Hi, I'm Larry, and this is Larry's Sort of Fun Stories.

Most of what you hear, hear or read about actually happened somewhere in my life.

Sometimes you'll hear about my experiences, my strengths and maybe my weaknesses as well, and I make mistakes along the way, but I'm trying, one day at a time, to live a better life and share a little of it with you as we go along.

And I say we, because with me in the studio is my wife, domenica.

Domenica, I am so glad that you're with me.

Well, it's a pleasure to be here, Larry.

All right, and so the last couple episodes we talked about.

Actually, we got married February 12, 2024, on an island in the middle of the ocean, and it's been heaven ever since.

It has.

It's been one interesting travel after another.

And you have not a website, but on Facebook you do.

Travels with Larry.

See.

So if you want to see some of these pictures that we've been talking about Dominica's got them posted all over the place Can you give your Facebook page?

I don't know how you do that, Do you want?

to do that, you have to be my friend on Facebook to see it.

It's a private.

It's not a public.

Oh, okay, yeah, it's not a public site, okay, so I'll kind of let you see some of the pictures later.

Okay, yeah, we'll get to them Okay.

And so part of the adventures that we're talking about is meeting family, meeting family members, because we're kind of combining two families together.

Yes, combining two families together.

Yes, and I met your family here in the Orlando area over Christmas before we actually got married, so they kind of knew me, kind of knew who we were.

They didn't really know we were getting married, but we kind of did we elope.

We did, we eloped, we eloped.

We didn't tell anybody.

No, we decided, let's just do this.

We did it.

We eloped, we eloped.

We didn't tell anybody.

No, we decided, let's just do this.

We did it on an island, and so we came back and there we were, mr and Mrs.

Yes.

And so the trip is that we needed to meet my side of the family, and my side of the family lives in Illinois, Colorado and Montana.

Beautiful places to visit.

Oh my yes.

Yeah, so on our last episode we talked about meeting my young son in Denver and you might want to check that out if you missed it.

But today we're going to talk about going to meet my oldest son, who lives in Bozeman, montana, and since we flew to Denver, I thought it would be a good idea to rent a car and then drive from Denver to Bozeman, and then we'd have a car in Bozeman and we could drive around.

And I want to just mention the fact that I don't know if we have this issue taken care of or not, but the rental company that I chose they're trying to gouge the service man, as I would say and hopefully they don't get away with it and hopefully, yes, hopefully, they won't get away with it, but my credit card company is on the ball, so we we'll see what happens.

So we leave the Denver area on a Saturday morning heading north, right.

Yes, and it took about an hour and a half or two hours and we were out of the state of Colorado and then we got into.

What state did we get into then?

Well, parts of Wyoming before we even got into Montana, correct, right?

Yes, and I always thought Wyoming, I mean there's so much vastness, when you talked about the vast farmlands of Illinois, yes, but the vastness out there, it's like incredible, it's incredible.

It is, and I guess, what did I observe there?

Hay fields.

Hay fields Just tons and tons of hay fields and then they were baling the hay and I saw mountains of baled hay.

I guess they have harsh winters and they're ready.

Well for the animals, yeah.

For their cows and and we saw hundreds and hundreds of cows along the way and oil fields as well.

Derrick, oil, derricks, yeah, yeah and so um.

We spent the night actually in sheridan wyoming lovely little western town I I could spend a few days there.

Yeah.

Just lovely and great little shops and restaurants and of course, after seeing all those cows along the way, we had to have a good juicy steak for dinner At the Cowboy Cafe.

Yes.

Felt right at home, there, didn't we?

It was great.

And just down home again.

Just down home, people.

Yeah.

No pretentiousness there, just good food and friendly.

Now what was that steak called?

It was a baseball.

They called that a baseball steak and it was a huge filet mignon.

Yeah, how did they?

I don't understand how they got—it was cheaper than the other steak, wasn't it?

Yes?

it was cheaper than the—.

Sirloin.

No, the Delmonico.

Oh.

