The Road to Bozeman: June 2014

Day 9

Our last day in Bozeman was one of the most laid back, which was nice. We headed out early to an old ghost town around an hour and half away from Tommy’s cabin. The town was really cool with a bunch of different people to talk to and sights to see. We spent most of our time there shopping around in the different stores and then checking out some of the different museums and displays that where in the town. After this, we continued on to a hot springs half an hour past the town only to find out that it was closed, which we were kind of happy about because the place looked really sketchy.

On our way back into Bozeman, we decided to again stop into some pawn and antique shops while we waited to meet up with the editor from Bozeman Magazine. After an hour or so, we met with editor to talk for a bit and get a group picture with the magazine. We got the picture and then headed into downtown Bozeman, where we walked up and down Main Street checking out some of the different local stores. It is always funny seeing people’s reactions when they hear we are from Pittsburgh. It is equally fun telling them about the trip and everything that went into it.

We left Bozeman at about 6:00 P.M. to get back in time for the reservation Tommy’s dad had made at a local steakhouse. As we got back to the house, there were about a thousand sheep parading right through Tommy’s yard. Mr. Bloom said that the sheep come through every once in a while, herded by a rancher and his sheep dogs. It was funny to see a bunch of kids from the city running down to see these sheep, like it was the most amazing thing in the world. The rancher probably though we were idiots. We had to tear ourselves away from the sheep, however, because it was time to head out to the steakhouse. There we enjoyed an amazing steak dinner, which we think took so long to prepare because they literally had to go out and kill the cow first, that’s how fresh it was. As we drove back up to Tommy’s house, the mountains were framed by the most beautiful sunset we have seen yet. It was the perfect way to end the trip. We got back to the house and packed up our stuff up, tomorrow we will leave at 5 A.M.

-Evan

Not all beauty in Montana is big mountains!

Historical Virginia City town

A small shed with train tracks and rolling hills behind it

A photoshoot of the gang in a wooden structure for Tom Henry Chevrolet

Dave trying his very hardest to be "tuff" like a cowboy

The Bozeman Magazine photoshoot

Reading the article

Evan acting mature while the rest of us are unable to

Day 8

We woke up today set on going hiking, so we went through the usual breakfast routine of Dave improvising something great to eat and then headed out on our way. The trail we had in mind was recommended to us by Mr. Bloom, and lay about 30 minutes outside of downtown Bozeman.

The head of the trail began at the shore of a large, mountain reservoir and then proceeded up the mountain. We followed the trail for about a mile and half before reaching the other end of the reservoir. Although some of us wanted to continue along the trail, we were losing daylight and most of the trail was covered with snow at this altitude. It was at this point that we decided to cross one of the snow melt streams feeding the reservoir so that we could easily walk along the opposite shore to get back to the car. This required some ingenuity, as there were no bridges crossing the stream. We hiked up along the mountain until we found a 20 foot log that had fallen across the stream, allowing us to cross. This led to a walk along the other side of the lake, which produced some incredible views of the alpine covered mountains.

After this, we stopped by the grocery store to get food and then Dave made us some of the best burgers we had ever tasted. We ate these while watching the Pacers beat the Heat in the NBA playoffs, which was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Jake about to take a dip

Dave and Evan take in the view during the hike

Day 7

Today, now that everyone was rested, everybody got up a little earlier than usual. It is hard to sleep in too long because of how bright it gets early in the morning and the fact that everybody is just excited to get the day started. It is funny how in school, we are all hard-pressed to get up in time for our 9 A.M. classes, but we will willingly get up at 6:30 on vacation. A lot of us would get up, drink coffee, and do our devotions, which would then transition into the cooking and eating of breakfast. After cleaning up after breakfast, we headed out to a small town near where we were staying called Belgrade and checked out the local thrift and pawns stores. It is amazing what crazy things you can find in these stores, it is a lot of fun going into each new store, because you never have any idea of what you might find inside. Some cool finds were a Moose hide, an authentic cowboy hat, and some great western style clothing. At one point Pete and Dave tried to buy a gun from one of the pawn shops, but (un)fortunately it was soon discovered that the vendors were not able to sell handguns to individuals from out of state.

After exploring in Belgrade, we returned to the Bloom’s cabin to help Mr. Bloom paint. With seven guys, we were able to rig up a pretty efficient system for painting the North, South, and East sides of the house. Steve was covering the top four logs on each side by ladder, while Tommy was spraying paint on the lower portions and I was covering up any missed spots left behind. At the same time, Dave, Pete, HB, and Jake were using paper and tape to prep the sides of the house that the painters weren’t currently working on. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time working outside with each other. We were able to finish the job just before a storm rolled through, which was perfectly timed for dinner. All the work tired us out, however, and after dinner we went to bed soon after.

Evan

Day 6

Today was our first day to relax, we awoke lazily at different times and took in the scenery around the cabin while we read our Bibles and wrote in journals while sitting on the deck. We all took the time before breakfast reflect and realize how blessed we were to be here after months of dreaming and planning. David and Tam made us some eggs and pancakes which were delicious and filling.

At 1:00pm Dave, Pete and HB took the extra SUV left here at the cabin and went to Bozeman International Airport to pick up our friend and host Tommy and his Father, Mr. Bloom. Tam, Evan and Jake took the Suburban to downtown Bozeman to upload our footage to Zippo, update the blog and do some homework for summer classes. When the airport pickup crew returned with the Blooms, we were dropped off at the raging muddy river on the other side of the mountain and attempted to fish! Even though it was unsuccessful, we enjoyed each other’s company, the mountains, and the ATV. We saw a storm rolling in over the mountains and rode back in two trips on the ATV back to the house. The storm never really hit us thankfully and so we decided to climb the rock formation in view of the cabin. What a deceivingly difficult hike! At the summit, we told great stories of adventures at school and eventually saw the other crew roll up the driveway in the suburban. We descended and met up with them and chatted with Mr. Bloom while he painted the exterior of the cabin.

For dinner we were planning on making a run to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for fajitas, but Mr. Bloom in his generosity took us all to downtown Bozeman to eat at McKenzie River Pizzeria. We devoured 4 enormous pizzas and walked the streets of Bozeman once we were full. Unfortunately, the shops were all closed because of Memorial Day. Back at the house, the crew finished the day tired and had a goodnight’s rest.

-Pete