The many colors of Montana...

We have been to Montana a number of times, and during different times of the year.  As we drove through this year, I got to thinking how different the colors are from mile to mile.  It's late August and early September, to early for the fall colors, to late for any spring flowers...pretty much during the late summer when it's the hottest and driest.  Yet with all that, each area seems to have it's own look, it's own set of colors.  Mountains, hills, meadows, wheat fields, rivers, lakes, and lots of forest trees.  Each turn in the road brought a different sight.  

I decided to just take pictures as we went, some are a bit blurry as we were driving, but one can still get the idea, the view.  We saw a few deer here and there, some cattle, horses of course, but the only pictures I took were the bison herd I found at a waterhole, which I found enjoyable to stop and watch for a few minutes. 

...and this was only a small corner of the state, but one can't help but love it's diversity and wide open spaces!

...on the road,  Marie

If you would like to see the rest of my pictures, they are on my flickr: Marie Beschen, Album: Montana

Paling around in Polson Montana...

For years our friends Emily, Pat and Ian lived in Missoula Montana and every time we traveled nearby, we would be sure and carve out some time to pull into that area and visit.  A few years ago Ian married, and then eventually moved to Polson and had a couple of children...so, of course "grandma and grandpa" quickly followed!  Now, we make a day visit to Missoula because there still are a couple of shops we like, and then travel on to Polson for our visit!  Polson is the home of the beautiful Flathead Lake, and it's a little more pricey, so we ended up camping out a smidge further, but still close enough for easy access.  

We actually have another friend who also lives in Polson, one of our Happy Trails folks who used to just be here during the summer months and winter in Happy Trails (and was in Theater with me and along with Jack in the Sawmill) but last year decided to move back to Polson year 'round.  We were super lucky to catch up with Charlie as he had just gotten back from a two week fishing trip in Alaska just before we left, and got my phone message that we were in town and wanted to see him.  He called me back and we got together at his lovely home for lunch and a great afternoon of "catch-up".  After spending his first winter back in Polson, he's not so sure he wants to do it again and is looking at places to take off for at least a few weeks this year to someplace "without snow"!  I think Arizona spoiled him!

 We spent several days with our friends Emily and Pat, including our anniversary.  They were kind enough to take us to a lovely dinner to celebrate our 29th wedded year (forgot to take a picture!) as well as a great home cooked one the next day, yum!  We all drove together to tour Bigfork and see their beautiful Swan River community area.   

When we weren't with them, we were checking out Polson! Well, let me tell you, they have the most unique museum we have come across so far.  The Miracle of America Museum has just about everything ever made or even thought of, from the late 1800's to the 2000's!  ...and in all the details!  Over four acres outside, and I would guess over an acre inside as well.  It took us just about all day to look through it and I'm sure we didn't see everything.  I asked the hostess how long the owner had been collecting all this and she said since he was a very young child, and of course has gotten donations as well. The number of vehicles (of every kind) and weapons alone was mind boggling.  Jack said some of his WW2 collections were things he had never seen (and he's been to numerous museums) and worth quite a bit.  I took a ton of pictures, but here's just a few to give you a little idea...

Once again we lucked out in finding a great "food place"!  I had read some blog somewhere about "what to do and where to go" etc in Polson and it mentioned Betty's Diner, and being a diner, I knew we had to try it.  Just reading the menu, I knew it would be a "winner", and boy, oh boy was it ever!  One of the best burgers we've had in a very long time! YUM!!

Well, all to soon our visit needed to end, as there are only so many days until we need to get to Washington, so hugs were given all around and thanks to Polson for the nice sunshiny days!  We were off on a scenic route following the Bitterroot River along Hwy 200 through the rest of Montana to the eastern side of Washington...

...on the road, Marie

If you would like to see the rest of my pictures, they are on my flickr: Marie Beschen, Album: Montana

The Story of Garnet: Montana's Best-Preserved Ghost Town...

Gather around my friends for I'm about to tell you a wonderful ghost story...

In 1898, Garnet was a booming gold camp with nearly 1,000 residents.  The hushed     woods once echoed with the rumbling of wagons chock-full of gold ore.  Teamsters urged horses down muddy streets.  Mine hoists clanged.  Whistles blew.  Children raced to school.  The town included four stores, four hotels, three livery stables, two barber shops, a union hall, a school, a butcher shop, a candy shop, a doctor's office, an assay office, and thirteen saloons.  The surrounding mountains were rich in gold-bearing quartz so Garnet grew rapidly until about 1905 when many of the mines were abandoned.  The 1910 census found only 150 residents.  In 1912, fire destroyed many of the commercial buildings and by the 1920's Garnet was a ghost town...

