We spent the morning catching up with the world, taking advantage of a wireless connection in the campground just outside Bozeman to do/send some work while we also did laundry. Oh yes, and this brings to mind a point I have been meaning to make: the keen observers among our readers may have noticed that day in and day out we are wearing pretty much the same clothes in the pics. Well, let me clarify once for all that we actually do laundry on the way, and the reason why we keep wearing the same stuff is because after folding it and putting it away, it ends up on top of the pile again, and therefore it's more accessible.
After checking out from the campground, we drive directly downtown Bozeman and park about 1 mile south of Main Street. For the rest of the day, we just walk around, window and not-so-window shopping. Bozeman is a really cute town. It's like Lexington, MA but dressed in leather. The historic district has some interesting buildings, of course the only camera we brought along had discharged batteries so we ended up not taking any pictures for posterity. It's a univeristy town, so cafés and shops target their age-range. Artsy-fartsy galleries, outdoor-oriented outfitters and trendy western shops line Main Street left and right. There was a cobbler store that showed off some of his best work in the window: cowboy boots and horse saddles, and a lot of other leather goods. On our way back to the RV I spotted a food co-op and decided it was time to pack up on some goodies I have been missing since we left Madison, WI. It was more expensive than Whole Food's and carried pretty much the same brands. I was in paradise. I stocked up on only a few bare necessities - bulk granola, salad, real juices and 85% dark chocolate - since we had to carry the bags for about 2 miles on foot. I was missing my morning granola, my organic salads and fruits, and my taleggio cheese!
Another digression: the hardest part of this trip for me so far has been in the food choices I had to face. It hasn't been easy being a vegetarian along the way, and it has been even more difficult to find organic produce in all the states we crossed (with a few exceptions). In an area of buffalo jerkies and elk jerkies, looking for some healthier food alternatives was sometimes a lost cause. Having a kitchen on your back however helps a lot and I can always dish out some pasta. I sometimes make pizza dough while Petr is driving and by the time we pull in for the night, it has risen and it's ready to bake. We had (motor)home-made pizza twice and it was delicious!.
Our destination for the night is Missoula, MT about 200 miles from Bozeman, or a 4-hour drive. We should arrive around 9:30 pm tonight. Another town that looks interesting, at least on paper. I'll let you know tomorrow.
The sunset, Montana-style.
Again.