Sunday, August 23, 2009

 

 

 

 

It’s been a really long week, but I’ve finally made it to Bozeman.

Last Thursday (August 13) I returned to Ann Arbor after a trip to the West of Michigan for a family reunion. The next day, movers arrived to pick up the vast majority of my stuff. I then rented a car,which I picked up on Saturday, and drove to Bozeman with a bunch of other stuff.

So why drive? Good question. I’m not sure why, but it seemed like the right thing to do. After all, I'm not the one paying for this trip. I had so few possessions (books and clothes, mostly, but almost no furniture) that after shipping most of my things with professional movers I still had about $1000 left over from the amount budgeted by MSU to pay for the move. I originally looked into flying, but then it occurred to me that I could rent a car and drive out and still come in under budget.

I think I felt that if I flew, it would be as if I were dropping onto another planet. Montana is different enough as it is—I wanted to gain a sense of how Montana can be connected to parts of the country I’m more familiar with, like Michigan and the Midwest. Not that you can glean much from a few days driving, but still. It was nice watching the topographical changes occur gradually, rather than just stepping onto a plane in Detroit and stepping out at the Bozeman airport.

From Ann Arbor, I rented a tinny little Kia. This was a bit of a disappointment, since the compact I'd been hoping for was the Chevy Cobalt. The Cobalt is the usual compact that the rental companies provide, and I've rented it many times. It's got a big trunk for its size and the ones I've rented have always run smoothly.

The Kia was okay, but I think it was traumatized a bit by the long trip. I didn't have all that much stuff with me, but since the movers won't be here with the rest of my stuff until August 30, I brought enough stuff with me to last for a couple of weeks. The trunk of the Kia (which isn't large) was stuffed, and I also had a suitcase and box laying across the back seat with a smaller suitcase and computer bag riding shotgun.

Driving from Ann Arbor, I first visited West Michigan, and from there headed to Madison, Wisconsin. I’d always wanted to go there. After Madison, I drove to St. Paul via Iowa, and spent the night with my brother and his family.

Out of St. Paul I took 212 for a while through South Dakota, eventually skipping down to 90 on very isolated country roads. While 212 had a fair bit of traffic (one reason why I ultimately opted for 90), the deserted roads that I took to get from 212 to 90 were  downright eerie. I could go  25-30 minutes without seeing anyone, and only passed a few buildings along the way. My car was stuffed with my belongings and the Kia didn’t sound  happy when forced to do too much. Here it was, hauling my stuff across country in the hottest month of the year. I started wondering if the Kia—which was moaning every time I hit the accelerator to pass somebody, and which had developed a mysterious rattle in western Minnesota—would trap me in the South Dakotan countryside.

South Dakota was pretty, but the emptiness had me wondering how far the Kia would take me

Adding to my driving concerns was occasional heavy rainfall and familiesof flightless birds walking across the highway in front of me.  All inall, it was a bit nerve-wracking for me, as I'm not the mostcomfortable driver in the world. By nightfall, however, I reachedinterstate 90 and pulled into Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Remains of an old bridge in the Missouri River, near Chamberlain, SD

After spending the night in Chamberlain, I got up early and drove the last ten hours to Bozeman, pulling into town early Thursday evening. I moved into a university-owned apartment and there was someone to give me the key when I arrived.

My apartment is in some ways rather sterile—which was no surprise, since I'd seen pictures of the building online earlier this summer. It’s in a neighborhood of married/graduate/faculty housing to the westof campus. The building I live in is two stories high, and is made of brick.

Parking lot and mountains outside my apartment

All the same, I'm happy with the arrangement. The apartment is furnished, and decently appointed. There is a little staircase which leads from the sidewalk to my place (I’mthe only one who uses it), and I have put a grill on the large concrete landing between  the top of the stairs and the door to my apartment.

Inside, I’ve got a bar in the middle of my kitchen, which is fun, and I have a great view of the mountains (I guess most people here do). On Friday and Saturday I went out and bought loads of furnishings (including a great coffee table and a neat little table to place my turntable) for my place, and it’s starting to look okay. Indeed, even though the building itself doesn’t have loads of character, I do think I’ll end up liking the apartment a lot—it’s really big and in seemingly good shape. 

Shot from balcony

I’m really glad I drove out here,but now that I’m actually here the trip itself has faded into the background quickly. There’s so much to do, so many things to organize and think about. But it’s all really thrilling, too. I first came out to Bozeman for a campus visit last December, and since early January I've known I'd be working here. And now it's finally happening.