1. Debbie and I decided not to travel a more northern route back home, so going to Minot, Malta, and Great Falls fell off the table. Instead, we headed south to I-94. This drew to an end our travel days on mostly two lane state and county highways. Once we jumped on I-94, we would be traveling on interstate freeways all the way to Kellogg. In part, we decided to return to Kellogg a day or two early because staying in motel rooms was becoming a bit stressful. Gibbs is a loyal guardian of our safety and when we are in a motel room, if he hears noises outside the room, he barks, sometimes after we've fallen asleep. We wanted to sleep better and stop being concerned that Gibbs might be bothering other people wherever we were staying.
2. So, today, we drove from Grand Forks, ND to Miles City, MT, just over 500 miles. I loved crossing North Dakota. Autumn is settling in, the colors were terrific, and we passed some badlands areas, stark and beautiful.
We also continued our dog friendly brewery tour. Debbie called ahead and found out that Cross Country Brewing in Glendale, MT welcomed dogs, and, upon arrival, found out we could sit indoors with Gibbs. Cross Country is a small operation. Two brothers, one a high school teacher in Billings, brew the beer and a retired couple was in charge of the taps. Our flight included an IPA, a bitter, a brown ale, a nitro stout, and a red ale (I hope I have remembered that correctly.) I enjoyed them all and once again liked that we'd come to another brewery that wasn't focused mostly on IPAs, but had a good selection of maltier beers, a wheat ale, and a couple of lagers. Upon finishing our flight, Debbie ordered a half pint of the IPA and I went beyond our flight and tried out a half of Cross Country's Eurolager. It was a tasty and interesting lager -- a bit heavier than I expected and full of flavor.
3. We continued on to Miles City and, at the recommendation of the brewer in Glendale, stopped in at another dog friendly brewery called Otium. Once again, Gibbs was welcome to sit inside, so we settled in at a table and ordered a flight.
It had been a long day. I know the flight included Otium's American stout, their single hop Smash IPA, and their biscuity bitter. The other beers were of the maltier variety -- a red maybe -- maybe a brown. I just don't remember clearly, What I do know is that Otium felt like a Miles City gathering spot for a variety of people, men and women, old and young, and that the service was very friendly and the tasting rooms were warm and welcoming.
Debbie finished off with a half pint of the Smash IPA and I enjoyed a half pint of the American Stout.
It had been a long day. We hadn't eaten much beyond the complimentary popcorn at both of today's brewery. We found our motel room easily, got kind of settled in, and I walked a couple of doors down the street to the Black Iron Grill and brought back an order of Cowboy Candy for Debbie and a blue cheese bacon burger with fries for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment