The Blue Chair Revolution

29 Aug

Several months ago, I wrote a post about the blue chairs outside of my office, and their popularity as a hangout spot. Last week, I returned to work to find the blue chairs missing, and I thought, “Uh oh, this is not good.” I discussed the issue with one of my history faculty cohorts, and he expressed the fear that I was imagining – the history students are going to revolt.

BRING BACK THE CHAIRS! BRING BACK THE CHAIRS!

The blue chairs were the foundation of the history department. This is where students studied. This is where students slept. This is where students formulated plans to get through their classes.

We knew that the students would be upset by the redecoration of their area, and it did not take long for them to voice their opposition. On the first day of school, I was bombarded with:

“Where are the chairs?”

“What happened to the chairs?”

“I hate these new chairs. You can’t sleep in them.”

“What’s up with this table? Do they expect us to put books on it?”

I am not certain, but I believe planning has begun to get the chairs back. They have been discovered in their new location, and I expect to see them in their rightful place any morning. No person pretending to be an interior decorator can mess with students of history.

VIVA LA BLUE CHAIRS!!!

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Class, Convocation and County Government

28 Aug

This day turned into the typical first day of class, but there were a few twists involved. I walked into my 8 o’clock class and, shock of shocks, everyone was there. This never happens on the first day. Heck, it never happens on any day, so I was pleasantly surprised. I went over the syllabus; laid down the law; and talked about the stupidity of Titanic, the movie version I mean.

That’s when I asked if anyone had questions about the class. A guy wearing shorts and a t-shirt raised his hand:

“Do we need to dress up for convocation?”

“If I was you I would wear long pants.”

“Is this shirt ok?”

“I think it will be. It’s not too wrinkled.”

As I stood there wondering what this had to do with class, a woman raised her hand:

“Where can I get a cup of coffee around here?”

Honestly, I don’t understand why people drink this stuff.

By now, I am figuring that my message got lost somewhere along the way, but I answered anyway.

“There is a coffee kiosk downstairs. It claims to be Starbucks, but I wouldn’t expect that. But, I don’t know. I only get the chocolate milk.”

With that, I dismissed class and went downstairs to get said chocolate milk.

This is me before I drink the milk.

Between classes, a student came by to drop a class. That’s a problem since I am not her advisor. Apparently, her advisor wasn’t around, and she came to me because she was in my class once. I had to explain that I couldn’t help her and asked if she could wait for her advisor to arrive.

“I don’t want to. They teach the class that I want to drop.”

Eventually, it became time for the afternoon class. It’s the same course as the earlier one, and that causes problems now and again. I always try to say the exact same things, and I never fail to realize that I forgot to say something to the first one. In this schedule, the second class always gets my best stuff.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, this class did not have any questions. I guess they already found the coffee place.

Next, the entire school went to the gym for convocation. I was correct in the last post. Speeches were made. The Alma Mater was sung. However, they didn’t break out the gowns. I was disappointed because it’s fun to see people in regalia. If you squint your eyes, then it looks almost like Hogwarts.

Harry must be making a speech or singing the Alma Mater.

That was pretty much it for the academic world, but the day was not over. I ran some errands before dinner and checked out Twitter to see what was happening in the world. In the local world of my county, our esteemed elected officials were voting on a property tax increase. This is not something I am in favor of because, well, I own a lot of property. And, that property has lost a great deal of value in recent years.

The county commission decided that it would be a good idea to raise taxes without lowering property values to the corrected level. I could go on and on about this, but, hell, government is government. It will not give up until it gets everything. My rant is going to be about a certain aspect of the meeting.

The vote to increase the tax ended in a tie, and the procedures dictate that the County Mayor break the tie. He says that one person should not make the decision for the entire county and refuses to go along. To me, this is ridiculous. He was elected to this position and should have realized that this might happen. He took the job but didn’t take the responsibility. That, my friends, is not what an elected official should do. Make a decision, whether popular or not, and stick with it. Don’t straddle the fence.

Udder Destruction

I’m not sure how we went from school to government, but I wonder if this cow produces chocolate milk.

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Alice Cooper Was Wrong…

27 Aug

School’s not out forever. That thought hit me today as I realized that classes start tomorrow. I am not sure what it means when Alice Cooper and higher education enter my mind at the same time.

Hey Kenney Chesney, this is what a Rock Star looks like.

