Red Lodge

After watching the pig races, sharing some stories, and meeting new friends, we drove to Steph's family's cabin in the town of Red Lodge.

Red Lodge is nested in the middle of a series of mountain ranges.  With a main strip dotted with mom and pop stores, the town had a great small feel that made it very accessible to someone not familiar with the area.  The main attraction seemed to be Red Lodge mountain which was a nearby ski resort.  Being late spring, the mountain was long closed and with schools still in session, the town was nearly deserted even on a Friday night.  I went with Steph, her brother Chip and his girlfriend, and two of Steph's friends to a bar in town to hang out and eat some much needed food.  

The cabin is a two story building with an inside complete with a loft, second floor deck overlooking the river, and the quintessential exposed wood beams.  The outside of the cabin had the head of some type of animal mounted on the front side of the house with a small skull and two long antlers jutting out the sides of the head.  Hunted long ago, it now welcomed strangers and guests, family and friends to the cabin.  The most exciting part for me was the back of the cabin which had a deck that was close enough for most people to jump into the river from the edge of its wood paneled floor.  Even from inside with the doors closed, you could still hear the roar of Rock Creek rushing by the edge only feet from the cabin's deck.

The next day was Saturday and I spent the day reading, writing, and relaxing.  It was great to be near water despite not being able to go fishing because of the water levels.  In the afternoon, I went with Steph and her family on a tour of the development's property to look at the scenery around the area.  Later in the afternoon, it was time to go to church.  

After driving 15 minutes into Red Lodge to the church we learned that there wasn't a mass because it was a church holiday that weekend.  Earlier I asked if we could tour Red Lodge brewery after mass.  Now that there was no mass, we decided to go to the brewery early.  

Red Lodge Brewery was recently relocated to a new building and is in a great location and unbelievable facility.  Walking into the brewery, there was the bar straight ahead with tables scattered in different areas on the concrete floor.  On the left hand wall after walking in, there were three raised tables against a glassed wall looking into the brewing facility.  It was very interesting to see the fermenters, tanks, and equipment needed to brew this decadent nectar we call beer.  I had the hefeweizen which was a great beer- cloudy in color and medium in body, the beer had a very smooth tone, not too cream but with a very nice citrus aftertaste.  I enjoyed it very very much.  In fact, Steph's brother and dad enjoyed it so much that they bought a growler for dinner later that night.

Dinner- this was probably the most unbelievable part of my time in Red Lodge.  Steph's mom cooked corn on the cob, potato salad, cucumber salad, and ribs.  Now, I am willingly admitting my ignorance when it comes to barbeque compared to my friends out west, but I will say this- the ribs I had that night were the best I've ever had.  It was the best bbq experience of my life.  Steph's mom boiled the ribs during the day and her dad grilled them later in the evening.  When I bit into the ribs, I immediately noticed an overwhelming tenderness of the meat falling off from the bone and melting in my mouth along with a succulent sauce that was not too salty but had an absolutely incredible sweetness to it that hinted at honey, and saluted to full bodied marinade.  The potato salad was full of fresh flavor without being overwhelmed by mayonnaise.  The dinner was simply spectacular and more than fulfilled my desire to have authentic "Western" barbeque.  

Now I know I'm a few days late on posts, but please keep reading- the next post is on my day on the Big Horn River complete with beautiful water, wonderful people, and monster trout!

-rob

Let the Races Begin

Bearcreek, Montana is a small town nestled in the Beartooth mountain region. With a tiny population and a deserted coal mine, this is the epitome of small town America. After a day in Yellowstone, Steph drove me to a wooden building almost resembling a barn in the middle of the town. On the side of the building in big black letters read simply "Saloon & Steakhouse". It was Friday and a yellow banner below the apparent name of the establishment had information about pig races every Friday and Saturday night. As I would find out, it would be a good night.

The inside was just like an bar I've ever been in- bar and on the left with a small resaurant on the right. So far, I thought, I've seen the saloon part and the steakhouse part. I was anxious to see the pig races that Steph had been telling me about. We walked to the back of the bar to a deck on the back of the building and there, in all its glory, was the race track.