Today, we need our imagination to hear the piano tinkling when we enter into Kelly's Saloon or to feel the heat of the forge at Billy Liberty's blacksmith shop.  When we climb the stairs of Mrs. Well's fine hotel, we have to picture it when the wallpaper was all in tact and beautiful, the tables all set, the beds all made up, ready for her guests...

Twenty-two buildings they were able to preserve, which is quite a lot considering that many were lost in the 1912  fire.  In 1934 when President Roosevelt raised gold prices from $16 to $35 an ounce, Garnet revived.  With the higher price and new extraction and refining technology available, a new wave of miners moved into abandoned cabins and began re-working the mines and dumps.  By 1936, Garnet had grown to some 250 residents.  During this era, miners also constructed a number of new log cabins.  Life was good in Garnet. 

It was not to last, however, with the onset of war drew the population away again.  By 1942 the post office closed and only a few hardy residents remained.  Soon, souvenir hunters began stripping the town of loose items, even doors, stained glass, artifacts even woodwork.  The Bureau of Land Management and the Garnet Preservation Assn. stepped in to secure title to properties, with the goal of protecting, stabilizing and eventually interpreting this important physical reminder of our mining heritage.  Garnet is now recognized as one of Montana's most intact ghost towns, and thousands of visitors make the trek up the steep mountain roads each year to experience history first-hand. I'm sure glad we did!

Garnet Ghost Town MT

Kelly's Saloon (c1898), Garnet Ghost Town MT

Ole & Marion Dahl's 1930s Tavern or "Speakeasy", Garnet Ghost Town MT

The Honeymoon Cabin (c1896) Newlyweds could live rent free until another newly couple came along

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The J K Wells Hotel (c1897) was the most impressive bldg in Garnet

Billy Liberty's Blacksmith Shop (c1896), Garnet Ghost Town MT

 

Last looks...Garnet Ghost Town MT

...on the road in Montana,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

A Few Days With Friends...

 Well...looking over my posts, I discovered I never posted this one! Sheesh!  Don't know how that happened...now, here we are back in Missoula...so guess it's as good a time to post it as any!

Missoula is always a favorite stop for us because it means we get to spend time with dear friends.  As many times as we have made the stop we haven't really strayed much.  This time, being summer time, and a few more things going on, we did...

An afternoon trip took us to the Daly Mansion in the Bitterroot area.  Marcus Daly was the local copper magnate, who, as an Irish immigrant, started out as a silver miner.  Later, married one of the owner's daughters and worked his way into part ownership of a silver mine.  He sold that interest and bought another silver mine that later hit a vein of copper.  Copper was just coming into use for telegraph wire and electricity.  Daly was friends with Hearst, and more than once he had helped him with financial backing.  He did again with building a smelter.  By 1890, the copper mines of Butte were producing over seventeen million dollars worth of copper a year, and Marcus Daly, although a junior partner in the Anaconda venture, had become a very rich man.

The mansion, as you can imagine is beautiful.  They didn't allow any pictures, so I was only able to sneak a couple, but the tour was fun and a great treat with our friends!  Over the weekend the Celtic Festival was in town sharing their wonderful music, dance and food with the locals (and us tourists).  We were able to catch the Missoula Irish Dancers who did  a great job, especially those wee little ones!  We spent most that day tho enjoying the local Farmer's Market.  One of the real joys of traveling the way we do is to take advantage of local grown food.  That's the up side, the down side is that often times it's sold in such large quantities (for canning or big families & refrigerators) or at small roadside carts that don't have the space for rigs like ours to pull over.  Such was the case as we drove around Flathead Lake en route to Missoula (beautiful lake, by the way).  Their local cherries were being sold all along the road - but there was absolutely no place where we could pull over!  So, I was on the 'look out' for those cherries!  Well, wouldn't you just know it, they were all sold out by the time we got there!  As it turned out, not all was lost, I was still able to find some, near where we were camped and they were well worth the search, "local Flathead cherries" are sweet and delicious, like none I've tasted before, yum!

