Missoula Montana Trip

June15

I’ve never seen any of the USA above Denver (besides Seattle) so while I was homeless the last few weeks I drove up to Missoula Montana and went through Grand Teton national park and Yellowstone on the way up, and highway all the way down through Wyoming. It was a a great road trip with some awesome landscapes that change quite a bit over the drive. It is always nice to know how quickly you can drive to Canada and Mexico if the need presents itself.

Yellowstone was an odd place with water bubbling up and just looked like what you would imagine biblical drawings of hell to look like, plus it smelled of sulfur. I read a Bill Bryson book a few months ago and he had a great story about some of the employees tat Yellowstone, it seems that some of the hot ponds are about as warm as a hot tub and even though it is not allowed some employees go to them at night, one night they jumped into the wrong one after drinking and it was way way too hot and boiled them alive. Crazy.

I really liked Missoula, it reminds me of Fayetteville in a lot of ways. They even have bumper stickers that say “Keep Missoula Weird” which is the slogan Fayetteville uses as well (I think we all stole it from Austin Texas). They had awesome running trails and since I was not at high altitude I had some really nice long runs. The third day I headed out on their trails and had gone about 4 miles out when this giant giant wind started going through the trees, at first it was pretty but then it didn’t stop and kept getting louder and louder, I actually had to jump off the trail behind a sturdy tree as branches started flying off the trees and a few trees actually fell over! I thought I was about to get sucked up into a vortex of wind, some type of flash tornado or something when it finally settled down only to start raining cold splats of water, I took off sprinting back to town but still ended up getting soaked and luckily there wasn’t any lightening or I would have gotten very cold cowering in a ditch covered in icy water. Bad planning on my part but a fun adventure, and at least I didn’t get chased/eaten by a bear.

I don’t think there are daytime speed limits on highways in Montana is another reason to visit.

If you are in Missoula I highly recommend the running trails (even if you walk them), Indulge Bakery as it was delicious and I learned what huckle berries are their constant struggle to collect them while fighting against the bear army, and Kettle House Brewery as I actually liked their Cold Smoke Scotch Ale.

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This is bwb’s personal blog, so he can share his thoughts with the world, however scary or silly they might be. Plus family and friends can track what I am up to, and where I am in the world.

I am pretty simple. I love Mangos. I love the ocean (although mostly at sunset, as I’m a ginger). I love to travel, eat exotic food, do long bike rides, read, and use my imagination. At some point, I decided it was better to be a pirate captain than an admiral. I am a globalist and see the entire world as my responsibility and playground. And I am married to an amazing woman who makes life even more fun :)! And we are now the proud parents of Calico Jack :).


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