It wasn't much larger than the average in-ground pool with an actual starter box for the pigs. The race track was below a deck complete with pic-nic tables. A set of stairs on the right led to a lower deck on the other side of the track. There was a small crowd of people, maybe a dozen or so, and the races hadn't yet begun.

Each night, according to how much people bet, there are 12 races. The pigs, none of which are fully grown, are sponsored by local businesses, the same businesses whose advertisements were on the walls of the track. You buy a square, similar to bingo. Then someone rolls a set of dice and you either get a pig or you don't, depending on which square you chose and the outcome of the dice roll. So just because you buy a sqaure doesn't mean you'll get a pig. I bought a two dollar square but I didn't get a pig.

A man stood at the balcony, called off who sponsored each pig, called who won a pig from the squares, and then the pigs were placed in the start box. The pigs were corralled by a boy and a girl no older than 5th grade. As I later found out, the money earned by the gambling went towards a scholarship fund for students from the area. Once the pigs were in the starting gate, a recording of the trumpet sounding the start of race was played, the gate went up, and the race was on! It took less than 30 seconds start to finish.

I saw probably 5 or six races and as I watched I couldn't help but observe this community come together for an event offered twice a week that went towards a good cause. I later found out that the scholarship fund created by these races is today over 81,000 dollars! It was great to see the comradery built by the races. The crowd throughout the night grew to little more than twenty or so; but as these people watched the pigs race from the bar's balcony, I watched the sun set on the foot hills of the Beartooth mountains and thought of how fun this event was and how it served a good cause for the community it belonged to.

-rob

Yellowstone

Entering at the West enterance in the town of West Yellowstone and continuing through to Cody Mountain, I have experienced a gem in this country and in the world- Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is filled with it all- mountains to the sky, water for miles, and animals everywhere! Buffalo, bald eagle, wolf, deer, and moose are just some that we saw during our time in the park that are members of a huge family of animals that live in the park.

When we first entered the park I was able to get out of the car and take a picture of a bald eagle's nest. I was wearing my Saint Michael's fly fishing club sweat shirt and as I was walking to the nest a few yards from the car, another car pulled up beside me and slowed down.

"Saint Michael's College?" the driver asked.

It was a man with his wife driving a toyota not much bigger than a golf cart.

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"Vermont?" he asked.

"Yes."

"My son graduated from there in 2006." he replied with a smile.

In the middle of Yellowstone National Park it really is amazing how far the reaches of Saint Mike's can stretch. The alumni network, although I haven't contributed to it quite yet, has already showed benefits. As they drove away and Steph and I continued our journey, it brought a smile to my face as I realized this strong community that goes far beyond Colchester, Vermont.

It wasn't long after this encounter thast we were stopped in the road for close to 45 minutes. A buffalo heard! When we finally drove close enough to see, it was clear as day that a heard of buffalo decided to cross the road, so the dozens of cars in the road were forced to accomodate them. It soon became clear to me that similar to other parks that I've been to, here the animals still roamed the land and owned the area. You had to respect them and the rangers made it clear- upon getting our tickets to enter the park, the ranger handed us a friendly flyer reminding us that visitors have been goured by these big friendly fellows that can sprint up to 30 mph! Needless to say, I didn't get out of the car for these pictures!

We continuned on to the Paint Pots. These are geysers that emit hot gases and liquids and create a big "paint pot" of different colors. There was a great walking path, about a half mile, that went around to the different pots. They are filled with scolding hot liquids, as was the ground around the path, so staying on the path was essential. It was great to see the different colors that these "pots" created. Different signs around the geysers explained how the colors of the "paint" changed throughout the seasons. It was packed with all sorts of people and didn't take us more than a half hour to see everything. Speaking of geysers, next up was Old Faithful!!