Our friends are nose-deep in wedding arrangements with their only child, so we had a couple of days on our own - but with plenty of suggestions to keep us busy while they tasted cakes & made plans!  One such place was the St Ignatius Mission.  From the outside, it looks like just another quaint brick Catholic Church, nothing to catch your eye and stop for.  Not so.  The church itself was built in the late 1800s, and built well with local hand made brick.  That's nice.  But it's what's inside that blows your mind.  Seems that among the Brother's that ran it, one was the cook, but in his "spare time", he liked to paint.  He never had any formal lessons, but, non the less, "with God's guidance", he did...and did he ever!  He filled that church with some of the most beautiful frescoes this side of Italy!  Brother Joseph Carignano painted 61 scenes on the church walls with religious similes: a pictorial study of scripture stories and symbols of the liturgy. His intent was to inspire people to imitate the lives of the saints and reflect on the teachings of Jesus.  Breathtakingly beautiful.

Always time for a stop at our favorite haunt, Rockin Rudy's and some new finds at a couple of great books stores that we lost many hours in and came away with an armload of more good reading material, and swoosh the weekend was gone! 

A nice dinner and a warm goodbye for now, as we will be back again for the big wedding in  October!

 The Daly Mansion

 One of 7 fireplaces at the Daly Mansion

 Marcus Daly's Office

 Missoula Irish Dancers

Missoula Celtic Festival

 Flathead Lake

 Flathead Lake Cherries

St Ignatius Mission

Frescoes in  St Ignatius Mission

 "Triptych, The Visions of St Ignatius"

...on the road in Montana,  Marie 

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/ 

Let's just do nothing...

After several weeks with friends and non-stop sight-seeing, I was ready for some "down-time".  When we looked to see where we wanted to head to after Missoula, I suggested someplace that really didn't offer much, just a place to park ourselves for a few days.  "Let's just do nothing for awhile" I said.  Ft Benton MT seemed to fit the bill.  Our friends assured us there wasn't really anything there 'to see'.  I found a small campground in Ft Benton (the only one) that had a space left - they were pretty full with harvesters.  Perfect.

Well, that was the plan anyway.  We ended up staying 8 days in this charming town.  Our campground host/owner gave us the choicest spot, the largest one right next to a big lovely tree that gave us great shade that we parked our chairs and pulled out our books and sat ourselves right down!  That lasted a couple of days...until the rain came.

We decided this would be a good time to go into town and see what there was to see and pick up a couple of groceries.  As we drove around (all of a couple of dozen blocks of it) we realized it was steeped in Lewis & Clark history and agriculture.  It had a big museum that housed both of those as well as a replica of the old Fort Benton.  You could get a two-day ticket to see all of them, so that's what we did.  Dashing in and out of the rain drops we began our two-day adventure.  What a surprise we had in store for us!  Here in this little out of the way town, housed some of the best replicas and museum treasures we had seen so far!  It took two full days to see it all too!  Of course lots of Lewis & Clark (Montana is steeped in that) and bison  & Native American history, but what I found most interesting, and educational, was the agricultural part.  Having driven all through these plains areas, seeing fields and fields of wheat, canola, vegetables, etc. various farm equipment, different sizes of bales, this place helped me to better understand it all.  I even got to climb aboard a combine!  Both Jack and I are pretty much "city folk" so all this farming "stuff" has to be explained to us, and we actually find it all quite fascinating.  What would we do without farmers?  Starve, that's for sure.  It sure takes a special breed of people to do what they do, and I for one am glad they do!

They also had a great display of life in general through the early 1900s and the war years.  (I took some pictures of some great quilts for my special quilting friends).  They did a nice job of replicating a small town including just about every kind of building you would likely find, including a homesteader's house.  Jack, of course did a thorough check of the Blacksmith's Shop and found a rather large anvil he'd not seen before. 

In our 8 days, we managed to see quite a few things in and around Ft Benton.  Lewis & Clark"s Decision Point where they had to figure out which body of water was the Missouri and which, what they ended up naming Maria's River.  We went into Great Falls and visited one of my favorite artist's works, CM Russell.  He made his home there and that along with his studio, a large museum and grave site are all in Great Falls.  That city also had an extensive museum on Lewis & Clark, the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.

All this is to say...there just doesn't seem to be any place that doesn't have "something to see"!

