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and morsels of perfectly soft-boiled eggs. This was a deliciously
balanced breakfast, I thought. In fact, it was superb. There was
something familiar about the particular way that it was good—I
had the uncanny feeling that I'd already shaken the hands that
had cooked it.
Indeed, the chef was none other than Shawn of the best bis-
cuits and gravy. It turns out that he and his wife bought the Hick-
ory House a year and a half ago, and have been making a go of it
ever since. They'd made a lot of improvements, and it had been
a lot of work, but they were beginning to see the fruits of their
labor. They're the Best of Montana, after all.
At any rate, I thankfully took the opportunity to shake the
cook's hand again.
* * *
Anaconda is the kind of place that feels like a getaway even
if you only drove an hour to get there. Both tucked away into
the hills and just minutes from the interstate, Anaconda is an ex-
traordinary little community. A short drive (for us Montanans,
anything under four hours is short) from Bozeman, Missoula,
Helena, Great Falls, and even closer to Butte, Anaconda is per-
fect for a weekend excursion.
You might even say it's a Goldilocks town, in that, generally
speaking, it's just right.
As a postscript, when my lovely girlfriend heard that I was go-
ing on this trip on a weekend she couldn't make it, she got hop-
ping mad.
"Don't worry," I told her. "You know we'll go again as soon as
we can."
After all, we can't stay away longer than a couple of weeks. And
trust us, once you've visited, you won't be able to, either.
218 West Park Street Anaconda, Montana www.pintlersportal.com 406-563-4555
RENT:
a bed, a private room,
the entire facility.
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