There and Back Again 2: PVD to MSP to BZN- Day 1

Maybe it’s because I had such a rhythm with my school schedule. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have the time to let things sink in with the stress of finals (and oh, was there stress). Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that I haven’t slept for the past two and a half weeks. I have a hard time processing when I travel, though. I become so warpped up in anticipation and excitement that it seems like it’s never going to happen. Whatever the case, here I sit in Bozeman, Montana. Another day, another trip. Another chance to write.

(Flash forward 2 months: here I sit in my LIVING room in mid-August getting my lazy ass to finally continue writing! Go ahead and smite me, loyal follower(s), for I deserve as such. Nevertheless, I'm finally gettin' 'er done!)

For a person who has spent her life traipsing up and down the east coast (with brief stints elsewhere), this is a pretty big deal. At some point in your life, GO HERE. I’m telling you. This area of the country is worth seeing and spending the money over. I am 100% planning on coming back in the future.

The plan, conceived last summer, was to finish exams and go on this big road trip. We didn’t much have an idea of the specifics of the thing as much as the notion of “hey, we’re college kids with cars and a small amount of money, let’s do it.” So the year went on, I tore my hair out and dealt with lovely breakouts as I made my way through my second year at Boston U. It wasn’t pretty, but I earned some decent grades, and picked the elusive major (along with my cardboard box).

David goes to school at Montana State U. So Kaitlin and I flew out on the 15^th, exactly one day after I was home for the summer. Needless to say, I was quite exhausted. However, it seems as of the gods were looking down on me in that respect. Although I did not want the following events to transpire, in some way I think that was someone’s way of telling me to get some flippin' sleep.

We get to Providence airport only to find out our plane, the first in a series of flights to Detroit (which was where we were to make a connection to Salt Lake) was diverted due to mechanical issues.

Instead, we stayed at the Sheraton, a 2-minute drive down the road, FO FREE. Kinda neat in the end too. Got 50 bucks for my future Delta flight to Australia, 12 bucks for the overly expensive Sheraton room service (delicious salad, crab cakes, and an “intense chocolate experience”, according to the menu). 8 hours of TV (two Matthew McConaughey movies), and 6 hours of sleep later, we were up at 3:45 AM and headed to the airport! 6:05 flight out of Providence to Minneapolis. One connection. I was psyched. I absolutely love flying now.

There was the expected gradient in landscape from the east coast to the Midwest coast. I’m an airplane stare-er. Assume the position! **plaster head to window** **commence drooling**

Farm Hootenanny

Our layover at MSP was longer than expected. After some strolling around, some excessive monorail riding, some food eating, and some Lost watching, we were off to Bozeman!

Montana

It had been a long day. Our plane landed around 1 PM, Mountain Time (hah! Mountain Time!). What was perhaps most notable was the extreme change in landscape from the Midwest to the west. No longer was the earth below an excess of farmland, but completely covered in mountains. The plane made its way into a valley surrounded by these mountains, and at that moment, when I noticed that we were so low that we couldn’t possibly go any further because we’d crash into said mountains, I realized that this is where my friend goes to school.

Sadly, no yeti was sited during this trip.

In all my excitement I must have sounded like a lunatic.  I couldn’t stop exclaiming. We were surrounded by snow-covered mountains. My first thought was something along the lines of the 5-mile drive it would take to reach the mountains. Turns out they are 25 miles away. This IS in fact drastically different than the east coast, though the neighborhoods aren’t much different looking than those back home on Cape. Still… there’s a pretty flippin’ huge contrast.

Owing to our new travel arrangements, we arrived in the early afternoon with time to go and explore. Albeit exhausted, we bummed around the MSU campus for a bit. As a city girl, I was jealous. Beautiful nature, and mountains every which way. Of course, I was seeing all of this whereas just a few weeks before it was completely covered in snow. All the same, the campus was scenic, and I enjoyed myself. There was one cool feature where we stood outside a building and anyone anywhere could go on the MSU website and see us featured on their webcam. I called my mom and she got a kick out of seeing us wave like idiots toward thin air.

MSU Campus

Our next stop was dinner at Montana Ale Works. SO delicious. Might I just say- onion rings with steak in the middle. Just for good measure, I got baked mac and cheese. Go ahead and be a little jealous. I should add that all the while, my foursquare check-ins were increasing at an alarming rate. Yes, I do realize this paragraph is completely unnecessary but so are toe socks, so there.

After this, we went hiking. This was one of the parts of the trip that I was most excited for. I don’t get to do this often. The place we hiked went a little like this:

 Now, don’t be fooled. It wasn’t easy for an athletic goddess such as myself[1]. Turns out the strenuous effect that the uphill portion of the hike had on me was mainly due to altitude[2]. I brought my camera, sans tripod (owing to the airline’s carry-on limit[3]), determined to get my first good shots on this trip. We made it to the M, which I was told was about 500-600 ft of a climb from the ground up. We were that PLUS 5,000 ft above sea level. See what I mean about the altitude?

The view. More excitement. This defines my mood during this trip, stemming from such causes as an artsy looking twig, a jagged rock, or even a beaver[4]:

The view from the M was, in a word, amazing. Righteous, for all you folks stuck in the 70s.

 The hike back down was fun (downhill + momentum = hilarious imagery). We first stopped at a cluster of large, jagged rocks, protruding from the side of the mountain. Did some climbin’. I was a little overzealous but quit while I was ahead/before my non-climbing New Balance sneakers sent me into oblivion. But nevertheless AH GOT DOWN WITH MY BADASS SELF.

Turns out we were hiking down right at sunset, I did an internal fist pump. I was also SO looking forward to the western sunsets[5]. We found an open plain area, and I walked over to a tree, sat, and was silent. It was breathtaking. A great start to the trip[6].

**one swirling vortex later**

So it's now August, and I'm sitting here writing. Not a COMPLETE fail, right? Right?? **bead of sweat** Day 1 done. And as I'm traveling again next week to Maine, CT, and Florida, it looks like I've got quite a bit of writing ahead of me.

As always, thank you for readin'! I really do love writing these.

Like most people, I've had a busy summer. I lived in Boston and was here and there all the live-long day. I was also recovering from the end of my childhood (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 film), which took up quite a bit of my time. I'm finally relaxing for a bit and gearing up for my 3rd year in college!! Note to all current high school students: Time flies.

Future entrees will most definitely be posted as soon as possible after and during the trips. Stay with me while I write my way into oblivion and post the rest of these, eh?

As I always say- traveling is new, fresh, and exciting, and I absolutely love writing something I'm passionate about.

Alright! Day 2[7]!

Cheers!

-Sam

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[1] For a full summary of my diet and exercise mantra, click the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLexgOxsZu0

[2] For a full summary of common S. Gwizd excuses, see a representative.

[3] This time I’m actually telling the truth.

[4] Yep, a beaver.

[5] Insert foreshadowing vibe here/see next footnote.

[6] This would turn out to be the only sunset we would see for the majority of the trip.

[7] I owe you a drink or something for reading this far. Seriously, props.