““There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” Alan Cohen
I am resting and vacationing like a champion.
On Tuesday, we arrived in Great Falls, MT after five days crossing the country. My eldest son moved to Great Falls this past March for a new duty station at Malmstrom Air Force Base. When he told me in 2020 that he was moving to Montana, we immediately began planning this trip. We are nothing if not travel opportunists.
One thing to be noted about Montana is that the people we’ve encountered have been exceptionally friendly with accents mirroring their Canadian neighbors. We stopped at a gas pump to fill up our thirsty Silverado one afternoon and, after hearing me say that gas pumps never seem to give up a receipt for me, a spritely woman poked her head around the pump island and exclaimed, “Oh, don’t I know it? Every time I stop here, I have trouble with the receipts!”
We stayed at the Great Falls KOA located just off the highway on the edge of the plains. It was a lovely little spot complete with free pancake breakfasts, a nightly train ride for kids, a small waterpark, and even a petting zoo.
I had a few goals for the Great Falls leg of our trip: one was to see the Lewis & Clark Museum (which I now know is called an “interpretive center”) and the OTHER was to go to the Sip & Dip Lounge. For those people who aren’t familiar with the fine establishments of Great Falls, let me tell you that the Sip & Dip is a must-visit: 10 out of 10 stars for that one from me. The Sip & Dip is located on the second floor of a downtown motel in Great Falls and would be noteworthy if only for its tiki bar décor. (Who on earth would think of having a tiki bar in Montana?) The best part, however, of the Sip & Dip is the fact that MERMAIDS are swimming BEHIND THE BAR. Mermaids. Complete with seashells and fancy tails. As a matter of fact, you can purchase a USED MERMAID TAIL from their store for a Ben Franklin. I don’t know who on God’s green earth would WANT a used mermaid tail, but they are there for the taking. So, we went to the Sip & Dip and I got my picture taken with the mermaids behind me in their mermaid tank behind the bar. #Goals. It was worth every single second and every mile driven on this trip. I mean, seeing my son was awesome…but you heard me mention MERMAIDS, right?
I should probably note that the Clark & Lewie’s restaurant also situated in the motel was quite delicious. I would give it a Yelp rating of 5 out of 5. Yes, it is Clark & Lewie’s. I guess they didn’t want to overcapitalize on the explorers’ fame.
The next day, we woke without alarms for one of the first times on the trip since we were planning to stay put for two nights. We opted for the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center first thing in the morning, located just off the Missouri River. We learned a lot there, not the least of which is the correct pronunciation of Sacagawea (Sah-KAH-ga-way-ah). And apparently the boats they used to navigate the Missouri weighed about 3,000 pounds dry. In Great Falls, they had to do a portage across the plains because the Great Falls were not navigable. It took them WEEKS to do this, partly because the boats were so dang heavy and partly because the pesky prickly plants and hostile territory was hard on their bodies and moccasin-clad feet. I’m pretty sure I do not have the fortitude to be an explorer. I like roads. And food. And beds. And shoes with rubber soles.
By the time we finished at L&C, Josh was up and at ‘em and ready to meet us at the visitor’s gate at Malmstrom Air Force Base. He volunteered to sponsor us onto the base and, after a few background checks which thankfully came back clean, we were allowed onto base and made our way to the Air Force Museum located there. While there, we learned more about the mission of the base to support the ICBM missiles located in a variety of locations throughout Montana. I think Josh probably also learned a little bit more about his mission. It was an interesting morning. The docent there was an Air Force veteran and had a lot of information to share about aircraft and about ICBMs in general. The missile locations themselves reminded me a lot of Lost and the underground bunkers with the antiquated computer technology. I don’t know how those people sit there in front of all those buttons without pushing them. I guess if the entire fate of humans is at your fingertips, you take those buttons pretty seriously.
After filling our brains with knowledge, we headed to Josh’s favorite ramen spot in Montana. After his stint in Japan, he’s a pretty big fan of the noodle.
Later that night, our good friend Regina flew in to join our merry band of adventurers for the next leg of the trip. We were glad to have her and fixed up the back of the truck into a makeshift AirBnb for her (truly, with an air mattress and all!).
The next day, we packed up and headed to Glacier National Park where we stayed at the LOVELIEST KOA of the trip (and maybe the loveliest KOA in the whole dang country). The place was loaded up with flowers, an ice cream shop, a café, two luxurious dog parks complete with a list of petiquette rules, and a walking trail.
Since Going to the Sun Road tickets proved to be impossible to procure (editor’s note: I waited too long on the day they were released to get the tickets; they were all gone!), we opted to go at 6pm. It was a lovely, if harrowing at times, journey to a continental divide at the top of Logan’s pass.
Friday, we woke to a rainy day. It was a great opportunity to have some down time and rest in the company of our friends and family. We tried to access the Apgar Visitor Center but those pesky Going to the Sun Road tickets prevented any access to the park; so, we returned back to the camper and to a delicious chicken stir fry dinner prepared by The Husband.
This morning, we woke early for the eight-hour+ drive and bid adieu to Thing 1, who was heading back to Great Falls. I was so glad we were able to spend several days with him…and hopefully he was, too. At 21, he’s a grown man with his own apartment and his own life. As a parent, it’s still a super strange thing to know that this human I raised is just out there in the world making his own way. I’m glad he’s out there…and I’m glad to see him doing well.
Currently, we’re on the road behind three very slow campers on the way to Yellowstone National Park. I am glad The Husband doesn’t have a missile launcher on the Silverado because I have a feeling that these campers ahead of us would be annihilated. Stay tuned. We’ll either be in prison or watching Old Faithful erupt before too much longer.
Adventure Team out. (Photos to follow. Not much service in this part of the world.)
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