Culbertson, MT
Above: Now, why didn’t I think of this? A Winery/Car Wash. What a brilliant idea! Just imagine, you could pick up a nice Pinot AND wash your Peugot in the same trip! Them Frenchies are going to be sooo jealous when they hear about this…
Above: Another Culbertson innovation. A physician/surgeon + taxidermist combination. That’s gosh-darned brilliant! If things work out, you can walk out with a new heart. If they don’t, they just hang you above the door!
Monday, 7/10 9pm
Location: Culbertson, MT
Coordinates:
48.1459 N
104.5128 W
Today’s mileage: about 55
Tomorrow’s destination: Williston, ND
It was another interesting day in bicycleland. I sat down at a picnic table across from the Albertson’s in Wolf Point to eat my breakfast, and before long, a guy came over, sat down across from me, and began telling me his life story. He claimed to be the Vice Chairman of the Assiniboine Indian Tribe. However, within about 5 minutes, he asked me for money to go buy beer. Among the stories he told me: he broke up a knife fight last night among the drunks in the park (who also asked me for beer money the evening before); he once drop-kicked a guy who picked a fight with him despite the fact that he walks with a cane in each hand; he got a law degree from the University of Washington. I’m not saying that none of these stories could be true, but they just seemed highly unlikely coming from a guy who drinks 40’s at 9 am on Mondays in the city park.
As has happened consistently on this trip, nothing turns out quite as I expect. My next stop of the day was Poplar, a town that several people told me to steer clear of (Evidently, Poplar’s nickname is “Stabville”). When I rolled into Poplar, it looked like every other small town, so I stopped in a gas station to get a 7-Up. I started chatting with the workers in the store, and everyone was super friendly. Outside, the girls’ junior high basketball team was running a fundraiser car wash to raise money to attend a state-wide tournament in Billings this weekend. The guy in the store explained that the girls have been washing cars for almost three weeks now. I gave the girls 10 bucks, and every single one of them shook my hand and said thank you. The fact that the girls were so appreciative of a $10 donation was pretty touching. It instantly put me in a good mood. Just another example of why I like small-time sports more than the pro’s.
I arrived in Culbertson, which is outside the Indian Reservation, in time to eat dinner before a thunderstorm hit. The were only a few sprinkles of rain, but the lightning show was spectacular, and it lowered the temperature about 15 degrees (Yes!). On a side note, Culbertson wins the award for most friendly wavers. Everyone that I passed by, be it in a car, in their yard, or just walking by…everyone waved hello to me. Real friendly folks here in ole Culbertson.
On a historical note, Culbertson was built around a coal mine that was opened in the early 1900’s by a McMillan.
Musings:
Trains are awesome!
Tags: Travel
daviddmcmillan