Nick and Sarah finished their stay in Sturgis, South Dakota by meeting up with Nick’s Uncle Jake, who had driven the Jeep Grand Cherokee from Sioux Falls so they could trade transportation.  Uncle Jake, after carefully inspecting his Harley for scratches or spots, hugged the kids goodbye, promised to send his love to Aunt Eileen, and knelt down to wipe the Harley down with a soft cloth.

Nick and Sarah opted not to tell him all of the events at the Sturgis Rally.  They smiled and waved goodbye as they headed off to their next destination.

Sarah looked at Nick, held out her left hand, and said: “Maybe your Royal Cheapness can buy me a diamond engagement ring in Billings, Montana, since you skipped right to the Harley-themed wedding rings”.

Nick raised an eyebrow.  “Don’t push me, woman”, he said, grinning.

They stopped off at Devils Tower to climb it.  They were both experienced at climbing, and had spent a good part of their courtship at climbing walls during the week, and actual rock formations on the weekends.  Before climbing Devils Tower, they took off their wedding rings, laughing as they placed them carefully in the ashtray of the Jeep.  The climb was tough, but they were used to working together, and they managed to make it in just over 5 hours.  Rappeling down was the best part.  It was like flying, without the consequence of smashing your head on the rocks below.

After changing their clothes by the car, they started back towards I-90 to Billings, where they would attend the Magic City Blues Festival and, hopefully, go to the zoo to see the Siberian Tiger.  Arriving in the city late, covered in dust, they went to their hotel, showered, and got some rest before they hit the town the next day.

Since the blues festival was an evening event, they woke up and went straight to ZooMontana.  Sarah, ever the navigator, grabbed the GPS. 

“ZooMontana, 2100 South Shiloh Road, Billings, Montana, 59106”, she said aloud as she punched the address in.  She was giddy about seeing the Siberian Tiger and checking out whatever a “Sensory Garden” is. 

There weren’t a lot of people at the Zoo that day.  Maybe the city was busy gearing up for the Blues Festival.  Nick went to the “Living Wall” exhibit, which Sarah wouldn’t go near.  She knew the zoo featured a giant spider in there, and didn’t want to see it, no matter how pink its toes were.  She had a theory that there was no natural need, that no specific ecological function existed for a giant spider with hair.  They were simply needlessly creepy and she couldn’t bear to look at them.  So she checked out the cute red panda, some animals native to North America but not generally seen by humans, and then went to see the Siberian Tiger.  She watched it as it licked its giant paw and washed its gentle-looking face.  She watched it yawn and stretch, then lumber over to get a drink of water from the pond in its habitat.  Mesmerized by the unbelievable stealth of something that weighs 700 pounds, she stared and stared.  Nick found her there.  He sat next to her and they said nothing as they watched the big cat.  It was a peaceful moment.  Sarah thought of nothing, and Nick thought of the calm before a storm.  The blues festival started at 6, and he knew Sarah could go from pussycat to tiger in only a few beers’ time.  He watched her watch the tiger until she looked back and said “I’m ready”.  They drove back to the hotel in silence.  Sarah had a thing about big cats.  When they got back, she mumbled something about a ‘catnap’ and they curled up to sleep for a while.

“Grab me a beer, will ya, babe?” were the first words that Sarah spoke when they woke up.  They drank a few and then got ready to go.  Sarah and Nick were not going to be anywhere but front row by the time Blues Traveler took the stage at 10:30.  They only had a few hours to eat and fight their way to the front.  Sarah grabbed the laptop to check where they needed to be.

“The main stage is east of McCleary’s Tavern, 2314 Montana Ave, Billings, MT, 59101”.  She looked up. “We can walk from here”.

“Good news”, Nick said as he handed her another beer and kissed her on the forehead. 

When they arrived near the main stage, the whole street was packed with people.  They stopped in at the tavern to get some ‘liquid courage’ in the form of Jagermeister shots, and then walked arm-in-arm through the crowd.  Sarah liked to joke that she learned her concert etiquette playing basketball in high school and college—throwing elbows and boxing people out was the key.  In a crowd that size, and with everyone that loaded, she and Nick used their skills to sneak their way toward the front, and came to rest just behind two rows of people.  Those folks would fall off to the sides, show a little weakness in their defenses as soon as they wanted another beer or had to find the port-a-potties.  And, as planned, by the time Blues Traveler was onstage, they were in the front, slightly left of center. 

They danced at sang along and were drenched in sweat and spilled beer from around them.  They were having so much fun that they forgot about technically being married, about being in Billings, Montana with wedding rings sitting in the ashtray of the Jeep, still.  They partied like rock stars and then went back to the hotel to wash off the smell of stale beer and get some sleep before they went off to Wyoming.

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