Day 43- WILCO

 So the concert in the evening was WILCO, but that wasn't the only thing I did today.  

Garnet Ghost Town
Drummond, MT

Today was a short drive day, but the drive wasn't easy.  Washboard gravel roads to our unique stop of this leg of the journey.  Garnet Ghost Town is located on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Land just outside of Drummond, MT.  Up in the mountains on winding narrow roads lies a ghost town.  Unlike many historical sites that bring in historians and artists to bring sites back to their former glory,  Garnet is as it was left and in a state of arrested decay. It was interesting to walk around and see what was left behind and what the different structures look like.  I also purchased a garnet ring made locally. (it's my birthstone)

We arrived at our hotel and were able to get about an hour of rest before heading out for the evening. My dad has a friend from when he was growing up who lives in Missoula so we met up with them for drinks and dinner before going to the concert together.  

I've met a few of my dad's friends over the years and it's always fun to watch him light up over old memories they shared. 

We had drinks at PLONK-where I had a great cocktail, before heading over to Finn for dinner.  Finn is probably my favorite place in Missoula because it's on the River and has beautiful views from large windows in it's dinning room. We were eventually seated in a booth facing the river which was a wonderful way to eat dinner. 

After dinner we made our way to the concert venue.  KettleHouse Amphitheater is a great venue for you and three to four thousand others, it provides an intimate setting in an outdoor venue. The back drop is also stunning and made for a magnificent sunset.  

Here's my conundrum. I LOVE rock concerts, I HATE flashing and bright lights, especially during daylight when I'm also struggling with additional brightness. This made the first hour opening act portion more difficult for me so I mostly listened with my eyes closed in my seat. 

The opening act Sleater-Kinney is one mildly familiar with.  They put on a good show, but it's not really my style and that's okay. They also really like a lot of flashing lights and blown out light moments, this also made it difficult for me to enjoy them. 

WILCO, the reason I am here. This marks my 4th Wilco concert.  All of them have been with my dad.  Previous venues: Rock the Garden (Walker sculpture garden), Northrup Auditorium and The Orpheum.  I wore my "Raised on Wilco" shirt proudly last night because it couldn't be more true. Wilco has been a bonding tool for me and my dad and for that I am eternally grateful.  

Wilco has a fairly standard routine for their live shows they rotate back and forth between the country influenced rock that I fell in love with and their more distorted music, that is finally starting to grow on me. The way in which the group has developed and evolved over the years is nothing short of spectacular; especially once you realize everything and I mean everything is written by Jeff Tweedy. The man is a prolific writer. I got to experience my FAVORITE song- Box Full of Letters which as probably my favorite lyric of all time "I just can't find the time to write my mind the way I want it to read". It was a wonderful concert in a great venue and was a great first concert post pandemic.  

We got back to our hotel around midnight and I slept like a rock until I woke up around 7am. 

Hotel Review Missoula Hampton Inn

Pros: Strong AC, easy phone charging station, 2 beds, tv and storage, mini fridge, microwave, baggage carts available, hot water and coffee available 24/7 in lobby, 

Cons: Their breakfast boxes are awful (hard boiled eggs, yogurt I can't eat-strawberry and a stale bagel),