoon they settled into their rooms and we relaxed around the house. Ashley cooked a delicious dinner of chicken and mushroom penne pasta and a fabulous spinach salad. We wined ourselves into the wee hours of the night playing Skip Bo, catching up, and singing our favorite tunes on the pods.

The best brunch is the Flathead Valley

The whole gang is here.

A mean game of Skip Bo

Monday was a fishing day....but we mixed things up a bit this year. We slept late in and didn't put in until noon....fishing the afternoon and on into the evening. The weather could not have been better. 78 degrees, clear, sunny, with very little wind. Perfect for "throwing a few dry flies." Alicia and I quickly caught up with Rod, our famed guide, and it was as if no time had passed. This is our sixth year to fish with Rod and by this time in our relationship we hold nothing back. Ash and Brett loaded up with McCreedy...who is always a hoot and donned one of the cutest fishing shirts I've seen around. I have to admit I do feel a sense of pride over his new sense of style (ok, maybe that's a bit far) and his iPod speakers on the boat. It seems like only a few years ago I was being judged for such accoutrements and now....well, I knew he'd come around.

Dinner was served riverside and McCreedy grilled up burgers for everyone. After dinner the weather cooled off dramatically, so we bundled up and gave the last leg of the trip our all. Ash was the big winner (she loves to win) of the day...catching an awesome 22 inch Rainbow...the likes of which neither of the guides had ever seen in the Swan River. Impressive! That night we warmed up at Casa Amini and called it an early night (well...early for us).