150,000 and Counting

This Sunday, our Monte Carlo rolled over 150,000 miles. We got the Monte in the summer of 1998 and promptly took it on vacation to Red Lodge, Montana. Starting with that first trip to Montana, here's all the places our beloved Monte had been:

• Trip to Montana


• Trip to Minnestoa


• Trip to Canada


• Trip to Denver & LA


• Moved Back to Minnesota


• Two more trips to Montana (with one more side trip to Canada)


• One last trip to Montana with 3-month old Colter.


• And lastly, back to Bozeman.
  

Sure It's A Nice Sculpture, But Is It Art?

I saw this little guy on my way back into town on Monday, but haven't had a chance to post it til now. I'm really excited about seeing more wildlife than just dead racoons on the side of the highway like you see every two miles in Minneapolis.

Of course, anyone looking for more information on the song that's going through everyone's head that reads this can go here.

Sunrise This Morning

This is the view from my hotel window at 6:32 this morning. I wish I had had the camera last night so I could have gotten sunset. We had about four inches of snow starting about 5:30am (i know cuz i was on my way to work then) til 10:00 or so. Then the sun came out and we hit the mid-40's. There's something wonderful to be said about weather like that. Miss you, Jenny and give Colter a big hug from Daddy. 

Downtown Miles City

Here's a few pics from downtown. I've always loved the neons on the bars on Main Street. Took some pictures and sampled some wares afterwards. Had a few Bud Lights and a pizza and went to bed.

Coming from helping manage a liquor store, a few observations:

1. Montanans aren't too keen on Miller products. In every cooler, Bud Light outweighed Miller Lite at least 4:1 in shelf space. There was NO Miller Genuine Draft/Light.
2. Coors Light was a close second.
3. Tequila is not apparently as big here as in The Cities. Two bars didn't even have any behind the bar and one had a "generic" label gold tequila that wasn't even open.
4. The bars don't fill up until after 11:30 or so one server told me. One bar (Range Rider) wasn't even open Sunday or Monday because of how little traffic they get.
5. Very surprised at the amount of "Brokeback" jokes being told. Figured everyone out here might have had their fill by now. 'Course, this is Montana, not Wyoming.

Subs at 7am? Yes! And biscuits and gravy, too!

Can I just say that the Miles City, Montana Subway rocks! It opens at 7am for breakfast. Not a big deal for some folks, but for someone who can't stand eggs and thus has an impossible time getting breakfast, this was a godsend!

And yes, I'm serious about the biscuits and gravy.

The Historic Olive Hotel in Miles City, Montana

I decided to stay in the Historic Olive Hotel in downtown Miles City. Always wanted to do that and it was kinda cool in a kitchy way. Turns out I'm actually related to the new owners. They bought it from an Indian company that owns chains all over the States. The old company never put any money into it, so it was beginning to look a little raggedy around the edges. She told me how they just put in a new boiler and all the rooms would have individual heat. They're working on moving the bar back farther in the lounge so they can set up a new dancefloor in time for the Bucking Horse Sale in May. The dining room will be a big draw for the hotel and will be open next week. Dad and I are going to meet in Miles City in a couple of weeks, so we're gonna stay there for the night.

Here's some pics from the Historic Olive Hotel:

• The first pic shows the lovely decor.
• The second shows the gentle upslope at the end of the bed.
• The third and fourth are to be looked at together to see just how small the bathroom was. Note in one of the pics the edge of the toilet and how close to the shower it is along with the bathmat. In the other, you can see the towel on the floor. Snugglin' close.
  

Oh yeah...forgot my pillow there today, too.