Manifest Destiny, pt. 5, For the Thrill of It

“To those devoid of imagination a blank place on the map is a useless waste; to others, the most valuable part.” - Aldo Leopold

I have a book list to read on my phone that I won't get to before I die and I don't have a clue what most of them are about. I enjoy the thrill of going into a novel blind. 

After my remote getaway in Northeastern Washington I felt the pull of finishing the job of viewing the Pacific Ocean. I have a friend who lives in Tacoma, WA so I decided that it makes good sound sense to check in on him. One thing I learned is that Central Washington is a dry, flat high desert with not much around but a reservoir now and then.

In Tacoma, we spent a couple days talking about elk hunting and catching up like pals do. I didn't love Tacoma, but I'm sure there are nice people and places there that I didn't explore.

Continuing the tour, I moseyed my way down to Portland to meet up with another long time amigo over burritos and beer. I stayed in a vibey, renovated hotel called the White Eagle above an old saloon in downtown Portland. The rooms were actually at one point the brothel portion of the business....

The atmosphere and current conditions of Portland seemed pretty tumultuous so I carried on south to Bend, OR while stopping at some recommended hiking sights along the way.

Bend is a vibrant town despite the current pandemic. I loved that tourists and locals alike seemed to be using and gathering in the downtown area that is full of breweries (there's a theme here in my travels) and good food. You don't see that with all downtowns. Then again, not all cities were created equal.

Following a night in Bend, I decided to steer the ship back in the northeast direction. So here I am and it's probably a good point in the story to let you know that I've taken my talents to Missoula, MT.

It may seem spontaneous but it really hasn't been. Moving west has always been an intrigue of mine, I just needed to confirm that my suspicions were true before pulling the trigger. While the past 4 blogs may make it seem like a flippant and easy decision, it hasn't been. I think before someone has a spouse or children, we're always wrestling with the decision to make life choices based on the "missing people" versus personal happiness emotions. It's a matter of being self-disciplined and taking the time to prioritize ultimately what's the most important to you. We're only here for 80ish years. Pursue your happy.

Loneliness and self doubt I've found, are similar to nausea. They surface and it sucks, but will eventually dissipate. What our culture isn't used to is letting these feelings run their course and learning to process them like adults. What we've grown accustom to is numbing them through social media, connectivity and current events. 

To give you some out of the ordinary details, I'm working as a server at a fun brewery along with the Farmers Market on weekends.  I'm letting my interests lead me to financial gain and muffling any pride when evaluating jobs. While the wildfires are making it smokey this time of year, I'm loving the city, proximity to recreational activities and general outdoor commonalities I have with folks here. 

The hardest part has been missing the comfort and enjoyment of my established friends and family, but I'm better learning how to reinvent myself both professionally and personally and I'm enjoying the uncomfortable process of that challenge. Just like my book list, I'm learning as I go. 

If you're feeling the claustrophobia of the city and current events, just know that you can get out of the city limits, even if it's for a weekend. I'd recommend it. 

New in my life: ZooTown Cup of Joe just doesn't have the same ring. Deer B tags and chili. Quads and Cavs are Division 3 status.  

Keep smilin'

JM

Manifest Destiny, pt. 4, Subconscious Pivot

"There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot." - Aldo Leopold

Bozeman was the sexy dot on the map and I created a good amount of personal anticipation to get to know the city. I still didn't have a ton of expectations given my lack of research to this trip, but at this point I was a social sponge and ready to make friends.

I find it interesting that for a lot of people it takes getting uncomfortable and a raw form of lonely for us to really treat other humans the way we're supposed to. I've loved reverting back to the excitement of meeting strangers. I started making conversations with everyone: barista, grocery store clerk, people in the parks, stray dogs, you name it, I genuinely wanted to learn about them and connect on a human to human level. When padded in the comfort of your normal routine, friends and family, you lose the hunger of making new acquaintances and generally we're not as eager to be our nicest self.

There is a lot of talk about how Bozeman is outgrowing it's authenticity and investors are driving up housing prices, and while that may be true, as a transient, I loved the energy of the city. This is where I started to get a taste of the local food scene. I'm not speaking of simply trying a bunch of new restaurants but more so how the local farms supply the food network. Referencing the previous blog, after a few weeks of introspection, I realized my love of sustainability on a community and personal level. Years of growing a garden, recycling and sourcing my own wild game, I started to allow my interest to pursue and learn about that world in detail.

  

I stayed at the retro Lewis & Clark Hotel. It's a must in Bozeman. 

 

I timed this trip to accidentally be quite floral

After hitting a healthy amount of breweries and going on enough regimented hikes, I decided to make a weekend of Missoula which is a couple hours Northwest up the Bitteroot Valley and uniquely scenic.

