I thought I’d kick off our “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” photo/essay contest with an entry of my own. Don’t worry, I’m related to the boss of atGeist.com (my wife Jeanne) so I can’t win, but I still wanted to enter!

Jeanne was born and raised in Montana and our kids go out every summer to spend time with family. We decided to drive the 1,600+ miles each way to visit our family and take in the sights along the way. It took us 10 days to cover over 4,000 miles through South Dakota, Yellowstone National Park, Evel Knievel Days, a guest ranch, and a bed and breakfast in Missoula. Here is a day by day account of “Jeanne and Tom’s Great Adventure.”

Day 1: Massage then drive to Peoria, IL

Jeanne purchased us a couples massage for our anniversary at Villagio Day Spa so we decided to get a pre-trip massage to help us relax after a stressful pre-vacation week. What is it about leaving for vacation that stresses you out before you leave? Anyways, I had never had a massage and to be honest, wasn’t crazy about having a stranger rub all over me. I went into the dressing room and immediately fell in love with the place: large screen tv on sports center, magazines, two recliners, cookies, and even a glass of wine. The massage was much more relaxing than I anticipated, so our vacation was off to a good start. We left Villagio around 4:00 pm and headed home to pack the last of our things. Knowing we had a long drive ahead, we opted to leave later in the day and stay in Peoria, Illinois which is only 3-1/2 hours away. We stayed in a historic hotel called Hotel Pere Marquette which was very comfortable, had a full bar downstairs, and a pool table which had relaxation written all over it.

Day 2: Mind numbing drive through Iowa, South Dakota

You can’t drive out west without going through the most boring landscape in North America: Iowa and South Dakota. We started out around 8:00 am after a full breakfast at Hotel Pere Marquette and drove 900+ miles to Spearfish, South Dakota (just west of Sturgis). Signs for Wall Drug along I-90 and the occasional rest stop were the only scenery to break up the trip. This photo to the right pretty much sums up the excitement in that first day of driving.

Day 3: Yellowstone National Park

We woke up to a beautiful rainbow on the western sky in Spearfish, which would be host the following weekend for the infamous Sturgis motorcycle party. By our calculations, we would be able to drive through Cody, Wyoming and tour Yellowstone National Park all afternoon. I have to say that the drive was probably some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever experienced. Wyoming is home to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks, both of which are just spectacular to visit. We stopped at a small convenience store in Shell, Wyoming where we met an 85-year-old retired cowboy that traded in his horse for a four-wheeler “mule.” Before we entered Yellowstone, we stopped in Cody at a local grocery store and picked up the picnic of our youth. Jeanne and I talked about how we used to picnic when we were kids (back in the 70’s). Back then, a loaf of bread, package of lunch meat, potato chips, and a 6-pack of bottled Pepsi provided enough food and fun for a family equipped with a rest stop or picnic table. We arrived at the park entrance, paid our $25 fee gladly, and ventured to Yellowstone Lake where we set up our picnic for a late lunch. A tour through Yellowstone is not complete without seeing the wild animals: buffalo, elk, deer, and bear (which we didn’t see this time). My favorite part of the park was the geyser basin where 200 degree geysers bubble up and spew hot water in the air. Of course the most famous of which is Old Faithful, there were several others that erupted more often without all the crowds.

After driving through the park all afternoon, we ended up in West Yellowstone for the night at a the Yellowstone Lodge. It was comfortable, full of vacationers, and only 3 blocks away from our evening hangout which was a pizza joint with an adjoining bar. Again, we played pool, ate pizza, and enjoyed wine while taking in the local flair. A better ending to a great day of scenery.

Day 4: Evel Knievel Days in Butte, Montana

After a big breakfast (see a theme here?), we headed north out of West Yellowstone up 287 to Jeanne’s hometown of Butte, Montana. The drive north again was beautiful, taking us through Ennis and just west of Bozeman and the Spanish Peaks. They were doing road construction on the highway so we had to stop literally for at least :10 minutes with our cars turned off to wait for an escort to lead us through the construction. This gave us a good chance to get out and take in some scenery along the route.

We arrived right after lunch and was told by our awaiting family that the Spanky Spangler stunt was tonight. Oh joy. For those of you not following the stunt man circuit, Spanky is a 50-something stuntman that idolized Evel Knievel and basically paved a career for other idiots that take truth or dare a step too far. He drove a car up a ramp at 70 mph into two city buses stood up on their ends, crashing them into each other and landing on his hood. A certain family member looked at me and said “wow, that was dumb.”

Spanky was followed by more motocross stunts on umpteen tons of dirt poured on downtown Butte streets. They were pretty entertaining, but there are only so many things you can do on a motocross dirt bike in mid air. I think the real entertainment was just walking around and people watching. Think of Evel Knievel days as an appetizer to Sturgis and you get the picture. I caught a few people on camera and in pictures, but you get the drift. Crazy first day in Butte, but we are leaving tomorrow.

