Road Trip

We are now settled in Victoria so I can sit down and write about our road trip. It has been years, sixteen to be exact, since we have done a trip that required more than two days driving. In total, we put 4500 kms on the Ion travelling from Calgary to Denver to Victoria. We saw some great scenery and came to appreciated the beauty of the western states.

Day One: God's Country

Many years ago when I worked at Agriculture Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, the scientist who headed the sheep nutrition program, told me that Montana was God's Country. I had never heard the expression before and have since felt it could apply to any of the many places I've visited. We had been to Montana about 20 years ago, seeing the rolling mountains of the Bitterroot Range but it didn't strike me as a place someone would swear was God's Country.

On June 26th at 6:30 am, we headed south from Calgary via Lethbridge to enter Montana at Coutts. We had seen two pronghorn antelope very close to the highway on our drive through Alberta which I thought bode well for our trip. We only waited about ten minutes at the border as US customs agents examined vehicles. I was asked what I did for a living which floored me since I can't say I do anything. I muttered something about being a writer and a housewife which satisfied the man. Before leaving, we had emptied our fridge so had a cooler full of beer but even though they asked Glen to pop the trunk, they didn't actually look inside.

It was a gorgeous day for a drive but the temperatures rose as we travelled south. We hoped to make Billings by evening which would mean 12 hours on the road. Our first stop was a rest stop on the Whoop Up trail and were warned to stay on the path because of rattlesnakes. I reminded Glen this area was featured in the book, The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe. We soon learned that rest stops on the Interstates were about an hour apart so convenient for taking time to stretch legs and empty bladders.

The rolling prairie that Montana shares with Alberta changed as soon as the Missouri River sliced the landscape near Great Falls. Here we entered fantastic canyons cut in red rock and weathered into wonderful shapes. Dotting the river were fishermen in unusual, dory-like boats and lush vegetation surrounded us. God's Country, for sure, as we passed through the state capital of Helena and onto to Butte. Here we left Interstate 15 and headed east on I-90. Glen had declared my original route that cut across the state would mean he'd have to leave the double-lane interstate which made driving enjoyable. It probably would have meant the same number of hours on the road so I agreed.

We left the Missouri Valley behind and crossed the state through prairie rangeland. Not as populated as Alberta, Montana does seem rather more desolate than Canadian prairie. Its population of about a million people is concentrated mostly in its towns.

We reached Billings at 6:30 pm and like Mary and Jesus, found there was no room at the inn of our choice. Fortunately, the Sleep Inn next door had a room to our liking with a buffet breakfast included. It was not cheap but we were tired and ready for supper. The young desk clerk recommended a local Irish/sports pub for supper and she did not steer us wrong.

After settling in, we walked the two blocks to the pub housed in what looked like an office building. The Fiddler's Green had a great atmosphere, cold beer, and terrific food. What more could you ask after a long day's drive? Glen and I ordered pizza, he a pepperoni and me a vegetarian. We exchanged a couple of pieces to have a balanced meal and washed it down with a pitcher of Fat Tire beer.