This I Know!

After bidding my sisters farewell, the rest of our time in Colorado revolved around home activities of carving pumpkins for Halloween, doing last minute adjustments to costumes, and church functions.

Melissa is a youth leader for Creekside Bible Church and every year, to raise funds for the youth program, the young people organize a chili cook off.  The idea is the chili that garners the most votes (you vote with dollars, folks) wins.  They also have a pie contest but it isn't as cutthroat.  Everyone gathers at the farm of one of the parishioners to eat chili and pie and vote for the best of each.

Geoff entered his lemon meringue pie and for the first time, Melissa made a chili.  Twenty families donated chilli to the cause.   Every family felt their chili was the best, of course, so the stress on Melissa was intense.  While the adults were testing the food, the kids could take tractor rides, play ball, visited the hens and pigs or feast on what they could grab.  Elijah and Miles basically ate pie after deciding the chilis were too spicy.

I limited my chili tasting to those that were unusual.  Melissa's had two kinds of sausages so that was pretty epic but others featured chicken, elk, bison, venison and even fruit!  The chicken chili had been runner-up several years in a row and this year, they won.  Geoff's pie also won and he received a singing jack-o-lantern as a prize.  I'm not sure who was happier about that gift, Grampy or the kids.

The afternoon ended with a new event, pie-in-the-face of a youth leader.  The idea was the person who received the most money in donations would be 'pied' with whipping cream.  After heavy betting on who would undergo this (Melissa received the most donations), it was decided all the leaders would suffer the indignity of a pie in the face.

It was through Creekside Church worship team (of which Geoff is a member) that Glen and I were introduced to the music of David Crowder Band.  We had sung some of their songs and bought their award-winning Christmas CD.  Last year, Melissa told me Crowder (the band broke up in 2012) was doing a concert in Denver in April.  I bought tickets and gave them to Glen for Christmas.  How disappointed we were when that concert was canceled.  Their new concert date was October so we made plans to be in Denver when that happened.

First thing we learned was the concert was at the Paramount Theatre.  We had had lunch in the Paramount Café when we were in Denver last year (Meet me under the Bear).  The theatre was built as a movie house in 1930 to feature films from the studios of Paramount Pictures.  Other than some wonderful examples of Art Deco, the theatre is famous for having one of only two twin console Wurlitzer theatre organs (the other is at Radio City Music Hall in New York City).  When movie audiences declined, Paramount began booking other entertainment.  Being a small venue of only1870 seats, it attracts performers who prefer more intimate settings.

Our plans were to dine at Illegal Pete's, a controversial Mexican restaurant on the way to the theatre.  Not only do they serve delicious food, they also support local bands and entertainers by being a venue for their acts and feeding them.  We got free beer with our meal by showing our Crowder tickets.  The restaurant began in Boulder by Pete Turner who wanted to serve 'Mission-style' Mexican food, that is, burrito dishes found in the Mission district (see If You Are Going to San Francisco...) of San Francisco and Baja-style fish tacos.  Pete read a novel in which Illegal Pete's was the name of a bar and it appealed to him as his father was also named Pete and had been a bit of a rebel when he was younger.

What Illegal Pete's lacks in fancy decor, it makes up for in the freshness of its food.  Nothing is pre-made and ingredients are all-natural, antibiotic-free, and have no preservatives.  You line up to order then watch as they create your meal.  Geoff treated us to supper which was great because the process was a bit confusing for first-timers.  Glen had a steak burrito and I had chicken quesadillas which we washed down with Fat Tire beer.

Downtown parking was free with our Crowder tickets and I recognized the parking garage so we knew where to go once we left the building.  Our tickets were general admission so when Melissa and Geoff saw people they knew, we guarded their seats.  Geoff's friend Brady and his wife joined us as the opening band began.

Capital Kings were a rocking duo whose drum sounds reverberated in my chest.  It certainly got the blood pumping!  As I expected from worship at Creekside, everyone stood to dance and sing along.  All Sons and Daughters, the next group, had a folksy sound.  My knee was protesting so I sat down for most of their set.

You cannot sit down during a Crowder concert and when he and his band came on stage, the whole audience was ready to rock.  And we sang our hearts out (the title of this blog is a Crowder song).  Most knew the songs but for those who didn't, there were several monitors telling us the words.  The theatre swelled with the sound of music and it was good.  During the final piece, the band members quietly departed until only Crowder remained.  When he left, the audience continued singing.  It was an amazing ending to a wonderful evening.

