Tom Week – Montana Hail
6/8/19 – Bozeman Hail
Cold day. Mix of rain, hail and snow this morning. Yes, snow, in June. Abigail was pretty sure she didn’t want to be stepping on that white stuff. I don’t think she’s ever seen snow before.
According to Pat’s records this is our 99th park on this trip.
6/9/19 – Billings
It’s much warmer today. We’re 2000 feet down from yesterday. Something’s going on. I took trying five places before I could find an available rental car.
Looking through local Yelp reviews I came across a couple doozies. For a place called Daisy Dukes Saloon and Dance Hall a one-star review complained about the lack of hip-hop music. Another one-star reviewer for the Rainbow Bar complained that she was kicked in the head by a man dancing on the bar. People, if someone is dancing on the bar, you step back! Be aware of your surroundings.
6/10/19 – Rental Car
There are no rental cars available in Billings. Or, nearly none. I went through all the normal outlets and got nothing but rejection. Finally I got lucky at Rent-A-Wreck. They had a pickup truck. It was described on-line as a Nissan Frontier or similar. The Frontier is a mid-size pickup that I like very much.
However, what I actually got was a Chevy Silverado 2500 Z71 4×4 with a diesel engine. It takes a ladder to get into it. Also, being a Rent-A-Wreck, it has issues. Perhaps personality is a better word. Does anyone need a stump pulled?
6/11/19 – Bike Ride
I knew my luck had to run out. The last several stops having been biking Nirvana. Billings snapped the streak. What Google maps lists as bicycle-friendly are two lane highways with no bike lane, shoulder or even sidewalk. The drivers try to be nice, but with 45mph speed limits it’s just not a safe place for bikes.
Then there were the bike paths along the river, which are all currently torn up due to construction. Not a nice surprise. There some streets with nice bike lanes though. They’re just no connected to each other.
Then we got the great news that the Vice President and his wife are coming to town. That will mess up traffic for two days.
6/12/19 – The Veep
I found much better bike paths today. There were even some hills. My climb was cut short though as I stumbled upon Mike Pence’s motorcade. He’s in town to chat with some other pasty-faced old fellows. I didn’t get my camera out fast enough. I’ve got to work on that.
We ate dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. Tonya likes it there because it’s very loud.
6/13/19 – Sitting
Spent much of the day working on the website and computer. Details, details, details.
PIX
A couple of Gabby Hayes wannabes at a Montana restaurant/casino/bar/liquor store
Bozeman’s weather proved disappointing. It’s JUNE people!
The spider on the spigot helped me with my unhooking duties
Not all bike paths are created equal. Turns out I should have turned left.
The veep needs his space
The rent-a-wreck giant pickup truck
