Wrinkly Bits
A Blog by Gail Cushman
Buck Up, Buttercup
Yesterday we went on a little road trip, and in Montana, a “little road trip” can be quite long…how about 348 miles?
Here’s what we did: Pompey’s Pillar National Monument had an anniversary, 219 years ago Captain William Clark and Captain Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame, discovered a sandstone butte, 150 tall next to the Yellowstone River and decided to name it. Clark carved his name into the butte, “Wm. Clark July 25, 1806” and named it, Pompey’s Pillar. Pompey (Jean Baptiste Charbonneau) was the infant son of Sacajawea, the young Native American girl who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition across the plains and mountains, from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean. Sacajawea was born in 1788, stolen at age 12 and gave birth to Pompey in 1805, when she was still a teenager. This signature is thought to be the only existing evidence of Lewis and Clark’s journey.
So, 219 years later, the folks at the PPNM celebrated and invited Cowboy Bob to recite some cowboy poetry, which he did. They also had a presentation about Native American sign language and we had a great time. No, I didn’t climb the butte, although many people did.
If you are 80 miles away from home, the only sensible thing is to do is to see what else we can see, and settled on a town called Ingomar, another 113 miles down the road. I’m not sure if it is a ghost town…it might be…but they have a bar/restaurant, common to every small or large Montana Town. Ingomar’s center of attention is the Jersey Lilly Bar, known for beans which are cooked somehow and Basque hors d’oerves. Here is the recipe, so give it a try:
One orange, cut in one-inch slices
Slices of cheese, cut in one-inch slices
One ring of raw onion, cut in one-inch slices
Saltines.
Make a sandwich with two crackers, and the other ingredients.
It was an interesting snack, I might have added a little mustard, but we both chowed down without it.
The Jersey Lilly has many quirky features, but the quirkiest is the Bull Pen, commonly known as the head, if you’re a Marine. It has no ceiling, just the big blue sky and the urinal is a rain gutter propped up on its side, sloping so the contents are dispensed at the low end. It is also user friendly, for both men and boys, full grow-ed cowboys at one end and little cowpokes at the other. Everybody’s happy.
The rest of the trip was inconsequential, sheep, cows, and a few deer, not to mention a lot of conversation. Montana is a big state, third biggest in the nation. I reacquainted myself with Sacajawea, learned about Pompey, ate Basque hors d’oerves, and saw a lot of country. All in all, it was a lovely day, all 348 miles of it!
It was a long day and we were tired, but then, we reminded ourselves that Sacajawea made a much longer journey, in moccasins, at about age 14, pregnant, then giving birth to Pompey on the trail. So, to myself, I say, Buck up, Buttercup!
