Day 1 and Day 2 – Six States including Texas

Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana ……Oh my! Yep, these are all of the states we hit while driving to Montana, and these aren’t small states either. The most ironic part is that we spend the least amount of time in Texas because we live in McKinney, which is about an hour from the Oklahoma border. We left after MT (now a shortened version of my husband’s nickname, so I don’t confuse you) got off work, which was around 6:30. We started to get hungry soon after we left, so we grabbed a quick dinner on the way out of my home state in Gainesville, TX at Rumpy’s German Bakery. Then, we continued our long excursion across the plains. I always forget how close we live to those Casinos at the Oklahoma border. We should go gambling there sometime with a big group! Once one of us starts nodding off at the wheel, we will switch to take over the driving. At around 7am I was at the wheel just outside of Denver and ate beef jerky for breakfast to keep me awake, and then we stopped to fill up on gas, and to let the dogs do their business. For lunch, we took a break at a rest stop near Kaycee, Wyoming, which is in the northern area, and I made peanut butter and banana sandwiches, yumm…..my favorite! The scenery wasn’t too bad as well. Finally, we made it to Helena around 6:30pm a little tired, but wired up because at long last we ended the lengthy journey, just in time to chat with Don Betty, which is where we are staying for most of our visit in Montana, over a few beers and champagne (my favorite) outside in her backyard because the weather is absolutely gorgeous….not the sweltering 107 degrees that we left back in Dallas.

Don Betty is MT's Grandmother on his Father's side, and I give her that name because among the Mafia the crime boss would claim the title "Don" for themselves as a sign of respect, which was traditionally granted to them in Italy for nobility, and although she is not in the Mafia nor a crime boss, she is definitely a very respected and noble woman within MT's family.   She is also this amazing woman who literally is the glue that holds the family together, and her house is Grand Central Station to all of them in Helena. Most of his family will make it over to her house for a lunch break sometime during their work week, and they are always helping her out in any way shape or form. I would also like to mention that the rest of MT’s family is so very incredible, as well. I remember the first time I came to visit as MT’s girlfriend, and I had never felt more welcome and comfortable than I did with all of them. They are such wonderful people and that’s another reason why the 24 hour drive to Helena is so worth it! Lastly, the greatest way to end the day was to have dinner with MT’s parents at one of our favorite Italian restaurants here called, Lucca’s.

Rumpy’s German Bakery

Rating: Hmm…Not too shabby

Location: I-35, Gainesville, TX

Category: German Bakery

Pricing: Super Cheap

Favorites: Baked Goods

Comments:

This was quite a cute little place inside of a gas station, and believe it or not I actually ate there. Sometimes gas stations surprise me…..Buckees!! Anyway, everything there was freshly baked and they had all sorts of goodies from kolaches (sweet and savory), donuts, turnovers, pecan bars, Rice Krispy and Fruity Pebble treats, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, a variety of breads, and a plethora of strudel. Their sandwiches are not too bad for a gas station and they will even toast it for you! I definitely recommend this place if you are ever heading north out of Texas…..maybe on your way to the casinos!