“Wanna get a donut Rudy?”

“Yes, but how far is it?”

“Just across the street. We’ll walk there!”

Sang with a Bowie accent, “Put on your red shoes and WALK the blues…”

And this begins day 2.

The Drive:

A 6 1/2 hour drive of scenery, napping, The Lorax and, of course, Rudy’s soundtrack with selections like, Meg White’s “In the Cold Cold Night”, MJ’s Human Nature, The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”, and many more, led us through our journey. So much of the state, so far, reminded us of the drive through the Snoqualmie Pass, and it was just as grand and green as anything we’d ever experienced! At our halfway point we all needed a stretch, so we pulled off at a rest stop with a soft, cool (it was still 98°) spot. Rudy and I couldn’t wait to dig our toes into the cushioned grass and soon, dad’s socks n shoes were off and we were teaching Rudy stretches and pretending to be giraffes. And then butt-dancing giraffes…of course. It was just the revitalization we needed to complete our drive!

The Show:

Refreshed but eager to be out of the car again, we pulled into the quaint and beautiful town of Kalispell, Montana. Since we had such a long drive, we got to the Tailing Loop Winery with just enough time to set up, change clothes, and get started. Our show time was 7-9, and we were informed that, since the winery was the only place to stay open til 11, the “crowd” usually came in around 8ish. Well, said “crowd” never did make it in, but we had a lovely show playing for a few in-n-outers, the winery owners, and a  couple who got their Momma so wine drunk, she ate Rudy’s quesadilla and left her teeth on the bathroom floor. (I got a picture…) Overall successful night.

The “Afterparty”:

When I get to the end of my life, I doubt I’ll wish I partied more, worked harder, made more money, or had more stuff. I will, however, wish I had more nights like this one.

We had some organizing to do now that 2 full days of road life had provided enough evidence as to what we needed access to most and what could be put in “storage”. So, we did a quick rearrange then discussed the food situation. Soon, a nice walk to the 24 hr grocery was settled upon, and we strolled, 3 Musketeers, hand in hand, singing Beatles songs in the warm, Montana night to the store. The owner of the winery was cool enough to let us stay in their lot overnight, so we were safe and secure.

On our way to the store we saw a million bugs meeting their doom around a giant bug-light on the ground, a brass statue of a huge buck, a trampoline up on it’s side, and a “Sports Senter” that Rudy thought was a huge place dedicated to Wii Sports! We grabbed a few things for dinner and headed back to the winery, where we sat around a table, under a little lit porch, ate our dinner, drank our tea and toasted to a pretty damn fine life. Jared and I are no strangers to the nomadic lifestyle, but involving our little man is both a challenge and a joy, and is rewarding unlike anything we’ve done thus far.

We curled up in the back of the truck and Rudy sang, at the top of his lungs, Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” because, “You need a sweet, sweet song to help you sleep, Mommy.” And he was right…pillowless, lumpy and cramped as our sleeping quarters are, I had one of the best nights of sleep I’ve had in a very long time.


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