August 1

I’m in Bozeman, Montana and I’m staying with an older sister of a best friend of mine from Tallahassee.  I asked her how she ended up in Bozeman, 26 years ago, and she told me she was on a roadtrip and when she drove into town, she just stayed.  I wondered if I had done this trip a couple years ago, if the same would have happened for me with a town.  Probably.

I didn’t plan to stay in Bozeman longer than one night, but I decided to stay for two.  It’s getting difficult to get this timing right.  There is a lot to see between here and Mexico, and I have 8 days.

I wondered around downtown and then took a drive up to Fairy Lake, but never made it to the lake.  In order to get to there, I was going to have to manage 7.5 miles of off-roading on a rocky dusty road.  I made it 5 miles in, which took about 30 minutes, and after one really bad dip, I gave up.  No cell service and off-roading in a rental van, just didn’t add up for me.  I’ve seen beautiful places.  I needed to keep the van intact, and uh, wash my cooler out.  So I went back to the house and did that.

I had a great time visiting this family friend and I’m so happy I extended my time there.  It was special to spend time with her, see her home, places she has worked and to meet the special people in her life.  On her turf, the Bozeman she’s known for 26 years.