Why not Minot?

[PrincessFiona60]

Isn't Missoula a cattle transfer town? Sort of like Vermont used to be? More cows than people.

Not anymore...it's a transient center, you know, you feed them and they will come. Many of the folks here are vegetarians, we don't need so many cows. It's more of a farm/produce/orchard area.

 

[Addie]

Not anymore...it's a transient center, you know, you feed them and they will come. Many of the folks here are vegetarians, we don't need so many cows. It's more of a farm/produce/orchard area.

We stopped there once on our way cross country. There were a bunch of pens filled with steers and a lone gas tank. An old man came out and did fill our tank, but wasn't sure what to charge us. The gas was for the trucks that brought the cattle in to be shipped. He just wrote down how much they put in their tanks and then someone sent a bill to their company. We paid him in cash. We had the feeling that the company never saw that money. Fine with us.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

We stopped there once on our way cross country. There were a bunch of pens filled with steers and a lone gas tank. An old man came out and did fill our tank, but wasn't sure what to charge us. The gas was for the trucks that brought the cattle in to be shipped. He just wrote down how much they put in their tanks and then someone sent a bill to their company. We paid him in cash. We had the feeling that the company never saw that money. Fine with us.

That must have occurred a while ago...we even have an escalator in the mall now and not a cow pen in sight.

 

[Addie]

About 35 years ago. Do you have a traffic light too? And more than one cop who also drives the school bus?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

About 35 years ago. Do you have a traffic light too? And more than one cop who also drives the school bus?

And a Coffee Shop on every corner.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Probably a Dunkin' Donuts PF! Just like "Chickenman"!
Chickenman Radio Series - YouTube

Minot is a bit far for me to want to drive 1850 miles for a meet-up, no matter HOW much fun you guys all are! Now if we picked a place a little more centered it might be nice, but with as far spread as we are maybe two "conventions" held at the same time, one centered east of the Mississippi and one west? We could pull them together via an internet connection and be in two places at once!

 

[Addie]

This place had to have been on the outskirts of town. We also stopped at a diner, gift shop for a cup of coffee and something to eat. They had a boot scraper outside. The place was filled with a bunch of cowboys that had that wonderful horsey smell. And all their Ford 250 pickup trucks were parked outside. I had to explain to my son about a lot of things. Like what that thing outside the door was. This diner was the only building around. When you looked to the left, you could see the mountains at the end of the prairie. Beautiful sight.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

This place had to have been on the outskirts of town. We also stopped at a diner, gift shop for a cup of coffee and something to eat. They had a boot scraper outside. The place was filled with a bunch of cowboys that had that wonderful horsey smell. And all their Ford 250 pickup trucks were parked outside. I had to explain to my son about a lot of things. Like what that thing outside the door was. This diner was the only building around. When you looked to the left, you could see the mountains at the end of the prairie. Beautiful sight.

I'm thinking you were east of the mountains from us...out towards Bozeman or Billings. Cows were never a big thing in Missoula, it's a logging town. We are also surrounded on all sides by the mountains, not just one side.

CG...not a single Dunkin Donuts around here...but if you like expensive espresso's, we got 'em.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

PF, you guys ain't missin' much. DD is the biggest player, but they aren't the best IMO. Not much in the way of donut eaters in our house, but when I want one I want a good one. Been saving my donut calories for when a new place opens - which was supposed to be almost 2 month ago! Small "chain" - I think ours is the 5th one? All made from scratch in-house. We drove a couple towns over to sample. Boy was that donut good.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

The grocery I use is a scratch bakery. Very good, almost as good as the bakery where Shrek and I worked.

 

[bakechef]

A small privately owned donut shop recently opened up down the street. I bought a half dozen assorted and OMG, were they good. Each one (even the cake) were light and soft and not too sweet. I sure hope that they do well, because we are severely lacking donut shops here. We have some DD, and they are ok, but not what I consider a great donut.

