Do you remember how I said I worry a lot?
My ‘look at the glass half empty’, ‘the worst is going to happen’ attitude did not go well the first summer we were out here.
If you missed some of our adventures, check these old posts out:
We Weren’t Quite the Grizwalds
A Beach of Our Own
Carribean, Montana
Matt bird hunts and fishes. You don’t do those activities in city limits. You don’t really do those activities close to the city limits. You go out of the city. Way out. And then out some more.
Ok, that’s probably a bit extreme but that’s how it feels sometimes. He has an amazing app that has every back road and hidden lake on it so he’s truly far out sometimes.
For Fathers Day weekend we had made a plan for Saturday but after waking up and having a lazy morning we decided to change it.
I suggested he find somewhere he could fish and that me and the boys could explore. Well, where Lake and I could sit and relax and Liam could explore.
So he came up with Smith Lake. There’s a larger Smith Lake in Montana near Kalispell but this lake is very small and barely makes it onto the map.
So, an hour and a half later (because that’s how long it took me to pack snacks, drinks, changes of clothes, diaper bag, blanket to sit on, portable bed for Lake to lay on, and toys for Liam to dig with) we were in the road.
As always, we turned off onto a dirt/gravel road. Out of habit, my heart rate quickens as we hit the gravel. I push off the thoughts of what could happen if we hit a rock just right and pop a tire. I rationalize with myself that I have never seen any cars pulled over because of flat tires on these roads.
With each car that passes us, my nerves calm just a bit knowing people other than us are here!
Matt ends up pulling over where I can see a campsite. This time instead of being happy to see people I worry that they won’t like us being so close to them. Then I see a bright pink chair and assume they probably have kids and they can’t possibly be bad people.
Seriously, no one should live in my head. It’s exhausting.
So we get all our stuff and head down the path. Matt has let me know we’d be needing to pass over some water but I hadn’t expected this:
But, with complete trust in my husband, a prayer to God, and me telling myself to quit thinking the worst, Matt carried us all over the river.
Then it was a very short hike to the lake.
For all you worriers reading this: we had bear spray and a gun.
While called Smith Lake, I would consider it a pond in size. The water was very shallow and clear and Matt was pointing out fish before we even put our stuff down.
The boys and I spent the first few minutes hiding under a tree while a quick rain shower passed and then we set up camp. Which really meant I laid all our stuff down and Liam started eating a snack.
Matt began catching fish pretty quick. I lost count of how many he caught.
Liam explored a bit. He looked for bugs and made a magic potion. He’s usually pretty good at playing alone but he’s getting to an age where he really wants someone to play with.
And I fed Lake and kept him happy and in the shade.
We ended up leaving faster than we’d planned because, as they say in the south, “a storm was a’brewin'”.
While not on my bucket list of things to do this summer, I was happy to get out and see something different.
We headed back through Ennis, Montana (flying fishing capital of the world apparently) and let Liam play at a park. Then, we had dinner and ice cream at Sugar High. I don’t think we have ever driven through Ennis without stopping to get ice cream.
We’re half way through June. If I’m being honest, we prob my only have two and a half months of enjoyable warm weather before it starts cooling off again. So we plan to make each weekend worth it!
What did you do on Fathers Day weekend?