The next day while I packed our bags, Glen enjoyed the sunshine by playing a game of football with the boys.  Saying goodbye was hard on both us and the grandkids.  I think Elijah wanted his hug to last forever as did I.

Oh Yes Wyoming!

For some reason, I left my travel maps at home (probably packed in a box yet unopened) but Glen wasn't worry as he had his 'phone'.  As we ate breakfast in Helena, he told me the route we must follow to Billings.  We easily found the exit but it didn't look like the one I remembered from our first trip.  Turns out it wasn't.  Although not an Interstate, it was a nice road and cut across the state so perhaps shaved some time off our trip.  However, it lacked rest stops and was rather lonely.  When I saw our chance to return to the Interstate system, I took it.  We hit our first rest stop not far from Bozeman.

In 1863, John Bozeman established the Bozeman Trail which connected the gold fields of Montana to the Oregon Trail.  Today, Interstate 90 follows the same route from Bozeman, through Billings to Sheridan, Wyoming.  The rest stop (see photo) we stopped at had a plaque to Park City which was a village settled by those using the trail.  The town later died when the railroad was routed through another town.

Billings was much as I remember it and we stopped for gas near where we had spent the night on our first road trip to Denver.  Founded in 1882, it was named after the president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.  It became a trading and distribution centre for Montana, Wyoming, and South and North Dakota.  Oil fields east of the town were the largest discovery in US history and continue to fuel the economic growth of the region.

We missed the next rest stop so turned off the highway to stop at a local information centre in Buffalo, Wyoming.  The info centre may have been next to or in a saloon.  The sign was ambiguous so we retraced our steps.  There was no exit back onto the I-90 so we had to back country roads to finally reach the highway.  Next stop was Kaycee, where we'd stopped on our first trip to Denver.

As we drove the highway, we saw hundreds of Pronghorn Antelope.  What amazing creatures!  Although not really an antelope, they closely resemble those in Africa so are called that.  They are the fastest land mammal in North American and it is said, can outrun any living predator on the plains today, except man.  Originally hunted to almost extinction, a refuge was set up in Nebraska in 1936 that has led to population recovery.  However, because they migrate, hunting in other states does affect their numbers.  They are related to the giraffe family and eat everything from shrubs to cacti.

Another thought I pondered as we crossed the wild landscape of the state was where it got its name.  Apparently, there was an American Revolution battle fought in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania in 1778 and 300 revolutionaries died.  Joseph Brant supposedly led the attack but this has since been proved incorrect.  However, a Scottish poet, Thomas Campbell, wrote a poem about it in 1809 (Gertrude of Wyoming) and the popularity of this led to the state being named Wyoming.  It is actually an Algonquian Indian name meaning 'at the smaller river hills' or 'at the big river flat' depending on the translation.

Wyoming has a history of equality; it being the first state to grant women the vote.  In 1925, they even elected the first woman state governor in all the US (Texas was second).  The official state motto is 'Equal Rights' and It was admitted into the union in 1890 as the 44th state.

We arrived in Casper, Wyoming later than expected so the sun was setting as we pulled into the Best Western motel.  When we checked out the dining room, it was like a morgue so we opted to enjoy the warmth of the Spirits Lounge.   The downside was you had to go into the restaurant if you wanted a salad so we opted to forego that side dish.  Our burgers were delicious and so was the Lewis and Clarke Ale we drank.

Casper sits on the North Platte river on the site of Fort Caspar.  The original trading post (founded in 1859) on the Oregon Trail, was later named for an army officer killed in the 1865 Battle of the Platte River Station.  A typo when the town was registered caused its name to be spelled Casper.

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, we bought sandwiches for lunch but once we hit the Colorado border, the rest stops dried up.  We ended up eating lunch at Geoff's.  He and his friend, Brady, unloaded the truck and Glen returned it.  Our trucking adventure had ended.

An interesting note to this piece is that the blog I wrote about Wyoming in 2010, Day Ten -- Back to Wyoming, is one of my most popular.  It garners a couple of hits a month.  I guess Wyoming's wilds still fascinate those interested in this incredible state.

And the title of this blog?  Oh Yes Wyoming is a song that our grandkids love.  You can watch the video here.  Be forewarned the song is catchy!

