From the moment I arrived in Red Lodge I started meeting the most endearing people.  I spent a good deal of time chit-chatting with many locals. both in their businesses and at their homes while they watered their lawns as I passed by with cameras in tow.

Everyone I met was exceptionally friendly and with no hesitation reached out with a warm friendly “hello” and variations of a welcome to the lovely mountain town they called home.  But beyond the locals in Red Lodge, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some truly unique people who chose to stay at same inn I chose as my base camp for the week as they passed through to other destinations.

I booked a room for one full week whereas most others only stayed for one night.  For most of these guests it seemed Red Lodge was just a one-night stop over during a cross-country motorcycle trek. You can imagine how transient this felt after a week of watching the roster rotate daily.  I almost felt like a resident there, but I wasn’t.  Although longer was my stay, I too was only there for a short time.

Of all the people I met at the inn, the dynamic duo (the name I gave them after I left) I met one night who were traveling together has left the greatest impression on me above all.

One gentleman was from Germany (Roger).  He was traveling the states for five months (his typical annual time off from work).  He was a proud owner of a purple, gold and green motorcycle that made me chuckle a bit. We talked about how he managed such a sublime work schedule and the nitty-gritty logistical details one needs to assemble in order to trek off to another county with motorcycle in tow for a five month tour.

Okay, if he wasn’t so sweet and charming I’d have to hate him.

It was very interesting to listen to his perspective of traveling cross country here. Motoring through each of the states from cities to the outlying suburbia crawl and eventual rural sprawl…only to repeat itself.  Pass go, and start all over again. except he didn’t get to collect $200 dollars each time.  City, suburbs, rural ….and so on.   This was very unusual for him and was in great contrast to what he was used to in Germany.

Anyone who has ever traveled in Germany knows what I’m talking about.  It’s very different indeed! We talked about employment regulations, How the stigma of Hitler still haunts many Germans, motorcycles, wine, boundaries between different towns (or states here), motorcycles, eating habits of the Europeans and Americans, motorcycles, and why we don’t just cross the double yellow lines here (in the states), how life is too short to work so much…wine…and motorcycles.

Mr. “Unstoppable”, the other gentleman (aka David) was traveling via an appropriately well suited grey and black bmer for his persona.  He’s in the mortgage business (or I should say “was” for now) and decided one day about a couple of months ago that he’d simply had enough, was burnt out and needed to just take a break…explore the world.  He sold most of his belongings,   leased out his house and told his boss he was taking a break and didn’t know when he would be back.

He’s been on the road (with camera in tow as well) ever since experiencing life, the country and meeting a ton of people along the way.  He’s traveled to many places (I believe some international travel as well) and I’m guessing from our conversation that maybe he hasn’t spent more than one night at each place. David did a lot more listening than talking and expressed a great passion for adding value to every experience/encounter he had with every person he meets along the way.

I believe he does.

Both David and Roger carry no more than a backpack’s worth of belongings with them on their journeys.  They need nothing more than a map and gas in their tanks.  Their scaled down existence has afforded them freedom.

Beyond their individual stories and unique personalities, what makes meeting Roger and David additionally interesting is how they ended up traveling together.  You see they didn’t know each other prior to their trips. When David was checking out and Roger was planning a routine five-month escape neither one of them knew each other or that their solo trip would include a companion (if even for a small fraction of the way).  However somewhere along the map of the United States their journey’s crossed paths and they did meet.  They’ve been traveling together since knowing that eventually the paths that have crossed will eventually split and become solo once again.

David and Rodger in almost every aspect of their personalities completely contrast each other but they both have a common sense of adventure empowered by the freedom they have allowed themselves to own.  They both have a genuine desire to be a part of a bigger picture, to be a part of something much greater than the daily grind most of us subject ourselves to because we worry too much…about too much.  A great deal can be learned from the dynamic duo, and yes David, you have added value.

At the end of the evening (after the wine was all gone and hangovers were brewing) we said “goodnight, see ya in the morning”.  I knew Roger was set to move out the following morning, David on the other hand was unsure.  I think I knew before he did that he too would be pulling out with Roger.  I left the next morning at 5:30am for a day trip to Yellowstone. Their bikes were still sleeping in the dark of the morning when I pulled out of the parking lot.  I knew I would never see them again nor have the chance to say “goodbye” but just like the duo I had to go too.

The universe must have thought a goodbye was in order though because something quite spectacular happened that afternoon and all three of our paths randomly yet precisely converged at an unlikely place.  I say it was spectacular because the odds of it happening are ridiculously slim and next to impossible.  Nonetheless, the universe provided an opportunity for me to say goodbye to Roger and David after all.

I had been on the road for at least five hours and was heading back to Red Lodge (destination time back at that point was approx 3 hrs.) and I came to a construction area along the route where two lanes were narrowed down to one.  One lane meaning cars in both directions shared one lane.  We had to wait at a light for oncoming traffic to clear, once they did the light would change and we could proceed through.  I was one of the last cars in our group to go through and as I reached the end I saw two guys on motorcycles (you guessed it, Roger and David) waiting at the light for their turn to proceed.

They were waiting for my car to come through so the light would change. Truly, what are the odds?

In an instant we recognized each other.

I waved…goodbye.

~The Urban Mountaineer