Maybe I think of Alice because this is what a few students look like on the first day of class. They are wide-eyed and yelling internally because they really don’t know what to expect. Guess what. Teachers don’t know what to expect, either. We see the wily old veterans in the upper classes, but each freshman class brings it own set of personalities.

We tried to get both sides, the freshmen and the faculty, in the swing of things on Friday. Each year, the new students are given a story to read. Then, they are broken into groups to discuss the story with a pair of teachers. This exercise has many goals, but one is to ease the students into the correct mindset before the real action begins. It’s like a scrimmage.

My group had a few talkers, but the discussion was limited. Finally, I asked them if they liked the story. They could say anything. Yes. No. Kinda. It sucked. I didn’t care. I just wanted them to say something. After a long moment of silence, a kid spoke up.

“I didn’t like it much”

“Why did you not like it?”

“The story was ok. I just don’t like being told that I have to read something. I would rather read what I want.”

“You realize that there will be a lot of people telling you what to read over the next four years.”

“I was hoping the teachers would let us choose our own books.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen very much.”

After that exchange, no one else said anything, the discussion session ended, and the students went to their next stops.

Tomorrow, their stops will be in their classes, and the first day of class is always interesting. Students will be wandering aimlessly in the hallways looking for their rooms. I learned a long time ago that the first day of class should begin about five minutes late to give everyone a chance to get there.

Students will also be wearing their good clothes. This is the day to wear your new stuff and make a good first impression. Before long, they will show up in what they slept in.

The first day is also syllabus day, and teachers explain what is expected in each class. This is also when students learn that they will not be reading book of their choice.

Tomorrow is also convocation day. This is a welcoming ceremony to officially start the new year. The powers-that-be will dress up in their gowns, speeches will be made, and the choir will sing. It will end with the singing of the Alma Mater. They will pass out the words for the benefit of the freshman, and I am thankful for that. After graduating from the university twice and working there for over a decade, I still don’t know the words to the song. I wonder if Alice Cooper does.

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My iPod Has Issues – Heaven Help Us

24 Aug

I have publish several posts about the deeper meaning of the music on my iPod. The first, second and third were examinations of the overall playlist. The other was a more nuanced study of the “What’s In a Name?” playlist. A quick review of those posts will show that my iPod is bipolar, OCD and a little schizophrenic.

Tonight, I have decided to shuffle the “For God’s Sake” playlist and see what pops up. This grouping contains selections with religious titles or themes. I find these types of songs interesting, especially the old spirituals. This is surprising because of my lack of spirituality. Religious folks will say that I like these songs because I have an internal need to connect with a supreme being. I think I like them because, well, I like them.

Here is a sampling of my heavenly collection.

It’s weird that people correlate gold with heaven when you can’t take it with you.

1. “Knockin’ On Heavens Door” by Guns n’ Roses

2. “God and Man” by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee

3. “Body and Soul” by Diana Krall

4. “Save a Prayer” by Duran Duran

5. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2

6. “Judgement Day” by Whitesnake

7. “Heaven and Hell” by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter

8. “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison

9. “This Train” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

10. “Superstar” by Ben Vereen and Marc Pressel

11. “Old Rugged Cross” by John Prine and Mac Wiseman

12. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” by The Fairfield Four

13. “Hallelujah” by Sweathog

14. “Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups

15. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin

16. “The Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash

17. “Backwoods Preacher Man” by Tony Joe White

18. “Amazing Grace” by The Beeston Pipe Band

19. “Who’s to Bless and Who’s to Blame” by Kris Kristofferson

20. “Angel Eyes” by Scott Hamilton

We will now pass the plate before offering the benediction.

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Listeria – Guitar Gods Edition

23 Aug

As you know from previous posts about important people in history and great places in New Mexico, I am a sucker for lists. Whenever I see a book of lists, an irresistible force draws me toward it. The other day I was killing time at the bookstore when a list jumped out at me. It was Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. To paraphrase Julius Caesar – I grabbed. I scanned. I bought.

It is an interesting list and begins with Jimi Hendrix, who most people consider the greatest guitarist of them all. Everyone knows how great he is, but few may know that Hendrix honed his craft in the clubs along Jefferson Street in Nashville. There are a lot of great guitarists, at least 100 according to Rolling Stone, but he is the one that I would have headlining my personal music festival.

As I looked through the list, I realized that I have seen several of them in person, and that gave me an idea for the Listeria series. Of the 100 greatest guitarists of Rolling Stone, these are the ones that I have seen perform live. The number is where they are ranked on the list.

