Western road trip, day 6-7: Billings, MT

Day 6 (Wednesday)

I didn't plan this part of the road trip super well; I really needed to be on my computer and WiFi on day 6 to host a virtual event for work, but we were driving 6 hours from Bismarck, ND to Billings, MT - and there is not much in between.

Our solution was to rise at 3:20 a.m. and drive straight through to Billings and set up early at the hotel. The drive was stunning, and we almost ran over a porcupine near Theodore Roosevelt National Park! He was HUGE! Just ambled off like it was no big thing.

We also drove past Pompey's Pillar, where Lewis and Clark climbed with Sakakawea and looked out over the plains, and the location of the Battle of Little Bighorn where Custer was killed. The plains are really so mind-bogglingly huge here

We arrived at the hotel with 30 minutes to spare for setting up the webinar, which was a nice success. We went to lunch at Überbrew, Billings' most highly rated craft beer taproom. The beer was great, they had lots of IPAs and creative brews, and for some reason a lot of cream ales? We think that might be a thing out here. We both ordered the bison burger, which was smeared with huckleberry cream cheese, roasted jalapeño, and bacon. Very Montana.

Flight at Überbrew

The reason we are in Billings is to visit my dad's oldest brother, Jim. We visited him and his wife Pat for after-dinner beers at his home on the west side of town. Jim is my dad's oldest brother - there are 18 years between them - so for a long time, I think they didn't really have anything in common. But they both liked to fish and loved the outdoors, and Jim's Sherman Rage is subsiding as he mellows into his 80s.

Sign in downtown Billings

We visited with Jim and Pat at their home on day 6, sharing some of the beers we've bought on the trip so far, exchanging family stories, and just giving updates. Jim also took us on a little ride up to the top of the plateau above Billings so we could get a look at the city at night. Dave likes cities this size that you can really walk around, and I think I agree.

Last thing to note about the first day in Billings is that I was able to remotely call in to the meeting for the South Side Giving Circle of the Chicago Foundation for Women, of which I am a new member. I joined because I want to fund causes that are important to black women and girls, and I want to hear about what's most important from black women on the south and west sides. 

The meeting was to decide on what organizations to invite to apply for funding this round, and I learned a ton about the organization's goals and alignment with local charities. If it were me, I would have funded organizations that helped girls go to college, but a lot of the speakers were more focused on working on violence in neighborhoods and immediate social justice issues, which makes sense. Very glad to have joined and participated from afar, and I can't wait to see what we do this year!

View of downtown Billings from the Zimmerman trail road; used to be a stage coach trail

Day 7 (Thursday)

Had a decent breakfast in the hotel restaurant and got right to work; we had a bunch of meetings and things to catch up on. I feel bad being here and not spending more time with Jim and Pat, but Pat is also recovering from medical issues and probably couldn't have us over all day anyway. The plan was to come over to his house after we're done working and go through pictures.

We decided to hit two more spots in town before heading over to Jim and Pat's. The first was the Yellowstone Art museum, a cute little spot with lots of collections focused on women's art at the moment. I loved the room of the four female pioneers of modern art in Montana, as well as the room upstairs with arts and crafts like knitting and quilting. There were some beautiful quilts I took pictures of for my mom.

We also wanted to get a quick flight at the Montana Brewing Company, where they had a wide variety of beers, including two wheat beers that were very tasty. They were Montana's first brew pub!

I haven't mentioned the grasshoppers so far, but they are everywhere in Billings. They hop around into windows, onto your legs, and even onto your table!

Grasshopper buddy at Montana Brewing Co.

We went over to Jim and Pat's for some beer and pizza.

Ignore the apostrophe; I loved this sign

It had been a long time since I saw Jim in person - we saw each other at Hoot Owl, Minnesota every few years when I was growing up, and he came out to see Grandma a few times, especially after his heart attack. It was good to see him and Pat, catch up, and trade family stories.

Jim and Pat in their backyard, lots of plants in the garden

We talked about their time in Montana, their kids, and looked through pictures from Jim's childhood and young adulthood with Pat. I made lots of copies on my phone, especially ones of Dad and Grandma Bartling. I had never seen my Grandma Bartling's parents before, and I got some pictures of them, too.

My dad and his little brother Dave, the plaid twins

Jim also looked through some photos that a cousin had sent us when Jim's Uncle Robert died; he was Grandpa Sherman's little brother and was a cop in Chicago for many years. He also served in Italy during WWII! Jim looked through the pictures, but he didn't know too many more people than I did. He got a kick out of some photos of his dad and grandpa.

Montana was lovely; I'd love to come back and spend more time, especially visiting sights like Custer's battlefield (although it kind of does just look like a field) and sights related to Lewis and Clark's expedition. A whole trip needs to be organized around Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, obviously.

The trip also made me want to be more in touch with my dad's family. I need to send updates, correspondents, and birthday wishes to keep in touch more. And, you know, picking up that old-fashioned telephone.

Onto Wyoming!