Answer: They’re all found in Montana and make for a memorable first day.
With a lovely morning meal at Yesterday’s cafe in Derby behind us, we continued our trek northward to Glacier National Park. Montana, like most states in this area I noted to myself, has a drier kind of pretty side until you are literally surrounded by towering conifer trees, which creates a bit of a walled in effect. Pretty sure this is how horror movies start.
We spent a pleasant couple of hours trundling along what I considered to be backroads but what Dave informed me was actually a highway. Who knew?
The Battlefield
To help alleviate the boredom of a long drive, we opted to take a minor detour to add another stamp to our National Parks Passport books by visiting Big Hole National Battlefield.
View from the top of a hill
Battlefields are generally not my first choice of places to see because I find them depressing. However, I reeeaaalllyyyyyy want to add as many stamps as I can to my passport book so there we were. True to form, reading about the clash between the Army and the Nez Perce here was a sad reminder of some of our nation’s less than stellar moments in history. However, the trails provided to walk around and learn more about what happened provide a beautiful and enjoyable walk. And I do love history so all in all it was well worth it.
Going up the hill to the cannon
Our guide along one of the pathways
With our legs exercised and eyes rested from staring at the unending pavement we were once again under way. Thus began the “fun” part of riding in an RV.
Travelling in an RV, such as our beloved Pub, has certain benefits and challenges. One might consider driving on two lane roads, that may or may not have usable shoulders, which may or may not need to be repaved, blockaded on either side by tall trees, through mountain passes with their winding steep inclines and declines to be indeed, challenging. I prefer to think of it as exciting since this keeps me from feeling alarmed when The Pub sways or rocks like a drunk stumbling home as it follows the curvaceous road. It’s a bit disconcerting.
Nevertheless, we arrived at our second stop without incident or objects crashing inside. I count this as a win.
So many Buddhas
The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas is not what I expected to find in Montana. Truth be told, Montana was full of many delightful surprises but I don’t wish to digress. When reading about the garden before visiting, I rather expected the buddhas to be bigger. I’m not sure why. Their diminutive nature did not decrease the experience at all. If anything, it made the place more interesting.
So many Buddhas in a row
The garden is a circle with four intersecting lines of small Buddhas spaced in neat rows meeting at an enormous statue.
The space between the rows is grassy with flowers lining the edges. This entire area is encircled by a wall topped with smaller Buddhas.
A variety of enchanting statues can be found on the grass outside the wall.
A sign says there is a twenty minute path and a forty-five path. We took closer to an hour because I love to take pictures…lots and lots of pictures.
Bison Tartare
We arrived at our new home for the week late in the evening. By the time we were set up and ready to eat we were both exhausted. It’s surprising how much sitting down in a vehicle wears you out. Dave found what sounded like a great Asian restaurant we will unfortunately never know because they were too busy and only offered take out.
As a note, we have been following safety precautions as much as possible. Handwashing, sanitizing, masks, social distancing, so on and so forth.
Sometimes though, sometimes you just want to eat in a restaurant and not your car or home…surrounded by cats who think you should be sharing with them. Sigh. As the Asian restaurant was out of the question, we wandered to the Italian joint around the corner. It called itself Italian but the menu seemed more like an upscale European dining. This is where I had my first tartare. Bison tartare to be exact and oh…my…god was it amazing. I have found a new love (don’t tell Dave). I’m sure the rest of the meal was delicious but the bison tartare is what I remember.
So Delicious
So ended our first full day in Montana.
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