9:00 pm.
Billings, Montana.
We’re tired and we’re hungry. We’re as hungry as the Montana sky is big. And that’s hungry.
There’s only one thing to do: find a pork chop sandwich.
As everyone knows, the best place to find a pork chop sandwich is the beautiful state of Montana. Of course, probably the only place to find a pork chop sandwich is Montana, but that’s beside the point.
We’re staying in the world’s tallest free-standing brick building — 23 stories (to a bricklayer, it’s actually 2300 stories). Kathy, the hotel’s shuttle bus driver, feels our pain.
“Come on with me”, Kathy said. “I’m going to pick up some people near the Rock Pile restaurant and you can get some sandwiches there.”
We desperately wanted to call room service, lounge on our beds and drop bon bons into our mouths. But we couldn’t resist the twofer: we could sample a Montana treat and have a conversation with a local at the same time. We left the kids comfortably ensconced in the hotel room (without bon bons) and climbed into the hotel van.
Kathy was a delightful and energetic retired schoolteacher who had lived her life in the Billings area. She loves the quiet of Billings, and the nearby mountains for exploring, hunting and fishing. She told us about growing up on a nearby farm, learning to drive at age 12 so she could help around the farm. She explained that many of the local farm kids begin to drive at age 14 and can legally obtain their driver’s license at 15, so they can drive into town for a pork chop sandwich whenever they want. Our teen was highly annoyed with this information (the driving part, not the sandwich part).
Kathy told us about the weather in Billings. It gets cold, of course, but it’s a DRY cold, so it’s much more tolerable (of course). That means that Billings doesn’t get as much snow as, say, parts of New York. She said that school is rarely closed because of weather, but this past winter was an exception. Apparently, one cold winter’s day a blustery wind blew through town, and it lowered the temperatures enough to cause trouble with the diesel-powered school buses. So they were forced to close school for the day. With the wind chill, it was 15 degrees below zero.
The pork chop sandwich, served with sweet potato fries, was surprisingly tasty, and very warm. And just for the record, our schools were closed for ten snow days last winter. Ten.
* * * * *
Just outside of Billings is a small national park celebrating the travels of Lewis and Clark. On their return to St. Louis, the two explorers split up, and Clark followed the Yellowstone River through modern-day Montana. In this park, a rock formation holds some of the only evidence of the extensive journey. Clark carved his initials and date on the rock, and recorded the moment in his journal. He gave the rock formation the same nickname he gave Sacajawea’s baby boy — Pompey. By a happy coincidence, we visited Pompey’s Pillar exactly 204 years to the day that Clark visited.
W Clark July 25, 1806
It’s hard to read, but it must’ve been even harder to carve.
The anniversary was celebrated at the park by demonstrations of life during the explorers’ time, which brought their journey to life for us. We marveled at the brilliance, bravery, and perseverance of these early explorers. Learning from the Native Americans they encountered, these Mountain Men seemed able to overcome any obstacle in their path. They would’ve been great at a rodeo. And let’s not overlook their guide, Sacajawea, who made the trek while toting her toddler.
At one point during their journey near here, a couple of Clark’s men left the group to bring their horses downstream. The horses were stolen during the night, leaving the men abandoned and far from Clark. No problem; they simply killed a couple of buffalo and used the hides to make small rafts they had seen Native Americans make in other parts of the West. They successfully floated down the river to rejoin Clark.
Notice the “buffalo raft” behind the young explorer
We also stopped at the sad landmark of Little Big Horn, where Custer made his famous last stand. Custer, with 200 soldiers, faced 2,000 Native Americans. He is claimed to have said, “The Seventh can handle anything it meets”, but the odds were terribly against them that day and all the soldiers were killed. We were moved at the sight of the crosses for all those who died. And we were surprised to learn that it was only 20 years ago that a memorial was erected to the Native Americans who lost their lives at the battle. We thought about the battles being fought today, and the tragic, indelible mark war has made on our nation’s history.
* * * * *
Montana is Big Sky Country, and it’s clear that they do it with mirrors. The sky seems endless and almost unnatural. Photos don’t do it justice – unless you have a Big Wide Lens, which we don’t. We traveled over a gravel road (route 30 – don’t recommend it) and along highways 212, 310, 39, I-90, and I-94, gazing admirably at the sky all the while (except Bill, who kept his eyes on the road). Absolutely beautiful. Makes you want to reach out and kiss the sky.
* * * * *
Imagine our happy surprise when we entered the Little Big Horn Visitor Center and saw some friends from back home!! They were taking a big road trip of their own – pulling their trailer through many of the Western states that we were visiting. And better yet, they made some of the same strange stops we did! We love this road warrior family. Maybe they can join us for some future trips this year. Not sure if they like pork chop sandwiches.
5. Montana
The Big Sky