Common to many Americans, Old Faithful may be the most popular geyser in the world and certainly is a top National Park desitination in America. Steph and I pulled off the road to the parking lot to Old Faithful. It was about time to use the restroom. We walked around for a bit before we saw signs for the "visitor's center". Here is when I became really surprised- it was more than the buffalo or the paint pots, it was the commercialism.

A huge visitor center with a food area, large gift shop, and an upstiars tackle area for fishing equipment, this place was so American! I'm not sure I liked the development. Part of me is disappointed that the park developed these buildings around such a beautiful area but another part of me is happy that, especially in the recession our country is in, these developments can contribute money and jobs to the area.

We walked over to where Old Faithful was and saw a sign that signified that it wasn't going to erupt for about 45 minutes. I'm still not sure how they do it, but the rangers can tell that it erupts X number of times per day- pretty amazing. We walked to the visitor center which reminded me of a Disney World gift shop, hung out for a bit, then saw the geyser erupt.

It was amazing, over a hundred feet in the air, the power that comes from the center of our Earth is incredible! I took a lot of photos and was joined by hundreds of others gathered for one of many eruptions during the day. Now, although I am currently unemployed, I will comment on the demographics of the park at this point in the day. I was struck by the large number of older men and women who were in the park and I couldn't help but envy their apparent retirement despite not even having started this forty or so long period of my life called a career. I'm trying, even at this current moment in the wee hours of the morning, to figure a way to bypass these forty years and go straight to the travel, eat, drink, and relax part of my life because I'll be honest, these folks were making it look pretty nice! If there are any suggestions, post a comment on the blog- I'd love to dialogue!

After seeing this amazing geyser flex its muscles, we drove about a half hour to Yellowstone Lake where we had lunch. Now, at certain points in this blog I've tried to comment on the amazing food and beer that I've been fortunate to have sampled during this trip. I'm going to comment on the food in Yellowstone Park by simply advising this: go into the park for the sights, for the animals, for the hiking, camping, and fishing. Don't go for the food offered in these "grills" as they call them. I haven't had a grilled chicken sandwhich that bad in a long long time. After a short fight with my stomach and a date with the restroom, we were able to continue our drive through the park on a road that wound its way along the side of the lake. The road hugged the lakeshore intimately with snowcapped peaks in the distance. Driving, I was looking at my camera getting ready for a shot when Steph, who was driving, yelled. I looked up immediately and, being from Maine, saw a familiar sight. A Moose! It was a cow walking in the middle of the road. Steph slowed to maybe 3 miles per hour as we passed. The moose was less than an arms reach from my window and, trusting these furry friends a little more than their Bison brethren, I rolled down my window for a better shot. Defininately cool and defininately one of the closest I've been to a moose.

The rest of the trip was without wildlife, but was packed full with amazing views, especially as the road wound through the mountains as we drove closer to Cody, WY. The roads laced around the mountains like the stipes on a candy cane and looking out of my window and down the shear cliff face made my palms sweat. As I've written about in earlier posts, this trip is reminding me more and more of my time in Tibet, just on a much smaller scale. At some points on the road in the park we came across ponds which were still frozen over and large amounts of snow covered land. Some of the time I found it hard to believe that it was almost June! It was also fun to watch the temperature gague in the car dip over 15 degrees as we drove up the mountains, and then down again.

We left the park soon after we descended from those mountains, but the images and experiences from the park will never leave me. Yellowstone is a land filled with adventure for everyone- from those who love to hike and wet line, to those who never want to leave the car, driving through the park is something I urge every American to do for it allows us, even if only a glimpse, an image of what this land was before man came. Despite now filled with the accessories of a capitalist society like the "grill" and gift shop, the park still offers innumberable oppourtunities for everyone to experience the wild and the untame. Just ask the buffalo!

-rob

Wet Line and Big Sky!

