Road trip, Day Two (supplement)

It’s been a wacky few weeks, dear readers, which is why I haven’t had a chance to do much on the blog, much less continue the chronicle of our short jaunt into Montana

So, picking up where I left off on that trip, you might want to review Day One and Day Two before proceeding further.

Also, it’s worth taking a separate blog post to discuss the remarkable hotel we stayed in while in Fort Benton, Montana.

This is the Grand Union, the oldest operating hotel in Montana Look at this gorgeous structure! It’s 140 years old and has been restored in stunning detail. We had never stayed in an historic hotel before, and everything about it was fabulous from the moment we set foot inside.

This is a sign and painting in front of the hotel, depicting something of its history.

We booked the smallest room available (at quite a reasonable price), located on the second floor. It was classy and elegant and more than adequate for our needs.

We had a gorgeous view of the river.

We found everything about the building to be enchanting, including the hallway windowsill outside our bedroom door that wasn’t level. Isn’t that the coolest thing?

Here’s the lobby from the landing leading to the second floor.

We dined in the hotel’s in-house restaurant, called the Union Grille. It was a beautiful restaurant, far nicer than Don and I are used to, with impeccable service.

The prices were higher than we wanted to spend, so we ordered the most inexpensive item on the menu; namely, hamburgers.

And. Oh. My. They were, hands down, the best burgers Don and I have ever had – and I mean ever had. We raved about them between ourselves as well as to the attentive waitress. Among other things, we learned later the restaurant features a farm-to-table menu.

Then an interesting thing happened. Nearby, the hostess who was seating guests overheard our exclamations and came over to explain some of the culinary details of why the food was so good. We asked if she was the manager, and she said no. In fact, she and her husband – Colette and Tony Longin – were the owners.

Stroke of luck! We asked Colette for an interview at her convenience. Later that evening, when the dinner rush was over, she kindly took the time to talk with us. We chatted for a full hour or more, while she related the providential circumstances of how she and her husband came to own a glorious hotel in a small Montana town. It is our hope this interview will become an article at some point in the future.

Our experience at the Grand Union sparked an interest in other old restored hotels.

Side note: Last year, when Younger Daughter and I were returning from Southern California after visiting my parents, we stopped in the Bay Area to see two of my brothers and sisters-in-law. Afterward, Younger Daughter and I stayed in a Motel 6 that was, hands down, the most revoltingly dismal experience either of us have had in a motel.

And yet the price at that Motel 6 was higher than what we paid at the Grand Union, with its historic beauty, amazing service, and stunning room.

Yep, Don and I are hooked on historic hotels. We’re going to have to try them more often.

Meanwhile, if anyone ever finds themselves in the vicinity of Fort Benton, I urge you to look into the Grand Union. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Source: http://www.rural-revolution.com/2024/10/road-trip-day-two-supplement.html