Helena, Herc, Helena

Who remembers the old Hercules cartoon show where Newton, a young centaur, constantly tells Hercules that he sees Herc's girlfriend, Helena?  If you're my age, you probably saw the original version (128 episodes) in the 60s but my children watched it in reruns while growing up.

Why mention this obscure TV history?  Well, we drove to Helena, Montana on October 15th and whenever we refer to this lovely town, we call it 'Helena, Herc, Helena' in honour of the cartoon show.

Our reason for travelling south was the final phase of a downsizing operation.  We had a load of furniture and boxes to take down to our son, Geoff, in Denver.  Some of which he wanted; others he didn't know he wanted.  The most exciting item for his kids was a photo of him with a gold earring.

We spent most of the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend loading up a 14 foot U-Haul truck.  We had hoped to pick it up at a depot in the northwest of Calgary but ended up at a video store in the northeast.  Meg and Mike drove us there but since the store didn't open until noon, we found a local pub and had lunch.  The Black Lion turned out to serve great food and cheap beer.  Meg had spaghetti which she raved about, Glen and Mike had fish and chips, while I had french onion soup and quesadillas (both excellent).  The Black Lion lager was disappointing and I'd not order it again despite the price.

Entertainment Plus sold (and rented) everything from U-Haul trucks to movie DVDs.  They had a wide range of iPhone accessories as well as an interesting hookah pipe display.  We got the keys to the truck and our adventure began when we headed south to Helena.

Our first stop was the visitor centre in Cardston.  The tiny town was first settled in 1887 by a group of Mormons from Utah and named for the first settler, Charles Ora Card.  His house is part of the visitor centre complex although it was closed for the season.  However, the large modern museum at the rear of the railway station was open and had we had more time, it would have been nice to learn more about the area.

We took the scenic route though Lethbridge and are still awed by its famous bridge.  The town began as a whiskey trading post called Fort Hamilton but most referred to it as Fort Whoop-up.  When the drift mines (mining coal seams horizontally) opened, in 1874, a town grew and was named after the president of a mining company, William Lethbridge.  It became a rail hub when Canadian Pacific Railway created its southern Alberta depot there in 1905.  Built in 1909, the High Level Bridge is the longest and highest trestle bridge in North America.

Our next stop was lunch.  We pulled off at a rest area and learned about the Devil's Brigade or the First Special Service Force which fought in World War II.  They were formed in 1942 when a group of 700 Canadian soldiers joined ranks with 1100 US soldiers at a base near Helena, Montana.  In 2013, the unit received the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.

We crossed the border at Sweetgrass, Montana.  I had called the US Customs there and spoke to Officer Davis concerning any paperwork we might need to cross with the truck.  After some hesitation, he said no.  Of course, we learned that Officer Hastings was a little bit more hard-nosed.  He told us we had to have proof Geoff would receive the goods and that he indeed had a green card.  This meant calling Geoff who then emailed Officer Hastings a copy of his green card.  It took some time and we did feel like 'criminals' as we waited for the go-ahead from Office Hastings.

Some of you may remember the last time we did a road trip to Denver (July 2010).  We spent 10 hours driving from Calgary to Billings.  With the truck, we knew this would be an impossible drive so opted to break the trip into 3 days.  So after leaving Sweetgrass, we headed south to Helena.  The trip was uneventful until a storm broiled over the prairies and threatened to blow the truck off the highway.  I was thankful Glen had some experience driving trucks in nasty weather but we had to slow down to be safe.  We rolled into Helena at 5:00pm and discovered our Holiday Inn was next to a restaurant called Buffalo Wild Wings.  Just what we needed -- wings and beer!

Buffalo Wild Wings began in 1982 when founder, James Disbrow, a native of Buffalo, NY, visited Ohio and couldn't find a restaurant serving buffalo wings.  There are now 1000 restaurants across North America.  The one in Helena was very busy with families and sports fans.  We enjoyed a couple of pints of Lewis & Clarke Amber Ale and taste-tested their hot BBQ sauce.  We ordered a small portion to share but what arrived at our table were the biggest wings we'd ever encountered.  They were delicious!  I then had a chicken and Parmesan flatbread while Glen 'built' his own burger.  The prices were cheap and the portions large so we waddled over to our hotel and collapsed into bed.