Long, Strange Trip: Waking up in the C'mon Inn in Bozeman, MT

7/19

Waking up after a comfortable night’s sleep was extremely refreshing and though mom and Paul were still in “critical” condition, I, myself, felt very refreshed. Breakfast was in view of the artificial fountain and mini water fall and consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, yogurt, banana and tater tots accompanied with a hot salted caramel cappuccino type drink. This was just my breakfast as there were many other options at the buffet style breakfast. The males, including Paul, then went for a swim and spent time relaxing in the hot tubs; checkout was not until 12 but in order to stay on schedule we left at 11. It was a sad departure but with determination in our eyes we set out again for the road. The next stop was a blast from the past as we rolled on into Helena, Montana around noon. My parents had lived there for three months and this is where we celebrated my first birthday. My parents couldn’t remember the street name they had lived on but even though I was very young, it all flooded back to me as soon as we entered the city and I quickly took charge and flawlessly guided them to our old home. Not really, eventually my parents found the old street and it felt surreal to stand in front of the house as they explained the events that had taken place there. Throughout the afternoon we walked through “Last Ditch Gulch” a downtown type area filled with unique stores where my mom had walked me often as a young boy. While mom and Paul slept on a park bench looking quite homeless, Finn, my dad and I strolled through the streets and enjoyed a wonderful lunch and made a stop for ice cream soon after. Helena is a very pretty place and I was very grateful we visited here as it had been a debated stop due to time concerns. Next was the 1800’s Ghost Town in Elkhorn, Montana. Though I was disappointed many people had decided to take up residence in the secluded rural town it was still an incredible opportunity to look at an old Western mining town and the falling, splintered and dark buildings that had remained standing all these years gave it an eerie quality. The trip, so far, has been enjoyable but also seems to have a history lesson in each stop, not the boring history either, but rather an exciting, entertaining and awe inspiring field trip each day. We camped that night at the Missouri Headwaters in Three Forks, MT, a location that was discovered by Lewis and Clark. Another interesting fact is that it is also the location of the meeting between Sacajawea and the expedition. Finn and I entertained ourselves with a creative, soccer type game. We split the series but I had invented the game and was clearly the better player. In the morning the three healthy ones set out around 7 for a trail along the Madison River, though we were met with beautiful scenery we did not observe any wildlife.

Editor’s Note:

This evening we also attended the Three Forks Rodeo. It was very entertaining. It is really cool to be able to expose the kids to things that they wouldn’t ordinarily experience. The rodeo showcased all of the typical events, highlighted by the bull riding. Carol and Paul muddled through as best they could as they continue to battle this stubborn stomach ailment.