Cruising on a Sunday Afternoon

When I was younger a Sunday drive usually meant a Sunday afternoon with my grandparents. Usually it included lunch or at least ice cream. My grandfather was the epitome of a leisurely Sunday driver. It would sometimes be embarrassing the people that would speed past us screaming obscenities or flashing fingers. I always thought, well, it is Sunday. Isn't that when officially you can drive casually? Isn't it almost expected? Well, maybe back in the olden days but now that life has gotten busier and busier this has gone by the way side. We need to take it easy. Get back those Sunday drives. So I want to encourage you all to take some time one of these spring Sundays and go for a drive. Load up the family, turn up the tunes, roll down the windows and cruise. Drive down the Bitterroot. Just driving down Highway 93 and looking at the Bitterroot mountains is a beautiful, peaceful thing. You can stop in Hamilton for some lunch possibly at Nap's Grills - http://napsgrill.com - for one of the best burgers in the Northwest or try The Signal Grill -  http://thesignalgrill.com - it looks like an amazing place! If you head east on I-90 you can stop at Ekstrom's http://ekstromstagestation.com  for a traditional ranch meal! Or you can head west on I-90 and are feeling like taking in a really, really long Sunday drive,head to Coeur d'Alene or Spokane and enjoy some Olive Garden, Chili's, P.F. Chang's or Clinkerdagger's - http://www.clinkerdagger.com - one of my favorite Spokane restaurants. If you don't want to go that far you can always make a stop in paradise. Paradise, MT. I always hear great reviews about the Paradise Whistle Stop cafe there. Of course Montana has some wonderful restaurants to check out but Big Sky Country is so much more. The landscape of our state is beautiful. An easy going drive anywhere in Montana will include scenery, wildlife and some amazing hikes. So get out of that car and trek on. Here is a site to show you all the great hikes around the state - http://visitmt.com/experiences/outdoor_activities/hiking_and_backpacking.