Great Falls, MT

Missouri River Trail

Run Time: 59:40 + 2-minute kick

Tried for a run when I got into town, but the thunderstorms were discouraging. Ran the next afternoon instead, and again the morning after that. A rare 3-night stay in one hotel, the inglorious Extended Stay America, which had no coffee maker in the room, and coffee available in the lobby only until 9:30 a.m. This is a crime in states other than Montana.

I have been to Great Falls a few times, and possibly posted before about running here. The last time I was at the Holiday Inn Express along the highway, and I ran up hilly streets. This time the River Trail ran right past my hotel, and who can resist running along the river, even if a busy street runs parallel? The HIEs have gone batshit crazy with their pricing in the wilds of Montana, which is why I ended up in Extended No Coffee America.

I first tried the trail to the south, but that didn’t go far before it peeled away from the river with the road. So then I headed north. You divert away from the river to go around a railroad bridge that is too close to the water for the trail to go under, then you wind along the river for a half-mile or so, then across River Drive and up onto an old railroad grade. After a mile or so of that, it is back down across River Drive and alongside the river again.

I ended up here for 3 nights because I am on a 2-week trip through Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, and I spent the first Friday here on sales calls, and then most of the weekend before I cross into Canada. On Wednesday and Friday of this week I accompanied outside sales reps from a new distributor with branches in Missoula and Great Falls on visits to potential customers, which was a nice break from the standard long drive followed by a cluster of solo sales visits. It was also nice to just be a passenger for a few hours, and to learn about the local areas from a native resident. By native, of course I mean a descendant of imperialist conquerors, not actual natives.

My drives this week have been amazing. Billings to Bozeman to Dillon to Butte to Helena; Helena to Missoula; Missoula to Kalispell to Columbia Falls to Great Falls. The drive from West Glacier to East Glacier alone was spellbinding. The sky actually does appear to be larger here. Thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening were a welcome addition.

My beautiful and thoughtful wife sent me a list of sights to see, and the next day I drove to Giant Spring and to Ryan’s Dam. Giant Spring is, you guessed it, a giant spring right above the Missouri River that pours out 54-degree water year-round. Ryan’s Dam is right above the main Great Falls of the Missouri. The footbridge to the island just below the falls does not open till Mother’s Day, but I got a good look at the falls from the parking area. Then it was on to the Roadside Diner for a Sin City burger and fries.

I seem to cross paths with the Missouri River a lot. It runs all through my sales territory. Helena, Great Falls, Bismarck, Pierre, Chamberlain, Sioux City, Omaha, St. Louis. I am basically the Lewis & Clark of Outside Sales.

That’s a hell of a long way for a river to run. As I ran alongside it yesterday and today, I wondered how long it would take a molecule of water to flow the whole distance of the river. If I spit in the river in Great Falls, could I drive to Omaha and arrive before my DNA? The great questions often remain unanswered. But I suppose if you knew the flow rates of the river at various intervals, you could scientifically estimate it.

In the 40+ year history of the company I work for, we have never shipped a stock order of products to a distributor in Montana. We shipped our first week before last, and we will ship 3 more in the next two weeks. We now have two new distributors here, one with 3 branch locations. More possibly on the way in the near future. So my time here has been fruitful in more than one way.

Next territory to conquer: Wyoming.