Getting Our Head Out of the Clouds

Day 9 of our big adventure, and it just gets crazier and crazier!

Two nights ago, we were in Salt Lake City. The first thing I noticed is that there was a lot more alcohol and a lot more tattoos than I would imagine for the capitol of mormonism. We made a brief visit to the mormon temple. The buildings were beautiful, but it is difficult to forget the pain they caused through their fierce fights against marriage equality. I will give a dining prop. Try the Blue Plate Diner for breakfast or lunch. It's a laid back place with a great staff and delicious old-fashioned diner favorites.

The next day, we made our way across Idaho into Montana, specifically West Yellowstone. West Yellowstone is a cute little town that survives solely on the tourists coming through on their way to Yellowstone National Park. Examples of this can be found in the $2.78 price on McDonald's Double Cheeseburgers or the $208 price on one of the most vile hotels I've ever stayed in. Here's a tip. Unless you're overly fond of the smell of dirty diapers or getting stuck my staples sticking out of the box spring on your bed, avoid the Clubhouse hotel in West Yellowstone. The night was pretty routine. The real adventures began the next day.

We got up and headed out to Yellowstone. We were particularly excited because we had heard that the President and First Family would be visiting today. AND... It was a free weekend! No charge to enter the park.

We headed in and began exploring. The truth be told, we didn't get to see much. There were all kinds of delays due to the crowds and the President's visit. We did get to sit in our cars for approximately an hour while the First Family was escorted from the Old Faithful area. Silly maybe, but it was a thrill seeing their caravan drive away and the helicopters take off. I have a great deal of respect for the President. People complain about some of his policies being drastic or not working fast enough but when you inherit a ten mile high mountain of shit, it takes a while to dig through it. In other words America, give the man a chance to get things done.

We enjoyed a little picnic along the way, had a few photo ops. But the trip was dominated by an argument Jonathon and I had. Looking back, it was nothing. But at the time, it felt like everything. The content really isn't important. It just seemed to overshadow the day. And then we got out of the park, and the real adventure started.

We found ourselves on a little road called the Bear Tooth Scenic Byway. The byway is a stretch of road, mostly gravel, that goes up to the very top of about three 11,000 foot tall mountains. Covered in ice and snow. With really narrow roads. Surrounded by clouds.

Now those of you who know me know that I have some control issues when driving. Even more important, I have fear issues when on giant mountains with tons of hairpin turns next to drop offs that are about two miles in the air. My fear of flying is well-documented and the same instincts seemed to kick in.

But through the three hour drive, I dealt with my fears because I really trusted my driver. That's a big deal for me. To trust someone with my life. It usually doesn't happen. And throughout this all, I realized something. There will always be occasional arguments. There will always be differences. But I have more implicit trust in Jonathon than I have in anyone. And that trust and the ability to communicate and work things out are key components in a healthy relationship. We conquered a physical mountain. But I conquered a personal mountain, too.

Suffice it to say, by the time we got to Billings, Montana, we were fine and glad to get down from that mountain, our heads out of the clouds and back to reality. Our reality. Which consists of working through challenges together and coming up with solutions that work for both of us.

We ended the evening with an outstanding steak at Jake's Steakhouse at 1st and 27th in downtown Billings. It was a celebratory dinner for a day worth celebrating.