Last week we were at my brother's house in the sprawling metropolis of Bigfork, Montana. Across the lake, we checked out Blacktail Mountain's $25-a-lift-ticket Thursday. A super-cool ski area with a decent amount of terrain, good views, and zero crowds. This isn't really about Blacktail, however.
Afterward, we hit up Tamarack Brewing just down the hill in Lakeside. Katie noticed a sign on the way in advertising free ski waxing that night. Oh, and that she was the subject of the photo. Now that was random! Still, this isn't about my wife being the cover model for a community event, either.
This is about the two guys we met from the Kalispell REI who were outside waxing skis. We were there for a little bit and watched them in action. They never tried to sell anything. A gal even asked, 'What are you doing here?' Mark, who we took to be the boss, pointed at Bryant and replied with a smile, 'Just to get this guy out of the shop.'
Maybe their genuineness was Montana friendliness. Likely it was just genuine genuineness. It was palpable. Refreshing, for sure, to be offered something, no strings attached.
