Days 32 and 33

Days 32 and 33   July 8 and 9- Billings, Montana

After another Days Inn breakfast (no ginormous omelet for Ed today!) and paying for our overpriced hotel room, we headed out of town with our naughty camper in tow. Earlier in the morning Ed had called the RV repair shop (in Billings) that I had found online the night before. They could not give us much information over the phone, so we just needed to bring it in so it could be checked out. For several days I had been texting/messaging a childhood friend about the possibility of a visit with him and his wife in Billings on our way to Buffalo, Wyoming, our scheduled stop after Yellowstone. Once Ed and I found that Billings was the best bet for RV repair, we made definite plans to visit Scott and Auntie Pete while the camper was being looked over. They live only 10 minutes away. How convenient. The mechanic told us that it would take a couple of hours to investigate it fully and would contact us when he knew what was involved. We thought that meant by the end of the business day, but apparently not. Scott and Auntie Pete graciously invited us to stay for taco dinner and to spend the night - all 5 of us! We had a nice time visiting, especially Scott and I reminiscing about our childhood and the good old days. The kids watched one movie after the next after they found the large collection of DVDs. We couldn’t have asked for a better situation, considering the circumstances. How many friends would have you and your family in their homes after last seeing you 33 years ago?

In the morning, Scott made homemade Belgian waffles that were absolutely delicious. Everyone said that they were the best that they’ve ever had. And the red raspberry and chokecherry syrups were tasty, too. Ed was unsuccessful at reaching the mechanic by phone at the repair shop again so he decided to go there in person, while the rest of us showered and got ready for the day. He came back with the news: They would have to overnight the crank mechanism that needed to be replaced and it would get in until the next morning at 10am. It would then take a few hours to replace and we couldn’t get on the road again until late afternoon. Scott needed to go in to work, so he left us their key and we headed out to lunch in downtown Billings. The AAA guide book recommended McCormick. We circled around the street and found a parking spot after finding the upscale, casual café. Their menu was unique, mostly sandwiches and salads. Ali enjoyed her southwest chicken salad as did I, my grilled tuna steak sandwich and salad with sunflower seeds and lemon vinaigrette. The boys weren’t too thrilled with all of the garlic in their fettuccine alfredo dishes. After lunch, we headed to a nearby grocery store since we wanted to make dinner. We found Albertsons and got fixings for a barbeque meal. When we left, Ed said that he thought it was odd that everyone was looking at us strangely and he swears he saw many employees running after someone out the front doors while we were busy shopping. The rest of us were oblivious to these happenings. Not sure if he was delusional or the rest of us were so spaced out we missed all the excitement?

Even though we could have driven to some locations in the vicinity to do some sightseeing, we decided to take advantage of the unscheduled day and just “veg” out at the townhome. I did make a couple of phone calls for the possibility of horseback riding in the area, since Ali had really wanted to do this some time during our trip. I wasn’t sure if anyone would even be available in such short notice to accommodate us, but I left messages any way. While we waited for return calls, a nap was taken, movies watched, and dinner prepped. If you know us well, you can you guess who did what. Scott and Auntie Pete came home around 5:00 in time for dinner to be finished up. Afterwards, Scott, Ed, and Ian went to sprint car dirt track racing which was about a half hour away. It was a beautiful night for it, but even though it was held outside, Ian said that he was glad that he brought his earplugs with him. The rest of us who stayed behind played a card game (Spite and Malice) and the original Scene It game. We had cake and ice cream, visited a while longer, and ended our day. We were so lucky that Scott and Rae Lynn were opening up their home to us again for another night. Did they not realize that by doing so and feeding us, too, that we might never leave?

                      I'm kicking myself for not having taken any more photos while we were here. Darn!