Filling in the Gaps: How We Got to Yellowstone

SoundGuy did a delightful job getting pictures from Yellowstone posted promptly on our return. As is our custom, he charged out in front taking immediate action and getting things done. I'm following along behind, making sense of the chaos that is his wake. "Know your role", I always say. Mine is to fill in the gaps. With that in mind, here's a little bit of context for our road trip.

As you know from Tales of a Cross-Country Adventure starring the incomparable Lucas Anderson, SoundGuy drove home for his summer break. Eventually we decided he should probably head back to Hotdish Central to return his nose to the grindstone and finish this blessed degree! (And I don't mean "blessed" in the "conferred at a seminary" kind of way. I mean "bless-ed" as in "folksy substitution for a four letter word" kind of way. It's time to git 'er done! But I digress...) . Additional digression: do you think it's at all awkward to use "git 'er done" and "digress" in the same thought? It's sort of Blue-Collar-Comedy-goes-to-the-city. Where was I going with this?

Ah yes, the road trip! Right. Here's the obligatory ready-to-hit-the-road shot. Tony & Pam saw us off with a lovely breakfast at La Provence. I highly recommend it for your next trip through downtown Lake Oswego. And we're off! Down the gorge toward Spokane. I often find myself the passenger seat pondering the still-life that is SoundGuy's console.
It's all right there isn't it? You've got some God...a renowned conductor (missing his baton...poor Helmut)...the iPhone...and a cinnamon dolce mocha. I give you "SoundGuy: Still Life." That makes me an artist. I will start wearing a beret.

We stopped in Spokane to spend the night with my brother Ben and SIL Treena. Though we adore them, we must like their dogs more because those were the only members of the family we photographed. Hmmmm...Well, anyhow, this is Bear. She is the most sincere dog you'll ever meet. Her little eyebrows never fully un-pucker.

Day two was a short trip to Missoula to see Mom and Fred. You know how you continue to discover new things about your partner? Well, apparently SoundGuy plays the french horn! Who knew?! Of course, when my brass-lovin mother heard that there was a french horn player in the immediate vicinity, she would rest until duets had been played.
What you can't see in the picture is that they are playing trombone duets. That means that mom is not just sight-reading, but also transposing. Good grief. But that wasn't enough - the next morning they decided to squeeze in a little improv after breakfast. Here they are playing Clare de Lune. With no music. Want to know what's even more ridiculous? After awhile Mom decided that Clare de Lune was really better on the horn. So they switched. Mom on the piano, SoundGuy on the french horn. Still no music. These two kill me. "Hello? Underachievers Anonymous? I'm gonna need a life subscription to your issues."


The next day's travel took us to Virginia City, Montana. It's an early 1800's ghost town, first populated by the gold rush and is remarkably well-preserved. Calamity Jane once called it home, and it was host to all sorts of boot-scootin' frontier shenanigans including a band of vigilantes bent on keepin the peace by roughing people up. We met up with my Dad, and my adopted aunt and uncle, Sandy & Dean.


Though I am not the resident shutterbug around here, I did manage to snap one artsy shot of SoundGuy (toting all his camera equipment, of course) from the Livery.
Dad and SoundGuy. Those two will kick the tires on anything.

This was not my first visit to Virginia City. I have lots of fond childhood memories of trips to the ghost town. What I remember most fondly is the old-fashioned candy shop. I was a child with priorities.
And the best part? They still carry rows and rows of the stick candy I used to stock up on! Back in the day they were five cents a piece. An eight-year old on a modest allowance can still do a lot of damage at five cents a piece. Though they are no longer the same bargain, I had to buy a handful for old-time's sake. But then I didn't eat them...I just ended up carrying them around, admiring their pretty colors, and feeling nostalgic about them.

Another fond Virginia City memory from childhood is the old-school penny arcade games. There are calliopes and player pianos, little moving pictures (very primitive slide shows seen through and enormous view-finder), and all manner of devices guaranteed to foresee your future. A lot of them still work, too. We burned through all sorts of nickels and dimes making noise and having our fortunes read. My favorite is the game that reads your fortune based on the color of your eyes. It's all very scientific. And I'm sure that all the other blue-eyed girls walked out of there with fortunes completely different from my own.
Another of Virginia City's tourist attractions is the "living history." A crew of volunteers spend their summer dolled up in period dress, performing the work of daily life as it would have been in the mid-1800's. They're quite entertaining - one even offered me a job as a bar-maid. If things don't look up in the Oregon University System I just may need to take him up on that ;) Anyway, SoundGuy tried to get in to the act. What do you think?

I think we're sticking with fedoras.

So there it is - the big lead-up to our arrival in Yellowstone. There's more to share, but I have to spread out my posts lest our loyal readers become accustomed to frequent updates. I don't want to set a standard I can't live up to!