Days 10 and 11

Saturday June 26

We woke early this morning and had the continental breakfast at the motel. The Super 8 in Jackson really pulled out all the stops. They had cold cereal (three different choices!) and bread to toast! Wow. Between the delicious breakfast, the air conditioner that didn’t work, the pressureless shower, the sink that barely drained, and the front desk that never answered the phone, this motel rocks! And it cost only three times the price of a normal Super 8! I shouldn’t complain. It did offer a needed respite from our camping grind and the girls and I carry our fun with us. We don’t need a stinking motel to supply it.

After leaving the motel, we drove to Jenny Lake. Jenny Lake is basically the crown jewel of Grand Teton national park. The lake is gorgeous and sits in the foreground of a canvas backed by the Tetons. We took the shuttle boat across the lake and did the hike up to Inspiration Point and the Hidden Falls. While it was very nice, I don’t think it lived up to its hype. We were there early (about 8:45) and so missed the brunt of the crowds. Even so, when the shuttle left us off, we were stuck with a small mob of fellow hikers. The kids like having company though. It softens their concern about the bears.

After the hike we hit the road again for what turned out to be a long draining drive up to Missoula, Montana. The drive was very scenic though. We crossed into Idaho early in the trip and then into Montana (driving through the Madison Valley). It’s amazing. The entire trip was like being in a national park. That’s how scenic it was. We spent most of the day on smaller roads. That was fun. They were generally twisty and hilly and passed through small towns, allowing us to get a tiny glimpse into other people’s lives. We stopped in Victor, Idaho to have lunch in a gourmet deli (no joke) and got huckleberry milkshakes a block down at The Emporium.

We’re attempting to travel by a certain code: avoiding major freeways if possible; actually talking to the people we meet; eating at local, non chain restaurants; camping or staying at local, non chain places; etc. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

In keeping with our travel philosophy, I want to try to stop at local roadside stands to buy things like fruit, etc. So during our drive in Idaho, I stopped to buy some strawberries. I guess if I had half a brain, I would have realized that there probably wouldn’t be any locally grown Idaho strawberries available in late June (heck, it just stopped snowing out here last week). Anyway, I got to the stand and found out that they were from California but were being sold to raise money to send some girl to a cheerleading camp. I bought them anyway and the girls and I ate them in 15 minutes while driving. It was fun. We threw the stems (is that what they’re called?) out the windows as we drove. (A question for the ethicist: is that littering? I don’t think so, since it’s organic.) We were driving so fast that the blowback from the window threatened to blow them back into the van.

Driving on those small roads was so fun. We had the windows and the sunroof open and the noise from the wind was deafening. Of course under these conditions you need to have some tunes blasting as well. The girls chose, come on, you can guess it, Glee! My favorite moment was when Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” came on and the kids and I let loose with a sing along. The roar of the wind was fierce but so was our singing. Thusly we passed through Teton, Madison, and Freemont counties.

We did, of course, do more than listen to Glee. We also listened to, come on, you can guess it, Harry Potter! We finally pulled into Missoula around 7:30, having put in about 400 miles for the day and having passed the 2,000 mile mark for the trip. We stayed at Ruby’s motel, a locally owned, non-chain. The motel, at least from the outside, looks like a throwback to the 1960s. It’s bordering on shabby but with some nice touches. The nicest touch is that it is located right next to a rushing stream (which is right outside our window). We ate dinner in our room (leftovers from our deli lunch) and watched, come on, you can guess it, the Disney Channel, which was again playing, come on, you can guess it, “Sixteen Wishes,” starring Debby Ryan from “The Suite Life on Deck.” How Tolstoy could have written this tale of a girl in 2010 California whose past birthday wishes all come true on her sixteenth birthday is beyond me. The man was a genius though. It is such a complex tale that a second viewing exponentially increased my understanding of the tragic pathos at play here. Bravo for the Disney channel. Bravo for Mr. Tolstoy.

Sunday June 27

We woke up today to a beautiful morning in Missoula. Today was a day to restore our energy and to take care of some housekeeping type items. It was not (despite mini pope’s badgering) a day for church. After a yummy hot breakfast buffet at the motel, we did the laundry. (Luckily there were washers and dryers at the motel. This made things a great deal easier.) After ten days out we had two full loads to do. Then we washed the van and vacuumed the inside. The van had gotten pretty ratty looking recently. We lost all the messages written in the dirt and grime on the outside and the bug carcasses. We also lost all the food crumbs, pebbles, twigs, and miscellaneous debris from the floors and seats.

Next we drove into downtown Missoula and parked by the Clark Fork River. We spent the better part of the afternoon walking around. We stopped at the Missoula Made Fair, where local artists and craftspeople sold jewelry, clothes, and various arts and crafts. It was billed as an alternative arts and craft market and claimed to be both hipster and family friendly. Since I am both a hipster and a family guy, attendance was mandatory. The fair was very nice. The girls picked up a few pairs of earrings and flowered barrettes. There was a local band playing whom I really liked (Wartime Blues). I picked up their CD and talked to the singer for a bit. We continued our walking tour and stopped at the local funky bakery, a clothes store, an art gallery, and a new age chotski shop. Missoula is a wonderful little city. We all liked it here.

Following this, we went back to the motel and vegged out. The girls hung out by the creek and built rafts using twigs, branches, and sticks. Carson, the perfectionist, wove the raft together using the natural items at hand. Addie, the practical and impatient one, wound up using electrical tape.

We had dinner out at Johnny Carino’s, a regional chain. I think this fits in with our journey’s ethos. There are only seven locations and none of them are within a thousand miles of Minneapolis. We had a friendly and good waiter. We’ve been batting a thousand on that front so far. I continued my practice of sampling the local beer, this time getting Missoula’s own Moose Drool Porter. We also continued our practice of attempting to under order by splitting two entrees so as not to have leftovers. (We’re still trying to refine that one. It’s difficult to order too little food at an American restaurant.)

We went straight back to the room following dinner. Guess what was on television? I kid you not “Sixteen Wishes.” (I’m beginning to think that the Disney Channel is prone to repeating its programs.) Well, I can personally vouch for the fact that this movie doesn’t get better with repetition. Even though it was our last chance at television for a week, we turned it off.