With my girlfriend snug in the back seat sleeping off last nights reveling we headed east out of Washington State. She woke up near Sponane and we finally finding route 10.After we passed over some high hills called mountains and were headed for flatter terrain. The weather in the mountains was bad, snowing, sleeting, and all around nasty, but when we hit Missoula and Milltown it was getting down right terrible. 4-6 inches of fresh fallen snow wasn’t going to stop us so we continued on eastward. By the time we reached Clinton the weather was inhospitable, and by Golden Creek we could only muster about 25-30 miles per hour. We were hoping to reach Helena to ride out the storm but our chances were quickly fading.

A signs said Garrison 23 miles and without a word it was decided that Garrison was our new home. Finding the exit ramp an hour or so later we hit the first motel we could find. Not the Taj Mahal but a warm and dry port in the storm with luxury rooms and a bar restaurant to keep us satisfied. Checked in, to the liquor store 1-2 mile up the road, and a quick meal when we were headed back to our suite. Except, when we left the restaurant the scene in the lobby was completely different. There were about 85 people in the lobby with more pouring in all the time. I asked the check-in clerk what was happening and she told me that they had closed the highway, just closed the highway with a huge gate and every one had to get off. Most would be sleeping in the lobby as best they could she said. We immediately offered to share our room with its two king sized beds and pullout couch.

A nice older couple and a family of five were our new family for the next few days We took the couch and the family took one of the beds and the couple got the other bed. It didn’t stay that way though, because two of the little kids ended up in the bed with the nice older couple, but we were all pretty snug as bugs in a rug’

Thank god we got a lot of whiskey and beer plus snacks because the restaurant ran out of foo on the second day and they didn’t open the highway until the third day. We had a great time with our new family and it was a sad parting when the road was opened. We all went our separate ways

And, waiting in line to check out the couple in front of us got a huge bill for the three days they were there, but to our surprise when we checked out the clerk said NO CHARGE, and being as deaf as I am I said Did you say NO CHARGE and she said yes, since you shared your room there is no charge and the state picks up part of the tab. When I asked about the couple who checked out right before us she said, they didn’t offer to share their room and when asked to share they refused. Boy would my mother be proud.

P.S. Back on the road again and 30 miles passed when we saw one of those huge road graders with the bib snow blower attachment in the ditch buried up to the cab. I guess the weather was bad.