 Fort Benton MT

Me on a small combine at the Museum of the Great Northern Plains, Ft Benton MT

"1900's Town" at the  Museum of the Great Northern Plains, Ft Benton MT

"Decision Point" for Lewis & Clark - Missouri? or Maria's River, Ft Benton MT

 CR Russell's Grave site, Heartland Cemetery Great Falls MT

 "Portage", Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, Great Falls MT

...on the road in Montana,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/   

...and then we got to see Glacier National Park in Montana!

When you experience so much natural beauty and wonderful experiences, you can't help but ask yourself if that wasn't "the best one yet?"  Always thinking that nothing can top it...then, surprisingly so, Mother Nature continues to flash her beauty in more ways than you could ever have thought.  Such was our visit to the Glacier National Park in Montana.

When we left Canada...that in itself was an experience I should share...just in case it should ever happen to you!  You see, Jack's passport expired while we were in Canada.  Yep, we thought, now what?  Well, as my kids will be so proud, I immediately got on my trusty computer and started searching (should I say "googling"?) around for answers.  I found out that we were not the first to have this happen (hmm) and the general consensus was that since we are US citizens, they have to let us back in.  That it could get as bad as a delay at the border with a "scolding", to as little as them not even noticing.  We were (emotionally) ready as we approached the border, expecting just about anything (I mean, who would yell at two little old folks like us anyway, right?).  The nice gentleman did notice the expired passport, asked Jack if he knew it was expired, "oh my, no, really?" The guard said "we were US citizens, so of course he would let us in, but that we should get that fixed at our earliest convenience, and, welcome home."  It was good to be back home again.

We entered at the Carway/Piegan Canadian/American Border and you are greeted by a rather large statue by the Blackfeet Nation welcoming you.  Seems you enter right into their reservation!

We spent that first day driving through Montana en route to the western side of the park where we had decided to camp.  Driving through Montana has been a joy for us as we have viewed the various crops, learning what they are (we learned about "seed potatoes" this time!), watching the harvesting & bailing, seeing some great barns and beautiful lakes.  I have to say, Montana is a beautiful state (but, no, still don't want to move here!). 

Once settled into the campground, off we went on the "one thing everyone does" - the drive: Going-to-the-Sun-Road!  They say to allow 2-3 hours, ha!  Not if your driving me, the one who has to stop at every single turn-out and read the sign, see the sight and take pictures!  It's an all-day trip...and a really awesome one at that!  What fun it was!  Busy, it's July after all, and the tourists are in full force, but who cares?  We were in no hurry and the sun was shining, so life is good!

You would think, I would think, that I would get used to seeing such incredible beauty.  That I wouldn't be surprised or amazed any longer by what Mother Nature can create, but I am.  At each turn (and there were hundreds along this very twisty road) was one more "oh my" moment.  A waterfall, a lake, a glacier you could touch, mountains that took your breath away, big horn sheep cooling off on a glacier, wildflowers blooming, and history.  We met a nice ranger just before she was about to leave her station at the very first ranger station built back in 1917.  No indoor plumbing, way back in the woods...think about it, Montana in the winter...how many feet of snow?  With how many animals hungry around you?  Winter, hell, Spring would be worse really, 'cause they would really be hungry!  Nope, not for me!  Brave people...one and all.  We owe them all our gratitude, then and today.

Jack and I had decided that we wanted to see as many National Parks as we could this year and it has really been a wonderful experience.  I thought it would be "fun".  I thought it would be "cool" to do.  Something to "check off" on my mental list of things & places to do & see.  But what I didn't expect was how moved I would be.  How the history of them would touch me emotionally as the beauty does spiritually. 

Our parks are special.   I wish I knew some better way to say that sentence.  It's not enough to put it into a different font.  As I type, I just want to pick you up by the shoulders, and place you in front of where I was, (at any of the parks) even for 5 minutes, and say "just look at that".  Then stand back and watch you.  Watch while you soak it all in.  It changes you.  Once you see it, it changes you.  It's like you can hear all the voices of all the people who had the vision and wherewithal to turn these lands into National Parks so that you and I and our children and their children could see them...and you just want to thank them.  Because, if you allow yourself to think, even for a minute, what this place would look like if no one would have preserved it, you would cry.  As beautiful as Mother Nature is, Man Kind can as easily destroy.  I thank these men every day that they didn't let that happen.

National Parks are the best gifts this country has given us, take advantage of them as much as you can, you won't regret it, I promise you...

