Remembering How it feels to be Content: Bike Missoula

Missoula. Montana. Why have I not discovered this place sooner?

When we finally arrived in Missoula, not only was I excited to be there because it meant a 3-day respite from driving in a car, but also because it is such a neat, unique college town. Without a doubt, it is the most biker-friendly city I have ever been in…the cars stop if they see you about to cross the street and the majority of the major thoroughfares have a bike lane. Many businesses have bike racks outside of their establishments. Leslie and I vowed not to get into a car for the next 3 days and aside from making a trip to REI on the outskirts of town for a new sleeping bag, we stayed true to the vow. We took a tour of campus, and I met a ton of Leslie’s friends whom I had heard about all semester but of course had never met until this point in time. We drank lots of coffee at the many unique coffee shops around town. Without a doubt one of my favorites was “Liquid Planet”, a shop with everything from coffee and sweets to local wines and beers, lots of reading materials, and a general good vibe about it. We literally rode our bikes all day long, to wherever we decided to go. Having spent most of the semester relatively immobile, to find myself riding miles and miles on a borrowed bike through the streets of Missoula with the green and rolling foothills surrounding me, I was more than happy. I explored a bit on my own while Leslie went to work, and this, as usual, turned into an adventure. Luckily Leslie armed me with some great maps of Missoula before she left or I could have become rather lost. I found myself weaving around but ultimately navigating and treating myself to a beautiful sunset on the bridge overlooking the mountains and river that snakes through town.

Leslie and I put our creative skills to work when, upon returning home to her apartment, Leslie realized her roommates had owned most of the kitchen supplies she had been using all summer. We attempted banana pancakes Friday morning using the crockpot warmer plate, oil, and a fork-knife pair turned pancake flipper. Considering our resources, we cooked up some fairly delicious breakfast vittles and even added fresh strawberries to the mix. Visiting the local Saturday Missoula farmers’ market was an experience and yet again another taste of sweet summer--we bought rhubarb and leslie later made a fantastic rhubarb-strawberry crisp.

The river and surrounding foothills complete with a white “M” on the hillside provided some beautiful views and many moments of pause to simply feel content about life. Those 3 days were some of the most beautiful Leslie said she has ever seen in Missoula—we had sun every day and it got up to the mid-80s every day. Glorious summer. Combine that with the ability to do whatever, whenever and it was a delicious recipe for a small taste of summer before heading to Yellowstone, where summer has not yet arrived. I tried huckleberry ice cream at the Big Dipper—a popular ice cream establishment in town and a local Montana flavor. We rode around town many times, and tried to find Rattlesnake Canyon but were largely unsuccessful though it was a good ride nonetheless.

I could easily see myself not only often returning to Missoula but even potentially living there—it has such an attractive vibe to it that one simply needs to experience individually. Everyone seemed so laidback and very outdoor-oriented. I can confidently say that I felt more at home in Missoula than I ever have in Indiana, in the sense that the people I found myself surrounded by were just as adventurous, if not more so, than I am. Corn, flatland, and corporate office buildings may be fine for some but as for me, I seek the clean and pure mountain air, high on life and surrounded with a variety of opportunities and activities with which to occupy my time that there is rarely a dull moment. I taste that in the West. I do not wish to conform to corporate America but rather seek an endeavor that gives me just enough money to love life and experience it to the fullest and allows me to enjoy the great out-of-doors. To finally be free of the car and driving long hours every day, encountering new sights, sounds and smells, was a refreshing feeling.

While traveling the country was quite an adventure and loads of fun, the adventures to come make my heart beat a little faster and I feel that small absent-minded smile I felt flowing through every part of my body while in Chile coming around again. After a long, arduous semester full of a variety of trials and tribulations, to finally feel contentment again is a more than welcome feeling that I am determined to follow and capture. Maybe it’s that new place-traveling-creating new adventures excitement again. Meeting new people, realizing that yet again the world is at my feet to explore. I guess it’s safe to say I am addicted to new places, new people, and squeezing all that I can out of life. So here I am, at it again, stretching to reach the first sweet and juicy peaches of the season from this tree. The winter was harsh, but spring is bringing something great. While traveling through Iowa City I saw a sign that struck me as incredibly true: “If we had no winter the spring would not be so pleasant.” Peace out winter, bring on the spring!

May each of you find your own clear mountain air this week. Keep in touch!

