Morning at the Airport: Time to Fly West

In an hour I’ll be airborne, winging my way to Billings, Montana via Minneapolis.  Today we’ll lunch in Billings and then join a  Carbon County Historical Society guide to tour the town of Red Lodge.  We are staying in a downtown hotel called the Pollard.

I always opt for the downtown landmark over the bland chain hotel; nice to see this on the itin. There is an energy in a downtown hotel, it always seems to be where all the action is, with busy bellhops and people coming and going. I remember this energy at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane and the Citizen Hotel, Sacramento, both right in the city center.

On Monday we will visit the Lazy El Ranch and saddle up for a trail ride with wranglers. I hope that this horse is as steadfast and gentle as my steed three years ago out here, named Toughie. No bucks. In Montana though, they are pretty strict about weeding out the cantankerous horses, they are shipped to the bucking bronco ranch to perform in rodeos.