It was cheaper than the Delmonico, yeah, and of course the sirloin would be cheaper, but yeah.

So it was kind of hard to decide between the Delmonico, the rib steak, which I love.

They're so tender and juicy.

But the filet mignon is actually a little healthier for you because it doesn't have as much fat but very tender, and that's what I.

Yeah, but see, then I could go talking about cuts of meat, you know, because that's what I used to teach.

Yeah.

You know I used to teach, so you were a teacher.

For 35 years.

Oh my goodness, yes, and what was the subject?

It was home economics and I taught in a wonderful school, Monotau School District in Butler County.

In Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, wow yes.

So you used to take your students to the meat markets, did you?

Yes, I would take them to the butcher shop and the butcher would demonstrate.

He would actually cut the meat for them and they would see where it came from on the cow and why you cooked some long and slow cooking to make it tender, and others you could just throw on the grill because those muscles did not get much exercise.

And so, yeah, it was a great lesson, yeah.

Wow yeah, so I have a problem.

Well, what's that?

What's the problem?

I want to order filet every time I see it on a menu.

Yes, and so I honestly felt like it's probably one of the best I'd ever had.

Yes, it was good.

Cooked just right.

Just a little red in the middle, a little pink.

I mean it wasn't overdone, it was great, because then the next night, was it the next night or the night after.

We had another one that you said was better, but I kind of like that one in Sheridan Wyoming.

Well, because it was the first one you had on that trip.

Well, yes, yes that's true.

Well, yes, yes, that's true.

And then?

So we stayed at a hotel in Hampton Inn.

Yes.

At Sheridan, wyoming, uh-huh, and the object of it was staying there because you wanted to get a room with a view of the mountains out your window.

You could sit on your bed and look out the mountains and see the sun set, but the problem was it was cloudy.

Yes, but it was still a beautiful view, beautiful view oh my goodness, yes, it was like a picture frame.

Yeah, oh yeah, the window just framed it, yeah, yeah.

So we had a good time.

Yes, wyoming, y-o-y Wyoming.

We had a good time.

Yes, wyoming.

Why, oh why, wyoming?

We had a great time yes so the next morning, um, I figured between driving between denver and bozeman was going to be a eight hour, nine hour, ten hour drive.

I can't remember what it was, but getting to sheridan was like, um, probably three-fourths of the way yes and so we got up the next morning, and so we head towards uh Montana and um Montana.

It didn't take long to get to Montana either, did it?

no well, we were so excited.

Every, at every turn it would be a new mountain, a new scenery, a new, and you would say, take a picture, take a picture and the the pictures don't do it justice and and so I was deleting like a thousand pictures because after a while the quality wasn't that good and they all kind of looked the same and then one of the things you wanted to get on the way because we loved to document the fact of where we are was you wanted to stop at the way, because we love to document the fact of where we are was you wanted to stop at the state signs.

When we get to the sign, oh yes, Montana or Wyoming, and what happened?

Well, we always, by the time we realized it was a sign.

We're past it.

Yeah, was that the Wyoming?

sign yeah and tell them what the speed limit is.

Oh, 90 miles an hour.

90 miles an hour, 90 miles an hour.

Woo-hoo.

So by the time I say stop, we're already 90 miles ahead Down the road.

Yeah, so we're in Montana, and you brought up the fact.

I can't remember who won.

Where did Custard's Last Stand happen?

I know I was like where, when was it, so you know.

Larry, you're always driving.

But we thought it was like in South Dakota or in Nebraska or something like that.

But no, it happens to be in Montana.

It's in the south central area of Montana.

So I googled it.

Where is this?

Here is on the way you know.

So, okay, great, we're gonna.

We're gonna stop at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Yes.

And so the signs came up and the Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought along the ridges and steep, bluffs and ravines of the Little Bighorn River and, as I said, that's in south-central Montana, and they did that on June 25, 1876.

We were there a little past that.

We were there a little past that.

The Battle of Little Bighorn is known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, and it was armed with engagements between both sides.

