September 24th, 2015

What happened…

Andrew writes: Naturally we were up bright and early to nonchalantly hang out in Rader Park, hoping to appear like we just stopped there to have breakfast. One cool thing I found though was that the hot spring hotel which was next door to the park changes their water in the mornings, so there was actually a really nice ditch….I mean, natural pool, right next to us filled with piping hot spring water. I was tempted to throw on my bathing suit and have a dip, but somehow it just didn’t feel right at 0800hrs. We stopped in at the Branding Iron Cafe again for another one of their yummy cinnamon buns and to do a bit of Internet and then we were off towards the smaller town of Wilsall.

The route was mostly flat, and we had a headwind for most of the day. I spent most of the time in front of Amanda, trying to make it easier for her to draft me. There were a few times where it seemed like she gave up, or maybe I gave up, I’m not sure, but there were some heated exchanges out on the road at times. For the most part, we took advantage of our combined powers and made short work of the day.

We saw some wildlife today including elk, and pronghorn antelope. We also saw a few hunters too. It seems like Montana is a playground for hunters and fishermen this time of year, and there are quite a few vehicles parked on the roadside of people participating in these activities.

Arriving in Wilsall, it was hot. Of course, having spent several months in the tropics this year, it wasn’t hot with a capital “H”, but it was definitely one of our warmest days in Montana. We stopped in at the General Store for an icy, cold road pop, and sat outside of the “Bank Bar”, which was closed, and drank them. Drinking in public is a habit we picked up in Mexico, and it’s been a hard one for us to shake. It just seems like a natural thing to do!

We decided to call it quits for the day, and eyed a camping spot at the Veteran’s Park behind the Wilsall Bar & Cafe. Then we headed in the aforementioned Bar Cafe for some R&R.

Remember how I mentioned before that we sat outside of the closed “Bank Bar”? Well, the Wilsall Cafe & Bar was under new management, and trying to take over the liquor license of the old bar. As it happened, our arrival coincided with the one day in history where the bar couldn’t serve any alcohol because they a) didn’t have a liquor license and b) when they did get a liquor license later in the day they could not serve any of their “old” alcohol. Montana has some crazy laws man. About a dozen potential customers came in to have an after work beer and all were turned away, or had to make do with ice tea like we did.

So we watched Thursday Night Football, and chatted it up with several people. I made a couple of trips over to the General Store for bootlegged alcohol, and miscellaneous snacks. While there I flirted relentlessly with Rosie, the clerk. Then Rosie and her husband Steve, and their friend Rick all came over to the Cafe for dinner, and I chatted them up some more. Steve invited us to throw our tent up on his lawn, and we accepted. And that’s how we found ourselves cycling along the town limits in the dark after the game. There were no street lights, and we didn’t really know where we were going…just out to a farm someplace. Yet we found it, and we ended up sleeping inside their camper trailer. It was really nice, and Steve and Rosie went out of their way to be hospitable to us. This was something we never expected, and it was a real treat!

Amanda writes:
Drafting is such an art and when we do it well it is incredible. The wind was such that if I was able to draft Andrew our speed was close to 20 km/h. If I wasn’t able to keep up I was closer to 10 km/h. Therefore, when I wasn’t able to keep up I was so frustrated and just wished we could draft better. In any event, we made it in good time.

Going to a bar with no alcohol was a bit weird but we made due. Since travelling more we don’t drink as much as we used to so it’s not the end of the world. When Steve and Rosie invited us over to stay we were thrilled. It’s the first time since we’ve been travelling that we have been invited into someone’s home shortly after meeting them. The kindness of others still amazes me some days. I’m so grateful for Rosie and Steve welcoming us into their home. Not only was it kind, they were such a treat to spend time with.

Today’s Photographs

[flickr_tags tags=”wilsall”]