Yesterday's Sabbath Afternoon

We got a late start after church. We started with lunch, then cleaning up the house. Shari had left BBQ pork ribs in the crock pot since Saturday night, so they were delicious. She added mashed potatoes and beans for a delicious Sunday lunch/dinner. After cleaning up, Shari and I decided to combine a little road hunting (that's when you drive along a road and look for deer with a loaded gun nearby - no bullets in the chamber, though - and get out and chase the deer down if you see one) with exploring and hiking (no guns during the hike) with our boys. So, we grabbed our relatively new (not really used much since Cory and Karen gave it to us in August - thanks guys) topo Montana atlas, and headed to Graves Creek/Petty Creek road. I know there's a place where you can hike up a trail to see the ridge the Nez Perce used to get around Fort Fizzle, but I must have missed the signs. So, we continued on up the road. I had all the boys watching for deer, even as I explained certain aspects of deer hunting (more useful stuff if they ever get out of the car with a rifle, but it's a start)to them. Then we came to more private land, so I shared a little about hunting etiquette with them. About halfway from Hwy. 12 to I-90 we came to a turn-off for the Painted Creek Trailhead. We took that one in order to give the boys a short hike. It was two miles up a winding, narrow, rutted road, but our front-wheel drive Ford Windstar did a fantastic job. The fact that it wasn't terribly muddy or snowy helped. We hiked up the trail for a ways, with the boys collecting rocks of different sizes and shapes, throwing rocks down the steep ravine to the creek below (that was fun), and climbing up the other side of the trail. I did have to help Matthew down from a particularly steep spot, but it was all good otherwise. We made it back to the car, fed the boys M&M's, and continued on towards I-90. We were within about 2 miles of the interstate when we finally saw a buck... well, I did. The boys only saw its tail, and Shari saw some movement. I saw the two points on its head, though. They were beautiful. Unfortunately, the folks living in the homes around there would probably not have been terribly happy with me shooting it in their front yards, so I decided to enjoy the sight and continue on. People are funny that way.

It was a wonderful time of exploring, and I'm glad we went. After returning home we played some games (I beat Shari and Michael at cribbage this time), and I read Mark a chapter from "The Hobbit." It was a wonderful evening together, and truly restful.