2. Eric Clapton – I saw Clapton a few years ago. Granted, these aren’t his best years, but he can still play better than anyone I have ever seen. Plus, I had awesome seats.

4. Keith Richards – The Rolling Stones concert was where I learned that seats far away may not be a bad thing when seeing older acts.

6. B.B. King – I have seen “Blues Boy” several times. The first time I took a stripper as my date. Don’t ask. The last time he told stories more than he played.

10. Pete Townshend – Actually, I am fudging a bit on this one. The Who are coming to Nashville in December, and the tickets have already been purchased.

14. David Gilmour – I saw Pink Floyd in the 1990s, and the concert remains fresh in my mind. That’s despite the fact that my mind was kind of cloudy that night.

16. Derek Trucks – This one was an accident. A friend and I were trying to find something to do and decided to check out the Exit/In, a music hall in Nashville. Derek Trucks was playing. It was like a spiritual experience.

19. James Burton – He played at the concert honoring the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. The old band played as Elvis sang on-screen. A concert by a dead man was better than most concerts I have seen by living people. I don’t remember it, but I also saw Burton when I saw Elvis as a kid.

23. Buddy Guy – He performed at the Ryman Auditorium and cussed a woman on the front row for requesting a song. He said that he was playing for everyone and not just her. Afterwards, he gave her an autograph and a guitar pick.

24. Angus Young – AC/DC is one of my all time favorite bands, and I have seen them more times than I can remember. Young is what makes them go, and the crowd goes wild when he struts across the stage.

27. Bo Diddley – There used to be a music festival in Nashville called River Stages. Diddley played in front of the courthouse as we sat in the parking lot.

32. Billy Gibbons – How genius are the beards of ZZ Top? It’s just like the makeup of KISS. No one ever sees them age.

33. Prince – When he brought out the purple guitar and played “Purple Rain”, the crowd went bananas.

38. The Edge – U2 played in Nashville last summer. Bono ran around in a leather suit in sweltering heat, but I sensed that The Edge was the heartbeat of the band.

54. Joe Walsh – He has had success with The James Gang and on his own, but I saw him with The Eagles. The dueling guitars of “Hotel California” may be the best thing I have ever heard.

65. Slash – I wish I could see him with Guns n’ Roses, but, apparently, that is never going to happen. Instead, I have seen him with Velvet Revolver and on his own. I keep hearing that his mom is from Tennessee, but I am not certain about that.

77. Willie Nelson – He is one of the greats of country music. Ironically, he had to leave Nashville to make it.

84. Joe Perry – Aerosmith puts on a great show. When thinking about rock pairings, not many rank higher than Perry and Steven Tyler.

87. James Hetfield – Once, I was in front of the stage at a Metallica concert and was ready to rock. Then, one of my students came out to work security and stood right in front of me. I didn’t get to do much, but I got a bunch of guitar picks.

93. Paul Simon – Luckily, Simon and Garfunkel was not a wild concert. Before it started, the new president of our university came in and sat right behind me. It was the calmest I have ever been at a concert, and he is still our president.

100. Lindsey Buckingham – Seeing Fleetwood Mac was on the list of things I needed to do. I was disappointed in Stevie Nicks, who I have always had a crush on, because she was wearing orthopedic shoes. However, Buckingham seemed like he hadn’t missed a beat.

Guitar Gods – I have seen several of them, but I really wish I could play like them.

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I Can’t Believe It’s Been 25 Years

21 Aug

Man, this was an interesting weekend. Why? Because I did something that I thought I would never do. I went to my 25th class reunion. My life got a lot better after high school, and it never occurred to me that those years should be celebrated. Besides, I didn’t like most of the people then, so what would make me think that I would like them now. In the end, however, my good friends from the school years convinced me that it would be fun, for no other reason than to see who had gone into decline since we last saw them. With that in mind, I ventured into the land of:

Of course, the night began with some mingling, and, to my surprise, I ran into people who I actually liked. A guy that I went to school with from kindergarten on up. My buddy from home room. One of my old college roommates. A girl who I had a crush on but failed to get her to notice only to have her have a crush on me in our 20s. It turned into a longer list than I ever imagined. Honestly, I avoided most of the people who I perceived to have slighted me in some way in times gone by, but I talked to a few of them, too.