A lot happened there, but okay that I'd seen this battlefield signs before and I always wanted to stop and I wondered how far I wasn't, but we were so early getting going towards bozeman that it was just okay, let's stop this.

This makes sense.

And it was such a beautiful sight, wasn't it it?

It was a beautiful sight and then you know, you try to picture this battle that took place.

Yeah.

And the carnage.

You know you could feel the sadness.

Uh-huh.

And I said the other place, I felt like that was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Right, you know it was the same kind of feeling.

Right, you know it was the same kind of feeling.

And so they had like little, not grave markers, but they did where the soldiers A soldier was found here, found here throughout the whole area.

So the soldiers of the Custer's Cavalry, their places were marked with white stones so it didn't have their names on there because they didn't know who, and there was like a mass grave at the very top where they had that big monument for all of them and then all their names listed, and then the Native American, theirs were marked with brown markings where their bodies were found.

Which I think is good, oh, absolutely.

Yeah, and I mean you could feel both sides, you know, but there was a lot of reading involved, you know, and I took a lot of pictures of it so that I would have time later to read everything, a lot of pictures of it so that I would have time later to read everything.

The National Parks now have these signs where you can read something, but then you can go to their website or it goes on YouTube or wherever it is that tells you a story about the area.

Yes, that you're seeing.

That you're actually seeing.

And my, my big discovery on this.

Who was the last man to see Custard alive?

Who was that?

It was his bugler and his name was Giovanni Martini, an Italian immigrant, and he had also fought for Garibaldi in Italy, and then he made his way to the United States and ends up to be the bugler for General Custer oh my goodness, and I think that he was the only one that survived this battle.

He was the last man to actually see Custer alive.

Yes, but I think he actually survived.

Right he was the only survivor Right.

But I just found it so interesting that here I am and I discovered this.

I just found it so interesting that here I am and I discovered this.

And he was known.

I guess they changed his name when he came to this country as John Martin, but his Italian name is Giovanni Martini.

Oh.

And it was to me.

I mean, you know, it just touched me and I thought, of all those signs, I picked that one to read, Wasn't?

that something Wasn't that something Wasn't that phenomenal?

Yeah, but you know a little bit of Italian history mixed in with Everywhere you go everywhere we go.

There's a little Italian.

Oh yeah.

Right by my side.

Luckily I'm still alive.

Yes, yeah, Luckily I'm still alive, yes.

So if you want to go to the little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana, check it out.

It'd be worth seeing.

It is.

It's definitely worth it.

It's a national park again, and so I had my senior pass to pass to national parks.

What's it called senior discount?

yeah, it's a pass to the national parks.

Yes, yes and so hey showed that up and bingo, we got in.

But it's a great place to see.

And um, uh, I'm, I'm, just I'm standing on the bluff overlooking where the Indians were, where they had been encamped.

Yes, and there were several different groups.

Yes, there were thousands of them.

And they were there for their summer camp.

Peaceful camp, and along comes custard.

To me that was very sad Along comes custard.

Yeah, yeah, that was very, very along comes custard.

To me that was very sad.

Along comes custard, yeah.

Yeah, that was very, very sad.

Yeah.

So you know where I stand on that line, right, yeah.

All right, so let's move on.

So we move into Bozeman and the next day we get.

Oh, actually that night we got to meet my son.

We got to meet Reuben and his wife alicia, and their son adam their son, not my son yeah, their son had all that I say you're saying yeah, they're yeah their son at your grandson yeah, yes, and uh, you know what a, what a lovely family and we had a very good dinner excellent.

Oh, a great restaurant, yes, great restaurant yes.

What was that?

The Chop House?

Chop House?

Yeah, yes, the Chop House.

Yeah, yeah, okay, okay.

So the next day daughter-in-law Alicia takes us to.

The Museum of the Rockies.

Which is a phenomenal museum there in Bozeman.

Yes, I never pictured this phenomenal museum there.

And alicia, um is a volunteer there.

