10/10/2015
My two rest days were filled with sleeping, eating, and a great event. It all started when we left the City Center Motel. We were booked in the Wingate about five miles west. Of course we knew check in was still several hours away. My stomach rumbled and demanded we eat something in the meantime. The prior night I had remarked to Crystal about the India Grill and Curry House across from the hotel. The scent of spices and curry had made its way into my nostrils. The time was still very early but Crystal was feeling adventurous. Thanks to Sanjay Patel, we would devour palaak paneer and aloo gobi for breakfast.
The cuisine was made with little oil and the spices were not overpowering. This was good for the first meal of the day. All the dishes had been freshly made and I was sure I consumed a bounty of nutrients. Despite eating a tray of food, I felt light enough to run a few miles to get to our next hotel. On the way, I stopped into various sporting goods stores. The search for new shoes had begun again. I wrestled with myself about the items that would go on my feet. Did I want durability or comfort? Whatever I chose, the most important factor was affordability. Crystal and I had been carefully counting pennies in order to ensure we had enough money to last through our final stage. I was torn and ended up purchasing nothing. I figured I could try and squeeze some life out of the colossal pile of shoes that resided beneath the trailer.
The Wyndham group had hotels for all kinds of travelers. Their Wingate brand was good for both families and the business traveler. Large water slides and a fitness room sat on the first floor. We had plenty of parking for our trailer and the bed was amazing. I fell to sleep the moment I stepped into the room and I only woke up so that Crystal could get some food from one of the restaurants that had given us a lot of support on the road. We both had our usual meal; Crystal the burrito and me the sofritas bowl.
After a long, deep slumber, Crystal nudged me out of bed for breakfast. We had an event in the evening so it felt like we had a second day of rest. I could hardly believe my good fortune. On our final rest day we backtracked about a mile to reach the C’mon Inn. The place was large. It had five hot tubs, a game room and lots of great frontier adornments. After we checked in I rested in a motionless state until 5:00. I woke up and prepared to meet some local families and their kids.
When we reached the Jefferson School, we found that our hosts had prepared food and snacks. We were very grateful. I spoke to a group varying in age. I hoped I was able to make the talk interesting for all the people that attended. I noticed that I had to shift my focus from the kids to the parents and back to the kids. In the end I had a little something for everyone. I was glad to be able to get back to the real purpose of this run.
Crystal and I were sad to see our mini-vacation come to an end. She even had me start the day by leaving her behind to squeeze out the last few moments of comfort. I stuck to the frontage roads and a little bit of freeway. My body felt brand new. All the sleep must have helped all my aches and pains recover. I was excited to be back on the road again. I knew that we were just days away from entering a new state.
The trailer eventually drove past me and I caught up to it in the parking lot of the Frenchtown High School. We had our lunch in their parking lot since the school was not in session. I knew this because one of the families from the previous night had two kids that attended the school. While we ate our sandwiches, Crystal called the only place of lodging in Alberton. She convinced them to put us up for the night and that was a signal for me to begin running faster.
Along my route I got to see all the autumn colored leaves and plenty of nice homes. Towards the end of my day I had to jump on the freeway to complete a few miles. At that time I really had to hustle. There were two long bridges that provided me with hardly any shoulder to speak of. I stopped and timed my dashes across the structures. I watched the traffic and made note of semi-trucks in the distance. When I caught an opening I darted over the like Usain Bolt. It was scary but also exhilarating. Some might have even called it stupid. But I survived. I trotted into the town and discovered our resort on the river. The room had a fishing theme. The property also had an RV park, a restaurant, and a casino. It seemed like everywhere I looked in Montana there were casinos. The room and the river were the perfect place for me to settle my nerves.
Leave a reply