Jean’s Kidnapping

It was Kevin's last week in Montana before he had to go back to Germany. He arrived on May 13 and was scheduled to leave on May 28 (but actually left May 29). I hadn't had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Kevin, and I had some ideas as to how we could spend our time together. I originally made plans to backpack to Union Falls in Yellowstone Park. After doing a little research I found this plan to be impractical, so I made other plans. I reserved a camping spot along the Slough Creek trail where it was more feasible for us to hike. At the last minute, Kevin and I decided that it wasn't worth our while because the weather wasn't cooperating with us and we would probably be miserable the entire time. Although bad-weather backpacking trips make great stories, they are still wretched.
 

I picked Kevin up from Dad's and Bonnie's house in Livingston on Tuesday May 25 since I had to go into town anyway to have the Blazer fixed. At that point we were still undecided on what to do. While I was at work that evening, I had an inspiration: go to Philipsburg! Jean and I had wanted to go for a long time but hadn't had the opportunity. This would be a great time to do it! We planned on leaving May 26 and returning to Gardiner May 27.

Kevin and I kidnapped Jean and forced her to come with us. She was absolutely heartbroken because of all the housework that was left behind. We left leisurely in the afternoon since Jean and I haven't had enough sleep lately. May was a really busy month for us all.
 

We stopped in Bozeman to eat a late lunch at Applebee's. We all like that restaurant a lot.
 

On the way to Philipsburg, Kevin said that since we were going to be in the area anyway, he wanted to see our cousin Rachel in Deer Lodge. Kevin hadn't seen her for two or three years and she graduated from high school May 30. Unfortunately Kevin wasn't going to be able to see her graduate because of his flight and Army schedules.
 

We went to Deer Lodge first. When we arrived at Anita's and Rachel's house, Rachel had just finished mowing the neighbor's lawn. She saw us drive in and was completely ecstatic; I've never seen her so happy before. We visited with Rachel and Anita for a couple hours and then got a hotel room in town before we got a late dinner at McTerrible's (because no one else is open late at night).
 

Kevin, Rachel, and Wayne in Deer Lodge, MT
 

The next morning we got breakfast at the local 4B's Restaurant and then drove north to take the Pintler Scenic Loop south. The Pintler Scenic Loop is basically Montana Highway 1 and is pretty scenic. We got to Philipsburg in the early afternoon and walked through their quaint downtown area. The town is known historically for gold mining, but the reason tourists go there is because of the sapphire mine and the candy store.

First we stopped at Sapphire Gallery. We educated ourselves a little on sapphires and the area before we "dug in." We bought a bag of dirt which was taken from the nearby sapphire mine and watched as a worker washed the dirt and mud for us. She put it on an indoor picnic table for us and we sorted the small stones for sapphires with tweezers. We found quite a few of the precious stones, including a pink sapphire and two garnets. The larger of the rocks we paid to have heat treated so their colors would be more brilliant.
 

Mining for sapphires can truly be appreciated by those of us who suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
 

Next we indulged ourselves at the Sweet Palace. Wow, was that place heavenly! We watched as a worker packaged the salt water taffy in front of us. They make their own taffy at that candy store, and they have hundreds of different kinds and flavors of candy. If you want real licorice, go there! They had just about every imaginable kind of hard, gummy, chocolate, and chewy candy. We couldn't stop ourselves—we bought about $90 in candy.
 

Afterward, we ate a late lunch at Doe Brothers. Lunch was great, as was dessert (ice cream!). Somehow we managed to gain an appetite by walking through a candy store.
 

Then we drove home for the day. We finished the Pintler Loop in the rain. Even with a heavy downpour, Georgetown Lake was pretty. I'd love to do that loop again sometime when the weather is actually nice.