I just spent the better part of four days in Anaconda, Montana. This being the hometown of one Andrew Gabriel Masters, I had a pretty good guide in the aforementioned hooligan. And of course we had his brother Effin' in tow (Stephen Phillip Masters).
We pitched out of Kirkland at 6pm on Thursday night and crossed into Montana in the dark sometime Friday morning (the 7th). I found my bed at the Masters' compound sometime around 4am. So far, my Montana experience had been of darkness and a weird shimmy coming randomly from the front of Effin's Eagle Vision.
Friday morning we headed into Butte, Montana for Andrew's orthodontic appointment at 10am. I was groggy, but got to wander around lower Butte for a good while. I even snapped this picture:
It appears to be a solid piece of granite that would normally mark the entrance to a business' driveway. I couldn't figure out why it was sitting the way it was.
After Masters got his braces removed, we drove over to Buck's little hot dog joint named Mr. Dogs. With home made buns and Chicago sourced dogs, you really can't go wrong. Add in grilled onions, bacon, bleu cheese (yes, it was perfect) and steak sauce and suddenly you have the best $7.00 hot dog I've ever eaten. If you find yourself hungry within an hour's drive of Butte, go to Mr. Dogs.
Full and groggy, we buzzed around Butte and found a small neighborhood called Walkerville. I was just noting how sketchy the area was when Effin's Eagle decided to overheat. On the side of the road, with an old utility knife in the ditch behind me and four cars with flat tires on the other side of the street ahead of me, I felt at home.
We fixed the Eagle, dropped through Butte once more, then headed to Anaconda. As far as Fridays go, this one seemed adventurous.
Sleep was fitful thanks to my growing cold. Saturday morning, I climbed out of bed with a hammer attacking the inner walls of my skull and nostrils flowing evil straight down the front of my face. We went to Gateway Christian Fellowship's Men's Breakfast. I met some interesting characters, ate some tasty (I assume, as my taste buds were shot thanks to that blasted cold) food, and even fellowshipped a little.
After the breakfast, we met with other community members for a food drive. Andrew, his father Phil, Franklin, Gabriel, Daniel and I hopped into Phil's truck and drove around Anaconda looking for bags of donated food on the sidewalk. Our group collected a total of 3,000 pounds of food, I got to see Anaconda in great detail both from the truck and on foot, and I made some great friends in Franklin, Gabriel, Daniel and Phil.
The rest of the day was spent visiting Justin, Andrew's buddy from way back. He'd just fixed a Dodge motorhome that he'd gotten for the screaming deal of free. With $40 in lock cylinder and a tiny amount elbow grease, he'd fixed the behemoth. It was awesome. Even more awesome, though, was his flatfender Willys Jeep. It had the original four cylinder, a manual trans, and tons of attitude.
Sunday morning, Andrew preached his David and Goliath sermon (see one version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Cz4el8f5E ). It was pretty sweet. The entire church was welcoming and genuine. I met a guy named Ron who 100% reminded me of The Dude from Big Lebowski. It was a little unsettling.
Sunday evening we went up to Georgetown Lake (pictured above). Fishing, horse shoes, camp fire cooking and even a little laughter. Not too shabby.
Monday we headed home. Which is where I am now. It was a long weekend. I really enjoyed the experience, and hope to return soon.
And Andrew's Mom may be the sweetest woman alive.
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