Out West Day 15, Wednesday, August 5, 2009...Bozeman

Today is laundry day, so I'm up early, eager to get my two loads done and head downtown for lunch. Unfortunately, the simple act of doing laundry becomes an incredible chore. People do a load and leave it sit for over an hour. When a dryer is free, the washer is taken, and vice-versa. It takes over four hours to wash and dry two loads.
Around 2:00PM, I head downtown for lunch at Plonk...a few nice glasses of red wine, a Capri salad, and some duck confit spring rolls are just what I need. After lunch, it's over to the Chocolate Moose for a hot fudge sundae...excellent. Then, I find a bike shop where I can get a bike lock...should have done that before I left. After that, I scout out a couple of local meat markets where I can pick up a couple of steaks to take down to Yellowstone...disappointing. You'd think that they would have good meat here in "Beef Country", but the two places where I stop carry only "select beef" the lowest grade if you don't count laboratory animals.
After lunch, I head back to the hotel to do a few blog posts and take a short nap. It promises to be a fun night because they are having the "Bite of Bozeman" Festival...what luck!
Around :0PM, I'm back downtown, and Main Street is a sea of people. They've blocked off Main Street, and all the local restaurants are serving "small plates" outside. This is perfect for me as I can "graze" down the street like a big steer on the open range...a taco here, a piece of pizza there...a glass or two of wine...and so the evening goes until about :0P, when I head back over to the Eagles...more beer, interesting conversations, great comraderie. But, a midnight, it's time for bed...big day tomorrow as I will head out to Yellowstone.

Out West Day 14...Tuesday, August 4, 2009...Down the Swan Valley to Bozeman

At the suggestion of my friend, Rich, I'm taking the Swan Valley Highway south out of West Glacier, through Helena, to Bozeman. I make a quick detour through the town of Whitefish, where my friend, Patrice, lived for awhile. Regrettably, it's too early to stop at the Tupelo Grill which, Patrice has assured me, serves the best Bread Pudding in Montana.
It's a pretty drive...six or seven hours through mountains, forests, open range, and big lakes. I arrive in Bozeman around 4:0P and check into the local Days Inn. They quote me a rate of $88.00 per night which seems high...particularly since I saw a billboard on I-90 advertising a $45.00 rate. So I ask whether the $88.00 rate is the "best" or "best available", and I'm told that $88.00 is the lowest, period. So then my "lawyer instincts" kick in, and I tell them that, if they had that billboard and rate structure in Michigan, they'd get nailed for false advertising. "Oh, they say, you saw the billboard. Well, we can give you the 'billboard rate' of $45.00". Just like that, I've saved $80.00 on a 2 night stay.
As soon as I unload, it's another 45 minute shower...wonderful. Then, downtown for dinner at Looie's Downunder, where I had such a nice meal last year. This year, the food is good, but the atmosphere not great. My bartender is not particularly communicative, and the owner is quite "brusque". Still, a nice piece of grilled filet and a few glasses of California Cab do wonders.
After dinner, I st out to find a comfortable bar to settle in for the evening. I've taken a cab downtown, so I can afford to let loose a little. I try "Plonk" the local Wine Bar...nice, but a little too stuffy for me tonight. Then on to "The Crystal", the legendary local bar...again, nice, but a little too loud. I'm beginning to think that my bar search will not be successful when, all of a sudden, I see "FOE", Fraternal order of Eagles. I'm an Eagle, so I figure that this should be a friendly spot. And I am correct as I am soon befriended by Dawn and Rob. Dawn makes it a point to introduce me to everyone there as "Bill from Michigan". I also meet Kevin and Laura (we're all in the photo) and soon I'm having rounds bought for me left and right. Around midnight, though, it's time to cab back to the hotel and sleep. Tomorrow is "laundry day".

Out West Day 13, Monday, August 3, 2009...A Good Night's Rest...A Great Hike

I slept great last night and, around 8:00AM, I'm up and ready to go. The morning coffee ritual, a few smokes, a little time sitting in the Escape listening to CNN...then...time to hike.
I've been told that the hike to Avalanche Lake is a pleasant one, so that's where I head. It is, indeed, a nice hike...along the river, through thick old-growth forests, mostly uphill (but not steep). Three miles or so in, I come to Avalanche Lake...surrounded by mountains and fed by mountain streams. A great place for a simple lunch of cheese/peanut butter crackers and a small bottle of orange juice. The return hike is quick and easy, being mostly downhill.
By 3:30 or so, I'm back in my camp and relaxing again...enjoying a glass of wine and more reading. For dinner, I have a grilled pork chop, leftover potatoes, and the rest of the Pillar Box from the night before...off to another great sleep.

Out West Day 12...Sunday, August 2, 2009...Avanche Campground, West Glacier

For whatever reason, I did not sleep well at all last night...tossing and turning (to the extent that is possible in a sleeping bag), difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep. So...this is not my best morning. Over coffee, I decide that this will be another day of rest and reading. I do travel over to the Lake Mcdonald General Store for ice but, other than that, I'm parked in a chair reading on in "Team of Rivals".
The day flies by and, before I know it, it's almost 6:00PM...time for a simple dinner of grilled cheese with my favorite "bargain red", Pillar Box. Some time around the campfire and, around 9:00PM, off to bed...to sleep like a baby.

