9/12/2015
The two beagles played with me and Crystal as we loaded the trailer. We said our good-byes to Jane and Richard before heading for the border of North Dakota and Montana. First we donated a set of books to the local school on behalf of Capstone publishing. We gave the little school a two books for every grade. The principal gave me plenty of encouragement. It was a shame we didn’t have the time to hold an event for the kids.
I started to kick up dirt around 11:00 am. The view changed yet again and the sky expanded. The open range stretched as far as the eye could see. The Montana frontier was just a couple miles away. After snapping our customary photograph at the state sign, Crystal powered forward and left me to complete a dozen miles. She had her own mission for the day. She headed to Wibeaux to speak to a campground in person. A couple days earlier the reception had cut out while she was in the middle of asking for a donation.
My brisk pace took me to Wibeaux in a short time. I had no assistance from my gps due to the same lack of signal that Crystal experienced. I couldn’t believe a text message had found its way to my phone. It told me to meet Crystal at the Beaver Valley Haven Resort. I settled into our space then we decided to gain some ground so that we could enjoy the amenities of our upcoming stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Glendive MT.
The cooling air put my body into hibernation mode. I was knocked out for the entire night but found myself awake at an early hour. After a spicy breakfast burrito tickled my tongue, I took to the route. We drove to where I left off. I had twelve miles of back roads available before I had to switch to running along the freeway. Surprisingly once I stepped onto the interstate, I was confronted by very little traffic. Even though the traffic was sparse, my feet were motivated to move quickly. I watched the mile markers pass my side at a rapid rate. My heart raced with excitement.
I arrived at the Holiday Inn well before check in. Crystal had just woken from her midday nap and her stomach was talking to me. I agreed that food was a good idea. We went into the town in search of a meal donation. We found much more than sustenance. At Monte Carlo Pizza we met a great couple that ran and owned the restaurant. Didar and Ronni were so pleasant and friendly. Their pizza was full of flavor and it filled our tummies. We spoke for a while and discovered they had decided to move to this small town after all their kids had completed college. This was something for them to occupy their time. It was clear that they enjoyed their business and it seemed the staff enjoyed working at the restaurant. They even asked us to return for dinner.
Upon checking in to the hotel, we were presented with a couple of passes to a concert at the local theater. They were for a band called Black Knights Rising. It consisted of former members of Black Sabbath, and Dio. What a treat. Crystal and I had plenty of time to lounge around and relax before seeing the show.
After getting cleaned up and catching up on computer work, my appetite kicked in once again. Crystal and I debated whether or not to take up Didar and Ronni on their offer for dinner. On the one hand we enjoyed their company but on the other hand we didn’t want to take advantage of their generosity. We both agreed to go back but pay for our dinner. After ordering, they didn’t allow us to pay.
I devoured my Veggie wrap. It had a tangy sauce, and a tasty feta cheese, mixed with tomatoes, mushrooms, and lettuce. I chomped on fries to add some carbohydrate energy to my body. Crystal ordered some wonderful spicy samosas. She only ate one then vanished to ready herself for the show. I was the beneficiary of the rush and I enjoyed her remaining samosa with my meal.
The theater where the band played was less than a block away so we ran from the Monte Carlo to the Retro Theater. The atmosphere was clean and I found it easy to breath. The band rocked. The musicians gripped me with their instrumental solos and vocal power. After the show we chatted with them for a bit then. Crystal managed to inform them of our journey so we swapped facebook info and talked about catching a show on the west coast. As for me, I was pretty beat. I wasn’t accustomed to that much excitement and I needed sleep. I was lucky our room was fresh, the bed was huge, and the pillows soft. Ahhh the Holiday Inn Express.
Leave a reply