After a long journey on the road and a much needed rest in Billinings, I finally went fishing today on the Madison River! It was unbelievable. The rivers here are very high with fast water and rough current. Because of these tough conditions, there weren't many people out on the water. In fact, today I had the river to myself! I didn't catch anything, but if fishing was only about catching fish, I wouldn't fish at all. Today was about stretching my arm, casting my line, and putting a fly on the water. The scenery was unbelievable. Hills formed all around the river, creating a valley with sharp mountains in the distance. The air was hot without a cloud for miles. It felt good to cast, to be on the water and to fish. I didn't catch anything, but I know I had a good time because of the weather and the environment. Some of the land around me today seemed untouched by time and I felt like I was fishing some special water. I can't wait for more to come.

Steph was a Saint today- she dropped me off at the river and then went grocery shopping. It was great to have a friend who knows the area and to drive me to different spots on the river. After about two hours of fishing we headed to Steph's condo in Big Sky.

The road to big sky was unlike any road I've been on before. The asphalt cut through the mountains and trees like a knife with occasional sharp turns and steep mountains on each side of the road. The mountains rose up and up and I could sense a certain majesty from the car. These mountains, I swear, drew me in and captivated me. It was an uncanny feeling to be "sucked in" further and further by the mountains.

At the condo, we met Katie and her boyfriend. Katie's family owns part of the condo and she and her boyfriend were spending some time in the area. They graduated from Notre Dame this spring and are great great people. We cooked a delicious meal with grilled steak, baked potato, Caesar salad, and watermellon. The condo is in the middle of Big Sky, with mountains surrounding the area. With good weather and great people, it was the perfect place to enjoy a wonderful meal while getting to know some wonderful people.

It's late and tomorrow we are driving through Yellowstone Park! I can't wait! Thanks for reading :)

-rob

A Vast Land

Yesterday, a little past 8 pm Mountain Time, after 3,150 miles, 15 states, and three stops, Steph and I arrived in Billings, Montana to end our road trip. We drove from Denver up through Wyoming and into Montana. We stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming to have dinner with her grandparents. Her grandparents took us out to the "Chop House" and it was excellent barbeque. I had the pulled pork sandwhich which was very tender and full of great flavor.

Driving through Wyoming was a real wake up call for me. Steph drove from Wyoming and as I looked out the window I felt astonished at the vastness of the land. Hills rolled gently with green flatlands stretching out for miles and miles and miles. I've seen nothing like this in Maine, or anywhere else in the Northeast. The hills began to become more dramatic and I immediately thought of Tibet.

On a previous blog, I wrote about my experiences in India, Nepal, and Tibet (www.robindianepaltibet.blogspot.com). The hills and mountains of Wyoming reminded me of a land in Asia which stole my breath and teared my eyes. These hills in Wyoming are similar, but about 10,000 feet lower than those in Tibet. Still, it was great to drive on the highway and see a massive mountain range on our left, and rolling hills stretch out for miles on our right.

I must have seen over fifty deer and antelope. It was amazing to see them so close to the highway, and yet not even seem fazed. In Maine, I suppose there may be as many deer in the woods near the turnpike, but it's hard to know for certain because there are so many trees.

Today we drove around Billings- Steph gave me the grand tour. With a mall, Target, Walmart, and many other stores and businesses I'm familiar with, Billings seemed like any other town I've been too. As we drove around, I realized that it's a special town because of its location, and the people who live here. Billings is the biggest city in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Being the biggest city for such a large radius, it is a commerical hub for a large amount of land and people.

The people here are also special. Steph's family have opened their home and their hearts to me and have welcomed me to this place I have never been to before. Rather than feel like an outsider, they have helped me feel more comfortable, and if you'll pardon the cliche, "at home".

Although the road trip portion of the journey is over, the adventure is certainly not. Tomorrow we are heading to Steph's condo in Big Sky where I'll be able to start fishing some of best water in the world!! This has turned into a great adventure with more to come!

-rob

Mile High Fun

Denver, Colorado- the mile high city! We spent two nights in Denver on Denver University's campus. Steph's friend Ingrid, from high school, was able to let us stay at her place for a couple nights on our way north to Montana.

