Mr. Smith Goes to Billings

My wife and I just went to Billings to visit my family, in particular my brother who was also in town. It was the first time in a couple of years that the whole famn damily was gathered in one place and it went off fairly smooth imho.

Though I won’t get much into detail about the trip, especially family specifics since I don’t like to publish all my secrets for free, I did want to share some random thoughts about the trip.

#1) Billings is getting spruced up. I remember growing up on Russell Street two blocks off of Broadwater Ave. The streets surrounding our house were decrepit at best. Pot holes plagued the streets, but that never seemed to stop my brother from driving full bore at angles to miss the worst of the damage.

The streets seem to be a lot better in the city. Maybe I came at the right time of the year, but it suddenly struck me how pleasant it is to drive in Billings (especially when you know how to get around). People’s yards look nice. Almost too nice. I wonder how many Billingites are actually concerned about the possible ecological damage that those lush lawns pose. In Western Montana, we’re looking at an aquifer that might be drained within my lifetime. Though, it is nice to have some shade in that blistering sun. Coming back to Missoula was a shock. Partly because it was rainy, and partly because we barely noticed it was rainy.

#2) Billings is still growing at a clip. Yet, it is still affordable. Sort of. Sure, it has the half a million and million dollar houses, but my cousins managed to buy a house for less than a hundo-thousand! That category does not exist in Missoula. It doesn’t matter what part of town you live in, how bad the house is. Nothing. Those houses do not exist over here.

#3) Eastern Montana thunderstorms are still cool. Our last full day in Billings ended with a barbeque. Rain threatened the entire day. I would go stand outside to watch the impending clouds, seeing and smelling the rain, knowing that it was on its way. In Missoula, if you can see the storm, you’re about to get wet. With valley living comes the inevitable fact that the weather has no place to go except for the valley. In Billings, though, the storm seemed to split up. Half of the storm went north while the other half went south. We were spared and the barby was a success!

#4) Our “new” car (an 89 Camry) gets great mileage. On the way down we got an average of 33.5 mpg even with some random in town driving whenever we felt like stopping. We got this in part because we actually drove 75 mph instead of my usual 80. Plus we weren’t blasting heat (like during our last trip in the winter) or AC. What a difference that 5 mph made! I tried going a little bit slower when possible, but 334 miles is a long drive to take real slow. Trust me. I know. And not because I remember when the speed limit was 55 on the highway (which I do, though I was too young to drive it), but because I had a van that could only go 55. Eight hours is far too long of a drive between Missoula and Billings.

The thing was, even at 75 we were passing people. It used to be that I went 80 to 85 and lots of people passed me. I saw truckers pass more cars then I’d ever seen before. It made me think that perhaps other people are trying the same tactic: driving slow to save fuel and money.

I read in USA Today that people are actually on average driving less than they were. I’d believe that. We already drive less and only keep a car because it is a bit cheaper than taking taxis or buses to all of our hard to reach places (my band practices outside of Missoula).

I’m still working on ending, so I’ll just abruptly say this: Johnny Cash, 50 Cent, Ludicris, Britney Spear’s bald head.