Stage Seven ~ Driving to Spokane

A recap of our trip from Cut Bank, Montana to East Spokane, Washington on July 31, 2009.

There are no photographs to accompany this post, and if you have ever been to East Spokane you will probably understand why that is.

Having said that it should be noted that the vast majority of this day was spent getting out of Montana ~ statements that it is the fourth largest state by area in the United States are no exaggeration ~ but as we made our way to the Montana-Idaho border we were treated to some of the most beautiful forest (The Helena National Forest, to be exact) a person can hope to find anywhere in the world. For good measure we were also treated to a pretty steep climb in elevation and some twisty-turny road to boot.

The natural beauty of the western U.S. continued to amaze us as we passed by through Coeur D'Alene. It was approximately 4:30 in the afternoon as we made our way past the beautiful lake, and the afternoon sun absolutely made it sparkle.

Unfortunately the natural beauty seemed to disappear after that.

The area immediately west of the lake has all the innate charm of Carson as you pass through on the 405 freeway ~ i.e. lots of concrete and asphalt. Additionally, the driving habits of people in the area ~ their license plates not withstanding ~ made it apparent that we were getting closer to California. Throughout the trip we had been very impressed by a general adherence to the edict that "slower traffic keep right." This was the point in our travels when I had to contend with the "free-for-all" approach to choosing a lane (that fact that there were only two lanes available to everyone headed west did not help matters).

Despite everything we arrived in East Spokane safely, but the dreary concrete/asphalt ambiance extended from Idaho into eastern Washington ~ and the fact that it was nearly 100 degrees when we pulled into the parking lot of the Residence Inn did not help matters at all.

Once checked-in to the hotel the heat kept us inside except for a brief dip in one of the smallest hotel swimming pools you will ever see (and, of course, one that has two chlorine molecules for every one water molecule).

But this was "just" a transit day (i.e. a day spent driving to get into position to actually get somewhere else), and with that accomplished we rested well.

Next stop, Battle Ground, Washington!

Back in Califorina

That message, including the typographical error, was posted by Erin just moments after we crossed the Oregon-California border marking the first time in twenty-eight days we had been in our home state.

A short time later we pulled over at a rest stop that has a view of Mt. Shasta:



Following our visit to Montana the pace of the trip picked-up quite a bit; and that fact, along with some limited internet access, kept me from blogging for the final week. In the coming days I will regale you with tales from the road along with a few photos.

Stage Six: Cut Bank ~ The Puppies

The very idea of a driving vacation was born as the result of a desire to visit Christine's parents. We have not been to their hometown in approximately four years and though it was time to rectify that. But once the plan was hatched an ulterior motive quickly emerged.

Less than a year ago Christine's Mom and Dad (Donna and Dave by name) became the proud owners of two puppies ~ Welsh Cockerpoos (i.e. Corgi/Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mixes) by breed, and Penny and Pepper by name. All of us had heard stories about how cute they were and seen hundreds of photographs of Penny and Pepper and were anxious to see them for ourselves.

Like the Grand Canyon and Little Bighorn this is one of those times when the reality was even more impressive than what we had been led to believe:

Dave (the one with the glasses) with Pepper

The kids (the ones with arms as well as legs) with Penny

Like many young animals they are sweet and precocious; but whether it is because of the long winter (there was snow on the ground in Cut Bank until May) or some other reason they have developed an affinity for a number of unusual games that are played with at least one human partner:

• Mop-mop: Using a long-handled dust mop someone chases the puppies around the kitchen, living room, and dining room. Tails wag and barking ensues (mostly from the puppies) as the puppies growl and make playful lunges at the mop, then run away.


• Run-run: This was a special game which the kids initiated, one that closely approximates "tag" with, generally speaking, the dogs spending the majority of the time being "it."


• Trash-trash: Sure, we are a little predictable on the game names but it works. This one is similar to mop-mop, with the difference being that the dogs bark, growl, and lunge at a bag of trash (usually with a healthy number of aluminum cans in it) being removed from the kitchen.

As we end our two weeks in Cut Bank it is clear that the puppies and the kids are forged quite a bond:

No, Joseph is not choking Penny

Friday we move on to Spokane ~ wish us good luck!

Stage Six: Cut Bank, Montana

It has been more than a week since we arrived at the northern Montana home of Christine's parents (Dave & Donna), and with the kids at the local, public swimming pool with their Grandfather it seems like a good time to bring all of you up-to-date on the Aubele family vacation.

Lewis & Clark Days Celebration
Each year the people of Cut Bank, Montana commemorate and celebrate the fact that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark spent time in the area in their exploration of America (an expedition which, fittingly enough, began in Pittsburgh, PA); and this year's celebration was this past weekend.

