4th of July in Montana

Holly and Ryan Edwards invited us to visit with them, at their cabin, on the Clark Fork River in Thompson Falls, Montana over the 4th of July. Our route to this area followed the Coeur d'Alene River up to Pritchard and then up over Thompson Pass. Ryan was towing their boat over to the cabin for the summer and we were able to follow him all the way over the pass. It was a beautiful drive, and we enjoyed the green of the forest brought on by the wet spring.

We arrived to a welcome party of Remi (the dog), Anika Edwards, and Zane Edwards. It has been quite a while since we have been able to visit with everyone. Both the kids have grown so much since our last meeting.

We settled in and immediately realized that the wet spring not only watered the vegetation, but it provide a great environment for producing mosquitos! We have been very lucky and have not had to bother with bug juice yet this year, but it was clear that we needed to break out the spray ASAP.

Once we lathered up with DEET, we were able to relax and enjoy the cabin.

Over the weekend we had a great time exploring their property, talking, playing card games and Mexican Train, and, of course, eating. Ryan and Holly introduced us to Ryan's relatives, Mark, Tracey, Garin, and Randy who have a cabin just up the road from their property. We also met many of their neighbors. Everyone was really nice.

On July 3rd, we loaded into their side-by-side (it held all six of us) and drove up a nearby road leading up to Eddy's Peak.   Garin came along with us on his Honda Trail 90. He had a little trouble with it because of the steep road so he joined us in the back of the side-by-side. At the end of the road, we then hiked up to a fire lookout located on the ridge top. The views were amazing at 6900 feet! 

The 4th of July arrived and so did the fireworks. Folks up and down the river celebrated Independence Day with firecrackers and bottle rockets. The Edwards clan gathered at the cabin and we had a great dinner of hamburgers and all the fixins. 

Over our stay, the weather consisted of sunshine, rain, thunder, and lightning. We had a great time with great friends. The cabin is super nice in a great location. We can't thank the Edwardses enough for putting up with us over this holiday.