I slept in the same bed as Michael Keaton
24 May
Just not at the same time. This is what traveling in Montana is like. One night you’re picking up a thin, white terry-cloth towel from a hotel when you notice a warning sign posted in the bathroom that says, “Please do not use the ‘white linens’ for removing makeup or cleaning your shoes. That’s what the tissues are for,” and the next night you’re sleeping at a bed and breakfast where Michael Keaton rests his head before his hunting trips.
I’ve been doing some “business” travel the past week, and since I work for The Wilderness Society, this includes getting to know some spectacularly wild landscapes and staying in some really out-of-the-way places.
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
Montana is the 4th largest state in the union, and its reputation for beautiful, mountain scenery is justified. It’s just that about two-thirds of the state is more prairie than mountains and rarely visited by tourists. This isn’t all that bad, but when you show up in small prairie towns like Glasgow, or Malta, or Fort Peck, you just never know what kind of accommodations you’ll find.
I called Doug from the Fort Peck Hotel and said, “So you know how some places you wish they would restore the historic features, like the woodwork? Well, this place doesn’t need to do that, since from what I can tell, they haven’t done anything at all to it since the 1930′s.” I didn’t want to use the shower, it looked so old, and the ceiling sagged in a few places over my bed. Blinds covered the window, with a pink sheet draped across the top for decoration. But what really puzzled me is why they offered six bars of soap and no other toiletries. Six bars of soap? I hardly use up one in a month at home.
But you know what, it’s better than staying at a chain hotel with no character at all, a place so homogenized that you’re not sure whether you’ve landed in Montana, California, New York, or New Jersey. I’ve been at conferences at Best Westerns where I’ve really had no clue about what was outside the conference center. The beauty of small towns and small town hotels is that they have character. They’re different. They even spawn different kinds of crimes.
Recently, two men got into a fight about the population of Hilger (which might have 50 year-round residents), and one man ended up dead at the end of the argument. I often pass through Hilger on my way to the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and I’ve never seen a population sign, but it’s tempting to go into the Rainbow Bar and ask, “So how many people live in Hilger?” and then slip out when the debate begins.
Funny! The best I can offer is that I shopped in the same store as Kevin Costner. But not at the same time. Just missed him, the clerk said. Story of my life!
I’d love to visit Montana again. Maybe even visit that Rainbow Bar with you. Earlier today I was thinking about my Grandparents’ bar (The Hi-Hat)in Sturgis, S.D. It’s torn down now, but it was a great old place with a dance floor knotty pine walls, stage, long bar and scores of stuffed animals on the walls, including some jackalope. Lot of wild things happened there, I heard.
Yeah, it’s that “same time” thing that gets us, isn’t it? I’ve skied at the same ski area as Jane Fonda (just not at the same time), and eaten at the same sandwich shop as Tom Brokaw (just not at the same time), although Doug did get to fix Tom his sandwich and ask him his name to call out for the sandwich!
We’d love to have you come visit! It’s paradise in the summer here, and we have as weird and rowdy bars and places to see as South Dakota. I’ve passed by Sturgis quite a few times – next time I’ll have to stop in at the Hi-Hat. Janelle
There’s nothing worse than the “generica” that passes for much of small town America. Tom Brokaw gave the eulogy for a friend in New York City, and last summer we sat out after a play talking with David Mamet. He was much more a celebrity to my thinking, than many others. When all is said and done, though, those we rub elbows with on a daily basis are the true stars in this production we call life.
Absolutely. No generica among my friends.
Janelle