One of the most interesting things was finding out what they do for a living. I conversed with:

a college professor

a telephone repairman

a furniture mover

a manager of a fast food restaurant

a chimney sweep

a nightclub owner

a professional drummer

a waiter

a couple of drug dealers (the legal kind)

Overall, it was a wide variety of professions. Then, dinner commenced, and the voyeur in me discovered something else interesting. People sat in their high school groupings. Cheerleaders sat with cheerleaders. Jocks sat with jocks. Music nerds sat with music nerds. Regular nerds sat with regular nerds. There were some people who didn’t fit in any category, so they had a table to themselves.

The dinner conversation at my table was about marriages, kids and divorces. I haven’t participated in any of those, so I ate rubber chicken. After dinner, the reunion committee, which was an attempt at including a representative from each of the groups I mentioned, made their presentations. The strangest part was when the music nerd on the committee sang the song that he always performed in the talent show. That’s when I sauntered into the bar for libations and gossip among my folks. This is where the night became fun because we talked about the different creatures that were in attendance.

The Woman Who Left Her Husband For An Older, Rich Guy – Everyone knows this one, so I don’t have much explaining to do.

According to the Supreme Court, this one turned out well.

The Woman Who Left Her Slightly Successful Husband For A Younger Man – This creature has been increasing in numbers during the 21st Century. Apparently, it is revenge for the existence of the above creature.

According to TMZ and other outlets, this one turned out well.

The Slightly Weird Guy Who Became A Horror-Movie Watching Mountain Man – Admittedly, this one is rare. However, they make an impact when they appear.

I don’t think this one appeared at his class reunion.

The Token Nerd That The Jocks Befriended And Made Him Think He Was One Of Them – This is my least favorite creature. They are more arrogant than their pack but have less athletic ability. This means that they have no redeeming qualities.

This one turned out well, as he fought the dearly departed Arnold Horshack in a “celebrity” boxing match.

The Guy Who The Girls Fawned Over That Turned Into A Stoner – This one walked around bleary-eyed in high school. Apparently, that is more appealing that walking around bleary-eyed at middle-aged.

He’s pointing at the purple hippo floating in the sky.

The Annoying Girl Who Had No Friends In High School And Apparently Has No Friends Now – Actually, I felt bad for this one and made a point to have a conversation with her. She still has the whiny voice that she had then.

I think she has gone on to a lucrative career in television advertising.

Obviously, there were several species in attendance, including myself – The Nerdy Guy Who Liked To Study And Had A Hard Time Talking To Girls But Had A Semi-Cool Car.

I left with my friends to have dinner at a local restaurant because the food at the reunion sucked. It was there that we talked about how we were glad that we went and how we wouldn’t be back until the 50th one. Hopefully, we will make it that far.

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To Yellowstone and Beyond

17 Aug

Our last full day on the trip was a good one because went to my favorite place, Yellowstone National Park. We didn’t have time to go into the heart of the park and see the geysers. However, just entering its borders provided a feeling of being somewhere special.

We exited the interstate at Livingston, Montana, famous for being the filming location of A River Runs Through It. Livingston is a small town that can easily be turned into a scene from the early 2oth Century.

This church can be seen in the movie.

Before it became a movie locale, Livingston was known as the “Gateway to Yellowstone”, as travelers disembarked at its train station to take coaches into the park. Although, the north entrance has little traffic today, at one time this is how everyone entered Yellowstone. It’s ease and its history makes it my favorite way to go in.

The road out of Livingston follows the Yellowstone River through a valley filled with farms, ranches and vacation homes. We passed livestock and people fly fishing. As everyone took in the scenery, my mind drifted into the past. I was last in Yellowstone fourteen years ago. I had spent some time doing research in Butte and decided to spend my last weekend at the Old Faithful Lodge. It was a different time and place in my life, and I couldn’t help but think how much things have changed.

Finally, we made it to the gate that, at one time, everyone went through.

Gateway to Another Dimension – a Dimension of Natural Wonders

This led us to Mammoth Hot Springs, one of the park’s least appreciated wonders.

It looks better than it smells.

After walking the planks around the hot springs, we had lunch at the Roosevelt Lodge, where a Tennessee girl was our waitress. It was nourishment, but that’s about it. But, I needed it because I hiked with my nephews at Tower Falls. Going down was a lot easier than coming up. However, we got some good pictures.

Tower Falls

Proof that I hiked to the river.

We left the falls and drove toward the park’s exit and Cooke City. From the back seat, I said, “This is the first time I have ever been to Yellowstone and not seen buffalo.” Around the next bend, we saw buffalo, the best thing in the park, and my trip was complete. There is nothing that provides me with the feeling of the West like seeing these majestic creatures, the ones that were almost extinct.