The fact that they named the spot where they camped in the Cut Bank area "Camp Disappointment", or that the only armed conflict that the Corps of Discovery had with natives occurred here (I have it on good authority that Meriwether shot a native in the back as the native attempted to steal Meriwether's horse) is not the sort of thing to get in the way of a fair and parade ~ at least 203 years after the fact.

The entire affair is quintessential Americana ~ and to those of you wags who would look for the humor in that statement I mean it in an entirely positive way ~ with neighbors and friends coming together for some fun. A couple of pictures from the parade to give you an idea of what I mean:

No self-respecting parade neglects to include horses, and to the credit of those who organized this parade these were not the only horses who made an appearance.


This was the first fire truck in the history of the Cut Bank fire department which began as, and continues to be, an all volunteer force.


Each year the city bestows on one of its residents the honor of "Citizen of the Year." The 2009 winner just happens to be our financial advisor Mike Bruch. Despite being a Cleveland Browns fan Mike is a great guy (his wife Linda, who is seated beside him in this picture, is a Steelers fan). And yes, our financial advisor lives in Montana.


The Cut Bank parade featured a number of mammoth pieces of farm equipment which, despite knowing nothing about farming, I found very cool. Of course nothing goes with heavy-duty, potential lethal farm equipment quite like Bud Light (look closely).

The fair portion of the celebration included, amongst other things, a tattoo artist (the airbrushed variety) and the kids decided to get tatted-up:


Their mother would be so proud!


Our Co-pilot flies the coop


It would be just like me to openly question just how much of a role my "co-pilot" has played on this trip ~ after all the hotels have all been pre-arranged, as have many of the other specifics ~ but without Christine who would have ensured that my glove compartment is still filled with napkins and pre-moistened hand wipes?

Despite having gobs of vacation time still available, Christine had to head home to go back to work for about ten days. So, this past Friday I drove her to the airport in Great Falls. She made it home safely, and after having worked for most of the day Saturday she took Sunday off. I received a text message from her a short while ago indicating that she is feeling a little neglected.

Fortunately for all of us Christine will rejoin the vacation for its final days ~ a celebration of her birthday in San Francisco.


Two Medicine Lake
Prior to Christine's departure we took a trip to "the park." At home when people speak of going to the park it typically features a swing set and slide. Here in Montana when one references "the park" it features Ponderosa Pine, numerous lakes, and some glacier ice. In Cut Bank "the park" is Glacier National Park.

Whenever we visit in the summer we never fail to take a trip to the park, and this time we visited the Two Medicine portion of this beautiful area. We had a picnic lunch, took a boat tour of Two Medicine Lake (a name which has native origins, as you might expect), and drank in the natural beauty and the preternatural quiet which I could have wrapped myself in for hours. Here are some pictures from that visit:








There is more to tell (e.g. the Puppies, baking, etc), but this post has gone on much longer than I had originally intended. I'll save the rest for an update later in the week.

As always, thanks for checking in!

Stage 4.5: Devils Tower

In my haste to provide an update I neglected to mention a spot that was one of our favorites ~ both despite and as a result of its simplicity. Located approximately 110 miles west of Rapid City is a geological formation (there are several theories and me, with my somewhat limited scientific background subscribe to the "volcanic plug" hypothesis) known as Devils Tower. It is an amazing sight, this huge piece of igneous rock looming over a beautiful landscape.

We took a walk on the "Tower Trail" which circumnavigates the Tower, and here is some of what we saw:







Unlike some of the National Parks I have been to in the past this one is decidedly low-key. There is a large rock (a place that is still considered spiritually significant to Native Americans ~ and is not called "Devils Tower" by them), a path that includes information stops that tell the story of the Tower.

However the natural beauty of the area is remarkable, and the quiet overwhelms everything ~ so much so that we found ourselves speaking in hushed tones for much of our visit, which lasted more than twice as long as I had originally expected.

If you enjoy being outdoors, and things natural, it is well worth a visit.

Stage Five: Billings, Montana

Depart: Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Rapid City, South Dakota

Arrive: Residence Inn by Marriott, Billings, Montana

Miles Traveled: 384.0

It may sound like the makings of a joke, but we spent two days in Billings, Montana.

It turns out we had a very good time, with our fun evenly divided between the historical and the athletic.

The historical part of the visit was a visit to the Little Bighorn National Monument, formerly known as Custer Battlefield. I am old enough to have been taught in school that George Custer was the "good guy" and the "Indians" were blood-thirsty savages. Fortunately the perspective found at the monument (i.e. in its multimedia presentations) is very more nuanced that. From a well done documentary film, a compelling oral history (presented by a park ranger), to the field of battle itself it is clear that "good guys" and "bad guys" depends on one's cultural perspective.

