Funny thing about bigotry, sometimes you have to step back to see your own. We are here in Ashland Montana, a stones throw from the Cheyenne Indian Reservation. It is snowing outside right now, and Chuck and I are probably both going to be sporting hangovers in the morning. We didn't mean for this to happen, it just sorta did.
After a great morning of carving the twisties south from Spearfish, then stopping to see the "Devils Tower" in Wyoming, we headed west trying to beat the storm to Ashland. We arrived about a half hour before the storm, got buttoned up and decided to have Lunch/Dinner.
We went across town (three blocks) and ate at one of the Restaurant / Casino / Bar / Hotel combinations. We managed to talk the waiter / cook / bartender / busy guy into cooking us each a plate of spagetti, even though it wasn't officially dinner and he was afraid he would have to server others while he was cooking our spagetti. We drank all the wine they had in the bar, one each of airplane size bottles of blush and merlot. After that we each had a corona.
The only other patrons were three Cheyenne in the casino in the back. As I walked back to try to get my a cell signal I struck up a converstation. This eventually led to them joining us at our table, where we talked of Indian / Whites relations. They seemed very mistrustful of the whites in general but I could not understand if it was something they grew up with or if it was because of something that had happened to them. They did admit that it wasn't just the whites, that the tribal peoples themselves had their own share of problems.
Leona, Tyre and Brandon left to go get a check but promised to return later to continue drinking. We closed out our tab there at the Justus Inn and crossed main street (the only street) to the Buffet Club. This was only a bar, no food, no motel but it had a casino too. Debbie was the bartender and has been in Ashland for about a year.
She talked about leaving a place in California and coming to Ashland and how she could not believe that there were more gays here then in California, go figure. It was more a statement, I did not get the impression that she held any animosity. We also talked about the indians in the town. She said she had no problem with the indians but that they could not even get along with each other. Apparently the Crow and the Cheyenne have a deep dislike for each other.
We drank a couple beers brewed in Missoula (this place jad a better selection than any of the others). Deal or No Deal came on the television set. Debbie told us that every bar in town (all three of them) would be watching this program. We laughed and decided to mosie on down to the next (and last) bar, the Office.
When we walked in the door, sure enough the televison was tuned to Deal or No Deal. We were two of may be five people in the bar. Joey, the bar tender, must have just had a fist full of puppy uppers, cuz he was bouncing off the wall. He was serving the beer, playing pool with another patron, going out back to check on something out there, he had a half dozen things going on at once.
We ordered a beer and then Chuck and I each played a game of pool with Joey, in between him serving more and more patrons as they came in the door. Joey came down the bar and dropped a "Free Drink" coupon on the counter in front of us, from the owner. We thanked Tim, the owner, and drank another beer.
Eventually, we struck up a converstation with Tim and talked about bjs bar, our kids, growing up and getting old. He bought another beer. I asked about the Indians. Tim said he had no problems with the Indians but it seemed when he got into fights, it was always with the Indians. Tim bought another round. Honestly, I can't remember how many he bought, all I know is I finally had to say, enough.
We made it back to the other side of town, to our motel room. It was just starting to snow.
Everyone we talked too said there were some big race problems in town. But I am still left wondering if no one we taled to seemed to have any real problems with the others, why are there still big race issues. Frankly, I beleive these race issues are deep seeded, everyone has received some form of implicit behavioral coaching, and the bigotry doen't manifest itself in casual converstations. It makes me wonder how many bias's I carry around myself?
To many beers talking...
Jeff ... it must be the time of year, because we didn't really see any ATV's except for some little kid barrelling down the ditch at 60 miles an hour. May be it is still too early, it's snowing right now.
Don ... this has been an eventual trip with all the weather, but I think I get some enjoyment out of facing some of this adversity. I think you probably know what I mean.
Thanks dear for updating the post, Chuck and I are having a great time, hopefully we will have cell service tomorrow. I would post some pictures but the camera is experiencing some difficulty and it still is out in the bike and I am not going out in my jammies in the snow to get it.
Good night all,
Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to 
My oldest son actually lives in Burlington Iowa and I have been up through Missouri and Lousiana along the river several times. It never seems to get old ...