Day 5: Guest Ranch in Ovando, Montana

My 12 year-old newphew Ryan and sister-in-law Mary joined us on our wild adventure, heading north after lunch to a guest ranch in Ovando called Lake Upsata. I was a bit nervous after driving 45 miles and seeing no stores, no gas stations, no cell phone service, and no civilization. Once we got there, we found our ranch at the end of a 4 mile gravel road and it was beautiful. The owners, Greg and Julie Gilchrist, met us at the lodge and made us feel right at home. Their two dogs, Ribbons and Blue, also gave us a barking welcome which was followed by the old “lay down and rub my belly” routine. Watch the video I put together of the lodge, cabins, the lake, and the scenery to get a feel for this place. The nighttime sky with the stars were phenomenal.

Day 6: Another day at the Ranch

Breakfast was served at 8:00 am, so I was there by 7:55 am. Ranch hands joined us for breakfast before they headed out to work for the day. Yes, real cowboys had breakfast with us. I left breakfast and headed down the path to the lake beach where my nephew and I started taking canoes, kayaks, and fishing boats out on the state owned lake to hunt down fish. Now the fishing laws state that if you are 12 years of age or younger, you don’t need a fishing license. I, however, did need a license. I wasn’t about to pay the out of state fee for a fishing license and I didn’t have the forethought to purchase one when we were in civilization. So I opted to be the boat navigator/rower for my nephew. He caught one turtle in a net and never brought the fishing pole out again.

My niece and her friend joined us that day, they didn’t want to miss out the final hours of Evel Knievel days in Butte (and who could blame them?). Of course, that wasn’t without incident which I won’t go into, but let’s just say that stress, 20+ hours of driving, and the lack of cell service weren’t helping the situation. We finally got cell reception at a local restaurant called Trixi’s which was only 20 miles away. We finished the day with some time in the hot tub overlooking the lake and a weenie roast over an open camp fire near the lake. I was totally relaxed.

If you are looking for a neat getaway in the middle of nowhere, I highly…highly recommend this place. For the price, you can’t beat the cabins, views, food, and activities.

Day 7: Night at the Blue Mountain B & B, Uncle Gene’s House

After taking one more boat tour of Lake Upsata for turtles (per my nephew’s request), we headed southwest to Missoula where my wife’s uncle Gene and aunt Margie live. We checked into our bed and breakfast in Missoula, the Blue Mountain B & B, and it was amazing. It sits on the south end of Missoula on the side of the Blue Mountain range. The photo to the right was taken from the wrap around deck looking north at the Bitterroot River. At 5:00 pm, we headed to Jeanne’s relatives for an authentic Montana pasty dinner. Uncle Gene is 78 years old and Aunt Margie is 75, but both are in great health and spirits. It was so much fun joking around with a Democrat that hates Will Farrell and prefers Toyota over any other car. The evening at the bed and breakfast was very relaxing, quiet and peaceful.

Day 8: Heading back to Butte

We started our final day in Montana with the best breakfast I’ve ever had in my life. Brady Wood, the owner of the inn, made us a gourmet breakfast which consisted of french toast with roasted almonds, omelet roll-ups, fresh cherries, pressed bacon, and assorted juices and coffee. An outdoor patio overlooking the koi pond and waterfall was a perfect setting.

For lunch, we hooked up with Jeanne’s newly married niece and husband at a Missoula restaurant. Then we all headed east towards Butte where we would say our final goodbyes. On the way, we passed the site of the Testicle Festival and witnessed a weary traveler using the bathroom along I-90. Tired of eating out, I grilled some hamburgers and had a big family dinner at my in-laws’ house. Our final goodbye consisted of watching one of our favorite movies “Norbit” with our niece and nephew. Jeanne and I have to leave tomorrow for Indiana, but this time we have to make the return trip in two days vs. three.

Day 9 and 10: Driving, more numbing driving…

We left early, skipped breakfast for the first time, and headed east towards home. I have to admit that I’m homesick and starting to miss high-speed internet access and reliable cell phone service. Our trip took us through Billings, down through Cody, and back across I-80 through South Dakota. After 14 hours of driving, we finally settled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the night. The next morning we traversed the hardest and longest drive of all through Iowa and Illinois to return home around 10:30 pm. It was great to see the pets again, go through mountains of mail, and catch up with friends. Our son and daughter actually flew home and arrived at Indianapolis International :30 minutes before we got home. My daughter’s friend had joined them for the last week and her parents brought them all home for us. Thank God they did, I couldn’t have driven to the airport.

Overall, it was the best Montana trip we’ve ever had. Going on vacation with family vs. staying at their house for an extended period of time was a good move. Staying at a guest ranch and a bed and breakfast was also a good way to see Montana from two different perspectives. Of course, seeing family and hearing old stories is always fun, but 10 days on the road is taxing even for truckers.

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