The visit was much more solemn than I had anticipated ~ to be at the spot of Custer's actual last stand . . . well, it was similar (though not exactly the same) to how I felt when I visited Pearl Harbor.

It is a beautiful area, here are some of the photographs I took:

White markers, indicative of a spot where a U.S. soldier was killed and originally buried, are widely scattered around Little Big Horn.


As part of the effort to transform the battlefield to a national monument the remains of U.S. soldiers found in the area were disinterred then reburied beneath this monument which stands atop Last Chance Hill ~ the place of Custer's last stand.


These markers are just below the monument. The dark marker was George Custer's; his remains were removed from the area early in the 20th century and reburied at West Point.


Sandstone markers indicate where the bodies of Native warriors were found. Historians believe fewer than 100 warriors were killed in the two day battle, and most were removed from the field by survivors and family.


The circular-shaped monument to Native warriors and people who died at Little Big Horn is below Last Chance Hill, with an opening that "connects" the two monuments.

The athletic part of our visit to Billings involved attending a Pioneer League baseball game featuring the Orem Owlz (no typo there) and the Billings Mustangs, a 10-inning game that Billings won 6-5. Without boring those of you who do not care about such things, I saw something in a baseball game that I had never seen before.

Pioneer League games use two umpires (unlike the four umpires that are used at in major league games). Around the sixth inning the home plate umpire was injured, and the remainder of the game was covered by one umpire! After decades of watching baseball it was the first time I had seen that.

Here are some pictures taken at the game:









It was a nice couple of days (that ended with a visit to a cemetery where Christine's great-grandparents are buried); and now we move on to Cut Bank, Montana for an extended stay with Christine's Mom and Dad.

Stage Four: Rapid City, South Dakota

Depart: Residence in by Marriott, Fort Collins, Colorado

Arrive: Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Rapid City, South Dakota

Miles Traveled: 355.2

The scenery may not been as breathtaking as driving through the Rockies, but there is a lot to be said for the nice, flat, four-lane (i.e. two in each direction) highways of the plains. Indeed the most noteworthy moment of the drive occurred while we stopped to pick up refreshments (no sense in courting trouble by not feeding Christine).

While traversing Wyoming (Dick Cheyney country) we stopped at a store off Route 25. We placed our items on the counter. Christine pulled out money to pay at which point the clerk, a man in his mid-thirties, turned to me and said "what, you're not paying?"

I told him simply that I was driving (the inference being that Christine should pay given all the work I was doing) to which he responded "I can't get used to all these new gender roles."

Women paying for diet coke and Twizzlers ~ what has happened to the America we all used to know?

In planning this part of the trip Christine and I decided to visit Mt. Rushmore before going to the hotel, thereby allowing us the opportunity to remain out of the car, and by the pool, for the majority of our one full day in Rapid City, and it was a plan that worked out very well for all concerned.

The visit to Mt. Rushmore was wonderful; though despite standing as close as we did to the the carved images they simply did not seem real. Despite having allowed the battery on my camera to die (a problem that I was able to rectify since I had the charger with me, and there was an electrical outlet near the men's room by the bookstore) I was able to capture some nice, if not creative, images. Here are a few:




We arrived in Rapid City without further controversy, and checked-in to the hotel which, as many of you have already heard, is attached to the largest indoor water park in the Dakotas. Christine theorized that it might be the only indoor water park in the Dakotas, but as we were heading out to dinner Monday evening (we went upscale ~ TGIF) we saw two other hotels that also featured indoor water parks; albeit embarrassingly small compared to "ours."

(One other item worth mentioning ~ the GPS stopped working shortly after our arrival at the hotel. It was the longest ninety minutes I have had in quite awhile, during which time thoughts of having the car shipped home and booking a flight from the Rapid City airport to John Wayne Airport received serious consideration, at least momentarily. Once it came back to life ~ we are assuming that the battery had run out ~ the sense of relief we all felt (with Christine and the kids relieved that a major meltdown on my part had been averted) was palpable).

Christine, Joseph, and I spent several hours in or near the water on Monday (actually Christine and Joseph spent the better part of seven hours there), while Erin ~ thanks to her Mother's heroics earlier in the trip, stayed in the room to text her friends, watch television, and read the novel "Willow." What fifteen year-old wouldn't want to do that especially when they could have the hotel suite to themselves?

Tuesday we hit the road again. This time we have a stop at Devils Tower (fans of the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" may find it familiar), and then on to Billings, Montana and a long overdue to visit to Little Bighorn.

Thank you for keeping tabs on us, and your comments are always appreciated!