We have been on the road for 23 days and we are finally rolling into civilization after weeks of wilderness. Mark is scheduled to take his test on September 25th in Helena, Montana. It was a serendipitous choice, we literally looked at the map and pointed: there. We were ready for a dose of community, a main street, sidewalks, shops, and maybe a good place to eat. A little culture. And yes, a respite from one another. It’s been surprising to me that we are managing to spend 24/7 together and we have only had a few spats, usually when one or another of us is cranky. Still, Mark and I like our alone time. At home, we can go into separate rooms or floors. Or I can go to a friend’s house (yes, I miss my girl times). Or go for a long solo walk. Here, we are doing everything together. We have always traveled well, there is much we are simpatico over. We both enjoy routines and we love to hike and read. We like to eat at regular intervals and seek out challenging experiences. Despite our commonalities, it would be good to have a breather. I also missed being able to patronize small businesses and I looked forward to seeking out cool local places and meeting and talking with proprietors and hearing their stories.
So, we were excited by the prospect of Helena. We had reserved the entire third floor of the Carolina Bed & Breakfast. We figured a B&B would be best so Mark could spread out and study, I could do laundry, we could each do our own thing. Colleen, the proprietor at the B&B was generous on the phone. She had one smaller room for one night but then offered the entire upstairs for our stay, at the cost of a single room. I reserved immediately.
The Carolina turned out to be a perfect place to stay. Helena is the State Capitol and many of the old homes hearken back to the late 1800’s when over 50 millionaires(gold in those hills!) lived in Helena, more per capita then any city in the world at the time. Colleen was the ideal host. A slim blonde woman with bundles of energy and a knack for interior design, she spoils her guests with delicious breakfasts and a gorgeous home. When I mentioned finding a laundromat, she offered to throw our dirty stuff in her machine. That’s going above and beyond. I’m always full of admiration for B&B owners, the constant work and level of hospitality that go into their daily business. Colleen was a warm and solicitous host, if you ever pass through Helena, Montana, stay at her establishment. You’ll be glad you did.
I spent my days writing on Colleen’s sun porch, where tea and cookies were replenished throughout the day. One day, I worked with Mark in the local library. I love checking out the local bookstores as well as the local libraries, you can get a real feel for the town and they are usually a clearinghouse for information. Mark and I would meet for lunch, then I would spend my afternoon walking and exploring.
The main street here is called Last Chance Gulch(a reference to the gold boom mining town), it functions as an outdoor walking mall and it seems to be in the process of revival: a brew pub, some galleries, a few coffee shops, some excellent period architecture. One afternoon, I decided to check out the Myrna Loy Theatre (the Hollywood actress was born here). It was an obviously beloved community center with two small movie screens. I had the theatre to myself as I watched PattiCake$, an independent film about a girl rapper from NJ (loved it!) In the evenings, we would explore some of the great local places recommended by Colleen. The Hawthorne Wine bar is a place I would love to see in my hometown. Dozens of excellent wines by the glass, a dark industrial interior with a long bar and plenty of intimate seating. It was jammed with people and we had a great time talking with the servers and manager.
One afternoon, we wandered into a wine shop we noticed on a previous walk, Martin’s Wines. It was a lovely small shop, made even lovelier by the proprietor, a dapper gentleman of the shop’s namesake. Martin has over 40 years experience in the restaurant/wine industry. He had a great story to tell. He was in a horrific motorcycle accident years ago and with the proceeds from the settlement ended up traveling the US. He traveled in military fatigues and when asked about his service he mysteriously would tell people he was in intelligence. I suppose that kept people guessing. Eventually, Martin ended up in Helena, where with an investment of $5000 he opened Martin’s Wines. It was Martin’s birthday and we had just caught him closing up shop to go to his own celebration next door. But not before Martin spent some time with us, recommending a terrific wine from Israel that was way off our radar. Interestingly, we trusted Martin, in that 15 minute conversation he had engendered a sense of shared community with us. That wine was fantastic. Thank’s Martin! It was a pleasure. That’s what LOCAL is all about.
Despite our positive experiences at the locally owned businesses, I found Helena to be an odd place, I couldn’t get a feel for it. There was a gorgeous cathedral, St.Helena, that sat on a ridge looming over the downtown and a few historical museums. There seemed to be a lack of vibrancy around the downtown, we never saw that many people walking the streets except when we frequented the bars or coffee shops. That may be because it is a government city, but I was still surprised at the lack of foot traffic. I enjoyed Helena, we had two fantastic meals, one at the Italian joint, Lucca’s, voted best restaurant in Montana. Another, at the Mediterranean Grill, an authentic eatery serving delicious middle eastern fare. Both locally owned and operated. I am realizing how spoiled we are in Holland with our plethora of committed local owners.
We decided to make a pit stop on the way to Idaho and stayed for an overnight at Jim and Mary’s RV Park. We got a kick put of this place, it’s not a stop we would ordinarily make. A multitude of flower gardens, and clean showers and restrooms were the high point. These things start to matter when when you are on the road for endless days.
And it was ten minutes from downtown Missoula, which we were anxious to explore. We immediately fell in love with this town. A college town, there was so much going on, good energy here. There seemed to be an old style fifties bar on every corner. We stopped at the local wine shop, Missoula Wine Merchants, and received some good tips from the manager Barb, who steered us to the best place in town for cocktails, Plonk. There we met Shannon, a transplant from Kalamazoo, who made some mean mezcal Negroni’s. She had come out here for school and never returned to the Midwest. The mountains called to her. We hear that a lot in our travels. Our friend at the wine bar also suggested Masala, an Indian place for dinner. I could rhapsodize on and on about the quality of the veggie korma, naan bread, tikka masala and the serrano coconut side. I was in culinary heaven.
After the glorious excesses of two smallish cities, I was ready to get lean and mean again. Bucolic pastures and meals by the campfire were calling. Now that the test was in the rear view, we had no agenda. Freedom! We knew we wanted to pursue the good weather and the North Cascades in Washington were beckoning. Deciding not to take the most direct route on Hwy 90, we looked at the map and decided on the long way, Rt 12 over the Lolo Pass to Lewiston Idaho. An adventurous drive on a reputedly stunning road, let’s go!