-Katie

p.s. so i never figured it out in chile and im really not sure how i missed the most obvious picture attachment link, but here's a few pictures i took in this enchanted town! (note, okay so there WOULD be pictures if my internet connection was better. i'll work on that)

First Week, Big Adventures

Thursday, May 22, 2008

I am writing to you from Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park...where it is currently snowing and has been, all day. we enjoyed 2 days of nice 70 degree weather but now its fairly chilly and looks like it might snow a lot, and then warm up some again. the weather here is fickle i suppose. but you cant beat the views, the crazy wildlife (i saw a grizzly crossing a stream a few miles outside the park!), and the people and job i have. ive really been enjoying myself, though i have yet to start the actual duties of my internship. this week we have 3 stores opening all on friday so everyone has been really tired and stressed trying to get everything set up and ready for the season openings.

i live in the dorms and have been lucky enough to have a Colombian roommate..her first time in the states and here to work and learn English. imagine my excitement at the ability to speak Spanish with her all the time...she's not the only Colombian here...ive met a good number who speak Spanish and its been really great. I'm not the only intern which is nice as well but the only one with this internship as well as lots of essays to write in order to get class credit. its not easy working more than 8 hours a day and then sitting down and cranking out a paper after all of that. somehow i will get through it though i guess.

tonight we have an event that i get to go to, one of the photographers whose artwork we feature in the stores is coming and hosting a private wine and cheese party of some sort, talking and showcasing his work. unfortunately i still have 2 more months until i'm 21 so i'll have to just attend the cheese party part. ;)

my boss is really really awesome and im really excited to work with her. ill be helping her with the GreenPath program Delaware North has developed...recycling and environmental initiatives to promote not only within the company but throughout YEllowstone and the surrounding local community. right up my alley.

living and working in a national park is a very unique experience...back to dorm life and prepared meals which are really delicious in the employee dining room but also surrounded by so many natural phenomenons and working in a fairly relaxed, laidback atmosphere. the majority of the people working here are retired but it provides for interesting perspectives and always a ton of advice about life and general concern for my well-being.

i've hiked once, on a full moon hike which was pretty cool but too many people around. i hope to go hike this weekend or at least explore but thunderstorms are expected so we'll see.

in other news, my foot has been doing fairly well though hates the long days i have been spending setting up merchandise in the stores. ill just be doing that through the end of this week and then the real work begins but it should hold in there. its SO nice to not have to get around with a boot or crutches.

The Latest, Greatest? Adventure: Interning in Yellowstone National Park but first: The Journey Enroute

As they always say, networking is key to getting a job. This time I find myself beginning an internship with Delaware North, who runs 13 general stores in the Yellowstone National Park area, along with many other establishments throughout the country, as well as the world. Yellowstone is located mainly in northwest Wyoming, with parts in Montana and Idaho. I'll be living in the DNC dorms nearest to Old Faithful, the famous geyser that erupts every 60 to 95 minutes per day.

The following recounts my journey west where I have truly found that the West is Best. I have yet again left behind my family and friends to start in a new place. So here goes.

I decided to drive the 2,000-plus miles out to Yellowstone National Park in Northwest Wyoming. My good friend Leslie (or Leslie Montana as my parents call her) agreed to make the journey with me and flew out from Missoula, Montana to Indy in order to drive back with me. We spent 4 long days driving, starting from Noblesville, Indiana.

The first day we left Noblesville a bit before 8am EDT and would have made great time if we hadn’t taken the wrong exit and headed towards Kentucky rather than Illinois. This made an 11 hour day (without stops) into a 15 hour day (with many stops) We stopped through Iowa City on the way for a quick ice cream cone (gummy bear which doesn’t sound all that good but it was!!!) and a Starbucks stop to see Heidi and Jordan, two good friends from our Chile days. Being so far behind schedule we didn’t have much time to see them, but the quick stop was better than nothing! We kept trucking and pulled into my aunt and uncle’s house in Lincoln, Nebraska a little after 10pm CDT.

After chatting with my aunt and uncle and watching their new little dog, Molly, zip around the kitchen at our feet and try to eat Leslie’s sandals, we left Lincoln and headed in the direction of Littleton, CO. The scenery quickly changed from green trees and large, sprawling farmland to very wide, open spaces, complete with a view of a St Louis Arch-like bridge over the highway in Nebraska, the Bridge to the West was the intent there I believe. We stopped in Ogallala, NE, a small western town very close to the Colorado border. We had a bit of trouble locating Lake McConaghuey (sp) but after stopping at a nursing home and staring at a small cartoon drawing of the town, we located it and frolicked by the shore for a bit. We were going to stop to eat but decided we had plenty of food in the car and continued along our way. The town seemed fairly deserted while there but we did see the “Ogallala Watering Hole”, a gas station in town which seemed interesting. We continued on to Colorado and finally saw the Rocky Mountains looming in the distance. Denver traffic proved entertaining and we again found ourselves misguided in day 2. The views of the city were pretty impressive as were the mountains and I maneuvered the car while Leslie read the map and we eventually found ourselves in Littleton. We made a good team as for some reason I tend to ignore lots of traffic and large semis and calmly carry on while Leslie is great at navigating with the use of our helpful AAA maps.