We first arrived in Denver two days ago. We drove into the city after a full day on the road from Kansas City. The drive from Kansas City was pretty incredible. The land was very flat (shocking). It was particularly interesting for me because I'm very used to buzzing down Maine's turnpike with a wall of tall pines on each side of the road, creating an almost "forest alley" on the road. Driving through Kansas was fun because it was so flat and open- at some points I was able to see out for what seemed like miles on each side of the road.

When we arrived at Denver it was late so we ate dinner at a noodle resaurant and then headed to Ingrid's apartment. The apartment was very nice. A one bedroom unit right on Denver University's campus, it was the perfect place to stretch out after a long day on the road. Ingrid had to wake up the next moring to run a race in Boulder, Colorado so we chatted for a bit then called it a night.

The next moring I woke up to something we hadn't seen at all during the trip- rain. I was worried it was going to dampen the day, if you will, but was soon to find out that it was nothing to worry about. After a quick breakfast, Steph and I headed to the downtown part of Denver. We drove the car to a light rail station, less than five minutes from Ingrid's apartment. We hopped on the light rail and in fifteen minutes we were in downtown Denver. No questions, no hassles. The light rail cost each of us 2 dollars for a one way trip to downtown and it was worth every penny. Fast, easy to navigate, and clean, the light rail offered us a fast route into the heart of Denver.

When we got off the train, it was raining quite hard. It was Memorial Day weekend so the downtown area was pretty much deserted. One of the streets in downtown was permanently blocked off to traffic and open only to pedestrians. We walked around a bit before we found a small coffee shop to wait out the rain.

As a small side note, I have to share my experience with the dark roast. I have recently, in the past year, hopped on the coffee train. I like it. Having an eight thirty class my senior year in college for the first time since I was in 18, it helped me not only focus in class, but also show up for the class at all. In this small coffee shop in Denver, the only coffee they had was an Ethiopean dark roast. Hey, what the heck, I'll give it a try. I had some bad experiences with dark roasts in the past, but I thought maybe this one will be okay- the coffee shop looked well established and didn't seem like it was violating any major health codes. A little bit of half and half, a pinch of sugar, and I sat with a hot cup, read to enjoy. About a half hour later I felt like I had an ulcer. I soon felt that the dark roast brought me to the dark side. As I tried to manage the molestation of my stomach, I was able to notice that the rain had stopped, so we decided to give the outside another go. Even as a passenger on the coffee train, I have to reconsider with more thought the next time I'm offered a dark roasted coffee.

Denver is a great city. The downtown offers a street open only to pedestrians, probably a mile in length, with two buses offering a free shuttle up and down the road throughout the day. There was also an art show on a couple of side streets which offered a fun and free way to see some local artists and their work. We walked around for a good part of the day then returned on the light rail to meet Ingrid for dinner.

After a short siesta, the three of us drove to Thai Basel, an excellent Thai restaurant not far from Ingrid's apartment. I had a dinner special- for ten dollars I got the sweet and sour soup, Thai eggplant, and a banana cake. The sweet and sour soup was full of bite and offered a tastful use spices and herbs to create a wonderful soup. The Thai eggplant was simply fantastic- full of flavor, served with white rice, and a wonderful sweet endnote with the surrounding sauce. The banana cake was very good, with a smooth cream frosting. A wonderful meal but no more than adequate when compared to the company. We returned to the apartment and continued a great conversation with some wonderful wine. Before the night was over, I was able to go to the bar next to Ingrid's apartment building to sample a local brew- an amber lager with a wonderful flavor, full body, and smooth finish.

Denver was a great chance to see a community thrive in today's ever advancing modern world. The light rail was the best public transportation I have taken on the trip. It was easy to navigate and understand. Unlike the New York City Subway system which makes my head spin just getting from a coffee shop to the hotel, the Light Rail in Denver was user friendly, even to a tourist from a state with no subways at all. It was great to see how Denver accomodates its citizens and advocates for greener living. The street open only to pedestrians is a perfect example. I felt like this was a perfect example of a community advancing itself with sustainability in mind, and its citizens at heart. I will miss Denver, even the rain.

