Days 60 Stanford, MT to Great Falls, MT 60.5 miles Total 2,975.0 mi

 Most days are good.  Some days have times that suck.  And sometimes, events come together in such serendipity that the day turns out to be unbelievably FABULOUS!!

Great Falls is a city with many fine attributes and attractions.  None better than the unofficial "Mayor" of Great Falls herself, Brianne Laurin.  But I get ahead of myself....

This was a challenging ride, again because of the wind.  No good stopping point, so a PB&J on too-old bread at the Rest Stop had to suffice.  The hotel we had booked would not consider a check-in any earlier than 3 pm.  Steve arrived at 2:35.  We waited in the lobby with several other patrons-to-be.  They wouldn't allow me to check in, it had to be Steve.  The room was fine, except that the Tv didn't work and neither did the internet.  This is a down day stop, during which time Steve works hard on his routes and downloading them into his GPS, so internet connection is a must.  The one manager was surly and not at all apologetic or helpful.  We packed up and left.

At the new hotel, the room was lovely, the internet strong and the staff was friendly.  She started by saying, "Just so you know, we killed a rattlesnake today just outside in the back parking lot. Welcome to Montana!" We asked where to go for dinner.  She suggested either Maria's Mexican or Howard's Pizza.  We chose Maria's, but quickly realized they were closing before we could get there.  At Howard;s, Steve noticed The Steinhaus bar next door, so in we went.  They have an agreement with Howard's so we had a delicious pizza anyway.

But better than that, we began talking with a couple at the bar, Brianne and Greg. 


 What fun.  We were instantly won over by Brianne's enthusiasm for Great Falls, golden retrievers, and, well, everything. She described the museums, parks, restaurants and bars that we should visit.  Once they described the famous Sip and Dip bar, we knew we needed to go there.  And, before you could say Why Not? Brianne was walking us around the block, a story/history for every establishment on our way.

The legendary Sip 'n Dip Tiki Lounge has been around since 1953 or so, according to the waitress.  Behind the bar there is a glass wall  containing a pool where mermaids cavort.  This bar has been voted the number one bar on earth by GQ magazine.  We watched the mermaids and had a drink.

This is a Mermaid Kiss cocktail.





We really enjoyed our evening with Greg and Brianne.  We also met a fellow Mainer, Alec, who was from York!  Small world, he was there for his friend's wedding and just happened to hear us say we were from Maine.  





Comments

  1. John OppermanJuly 10, 2021 at 3:37 PM

    Glad a lousy day turned into a great one! May the wind get around back of you !

    ReplyDelete

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