 

 

I was still flexing my camping muscle while exploring the cities

Going back in chronology, when I was staying in Gardiner I would post up in a quaint local coffee shop called the Tumbleweed that is full of used furniture for seating and bookshelves full of Western themed novels. The reason this information is important is that I met a couple there that mentioned they lived in Missoula and left me their number should I end up in that neck of the woods.

After having drinks with my two newest friends in downtown Missoula I started to brainstorm what a Western life would look like and how that fit into my scheme of newfound priorities.

Missoula is a small college town of 72,000 that is equipped with a large amount of dive bars, top notch breweries and great hiking 10 minutes away in every direction. On top of that, there is a big outdoors industry that exists there and one of the best farmers markets in the country. I was smitten.

 

I took notes, wandered the city and carefully inspected each brewery to get a feel for the persona that identifies as a local.

Jumping back in time to my time in Gardiner, MT again, the couple I stayed with there mentioned they were going to a remote lake in Northeastern Washington near the Canadian border that was owned by another sibling of the family and that I was welcome to join for the week of the 4th of July. Researching on the Google machine I discovered is was only a handful of hours driving distance away so I decided Deep Lake, Washington is a great place to celebrate our independence.

Driving there I got to meet the great mining town of Wallace, ID and drive by Lake Coeur d'Alene. Both recommended stops. Some of this area of the country I had been before but only via tour bus on the way to our next show back in my music days. This time I really was able to pioneer each area.

 

Deep Lake is a magical place but funny enough the lake isn't that deep. The lake is only 66 acres and holds around 60 cabins segregated to a North and South end. My favorite part is that there is no cell service and the only internet available is spotty satellite internet. What this combination of variables creates is tight knit community of neighbors where the only form of entertainment are small social gatherings. Additionally out of the norm, at these gatherings, there was no fomo (fear of missing out) and no one was incessantly checking their phones. It was fantastic to meet all walks of life and be a part of the family for a brief week. Conversationally, we figured out all of life's problems one beer at a time.

 

 

The lake is surrounded by thousands of acres of forest land and ancient cattle farms so elk, bear, eagle, osprey etc sitings are common. 

For the Forth of July, a number of cabins around the lake invested in their own personal cache of fireworks and were determined to out-pyro the others. It was a special setting with the background of mountains and water while watching a myriad of explosives from all around the lake while sitting next to a campfire. Life was good.

New in my life: The stache is two weeks away. Don't buy stock in Greyhound. Who really knows what a huckleberry is anyways?

Keep smilin'

JM

Manifest Destiny, pt. 3, Oro y Plata

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Teddy Roosevelt

I learned about Gardiner, MT from a buddy who said his sister and her husband lived there and that I was welcome to crash in their spare bedroom. Since they were strangers to me, I of course said yes.

Gardiner is a small town that sits just outside of the North entrance of Yellowstone and it's so nearby that the park rangers serve as the police. The most notable aspect of Gardiner is the welcoming of the elk in the city. Through years of habituation, they have no fear of city life. They are city elk that like their coffee slow drip and sustainably sourced.

With the park in the neighborhood, the high desert city naturally get the same wildlife and tourists. What was originally going to be a 2 day stay, with my host's convincing, turned my stay into a week long base camp to explore Yellowstone and the area more thoroughly.

 

 

 

I made a one-night camping trip to Big Sky, MT and a hike up to the Spanish Peaks. It was a chilly good time.

 

 

Spanish Peaks and a snowman in June

This timeframe of the trip also began my decent into the area which John Mayer made famous called Paradise Valley. Historically, Gardiner and a lot of the other small townships were established as mining communities in the early 1900's. What comes with mining communities? Homey, grungy, authentic saloons of course:

  

The last picture is Blue Goose Saloon. Sadly, it burned down a few weeks after I was there.

Hiking became and has become a critical free health staple and pastime. Lungs, legs and heart pumping. Yep.

 

This is an old abandoned "survival" off-grid camp that I hiked to that kids could enroll to back in the day

 

Snuck inside for a creepy look around

After a week of adventuring and coffee shopping, I carried on with my trip. Further Northwest through Paradise Valley again with Bozeman in my sights.

Overlooking Paradise Valley, MT

   

Speaking frankly, at this point in my trip, camping alone was wearing on me. I love the smell of a campfire and supreme solitude as much as the next Bernstein Bear, but there are only so many solo nights I can do before I want the camaraderie and conversation of a friend. I realized that I forgot to pack a dog. 

Learning this, my exploring and planning started to coincide around cities and include Western friends I hadn't seen in awhile. Another thing I'll note is that it took me about 3 weeks into disconnecting to really start brainstorming outside of my normal inventory of thoughts. It's not just a break in setting that was important, but a consistent habitual break in schedule. I made my brain be okay with not having a list for the week and a successful day could simply be a hike and reading a book. Productivity is a helluva drug.

Bozeman, breweries and beyond in the next installment. 

New in my life: I'll take velcro shoes and training wheels por favor. I believe in Santa Clause and the end of covid. Today is my birthday. 

Keep smilin'

JM