 Blackfeet Nation Welcome at the border

 Seed potato field, Montana

 McDonald Falls, Glacier National Park

 Jackson Glacier,  Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

 St Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

 Bird Woman Falls (492 Ft High), Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

 Big Horn Sheep on Jackson Glacier at Logan Pass, Going-to-the-Sun Road

 Wildflowers, Glacier National Park

 Cut Bank Ranger Station (c1917) first buildings built in Glacier National Park

McDonald Lake, Glacier National Park

...on the road in Montana,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/   

 

Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and go ahhh...

After we left the Badlands in South Dakota, we decided to slow down a bit and just "mosey" towards our friends in Montana and then on to Calgary where we are headed to catch the big Calgary Stampede before it ends July 15th.

The night before we left our campground at the Badlands we were saying goodbye to a couple we had met and doing the usual "where are you heading next? routine and when we said "Spearfish" (because it was about a 4 hour drive, which is our preference.  Immediately the response was "Spearfish!, are you doing the canyon?"  As typical of us, as well, "what canyon?"  Our new friends promptly got out a map and showed us where it was and then shared what a beautiful scenic drive it was as well.  We thanked them and added it to our "list" and decided that we should then probably stay in Spearfish two days!

That evening, while talking about Spearfish, Jack remembered that someone else had told us about a City Park there that you can camp at that was really special.  We looked it up and found it, so I called and was able to get us two nights (this is now the two days before Independence Day!)

As we pulled into the City of Spearfish Campground we were in awe.  What a beauty!  It is right in town, attached to the Fish Hatchery, filled with trees, a creek, lots of lush green grass and lovely sites.  You can walk to town, if you don't mind walking about 10+ blocks.  Another place we would have loved to stay longer, "if only".

The next day, off we drove to check out the Spearfish Canyon!  What a treat it was too!  Glad we did it in the truck.  We could have done it in the RV, but parking would have been a challenge, especially at this time of year, as there were plenty of others enjoying the drive with us.  Several nice waterfalls to see, even though their flow is a lot less than in spring (or when they have had more rain than this year).  The canyon walls are beautiful to look at and really, really steep.  Lots of variety in trees and terrain.  We were glad for the suggestion.

We also decided to take a quick trip to Deadwood for the fun of it.  It was ok for an afternoon.  Pretty much what we expected...a lot of "saloons" and tourist stores.  Some nice old buildings, which I like.  We had a nice lunch, walked around a bit, took a few photos, then left.  They charged to go into the cemetery where Wild Bill Hickcock is buried, so we nixed that, we've seen plots before.

On to Montana.  We spent the 4th in a little town called Hardin.  Flat land, filled with barley on one side and sugar beets on the other, as far as the eyes could see.  Not much happening in Hardin.  The local Rainbow Girls came out to the campground each night and sold ice cream sundaes, so we "contributed" to their cause and enjoyed talking to the other campers.  Met some really interesting folks.  Learned about how the sugar factory closed down in Hardin and moved to Billings, now they not only have that smell, but the oil refinery smell too!  Met a gentleman who represents the cattleman's association and learned a lot about how many acres per cow it takes, how big those hay bundles are, how expensive the balers are, and all kinds of fun stuff!  We were able to see 5 different fireworks from our little perch across that barley field.  It might be a small town, but it had a lot of patriotism.

Before meeting up with our friends in Missoula, we pulled into another small town, Big Timber.  I found another gem of a campground, that once again, would have stayed here another week, "if only"!  Spring Creek Campground & Trout Ranch is a real treat.  Hidden behind a strand of trees, that you wouldn't even know it was here if you weren't given directions (you need them because GPS only gets you lost!).  Two nice ponds for the kids to fish in, a big fast moving, beautiful river that our site was right in front of, nice trees, etc.  Super friendly people.  They had a pot luck the first night we arrived and everyone was so friendly, mixed and mingled, brought all kinds of extra food (just to make sure).  We added a day just because we didn't want to leave!  There was a bench just on the edge of the river that I would sit my rocker at and prop my feet on and just read and gaze out at the river and listen to the birds, wave at the fishermen as their boats went by and relax...

Now that's the things that just make you go ahhh...

City of Spearfish Campground

 City of Spearfish Campground

Bridalvail Falls, Spearfish Canyon

 Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Canyon

 Spearfish Canyon

 Deadwood

 Historic Golden Door Hotel, Deadwood

 Boulder River, Spring Creek Campground

 Spring Creek Campground & Trout Ranch

 

 Our site facing the river,  Spring Creek Campground & Trout Ranch

...on the road in Montana,  Marie 

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/