Out West Day 11...Saturday, August 1, 2009...Avalanche Campground

It's afer 8:00AM, but I can not bring myself to get out of bed...it's so soft, fluffy...so comfortable! After all those nights sleeping on a blow-up sleeping pad, a real bed is an enormous luxury. Reluctantly, I get up and brew a pot of coffee. Later, I relax on the outdoor deck of the Chalet, enjoying my morning coffee and a smoke with a great view of the mountains.
Around 10:00, I decide to head back into the Park to find a new campground. When I get to the gate, I realize that I have lost track of my days...it's Saturday, and the line to get into the Park is at least a half mile long. By the time that I get to the gate, my first two choices for campgrounds are full...so, no Sprague and no Fish Creek. The Ranger suggests Avalanche Campground, so off I go...14 miles back into the Park. I don't know what Sprague or Fish Creek are like, but Avalanche is beautiful...perfect. It's set back in an old-growth forest with big Cedars that provide lots of shade. I find a good spot to camp, pay my fee and set about setting up camp. Within minutes, two deer, a buck and a doe, wander right through my campsite...this is a good spot.
Once I have set up camp, I relax for awhile and read...more Lincoln. Soon, it's late afternoon...cocktail hour! Then a great dinner of chicken in Spicy Korean Stir-Fry Sauce, boiled potatoes and a bottle of Cabernet...a great way to end the day. After dinner, I build a fire and enjoy a few beers along with a cigar (a Gispert Robusto)...then off to bed.

Out West Day 10...Friday, July 31, 2009...R&R at Belton Chalet

I'm up early again, breaking down my tent and packing up to move from the east side of Glacier to the west. After a week straight of camping, I'm thinking it's time for some "R&R" at a hotel...a hot shower, a few cocktails and a meal prepared by someone else...simple pleasures that we take for granted.
To get to Wes Glacier, I've got to go up and over the Continental Divide (Rockies) through Logan Pass. Those familiar with last year's Alaska Blog know well my fear of heights...I am NOT looking forward to this drive. In the end, it's not so bad...I'm taking the "Going to the Sun" Highway or, as I have renamed it, the "Going to Your Doom Highway"...some construction, a few "looks" down a thousand feet or so, but I'm soon up and over the pass.
I'd thought that I might stay at the Lake McDonald Lodge, but they're booked solid. They recommend the Belton Chalet, so head over there. It's a great place to stay, built in 1910 by the Great Northern Railway to house passengers to the park. First off, I immediately take a 45 minute shower...I can not describe how good that felt
A local 1 Hour Photo has Internet access, so I post a few Blog entries. Photos are, however, out of the question...they have "upload limits" and my photo files are too large...I'll revise and rpos later.
Back at the Belton, I head for the bar for a few cocktails and interesting conversation. My bartender, Brad, is friendly enough, and soon I meet Darlene from Maine...so we spend some time debating whether Boothbay or New Harbor have better lobsters, as well as the relative merits of wild Maine Blueberries vs. Montana huckleberries...great fun. But the big coup"of the evening is meeting Rich Thompson (courtesy of Darlene). Rich is a local schoolteacher and "icon"...he's a great proponent of all that's good about West Montana. When I mention that I'll be heading down to Yellowstone, he promises to plot me out and interesting and "off the beaten path" route. Soon we've got maps spread all over the bar, and my pocket is full of cocktail napkins containing Rich's routes and suggsted places to stop and eat and/or imbibe.
I's a fun evening...all the more so after a great grilled New York Strip with mashed potatoes all washed down with a bottle of Argentinian Malbec, several Heinekens, and a glass of Port. Happy, full and tipsy, I slip off to sleep in a REAL bed for the firs time in over the week. It is VERY comfortable!

Out West Day 9...Thursday, July 30, 2009...A Break in the Weather...and Another Hike

Good fortune at last...I woke this morning to sunny skies. This will afford me the opportunity for another hike. I'm looking at two alternatives...a hike to the Grinnel Glacier or another to Glacier Lake. Having been advised by several people that the Grinnell hike was "strenuous" (e.g. mostly uphill), I opt for Glacier Lake.
The first 3/4 of a mile or so of that hike is mildly uphill, and I have to stop and rest frequently. I make it about three miles in to a nice waterfall, and over a hot lunch of curry-flavored ramen noodles, I decide that I'm not going to make it all the way to the lake. Lunch finished, I head back to my campsite...a pleasant hike given that most of the return is downhill, and that I'm aided by the hiker's friend, gravity.
Back at camp, I relax with a cold Margarita and spend an hour or two reading. My friend, Mark Freedman, gave me "Team of Rivals" about Abraham Lincoln's war-time cabinet. Another great read...Lincoln's genius and place in history really come through.
On my visit to Browning, I picked up a package of chicken, so dinner is "Thai Aromatic Grill" with some rice...great with a bottle Australian Shiraz. After dinner, a beer or two by the campfire, then off to bed.