Right now I'm in Montana- the end of the road trip. More to come and thanks for reading!

-rob

Kansas City

Hello from Denver Colorado!!

I spent the last night here in the the mile high city.  What a place!  I haven't seen too much of it because we drove in after dark.  We spent the previous two nights in Kansas City, Kansas and what an experience it was!

I have flown over the country three times, once to San Francisco and twice to San Diego.  I was younger and petrified, as I still am, of flying.  I can't remember exactly what I was doing on those 5 or 6 hour flights, but I'm sure that most of it had to do with annoying my older sister and paying absolutely no attention to what we were flying over.  These past few days gave me a chance to explore and learn about a part of the country I had never thought about before.  

We stayed with Steph's aunt Trish and Uncle Keith.  Her aunt is retired from the Hallmark corporation and her uncle is a photo historian.  There home was in the suburbs, or "burbs" as I soon learned it was referred to, but was not too far from the city.  Filled with art and generosity, their home provided us a much needed rest stop.  It was such a big difference being in a nice residential home compared to a hotel room with a broken toilet in the outskirts of Chicago!

The first night we ate a great salad with some local greens and chicken with grilled asparagus.  Wonderful!  I especially liked the "slow food" atmosphere.  Even after we finished, we sat at the table for what seemed like an hour and talked.  That night I crashed and slept like a rock, much needed after 8 hours in the car.

The next day was a great day in Kansas City.  In the upper 80s with all blue sky, it was the perfect day to explore the city.  Trish and Keith took us to a museum exhibiting artifacts recovered from a steam boat, The Arabia, that was found in the late 80s in the Kansas City area.  It was a project conducted by 5 men who had no prior experience in Archaeology but had a high passion for adventure and preserving the community.  The museum had what seemed like thousands of artifacts from the pre civil war period.  The men and women who work at the museum even claimed that it had the most pre civil war artifacts in the world!  Either way, it was great to see.  

After the museum we walked briefly at an outdoor market filled with venders selling local produce, flowers, and crafts- very similar to a farmers market.  We then ate lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant that seemed like a hole in the wall but served delicious Vietnamese food that was authentic and filled with fantastic flavor.  After lunch and a short stop at a shoe store, we went to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.  

Keith is a director of fine arts at the museum and it was great to have him there to explain the different pieces and point out works I might not otherwise pay attention to.  The museum is divided in a very tasteful manner between the old museum, created in the 30s, and the new part of the museum, created in 2007.  The museum was, quite simply, amazing.  I would not have had the same experience without Keith and Trish there to guide me and help me understand the significance of different works.  We also saw a photo exhibit of Homer Page which was created and organized by Keith.  Fascinating works and again, I had never heard of Homer Page before but was very happy to learn about a new artist from an authority.  

After the museum we went to an Irish Pub so I could taste some local beer.  I had the Boulevard Brewing Company's IPA and it was crisp, smooth, and full of well nurtured hopps.  It was a fantastic beer and wonderful pit stop in the middle of Kansas City's downtown area.  

That night we had another wonderful meal of salad and pasta.  The pasta had local garlic which I was happy to help Trish prepare.  Another slow food meal, with what I thought was an even longer conversation after the dinner.  Next was a nights rest, then a breakfast with Trish and Keith and a long drive to Denver, Colorado.  

I need to emphasize here at the end of this post the importance of generosity.  On this road trip, I've found that generosity has been the difference between a comfortable trip with little to worry about, and a road trip with nothing to worry about.  In Chicago we organized our own lodging, food, and transportation.  With Trish and Keith, I can't recall ever worrying about anything.  Everything was taken care of and it was this generosity that helped create a much more comfortable stay in Kansas City.  

Looking back on my preconceived notions of what Kansas City had to offer, I'm lucky to have been able to stay with Trish and Keith who showed me that despite what you think a place is about, or what it has to offer, generosity can help draw out the full potential of any place, or anything.  As we move forward on this road trip, generosity is one characteristic that I want to carry with me not only on this trip but for long after it is over as well.