From Ohio to Montana - by Curt Johnson

It was early on Thursday September 1^st when the adventure began.  Vanna and Benny were eager to depart Ohio for Montana.  Off we went at 6AM to meet Charlie in Gary, Indiana at noon EST.  Due to a detour in the last 5 miles we were 15 minutes late.  Charlie loaded his gear into Vanna, kissed Meg good-bye and off we went to Madison Wisconsin.  The weather was great and the beautiful scenery rolled past.  We enjoyed a great salad at the Great Dane sports bar as we watched Wisconsin cinch their football season opener at Camp Randall field.  It was a great way to spend an evening as Charlie’s friends, Sue and Slate Havens, came into town from their farm to spend some time with him and to catch up. 

Friday morning we were off to Menomonie, Wisconsin where Charlie had applied for a job at UW Stout. He wished to scout out the area.  Menomonie is only a few miles from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthplace and not far from Fairmount Minerals’ Maiden Rock location.  We enjoyed a nice walk and lunch before leaving for Fargo ND.  It was in Fargo that we learned about the importance of rail service in the west.  I had forgotten what it was like to hear trains rumbling through town.  While there, Charlie and I asked the locals for a good place to go to dinner.  We were directed to a local hamburger, fries, and beer place----that’s literally all they offered.  And the place was packed and the food was great.

Our Fargo to Great Falls day was the longest but the most spectacular.  It was interesting to see forests turn into prairie with the added dimension of giant rolling hills and valleys with huge agribusiness in every direction. It was indeed awe inspiring.  Great Falls was a beautiful city but sadly we were too tired to enjoy much of it. 

We were off to Whitefish via Kalispell on Sunday morning with hopes of meeting Peter at the Kalispell airport.  As is so typical of airline schedules, Peter called to say that his flight would be arriving an hour and a half later.  He suggested that we go directly to the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish and get checked in.  By the time we had most of the details with checking-in taken care of, in addition to unhitching Benny, Peter and Richard arrived.  The adventure began with a planning session, included a physical exam of all of the equipment, and ended with a lovely dinner at Craggy’s in downtown Whitefish.