Rugged Montana

   

 

On our (very long) way to Glacier Park, we made some interesting stops and met some even more interesting characters. Montana has a unique vibe that is embedded in the DNA of the Montanas and reflect the beautiful ruggedness of its land. 

Our first night in Montana found us in Beavertail Hill State Park, in the middle of you guessed it, nowhere Montana. It was Cavs game night and we were dying to watch it. We learned that the only place in the vicinity that may have a TV was a bar called Rock Creek Lodge. First impressions from the parking lot were not good.

The place was empty and in a state of major disrepair. However, what really made us pause were the signs plastered all over the front of the building indicating that we were at the home of the world famous Testicle Festival. We were actually curious and the game was already in its third quarter, so we decided to go in. Inside, the place looked far worse. It was a mix of restaurant, bar, casino, game room, taxidermy museum, and homeless shelter – all in one.

We had been on the road all day and we were starving, but we were not sure if we should just stick with alcohol, which seemed the safer and most hygienic choice at the time. At the bar, we met Mike from Pittsburg. He was the bartender, cook, bouncer, and everything else that needed to be done. Mike was nice and chilled. In the couple of hours we spent at the Rock Creek Lodge I learned things that I am not sure I ever needed to know, while Herb enjoyed the house specialty, Rocky Mountain Oysters (aka. bull testicles), and Jesus (a transient living in a tent in the back of the restaurant) played the slot machines while wearing his tattered bathroom robe as his Jesus robe. The world famous Testy Festy has been a major event for almost 30 years, and it brings the finest of the roughest people in the state and beyond. It is a week-long debauchery in which women behave very badly and men are there to watch them behave very badly while eating tons of “oysters”. Mike invited me to check out the photo albums which preserve some of the finest moments of each years’ gathering, and I saw things that I never want to see again.

 The Testy Festy experience was thankfully counteracted by our dining experience the next night in a place called Ekstrom’s Stage Station, an old style multi-generation owned family business. The main building was a 150 year old cabin, which was moved log by log from its original location in Bearmouth, about 15 miles away from its current location. The cabin had some interesting historical nuggets, it had a great down to earth vibe (wholesome is a good adjective), lots of dead animals’ heads and skins everywhere (which I unsuccessfully tried to ignore), friendly patrons, but above all, the most incredible food and deserts we could have asked for.

 

Another memorable stop was Garnet Ghost Town, one of the best preserved ghost towns in the west. It was an old mining town that went bust in the early 1900’s. It was my first ghost town experience ever and Garnet did not disappoint. What I found most compelling was the severe austerity in which these people lived and worked, especially in the rough winter weather of Montana.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was inspired by what I saw in our drive through this state. Life in Montana seems to revolve around nature. The land is bountiful and inviting, not in a pretty way but in a rugged, “dare me” kind of way. And then, there was Glacier Park. If the Tetons were the closest thing to heaven I have ever seen, Glacier is heaven.

 

 

 

Its mountains, valleys, streams and waterfalls are like nothing else. I probably took over 1,000 pictures trying to capture their beauty and at the end I realized how futile it all was. The essence, the soul of Glacier is much deeper than a pretty sight. To get Glacier, I learned, one needs to sense it, feel it, and be one with it all. The melting glaciers (which due to global warming are expected to disappear in about 30 years) drip through the many mountains in the form of endless waterfalls, all carving their way through the rock on its way to the most verdant and vibrant valleys imaginable.

 

The rivers they form, carry the clearest and purest water I have ever seen on top of river beds made of rainbow color stones, forming a kaleidoscope of incredible beauty.

 

As the ice from the Ice Age retreated, it left behind not only seared mountains and deep valleys but also pristine lakes, with water so clear and pure that taught me how things once were before humans interfered with nature.

 

 

 

The disappearing glaciers will have a devastating impact on the entire eco system, which has already began to happen. It is unbearable to think about what Glacier is destined to endure. Especially for our furry friends.

 

 

And speaking of animals, one of the most amusing things I have experienced about Herb is his fear (he calls it “caution”) of bears. He carries with him his “man bag” filled with his survival tools. He won’t use a backpack because in case of bear sighting, he needs to be ready to “act”. Here is a picture of its contents: (please note the Disney Team on the bag, adorable!).




Fortunately or unfortunately, not sure which, the only bears we have encountered have been from the safety of our car.

The last highlight of Montana, was the fulfillment of one of my oldest “bucket list” wishes: white water rafting. And what a better place than the Flathead River, fed from thousands of Glacier streams. The entire experience was exhilarating. At some point, when we hit the deepest section of the river, our guide dared us to jump in the water and get a sense of what it feels like being in glacier waters. As much as I dislike cold water, I had to do it.  I am so glad I did it since no one else would. It was paralyzing cold but there was no way on this planet I would have passed in the opportunity. I am hooked now. I hope this was the first of many more.


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