Um, she's a, you know, I mean she, she knew all of that and she also, uh, shows them how to make nails from by she's a by hand, uh, a smith.

A smith.

What do you call it?

A blacksmith?

A blacksmith A blacksmith yeah.

So she does that.

But she has conducted these tours so she knows everything and I've never had a private tour and somebody that explains everything and there were so many dinosaurs and they're the only museum that does the growth series of the dinosaurs and that was really fascinating because they showed what that dinosaur looked like as a baby and then a few years later until adulthood, and so you could see the progression.

It was wonderful.

And then she also explained when we saw the big dinosaur, and so the part that was the actual bone that they found was like the brown dinosaur, and so the part that was the actual bone that they found was like a brown color, and then the cement part that they had to fill in was like a yellow cement, so you could kind of see the difference, but yet they were able to put the whole thing together.

It was great.

And for her to explain everything, it was just wonderful and I don't want to go out and find one of those dinosaurs.

No, no, I don't think they're there anymore.

So the next day we used my senior pass once again to get into a national park.

Now the amazing thing was Rocky Mountain National Park.

You had to have a reservation.

That was in Colorado, but we wanted to go to the big country.

We wanted to go to Yellowstone National Park and we drove west to the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park, drove up to the entrance and I showed my pass and we got right in.

Yes, you know it's wonderful because we got those passes for free back then.

Now they charge.

Hey, darling, I paid $10 for mine.

I don't remember paying and I think they were free when I got it.

Wow yeah, you're so much older than I am.

Yeah, well, so we drive.

What was our goal?

Our goal was to go see Old Faithful Faithful yes, and I wanted to go back into the Old Faithful Inn where we had stayed before.

You, not we.

You Well, you and your friends.

Me and Melody and Beth, the three amigas that travel all over.

So I wanted to relive that part and see Old Faithful, but the drive along the way was phenomenal again.

Yeah, and so we get close to the Biscuit Basin geyser area.

Yes.

And what did we see?

So we're at the Biscuit Basin area, where you know they have these geysers all over but they're not as regular as Old Faithful, where you know they have these geysers all over but they're not as regular as old faithful you know.

So I'm seeing some smoke coming out of there, but they have the rangers flagging everybody and going come on, move on, move on.

And they had orange cones and larry's going.

Take a picture, take a picture take a picture, yeah, and I'm taking pictures of the steam coming out of the ground and I'm taking a picture and he goes no, take a picture of the rangers.

And I'm going why would I want a picture of the rangers?

You know, they're just directing traffic.

I said there's a story there.

And see he's a newsman and I'm not.

And then Josh.

Our son.

Yes, he texted us and said there was a big explosion at the.

Biscuit Bay, mason.

Yes, that morning, and we had just missed it by a couple of hours.

Yeah.

There were the drive-bys, yes, and I guess it was.

Of course it was unexpected and it was pretty forceful, um, and it did damage the, the boardwalk and you could see.

We have a youtube picture of that yeah and um, you could see the people.

First they were looking and like, wow, this is good.

And then all of a sudden they realized this is not good.

Yeah, and they, they were running, running away and and uh, luckily no one was hurt but, the.

The boardwalk was damaged and it is now closed until further notice.

Yeah, until further notice.

And what was it?

I said that driving in Because the area of Yellowstone is actually the most geocentric whatever could possibly blow up.

Geothermal area yes, In the United States.

And what did I say?

And I said you know, larry, this is like being at the top of a volcano it could erupt at any time.

And I said, oh no, you know, because they've got warning signs, there's things that could tell you that this was going to happen.

And I'm going yes, you're right, you know you're absolutely right.

And then I also said I think one of the theories is that the weight of uh yellowstone lake is what keeps it from erupting?

Yeah, supposedly, yeah but then you know then, so there was that explosion, but when we were there, so then we went to old faithful, and me I always want to get the good shots you know, so I hadn't known about that explosion earlier.

So I'm not a rule follower.

I tend to get closer where I shouldn't.

So it was a hot day and there were some pine trees there.