We have Krispy Kreme downtown where you can get fresh made donuts but, even their fresh ones I'd put a step below DD, everything they have is too sweet (and anyone who knows me knows how much I like sweets!), and they have no idea what a cruller is, they think that it is a pretty shaped cake dount! Their crullers and cake donuts taste the same, like a Little Debbie dunkin' stick!

 

[CWS4322]

Probably a Dunkin' Donuts PF! Just like "Chickenman"!
Chickenman Radio Series - YouTube

Minot is a bit far for me to want to drive 1850 miles for a meet-up, no matter HOW much fun you guys all are! Now if we picked a place a little more centered it might be nice, but with as far spread as we are maybe two "conventions" held at the same time, one centered east of the Mississippi and one west? We could pull them together via an internet connection and be in two places at once!

Minot picked because of the Scandinavian festival that is held there--not because of its location! I'd pick Finger Lakes region myself.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Minot picked because of the Scandinavian festival that is held there--not because of its location! I'd pick Finger Lakes region myself.

Oh, I know that! But I'm thinking if we ever plan a meet-up again it might be fun to pick two food-centric locations, one each east and west. Get it far enough east and even someone like Gravy Queen might be able to hop over the pond. Although a single location somewhere else might work too. Finger Lakes has wine, KC has BBQ, Charleston has lowcountry, Montreal & Quebec have European... Just a little late-night dreaming.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...We have Krispy Kreme downtown where you can get fresh made donuts but, even their fresh ones I'd put a step below DD, everything they have is too sweet (and anyone who knows me knows how much I like sweets!), and they have no idea what a cruller is...

KK donuts look like plastic dollhouse food to me! Nothing yummy about their appearance. This new place we're getting? They KNOW crullers! I'd bettr get back on the recumbent bike or I'll look like a bowling pin...

 

[taxlady]

Montreal, Quebec also has decent local wine and wonderful ice wine & ice cider.

 

[CWS4322]

Oh, I know that! But I'm thinking if we ever plan a meet-up again it might be fun to pick two food-centric locations, one each east and west. Get it far enough east and even someone like Gravy Queen might be able to hop over the pond. Although a single location somewhere else might work too. Finger Lakes has wine, KC has BBQ, Charleston has lowcountry, Montreal & Quebec have European... Just a little late-night dreaming.

I went to university in Quebec City--love Quebec City. There are lots of great places to eat. One of my favourites for brunch was Le Cochon Dingue (http://www.cochondingue.com/media/pdf/CD_Menu_dejeuner_FRA.pdf) which was 5 minutes walk from my apartment off of Sault-au-Matelot. I loved the eggs benedict with smoked salmon and cheese.

 

[bakechef]

I went to university in Quebec City--love Quebec City. There are lots of great places to eat. One of my favourites for brunch was Le Cochon Dingue (http://www.cochondingue.com/media/pdf/CD_Menu_dejeuner_FRA.pdf) which was 5 minutes walk from my apartment off of Sault-au-Matelot. I loved the eggs benedict with smoked salmon and cheese.

Even though I grew up in Maine, I have never been to Quebec. One of these years if we drive back to Maine instead of flying we definitely want to go to Quebec city!

 

[CWS4322]

Even though I grew up in Maine, I have never been to Quebec. One of these years if we drive back to Maine instead of flying we definitely want to go to Quebec city!

You need to do the drive around the Gaspe peninsula to Quebec City and then to Montreal, back through Vermont (I'm thinking fall foliage time!) You'd love it!

 

[bakechef]

You need to do the drive around the Gaspe peninsula to Quebec City and then to Montreal, back through Vermont (I'm thinking fall foliage time!) You'd love it!

That would be heaven, autumn in New England and Canada is amazing!

 

[taxlady]

That would be heaven, autumn in New England and Canada is amazing!

If you do decide to do this trip, you will have to let me know, so we can get together in Montreal.