So I find myself in a small town in Montana.  I had short notice about the trip, so I packed in about 3.5 minutes.  I managed to get everything that I needed- but it was the next day until I realized that I left without my belt.  Now that I had some time I figured I would venture out to see if I could pick up some stuff that I needed, and if I was lucky I might be able to get that belt too.

I turned against my instinct and followed the road to the left- the way the van driver pointed out to me.  At least the weather was nice.  Little rocks made a pleasant sound as they crunched under my feet.

Right outside of the hotel was a work area with lots of trucks.  There were also these large loading “things”.  Sort of containers to put the stuff in trucks.  What stuff – I had no idea.  There were large silo looking objects in the distance.  Actually the van driver used them as landmarks.  He pointed to them and told me that was where downtown was.  “Silos in downtown?”  I thought.  This might be interesting.

When I came over the top of the small hill I was walking down, I got a view of the town.  There was not just one silo- but a few really large loading silo things.  The town was fitted in around these things- like a giant horizontal game of Tetris.  Most of the buildings were only a story or two with the silos towering above them.  It reminded me of a movie lot- or a warehouse area with all of the flat buildings.

Down the road a bit was an open intersection.  A few moderate, uninteresting houses were on the left with equally uninteresting store fronts scattered randomly.  On the left was what appeared to be a truck stop. 

I veered left onto the truck stop in the hopes of procuring some contact lens fluid.  One of the stores had a sign “G’s Grocery” above what appeared to be doors leading to an auto parts store.  I took a chance and headed to the doors. I figured that didn’t have to buy anything if it was really scary.

Once inside, a grocery store was revealed.  I mean a normal, safe looking grocery store with normal people shopping there.  Interesting.  Outside scary auto parts store- inside normal grocery store!

I picked up some contact lens fluid and an excellent looking apple.  I enjoyed observing the people in the store.  A small town in Montana, America.  Everyone was very nice and helped each other out.  It was a very nice aura.  At check out I fessed up.  “I’m not really from around here” (if she only knew!)  “Is there a place close by that I might be able to pick up a belt?  Oh!  I’m on foot. ”  She smiled and nicely told me about a D & G (?) store that was one block up and three down “can’t miss it”. 

So- I started walking down to the light to see how far “three blocks” means in Montana.  It didn’t appear to be too daunting. 

I wondered what everyone thought about the sight of me.  I mentally checked myself.  I had a kelly green t-shirt from Ireland and blue jeans, walking along the side of a street munching on an apple.  The thought of passing Montana-ites in their pick-ups checking me out and wondering greatly entertained me.

I crossed a set of rail road tracks and looked up another block.  Indeed- there was another small, nondescript building with green letters saying “D & G Sporting Goods – Men’s outdoor, indoor clothing, sporting goods, woman’s clothing”  I figured that I had a good shot for a black belt in the men’s section.   I finished my awesome apple and walked in.

First thing to assault me was a very large elk head.  That was immediately reinforced with 2 other heads all lined up.  I tried to suppress my grin, not too sure if I succeeded.  What else did I expect in a sporting goods store in Montana? 

Looking around- I realized that I was in the woman’s section.  The three huge elk heads were in the woman’s section with me.  There was no suppressing the grin this time. 

Lifting my head I checked out the perimeter of the store to find a hint of where the belts might be.  The entire store was not large, but along the left wall were more heads.  These were white tailed deer heads.  There was more than three- they lined the entire wall from front to back of the store.  At a quick guess I tallied at least 20.  Continuing along in this theme, the entire back wall was lined in deer antlers.  There was no counting these.  The mass of antlers was the topping of an animal parts motif that the store apparently went with.  In the corner was a little scene set up with what I guessed was a bob cat, fox, and something else.  Under this little scene was a display of belts.

First belt on display was a black belt with apparent chrome trim and topped with a large green John Deer belt buckle.  It was actually attractive.  I had a sudden urge to take a picture of myself in it just to send to Ace in New Jersey.

I finally managed to find a plain, black belt with a modest buckle made of good, sturdy leather for only $24.  Made in the USA on top of that!  I took my prize to the counter.

Three cashiers scattered at my approach.  The one silently elected to cash me out smiled at me.  I suddenly realized that I grabbed my credit card but not my id.  I made small conversation with her and she politely rang me up.  I slipped a quarter into a paper collection display touting the childhood diseases they are trying to cure.  She took my credit card and rang me up.  I signed my slip, silently thanking Montana and their blissful trustfulness.