Once in Littleton, we passed time with my grandma (Busha) and also got to visit my great-aunt Juzia. It was awesome to see both of them, as well as be back in the Rockies. Tuesday evening we spent visiting old friends back in Denver. We didn’t have much time to see anyone though it was great to touch base with one of my good friends Julie in her Denver abode, as well as see some family members. The following morning, Day 3 Wednesday, we drove into Boulder to see one of Leslie’s friends from the first semester in Chile. The view of the snow-capped Rockies on our way into Boulder was enough to cause tears to spring to my eyes, carried away by the sheer beauty and magnificence of the mountains before us. We had beautiful, warm weather every single day of the journey and Wednesday was no exception. After bumming around in the streets of Boulder for a bit, plus a trip to the candy store, we made our way towards Columbus, Montana, Leslie’s hometown of approximately 2000 inhabitants. Day 3 of driving, in the car, waking up early, the adventure of it all began to wear off once we hit northern CO and most of Wyoming. The brown, empty ranchland of this area was more than we could bear and both of us just sat in tortured silence, hoping the hours would pass by faster so we could get out of the car. We both contemplated throwing open the car doors and rolling away from the car, but decided to keep on going. Upon reaching the Wyoming-Montana border, and even a little before it, the mood changed and we began to enjoy the adventure yet again. Montana was beautiful and much more interesting than Wyoming, and the stop for the night was almost upon us. Columbus was small and while I did not get to experience all of its treasures that Leslie always spoke about, the tour of the main street was a good enough taste of this quaint Montana town. We finally got a bit of time to just relax inside her parents’ home and geared up for one more day of driving the next day.

Day 4 we took a detour and went back into Wyoming for a bit to visit Yellowstone National Park. While I would spend the next 3 months there, Leslie hadn’t seen it in a while and wanted to pass through. About 5 miles outside of the park entrance we saw the telltale signs of a wildlife spotting with a good number of cars pulled off the road and lots of tourists standing around, fixated on one point, cameras and binoculars in hand. This sighting turned out to be a grizzly bear walking through a clearing and crossing a river! We stopped for a bit, shot a few pictures and then entered the park where at this time there was approximately 4 feet of snow piled up on the roadside. Yellowstone Lake was completely frozen over and I felt like we were returning to winter yet again. I got to meet and eat lunch with Leslie’s mom who is just as fun and spontaneous as Leslie. (I forgot to mention one of our other passengers on the journey: Pato, translated to “duck” which was a small duck that was the size of a peanut. However, after placing him in a pickle jar full of water and taking him along on our journey, he grew to be about the size of my fist) We then drove over to Old Faithful which thankfully had less snow and was a bit warmer where we met a few of Leslie’s old YNP friends and hung out. We then got back into the car and headed to Missoula, MT, leaving the park and again entering Montana. The drive went fairly quickly and was incredibly beautiful. We drove around Hebgen Lake and I got to drive over my first mountain pass (as the driver) into the valley of Butte. We drove along a river for a while, up along sheer rock face, and up and down and around, full of beautiful mountains and sweet sunshine to spur us onward. We arrived in Missoula around 9pm or so and were welcomed by the smells of a sweet summer evening. This would be Leslie’s final stop and my last stop for a few days. I didn’t have to report to work back in Yellowstone until Monday so we swore off using the car and only rode our bikes in this most enchanting bike-friendly college town for the next 3 days.

More to come on Missoula, but that was essentially the road trip. We spoke all in Spanish, unless around non-Spanish speakers, listened to music, shared a few good laughs and conversation, and all in all made it across the United States, taking a ton of photos and seeing a ton of friends and family. For me, that was perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the trip and a definite remedy to feeling homesick. Upon entering YNP it really hit me how far I was from familiar Indiana and the majority of my friends and family. Here I am again, on to another great adventure. Having a good friend by my side as well as looking forward to seeing someone I hadn’t seen in a while at the end of each long day was exciting and very enjoyable. Thank you to all of you who gave us food and provided us with warm beds and good conversation after a long day in the car! :)