So I go in the shade of the pine trees instead of staying on the path to take my pictures and videos.

And then, when we discovered about that, I thought there's a reason why they have those paths.

You stick to that path, don't be like me.

So we had a grand time of seeing the explosion area of Old Faithful.

I mean, we were there on time because we had lunch, we had lunch and then we walked out and it was 3.14 or something was the time that it was going to go.

And sure enough, it went off as scheduled.

That's why they call it Old Faithful.

And then we walked around, and then we walked into the Old Faithful Lounge.

Yeah, the Lodge Old Faithful Inn.

I think it's called Old Faithful Inn.

Didn't they model that after that thing at Disney?

I told my daughters the first time I stayed there and sent them pictures.

I said look, yellowstone copied Disney.

And for a minute I had them.

They're like oh, mom, disney, and for a minute I had them.

You know, oh, mom, you know, but everything in that inn is is um the wood that was uh logged in that area.

The stone was what was quarried there and it is the biggest log wood hotel in the world.

And the uniqueness too they didn't just use the perfect logs, they used the one with the knot holes and the curves.

It's beautiful.

The inn is just absolutely beautiful, and they have a fireplace there with like four sides and the one the clock is an old clock with the suspensions and still working.

They also had a violin player.

Oh yeah, Guy playing the violin.

I'm sorry that was a fiddle player.

He wasn't a violinist.

It was a fiddle.

He was a fiddle player.

Are you sure it wasn't a violindle player?

He wasn't a violinist.

It was a fiddle player.

It was a fiddle.

Are you sure it wasn't a violin?

No, it looks like a violin.

But a fiddle.

It's a fiddle player because he had a straw hat on.

Oh, and the other neat thing about staying there there's no TV, there's no.

You know, you're there to enjoy nature.

Yeah Well, and the other thing was what did we do?

We got some ice cream.

Oh yes.

Ice cream.

And there's Larry's Cafe there, of course.

Yes, yes yes, yes, so we had a grand dime at Old Faithful, I mean Yellowstone.

We came back, oh, after walking out of the lodge.

Do we have to tell the story?

I didn't realize how many different parking lots they had.

Yeah, let me check this.

It says some days I make mistakes and we try to rectify them throughout the times.

Yes, we walked out and we couldn't find the car.

Where was the car?

And then they had these yurts there.

They're like these round canvas and I had seen those in Alaska for the first time and I'm going no, the car's not there because I would have noticed those yurts.

Right.

Well, we were so busy looking at Old Faithful Inn that I didn't look at the yurts.

Going in, so coming out, yeah.

And so we had to go into one of the concession stand areas and ask one of the beautiful ladies that was helping, and she sort of pointed us in the right direction and then we had the key fob going beep, you know, beep, beep, trying to find them.

And the GPS was telling us where our car was.

Yeah.

But we didn't know how to follow that GPS to where the car is so you know.

Just a word of advice pay attention to where you park your car.

Oh, good point.

You know, when I go to Disney I take pictures of.

You know the lot number but unfortunately there they didn't have labels.

Well, they do, actually, but we don't know how to read them.

Oh, we didn't see the signs and, by the way, me when I go someplace.

If I go, I know how to get back.

Yes.

You know, and this time I distracted you.

Well, we went completely around a different way and came out another exit.

And so that's what really threw me off.

So that's where it was.

Okay, we're back in Bozeman on the night before we leave to go.

Actually, we came back from Yellowstone to go to see my daughter-in-law.

Oh yes, at the comedy, she's a comedian as well, not only is she a blacksmith, but she's a comedian as well.

Oh, and I hadn't been to a comedy show in a long time.

Right, it was fun, wasn't it?

It was, it was yeah.

And you know what was the price of admission was worth it.

And they all took their shots at presidential candidates.

They didn't leave anybody out.

No, and they weren't disrespectful about it.

They were funny.

They were funny you know, they were just funny.

They didn't say who was good, who was bad, who's a jerk, who's whatever.

They just you know it was good it was.

I enjoyed it.