Outside I felt pretty good.  Securing both lens fluid and a black belt was pretty good in a small unfamiliar town while on foot.  I decided to take a little detour on the way back to the hotel to check out this friendly town.  I started marching further away from the hotel just to see what I could see.

The rest of the town was pretty much the same- comprised of short buildings and store fronts.  Charming but utterly useless save for one Ace Hardware.  I veered right back to the main street that led to the hotel.  I found my train tracks, turned right and followed them. 

I decided to share this time with a friend of mine.  Calling my Australian friend, I told him I was in Glasgow.  Seeing as how he used to live in Glasgow, Scotland, we both laughed at me now in Glasgow, Montana. 

Ahead on the tracks (blocking traffic) was a long freight train.  It was coming towards me on the tracks closest to me.  I watched it and realized that it appeared to be stopped.  Starting to debate how wise the idea to cross was, I heard anther train behind me.  Turning, I saw another endlessly long freight train, both of them had matching yellow engines.  I surrendered the idea of playing chicken with 2 trains and found a bench to sit and finish my conversation on. 

The first yellow engine was stopped to my right.  On my left the second engine hissed to a stop, leaving a gap between them in front of me.   I relayed the situation to my friend.  Two men hoped out of the second engine and entered the non-descript building that I was sitting outside of.  Watching the whole situation open-mouthed, I conveyed it all to my friend.  “I think I’m at a train station.”  That comment initiated a new line of conversation.  Personally I thought it was very inconsiderate to leave their train right in the middle of the town.   A few short minutes later two separate guys in overalls and toting lunch boxes came out and jumped aboard the second stopped train engine. 

All conversation with-in a 500 feet radius in the town of Glasgow, Montana stopped when that train blew it’s horn.  I wondered if my friend in Pennsylvania went deaf as well.  When I could hear again, I got a “Where are you?!?”  “I told you- I think I’m at a train station!”  I briefly went over the non- descript clay colored building and the switch of engineers.  A man tried to cross between the two engines.  He jumped about 6 inches straight up when he got the horn blown at him.  I obediently stayed put on my bench. 

I craned my neck to see the train stretch off into the distance.  The end was not in sight.  I settled back into my bench and finished screaming the rest of my conversation as the train rumbled past.  I entertained the idea of tossing pennies on to the track between the moving wheels to let the train flatten them, but decided against it. Eventually the whole train rumbled past.  I hoped up and jumped across the tracks before the first train started moving. It was still blocking traffic.

On the way back I stopped for an espresso at a little café.  It was called Hot Shots and had a dragon enjoying a cup of coffee as a logo.  I got another dose of Montana friendliness.  I wondered if Montana friendliness was like that which I got in Wisconsin.  That was like an uncooked cookie, nice on the outside, lousy and un-tasty once you get past the first initial part.  Well, I supposed that I would let them prove to me that they are uncooked before I would assume it. 

I stopped back at the grocery store to make up for my lack of adequate packing.  I picked up some bleach to add to the sink where my only work shirt was soaking.  Seeing as how I was in a grocery store, I also got a microwave dinner to save a few bucks.  I had a microwave in the room- I figured that I might as well use it.  I waited in the longer line to get my same cashier that I had last time.  She smiled and asked if I got a belt.  I said indeed I did and thanked her for her help.  No sign of uncooked nastyness there!

It started to sprinkle on the way back to the hotel.  In the truck work area, which I now assumed dispersed stuff that was brought in from the trains, I saw a man walking between trucks.   His dirty blue jeans matched everyone else in the state.  I didn’t see one person who wasn’t dirty from the calf down.  He wore a dark plaid button down shirt and a ball cap.  I thought “He just needs a dog following him to complete the picture.”  -and as if on cue a dark dog emerged from between the trucks, close on his masters heels.  I smiled.  Perfect. 

Back in my hotel room I scattered my prized possessions on the bed.  Apparently I worked up an appetite, because that frozen calzone suddenly looked really good.  I grabbed it and only then realized that the microwave was in the hotel from the night before.  (ugh!)  Pocketing my room key, I left to try to talk the restaurant downstairs into letting me borrow their microwave.