The days with grandma are always very relaxed, I’m quite at home at her place. In the mornings I work a few hours before she gets up and then we usually have breakfast together. Some days we go to the coffee place Vanilla Bean for breakfast, coffee or a game of Scrabble. Most evenings we watch our favorite comedy show ‘Last Man Standing’ until bedtime. The days fill themselves with several fun activities. On one day grandma has booked a peddle history tour through the city. It’s one of those yellow busses with benches on the side where you can peddle and look around. There is a guide who tells us a lot about the history of Helena, quite interesting. On another day grandma has planned a boat trip on a river to a place called The Gates of the Mountains and another day we just go to a lake for some relaxing and swimming (I swim, grandma stays at the side of the lake). It’s pretty warm these days, around 95°F / 35°, so it’s great to be out at the water. I’m happy that I’m getting a bit of a tan for the first time in years. Normally I work the whole summer through and am not so much out in the sun, so this is a welcome change. In the weekend there is some kind of festival at the local brewery Lewis & Clark with concerts of several bands. I see some of grandma’s other grandchildren and it’s nice to catch up with each other. Most of grandma’s grandchildren are married by now and have children of their own and it’s fun to hang out with them. One of the youngest is just about half a year old and is super tiny, so we have fun taking some pictures of her and me together.
When we’re not doing any special activities we do some shopping at Walmart and Costco, huge supermarkets about ten times bigger than back home and always a fun experience for me. I offered grandma to cook dinner, but on her request we go out for dinner most days, which I don’t mind either of course. After a few weeks of driving and camping, it’s nice to relax for a while at grandma’s house before the roadtrip continues.
On Friday I feel like I’ve worked a bit too much this week. Even though it was only about two hours per day, it put me back into the work mindset and less in the vacation mindset. Therefore I decide not to work in the weekend, but just start the days relaxed with reading a book while enjoying the morning coffee.
The days in Montana fly by and before I know it, it’s Tuesday night. My last night here with grandma. I notice that she’s a bit sad about me leaving and decide that I’ll stay one more day longer. I text my friends in Idaho where I travel next to if it’s okay if I come a day later and then surprise grandma with the news. She’s happy about it and we spend the last day with more of her grandchildren who live across the street. On my request we go to a 50s diner where grandma hasn’t been yet. I love those kind of restaurants, it’s a bit like traveling back in time. I enjoy a big burger with friends and a classic milkshake. After lunch we do a few errands in town and now we have a relaxed afternoon at grandma’s house. Tonight we’ll have another dinner with more of her grandchildren and tomorrow I plan to drive to my friends in Idaho. Of course I’m sad to leave Montana, but I’m also looking forward to see my friends there. It’s great to have friends and family all over the states and after 10 days here in Montana, it’s about time to continnue traveling.