There was once millions of buffalo throughout North America.

We stopped in Cooke City for a short break before driving on. We knew that there was a beautiful drive ahead, and I seemed to remember going that way on my previous trip. However, we were not prepared for what was about to happen. We went winding up and up until we reached an elevation of 11,000 feet. It’s one of the highest roads in the United States. As we went up, the air got colder and the sky got darker. Before we knew it, we were above the tree line, and it was snowing. Pictures can probably describe it better than I can.

That’s some cold water.

Only George Custer would have a national forest named after him that had no trees.

Remember, this is early August.

As my nephews played in the snow, my dad, my brother and I were wanting to get off this mountain as fast as possible. We finally did that and found ourselves in Billings, the city where the trip began. We even got the same hotel rooms that we had on the first night. After checking in, we ate at Jake’s, in downtown Billings, and talked about the past week.

We all had a great time and saw some great places. However, the best part of the journey was completing it together.

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Come On In – The Steak is Fine

14 Aug

When we left Glacier National Park, we were entering a new, adventurous phase of the trip. We weren’t pulling a Lewis and Clark and going into an unknown territory. We weren’t roughing it on some mountain trail. For the first time, we were operating without hotel reservations. Being road trip veterans, we knew that it would work as long as we got a room early enough in the day, and, as we came upon Missoula, we had no worries.

My brother pulled up to a hotel, and I went in to get a room. No vacancies. We hit another hotel. No vacancies. The third one was the same.

Brother: What’s going on in town to cause this?

Me: They say it is just summer travelers.

Brother: Is there anything available? The next town is over 100 miles away.

Me: They all said that there are rooms at the C’Mon Inn.

This sent a collective moan through the car. The C’Mon Inn, really? I am sure my dad and brother had the same thoughts I did. Rooms rented by the hour. Vibrating beds. Free porn on the TV. We had a choice – drive over 100 miles or check it out. We checked it out. Guess what. The C’Mon Inn was the best interstate hotel I have ever stayed in. The rooms were great, with each one opening into a huge lobby with all kinds of activities. It was good enough that we called ahead to the C’Mon Inn in Bozeman for the next night.

The next day was relatively uneventful. We toured the Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge.

He got his man.

After that, we made a couple of stops of personal and historical import but nothing worth blogging about.

The real treat of the day came after we checked in at the C’Mon Inn of Bozeman and went to the Museum of the Rockies. I just couldn’t figure out why it had a huge Napoleon Bonaparte exhibit.

The dinosaur that ate Napoleon.

What was that treat? A trip off Broadway in Manhattan, Montana. No joke. There was a Broadway through the middle of town. We had heard about a legendary restaurant that would have the best steak we had ever tasted. As we went in and out of Manhattan, we began to wonder if we were heading in the right direction. However, it wasn’t too long before we came upon The Land of Magic.

Mickey Mouse has nothing on this Magic Kingdom.

What’s magical about it? A spell came over the me, and I made a 20 ounce ribeye (the smallest one they have) melt in my mouth and disappear in no time. It made my brother eat a piece of meat without covering it in Worcestershire Sauce. It made my youngest nephew put the ketchup away for a few bites. Simply, it was the best steak any of us have ever had.

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To the Sun and Across the Great Divide

13 Aug

We left Great Falls and moved north toward Glacier National Park. Keeping with the plan, we skipped the interstate and went up Highway 89, one of those dotted roads on the map that signifies a scenic drive. We were not disappointed with the landscape, as we passed agriculture of all types and a few cyclists, which we did not anticipate in such an isolated place.

It wasn’t long before we entered the Blackfeet Reservation. I can always tell when I enter a reservation because the entire atmosphere – air, land, roads – becomes more depressed. It’s as if the fog of history has never lifted from the lives of Native Americans.

Our destination was the Glacier Park Lodge, and there were some concerns from the group about our accommodations. Lodges, both around and within national parks, tend to be remnants from the turn of the last century and are built in the Victorian rustic style. I have no problem with this, but a few of us have issues with staying in hotels that are a century old. Also, these lodges have some rooms without bathrooms. Instead, there is a communal bathroom at the end of the hall.

I must admit that I was wondering what we were getting ourselves into. None of us should have been worried. The Glacier Park Lodge was a great place to spend an evening. We were not even concerned that the rooms had no televisions.

I thought I would see Jack Nicholson busting through a door. Luckily, that didn’t happen.

