The Great American Summer Road Trip: Bite of Bozeman? No thanks, I'll think I'll eat the whole thing.

Ahhhhh. That's the sound of feeling very refreshed after a great night out in Montana. We seem to be timing things pretty well with respect to local events (street festival in Cleveland, motorcycle rally in Sturgis, etc.), and we sorta hit the jackpot today in Bozeman.

Yesterday marked the start of Bozeman's annual weeklong Sweet Pea Festival, and last night was the "Bite of Bozeman" event, for which the main drag in town (Main St.) is filled with bands, restaurants, and people, all out to have a great time.

We rolled into bozeman at around 6:30 and dropped off our bags with our host Anne, and then I rolled over to a local coffee shop to upload some blog material.

(Our lovely host Anne, mid-bearhug)

Here's a story: While waiting for a few things to upload, I noticed I was surrounded by chess boards, and i felt like I was in some sort of hybrid chess/coffee shop. There was one guy sitting around, looking lonely, so I offered to play a game with him (note: I consider my chess skills to be VERY amateurish), as I was just sitting there anyway. After being thrashed in a couple of consecutive games by the guy (whose name was Ron), I threw in the towel, and decided to just comb espn.com instead. However, just after i quit playing, Ron had a friend show up to take my place. As I finished my uploading, I couldn't help but overhear the conversation at Ron's table. Ron failed to mention that he is heading to Montana State Chess Championship next week, as he is in the state finals. Whammy.

After finishing up the blogwork, I drove back to Anne's, changed into a more nightlife-friendly outfit (first time I've worn jeans on the trip), and headed out with Jim and Anne to the "Bite of Bozeman" festival. Here are a few pics from the street festival itself:

(The local fire department in Bozeman, on the walk from our parking spot to the festival. They've had their hands full as one of the local bars in town spontaneously exploded at 8am a few weeks ago due to a gas leak. Yikes.)

(Pinkie and the Floyds - A cover band that was playing "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" when we showed up at the beginning of main street)

(Here's a shot of Main St. during the "Bite of Bozeman" festival)

(Pulled pork, brisket and baked beans - $4)

(Scallops in a Chive Butter Sauce - $5)

(Desert Kebabs! Great idea. Gives skewered chicken a run for its money.)

(My father, the ladies man, with Anne and her best friend, Marcia.)

After combing the booths for solid, inexpensive food, we decided to have a couple of extra bites at a local tapas restaurant. A quick dinner for three ensued with 4 small plates and a couple of good local beers.

(Great name for a restaurant.)

(The lovely Jessica showcasing Bozone Brewing Company's selection of drafts. The Bozone Brewery was right down the street, but was closed by the time we had arrived in town.)

(Asparagus with Goat Cheese, Sauteed Shrimp with Focaccia)

Once dinner was over, circa 9:30pm, my father was feeling tired and full, and decided to head back to Anne's to hit the hay, but I decided to stay out, if only for a little while. Anne explained that from the cluster of popular bars (called the "Barmuda Triangle) to her house, it would take about 25-30 minutes to walk back to her place. Whatever, I have a iPod.

I started out at a place called "The Zebra", at which it was "Ladies Night", which meant that women can order any drink for $1.00. However, I quickly found out that the same deal applied for dudes. So really, I guess a more appropriate name for the nightly special would have been "Persons Night". Man, I am sooo clever. One other thing worth mentioning: The Zebra had a small but legit poker room in between its two main bar areas. Had I wanted to sit down to a $1/$2 No Limit Hold 'Em game for a couple of hours, The Zebra would have been thrilled to have been. But it can wait until Vegas...

I then hit up the other two bars that compose the Barmuda Triange: The Pourhouse and 317. Both were a bit classier (The Zebra was a bit dingier, by comparison). I met some very interesting people, some of whom were locals, while others were in town for the Sweet Pea Festival. Bozeman is home to Montana State University, and although school's out for summer, there were more than a few students floating around as well.

While I unfortunately don't have any pictures from the bars (because I was already THAT guy at the bar wearing the string backpack, I figured flash photography would have been overkill), I did take a picture of Main St. about halfway between the bars and the house. Very quiet and peaceful.

(Lonely late night Bozeman)

The next morning, I awoke at 6am to the smell of bacon frying. I grabbed a quick shower, checked the car's oil, packed our bags, and enjoyed a lovely, classic breakfast of french toast, bacon and eggs. While I idiotically forgot to snap a flick, I did remember to take a picture of our parting gifts: A couple of bottles of Anne's favorite beers. By the way, did I mentioned that she also baked us Banana Bread and Chocolate Chip Cookies for our trip to Seattle? Because, oh yeah, she did.