So the next morning we get up 4 am, we get to the airport, we get on a flight we're taking Southwest back to Orlando.

So we go from Southwest, from Bozeman to Denver.

Yes.

And so we have to.

Denver was.

There were so many people.

Yes, at southwest gates, I mean, there were so many gates for southwest.

It's huge yeah.

So we get off the plane, we get to the southwest gate, where we're supposed to be, and they're already boarding.

Yes.

So our tickets were C-53, 53 and 54.

What?

does that mean we were the last ones to get on that plane?

but you, my dear, you are not a rule follower, and so what did you say?

so I said, you know, first we're walking a long distance.

So by the time we get to the gate and get to the plane and they're boarding, I said, just follow me, you know.

I mean Southwest is so relaxed that it's like you know, just get on, would you.

So there was a guy there and he looked at our tickets.

The gate attendant.

The gate attendant.

Whatever, I thought he had a little bit of a power struggle or something.

He looks and he goes we are boarding B and you are C, so you get back of the line, lady, okay.

You know we get back to C and again I've flown Southwest all the time.

They have never paid attention to what number you are.

You're at C.

Okay, you're on.

You know?

No, not this guy.

You know he has his eye on me now and it's like lady, you're going to be the last one to get on that plane.

So then they say C1 through 30.

Okay, so C1 through 30 goes through.

And then he says C rest of the numbers, or?

Something like that and so we get up there.

I mean we were ahead of C 42, you know.

And he said no, you can't get on yet.

No.

I think there was one lady behind us and as she goes and by this time I don't even care, so she goes to get on and he goes oh no, wait a minute, these two are ahead of you.

You two go on now.

It was you know.

And so I said you have yourself a right nice day, sir.

And I think he says something like I was having a nice day until you came along.

Oh, no, no, no, no, oh he did, he did.

It was something like that.

Was it in humor?

No, I don't think.

No, oh, we gave him a hard time we did.

We gave him a hard time.

Oh no.

So we get on, and, of course, the only seats that are left are the middle seats, the middle seats, yeah.

And I get on there and in the middle seat, front row, that we call first class in.

Southwest, you know was available.

But then I had a handbag and I didn't want to put it up on the you know up on the overhead because I had my snacks and everything Right.

So I sat on roll two.

That's okay, yeah.

Actually dear that was going not coming.

Yeah, but I mean we were close to the front both times, it didn't matter, and it didn't matter, it didn't matter, it didn't matter.

And so yeah, yeah, it didn't matter.

It didn't matter and so yeah, yeah.

So then, when watching the news, Southwest is thinking of revamping their seating and it's like no, it's worked for them for all these years.

They're going to keep doing it the way Right.

Yeah, okay.

And also the weekend we flew back, or that time frame was when they were having all the problems with the computers.

Yes, and so the other big airlines were having all kinds of problems, and thank you Southwest and Avis Car Rental for using very old Microsoft products that didn't go down.

Yeah.

In the.

What do you call it?

Whatever, that was the meltdown, the meltdown yeah.

And so we got back and we had a great time.

We did.

Yes, a good time was had by all.

By all.

Well, you can see, those are some of the parts of my life that I like to share, and we all have those in common sometimes.

Dominica, where do you think we're going to go next?

Oh well, we do have some interesting trips lined up.

Yeah, we went to Disney, we did.

Yeah, maybe we could talk about that Next time, next time, okay.

Yes.

Well, I'd love to hear from you about, maybe, some of the things you've done.

If you'd like to, if you'd love to hear from me you know where I'm at right here on Larry's Sort of Fun Stories, and the best way to do that is on the website Larrysortoffunstoriescom.

That's Larrysortoffunstoriescom.

Drop me a line or share a story and maybe you'll be on the podcast as well.

Again, thank you very much for being with us.

This podcast is brought to you by Collage Travel Media Network, with streaming radio of Collage Travel Radio and ZMAX Radio Live.

So check them out.

Thanks for listening.

Until next time, I'm Larry, always looking for a sort of fun story to share with you.