My goal was to depart Coeur d’Alene by 8:00 a.m..  However, the day after the 70.3 Ironman Coeur d’Alene would require serious coffee and possibly some morning carbs.  My pick was Terre Coffee & Bakery.

Coffee was important, but bakery was a craving I could give into this day after the race.  Unfortunately, their idea of bakery was really just bagels mostly.  Kind of a letdown.  The coffee was pretty good, the interior was all mine at 7:30 a.m. and the wi-fi did the job as I sat down and caught up a little bit while my body began to absorb the caffeine.  It would be a critical chemical needed for the 300ish hundred miles to my next Hack-bbatical destination of Butte, Montana.

However, before my departure, I completed a ritual that has followed each of my Ironman races.  I added yet one more sticker to the Subaru to memorialize another finish.  Only the Austin 70.3 Ironman is missing as that sticker was on my old van that we traded in when we bought the Subaru.  Yes, I realize that the whole sticker thing is a bit adolescent, but this 55-year-old is having his fun while he still can.

I was now 1,538 miles into the two week Hack-bbatical as I departed Coeur d’Alene and left behind the turkeys, deer, gutted house, and trailer.

I was told by my friends in Butte to stop about 100 miles into the trek at a town called St Regis.  There I would find the St Regis Travel Center.  I was told to stop there for a huckleberry shake and to check out the Montana Trout Aquarium.

I did as I was told and was rewarded with a fine indulgent dairy beverage.  In the cue line to order the huckleberry shake was some very tempting and creative fudge choices.  I should have indulged in those as well, but I was too focused on getting in and out of there to gain some ground on the day.

However, before exiting this quality Montana tourist trap that also included other entertainment such as Cutthroat Henry’s Casino, I had to pay a visit to the Montana trout aquarium.  The next five days in Butte would include numerous attempts at trying to land some of these quick witted species.

My next stop before Butte was to revisit a restaurant brand I worked for back in 1999 and also pick up a few supplies/gifts/rent for my friends in Butte.

First, I stopped in Missoula and got a veggie burrito at my old brand Taco Time.  There was a satisfying sign on the front of the restaurant featuring the Big Juan Burrito.  A product line I developed in 1998 that has apparently stood the test of time.

Second, I needed to pick up some adult beverages as rent payment for the next few days.  I spotted a Costco, fueled up at the gas station, and then went inside to find some vino, local beer, and bourbon.  On my way to the wine area, I spotted a pallet display that you would only find in Montana.  It was an entire pallet of bear spray!  Definitely something you are not going to find back in San Diego at Costco, but a large enough seller in Montana to warrant a full pallet on the end of the aisle!

I found the wine and beer selections easily and quickly.  However, the bourbon was elusive.  My guess was that there was some sort of state liquor store that needed to be found.  I flagged down the bakery lady and she confirmed that no hooch was available at Costco in Montana.  I needed to go back down the street and find the Emerald Casino & Liquor Store which I did.  It was a swanky joint featuring very few windows, a casino, restaurant, and liquor store all in one.

The storekeep directed me appropriately and suggested a local Montana bourbon fittingly called Big Horn Bourbon.

Back on the road I rolled through more mountainous areas and crossed the Clark Fork River so many times I couldn’t remember the count.

Finally, I arrived in the mining town of Butte.  They say that below Butte there are 10,000 miles of mine shafts dating back to the 1800s.  It is a hard-working mining town and you can feel the strong blue-collar enveloping the city and the many mine shafts that dot the skyline.  They are loud and proud about mining here.  It’s what they do and have done for well over a century.

My destination was through Main Street and up the mountain behind it.  My navigation decided to take me on the scenic route down what I considered a winding grind of a two-track road.  The Subaru was showing me what it was made for on this route with the all-wheel-drive ready and willing to kick in as needed.  I passed a secluded and large round concrete structure surrounded by fencing along the way.  ICBM installation possibly?  This would be one of those places to put it, and the local mine union could certainly help build that kind of structure.

Finally, I was back on the main dirt road that would lead me up to my home for the next five days which was at 7,000 feet above sea level.  Out of the forest, the pine trees cleared and the compound presented itself with the primary house, the mother-in-law residence, the sheep barn, and the Quonset hut shop.  Completely off the grid, this place is 100% solar power with lp gas as the backup plan.

I unloaded the liquid rent and greeted my hosts.  Dinner was served, drinks were poured, a fire on the front deck was lit, and the sheep stopped by from time to time to add to the conversation as we caught up on lost time and discussed the next five days of fishing and cabin building.  As everyone knows, the best Ironman recovery program is fishing and cabin building!