Range Rider Tour Rider/Reviewers: Bruce & Cheryl Cummings (aka: Sinamn & Uncle Buck)
Hello there! Let me introduce myself – I’m Sinamn (pronounced cinnamon) and yes, I am a spicy biker chick. (My usual self-description includes the B-word instead of “chick”, but this is a nice family publication!) I’ve been married to Uncle Buck for close to a hundred years, and we live in Billings, MT. Uncle Buck has ridden motorcycles nearly all his life, and he finally talked me into seeing the light about 10 years ago. We’ve ridden many places, and thought of riding to many more, but I can honestly say Miles City has never been on that list. You know what? Our trip to Miles City was wonderful! We’d do it again in a heartbeat. Our first stop was the Range Rider’s Museum. What an incredible collection of memorabilia! Included are typical items from pioneer life you’d expect to see in a small town museum – tools, dishes, quilts, lanterns and so on. There are some very unusual items as well – Ralph Whitlock’s 1873 Colt revolver, circa 1912, with the quote “three kids and two generations of grandkids cut their teeth on the barrel;” a human hair wreath, and large dioramas covering several battles between Indians and the US Cavalry. For us, the true treasures were found in the Bert Clark Gun Collection. Over 400 firearms are displayed, including an 1869 Sharps with a 30-inch barrel, a .30 caliber German Luger, and my personal favorite – a .44 magnum pistol (and when you see that gun, who could honestly refrain from quoting Dirty Harry? But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punk? Several patrons rolled their eyes as they walked by, but I enjoyed myself!). In addition, there was wide variety of everything in between…pearl handled revolvers, derringers, homesteaders’ weapons, WWII guns, hand grenades – I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, the collection is so good that Charlton Heston came to see it! Next stop was lunch at Mexico Lindo. The service was good and the food very authentic. We had the chorizo & eggs and a chimichanga, and both were excellent. The icy-cold Negra Modelo was even better. The best kept secret in Eastern Montana, no holds barred, no questions asked, is the Custer County Art Center. It is an absolute gem and a delight! Housed in the old Miles City Water Treatment Plant, the galleries are in the old water holding tanks. I descended a walkway through rough cement walls decorated with enlarged photos of the original building construction in 1910 and an addition in 1924. Skeptical of what kind of gallery could be in the basement of this old building, I walked through the entrance and nearly lost my breath! It felt as if I was walking into an avant-garde gallery in the middle of New York City. The texture of the exposed cement walls and electrical conduits contrasted perfectly with the displayed artwork. I was lucky enough to visit just prior to the Art Center’s yearly fundraising auction, and over 100 different pieces donated by regional artists, mainly from Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota, were displayed. The pieces ranged from watercolors to welded steel, photographs to fused glass, and lithographs to acrylics. Modern, traditional and everything in between—it was amazing. On a regular basis, the Art Center displays pieces from its permanent collections as well as national exhibitions. A small sampling of these items was available for viewing on my visit, and the vintage photos by L.A. Huffman and Evelyn Cameron were among my favorites. Even if art museums aren’t usually on your top-ten list, I’d highly recommend a visit to the Custer County Art Center. After I left the Art Center, I met Uncle Buck at the car show in the park downtown. An unexpected array of vehicles was there including 2 very rare automobiles – a 1968 Pontiac Firebird factory race car and a 1967 Corvette with a 427 aluminum engine – as well as a great collection of Hudson autos. We took some time to visit the local watering holes, and especially enjoyed the Montana Bar, the Bison, and Club 519. The Montana Bar was established in 1908, and its bar and back bar were installed in 1912 after being brought to Miles City by steamboat. The barkeep and customers were very friendly and we enjoyed visiting with them. Be sure to ask for their brochure, and make sure to check out the original marble urinal in the men’s room! With our new friend Erich, from the Montana Bar, we wandered down the street to the Bison—your typical small town bar with an atypical bartender named Charlie—he was wonderful. Intending to call the Rib & Chop House to verify our reservation, I asked Charlie if he had a phone book I could use, or if he knew the phone number off the top of his head. He replied, “You bet! It’s 865-9249.” I was amazed that he’d have such great recall and had just started to dial when he said, “Or maybe it’s 747-0432. Or it could be 555-1212.” It’s been quite a while since I fell that hard for a practical joke, or laughed that hard at my own expense! Next, we wandered into . . . or should I say “up to” to the Club 519. Housed on the 2nd floor of an old bank building, Club 519 is a bar and supper club. Sitting at the bar, we discovered that the gentleman we were visiting with was Mark Browning, Director of the Custer County Art Center. Both he and Uncle Buck are Eastern Montana history buffs, and we spent a very pleasant hour or so visiting about Custer, the Plains Indians, and how the coming of the railroad had affected the area. We had such a good time that we called the Rib and Chop House twice to delay our reservations! Speaking of the Rib & Chop House, they were very accommodating about those ever-changing reservations. Our waitress, Marissa, was attentive and took excellent care of us. Uncle Buck had the Hand Cut Ribeye, and I ordered the Baseball Cut Top Sirloin. Both were excellent, cooked exactly medium rare, just the way we like them. The Apple Cobbler ala mode was terrific—the perfect end to a great meal and a great day. Our overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Express was very comfortable, especially clean, and we slept like babies. Sunday morning’s breakfast at the 600 Café on Main Street was wonderful. We love sitting at the counter in a diner, visiting with the waitresses to hear stories and details of the area, and did just that at the 600. Metal tiles line the wall behind the counter and chickens of all sorts decorate multiple nooks and crannies. A photo from the early 1940’s shows a drug store in the 600 Café’s location. Luckily, Butch Grinz, owner of the 600 Café and former Mayor of Miles City, was in for breakfast also, and we enjoyed a delightful visit and history lesson from him. His parents bought the 600 Café in 1946, and it’s been in the family ever since. Butch’s daughter works there now, and is looking forward to taking it over from her father. Butch was born and raised in Miles City, and left for a time in his youth to work in various places around the country, but always came back home to Miles City. When he was young, there were 40 gas stations and a dozen “ma & pa” grocery stores. Over the years, most have consolidated and now just a few of each remain. Every year the 600 is crowded with people who come to the World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. Waylon and Willie are among the more well-known. Oh, and the food was great, too! I had the ham and cheese omelet, and Uncle Buck had the chicken fried steak. Both were just what you’d expect from a diner like the 600 – tasty, hearty, and filling. Then it was time to hit the road again for Billings. We cruised a few back roads, but mostly stuck to the Interstate. It’s not the most exciting road to ride—it was an uneventful trip—but it gave us ample opportunity to consider just how much we enjoyed our weekend in Miles City, and just how much we look forward to going back. Date of Ride: August 23 & 24, 2008 _______________________________________________________________________ For questions regarding this article, please contact Holly Anderson, Cynroc, Inc.,
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