The lobby, where everyone hung out because of the “NO TV” rooms, was awesome.

I want a room like this is my house.

The view from the back porch was also pretty good.

I also want a view like this from my deck.

After checking in, we had a little time for me to show my nephews how to play pitch-n-putt.

He has this putt to win The Masters.

Overall, the Glacier Park Lodge was a great place, but there was a somber reminder that national parks contain dangers as well as beauty. The front desk was plastered with information of a missing hiker. He had been gone for a few days by the time we arrived and had not been found when we flew home.

The next morning we ventured into the park but not before there was a struggle over which way to go. My dad and brother were convinced that we needed to turn right. My oldest nephew insisted that we go left. My nephew was right. We made the correct turns; made it to the eastern entrance; and, drove on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Words can’t describe its beauty, so I will let a few photographs do the talking.

Along the way, we crossed the Continental Divide.

We did it just like Lewis and Clark.

I have some advice for those thinking about going to Glacier. Enter the park from the east because there is a lot less traffic that way.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We had a nice lunch at the western entrance to the park. I thought my nephews were getting bored with the ride, so I bought them something to read. It was the literary classic, “Who Pooped In The Park?”. They thoroughly enjoyed it.

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I Want My Tay Made With Really Old Water

9 Aug

We left the wheat fields and returned to Lewistown to get our tire fixed. In my town, it takes forever to get that done, but in Lewistown the job went lickity split. My nephews wanted to cross the street to check out a cool-looking store. Alas, it was closed, but there were some interesting objects outside.

Nice guy. He’s just a little stiff.

We followed Highway 87 westward through towns such as Moccasin and Geyser before reaching Great Falls. I’m not sure what we thought we would find in Great Falls, but it is a thriving city with all of the franchised amenities of other cities. We all assumed that this was because it serves as home to Mainstrom Air Force Base.

We checked into the biggest hotel room I have ever stayed in; my youngest nephew swam; then, we went out for dinner. This brought us to a problem that faced the expedition several times. No one cared where we ate. You must understand that this is coming from a group of individuals who like for things to go their way. Yet, we rode around while the SUV filled with indecisions.

Finally, we decided to try Jaker’s, a restaurant chain in that part of the country. My dad and oldest nephew had been to one before, so we figured it would be good. We got seated next to the slot machine room (most Montana establishments have slot machines), and the waitress came by to take our drink orders.

Brother: I would like iced tea, and my dad would like iced tea, as well.

Me: I would like tea.

Waitress: (confused look) What?

Me: I would like tea.

Waitress: I don’t understand. You want tay?

Me: (getting frustrated) I WOULD LIKE ICED TEA!

My brother said something to ease the tension, but she walked off. I understand that I have a southern accent, but I also know that my brother has the same one. She understood him just fine. On top of that, there are probably some southern people serving at the base. Anyway, I was tired and wanted food and drink. I probably overreacted because she never came back. Some other waitress worked with us after that. Oh yeah, the food and tay sucked.

We went back to the hotel, and I made the same mistake that my youngest nephew made earlier in the day. I used a toilet that didn’t work and ended up going to the front desk to get a plunger.

The next morning was spent visiting the tourist sites of Great Falls. First, we went to the Lewis and Clark National Trail Interpretive Center.

For some reason, I like to take pictures of signs.

The center was pretty cool, with a couple of good films and a decent museum. Most of it focused on the Corps of Discovery making its way over the waterfalls of the Missouri River, from which Great Falls gets its name. The group had to tote their boats around the falls, and they covered many miles.

Fake people taking a fake boat over fake land and around a fake waterfall.

Honestly, I had more fun looking over the real Missouri River behind the center.

Lewis and Clark passed by here. Of course, they passed by a lot of places.

Next door was a place that our wheat-growing friends told us to visit, and it turned out to be very interesting. This thing flows at over 330 million gallons of water per day and forms the Roe River, the shortest river in the world. It has been determined that the water travels for 3,000 years from its source before reaching this point.

This water has been around since they were counting years backwards.

Then, we made our way to the C.M. Russell Museum, which displayed the works of Charlie Russell – cowboy turned artist. It was a huge museum that showed works by many artists and had an excellent exhibit on the story of bison, a symbolic animal of the West. It was also the location of Russell’s home and workshop. My youngest nephew is an aspiring artist, and I took a picture of him in front of the shop.

One day, people will be taking pictures in front of his workshop.

In the next post, we will journey north.

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