Erica Laferriere, of Bozeman, plans to spend Thanksgiving with her family at their Seeley Lake cabin. In addition to a traditional supper with turkey and all the trimmings, Laferriere's mom is trying to stir up some Southern dishes, such as stewed okra, for her boyfriend - who's from the South and unable to fly home this holiday.
Some students from Montana and nearby states like Idaho, Washington or Oregon said they are driving home for the holiday. Those from farther away, though, are mostly sticking around Missoula. A lagging economy and efforts by many to pinch pennies are a couple of reasons that AAA has projected the first decrease in Thanksgiving travel since 2002.
After all, you can't put a price on families spending time together, said Amanda LeCarno, a UM student from Portland, Ore., who's carpooling with her roommate to the West Coast.
Only one week of regular classes remains once students return from the break. For those who live far away, it's not worth flying home for several days over Thanksgiving when Christmas break begins 10 days later, Laferriere said.
Besides, those who stay can use Thanksgiving as a time to rest and prepare for final exams, which begin seven days after the students return.
“It's a rejuvenation thing,” said 21-year-old LeCarno.
Anthony Purveyance of Corvallis drives home to see his folks about every other week, so it's no surprise that he's headed home for Thanksgiving. The 20-year-old might not have traveled to the Bitterroot Valley as often if his parents didn't pick up the gas tab, especially when fuel was more than $4 a gallon earlier this year, he said.
“They want me to come home,” Purveyance said.
Meanwhile, Mike Yeager, 39, has already celebrated Thanksgiving.
Yeager loves turkey. His wife is a vegetarian. So Yeager bought a 17.5-pound Hutterite turkey last week for himself and friends, as well as a Tofurky for his wife, and cooked a feast all day long last Friday.
Though much of his family lives in Virginia, the break is not quite long enough to justify the trip home, he said. Instead, Yeager and his wife are talking about a trip to Glacier National Park during the long weekend.
Dustin Rambur, 27, of Missoula won't exactly be spending his Thanksgiving holiday at home. His wife is scheduled to be induced into labor on Wednesday at Community Medical Center and give birth to the couple's second child.
The family will feast on Friday, he said. It'll probably be one of the most memorable Thanksgivings ever.
“Everyone said we planned it really well” with the birth coinciding with the Thanksgiving break, he said, “but we didn't really plan it.”
Laura Gasca Tovar is certainly not traveling home for the holidays. The 22-year-old is a foreign exchange student from Mexico studying this semester at UM.
She's never celebrated Thanksgiving. She's never even eaten turkey. But she's excited to participate in the “very American holiday,” she said. She'll celebrate with her Missoula host family. Tovar has heard that the holiday is about family and giving thanks.
“I'm thankful that I'm here and have a family here,” she said. “I know my real family is not here, but I'm still with them.”
Reporter Chelsi Moy can be reached at 523-5260 or at chelsi.moy@missoulian.com.
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