Birthday Mystery

Saturday was my birthday.  Saturday was also my monthly tech class.  Last week Dan told me he had planned a surprise road trip for Saturday.  So I attended half the class and let them know I would miss the last half.

I tried asking questions about where we were going.  He answered a few and refused others.  Said it would give it away.  He was delighted that I was still baffled by my birthday mystery.

Saturday we set out after I got home.  We headed southwest from Billings.  I guessed Jackson Hole.  Not there.  I thought about Yellowstone Park but I knew the roads were closed in the direction we were going.

A couple of my guesses were:

• Have we stayed there?
• Is it a new motel or vintage?
• Is it a place I'd been to before?
• Is it noted for a point of interest?
• Is there a bead shop there?
• Is their a quilt shop there?

Many of my questions he refused to answer.  He did say, "The town has a rodeo every year."  He followed that comment with, "But so does most every other small town in Montana."  

But he did say he didn't think I'd stayed there before.  With that answer I was very puzzled.  

I pondered the communities along the road we were traveling.  Joliet, Roberts, Boyd small towns no points of interest.  Red Lodge is one of my favorite little towns.  I love all the specialty shops - most cater to the summer tourists or the winter skiers. I lived there for about a year.

As we drove through Red Lodge I was confused because I couldn't think where we were going.  You could get to Roscoe, Fishtail, Nye or Columbus but other roads were more direct.

Just as we got to the outskirts of Red Lodge he turned the car into the Lupine motel parking lot.  He grinned as I raised my eyebrows.  "You haven't stayed HERE!" And I hadn't.

Part of my birthday present was some cash and time to go shopping.  I loved it!  It was also time together.  That was delightful.  He had made reservations at the Rock Creek Resort restaurant - "The Piney Dell".   Supper was delicious.

When I stopped at Boomerang Beads, I learned that there were 2 other ladies who had come to town to celebrate their birthdays.  Two of us ate supper at the Piney Dell restaurant.

Best of all Dan had used his new computer and his growing skills to look up and make reservations.  I was so proud of him.  He told me he had been planning this even before we had gone to Red Lodge to buy Peggy's birthday present.  

He had already made the arrangements when I reminded him that I had class on Saturday.  He told me, "I hadn't planned to let you know anything.  Then when you mentioned the class I knew I'd have to tell you something."

His eyes filled with delight that he had succeeded in surprising me.  It was a delightful mystery and a great birthday surprise.

 

R is for Red Lodge

Red Lodge is the gateway to Yellowstone National Park via the Beartooth Highway.  The Beartooth Highway opened in 1936.   In 1884 Red Lodge was a stage stop.  Coal discoveries nearby turned it into a boomtown by the 1890’s.  Miners came from all over Europe.

The mines went into a decline in the 1920’s.  In 1943 an explosion killed 74 miners at the Smith Mine.  The mine closed shortly after the disaster, marking the end to Red Lodge mining days.

Today it is a popular tourist destination.  In winter people come to ski.  In summer people stop to admire the beauty of this mountain town.  Many continue on to visit Yellowstone National Park.

The Festival of Nations has been held in Red Lodge every August for the last 50 years.  Each day is dedicated to different cultures. There is food tasting, music, and dancing from the featured countries.  Historic artifacts, clothing and mementos are also on display.  It is a great family event.

I lived with friends in Red Lodge one year and commuted to Billings where I worked.  One morning I watched a fox hunting in the fields.  Another time I came home to find a moose and her calf eating vegetation out of the irrigation ditch.  I often looked out the window and would see moose in the ditch. 

Ever watched a porker run.  They move mighty fast.  The Beer Creek Saloon hosts the annual “Bear Creek Down’s Pig Races”. 

There is always something happening in Red Lodge.