Chicofish, MT

The wheels of time turn on, and it's time again for us to move on...
We leave Wyoming and head towards Montana
Big Sky Country!
But first, a stop at Chico Hot Springs resort; not too shabby, huh?
This is the room we stayed in. All of it. None of the room is left out of the picture. The communal bathroom was down the hall and to the left. McAdams booked it. I think she likes me.

Hello Blogites! Before I begin, I would like to dedicate this episode of The Big Adventure to Henry Gavin Utay, who started his own great adventure on July 19, 2007. Welcome to the world, Hank! It's a great place to be, I must say! Also, happy first birthday to Micah Alter-Meeker. The first year is the hardest, kid; you're doing swell! Thanks again to all of you who tune in to read this blog and for all of your kind comments. We read them all, though we haven't figured out how to reply yet. I'm flattered that you make time for us, and it is a lot of fun sharing our adventures with you.Makes me feel connected, which is a good thing.

So, Chico was nice. It's a resort that has a big lodge, a restaurant that has been recognized by Wine Spectator, a coffee place and gift shop, two pools of hot spring water (one like a normal, heated pool and one like a jacuzzi), a stables, a greenhouse and gardens, and our room with no toilet. We spent the time visiting the pools until we were soft boiled, laying around on the soft, plushy lawn reading the scary bear book that Brenda snuck in my bag, and getting spa treatments (not one, but two!!) in a tiny day spa tucked high on a hill. We saw a Norweigian birthday party and a family reunion. We sat on a swing under a bright moon and rocked and told stories. We were pampered and soft and, in the morning, ready to head into Montana.

Montana, my friends, is beautiful. True, there are great spaces of not much, but what gorgeous swaths of nothing they are. There is brown dirt fading into swaying golden fields dotted with brick red farmhouses that lead to dense, green stands of pine, that roll into huge, purple mountains, shadowed by the blue and gray ghosts of mountains that loom behind those. That's just the view from the highway. Every once in awhile some dirt road will appear, and if one should take it, it would wind up past the farms into hills, and little communities would sprout up, like wildflowers in the fields. The people in these towns are friendly and happy to see you, even though (or maybe because) they know you are just passing through. Everyone works hard, but seems to be in a good mood. Maybe that's because they live in a kind of small-town U.S.A. that is all but forgotten these days, where people work and play hard, assume that others are basically good, live and let live, and truly appreciate the beauty that surrounds them. And, beauty, in these parts, abounds.

We settled for awhile in Whitefish, and I have decided I want to live here. It's small, but big enough, and if there is anything that can't be found here, it's a fifteen minute drive to Kalispel, which has it's own (three runway) airport. It has a 3 block downtown, but also a city park, tennis courts and lakeside beach. The food is good, the schools are new, there is a yoga studio and a brewery. All that and it is about 100 miles from Canada and 20 miles from perhaps the most awe-inspiring park I have ever imagined. Why would anyone live in somewhere, like, say, Texas, when one could live here? They are hiring waitresses at the pizza place and I am seriously considering it. Oh yeah, it also has a historic train depot and the trains still run through it everyday. AE and Deenstadad, these photos are for you.

More tomorrow (maybe, depending on if I have internet access!)

bonus photo for EA and AE - can you find the animal in this picture?