Bits & Pieces

We're back in AZ, Flagstaff for a couple of days.

Here are some Mostly MT pics, not following any theme or timeline.

I grew up with neon signs so I love seeing them.  Either they're making comeback in Bozeman or they never left.

You know those obnoxious cattle skulls you see in the downtown Scottsdale tourist shops?  The ones encrusted with turquoise & the worst having a clock right between the horns?

Well, here's the Bozeman version.

Montana has lots of specialty license plates.  The usual ones tout Big Sky Country.

I like this one better.

Buffalo meat is offered on many menus.  We found out the hard way that buffalo is much leaner than beef, very little fat or marbling.  So our buff-burgs were very dry.  Last time, that.

We chatted with these ladies on our last night in town.  They're just passing thru, dedicated AirBnBers.

What the Louvre is to Paris and the British Museum is to London, the Museum of the Rockies is to Bozeman...the one to see when you're there.

It turns out Montana is not only L&C country, but also a dinosaur haven.  More dino fossils (fragments, complete bones & even large groups of bones from one specimen) are found in Montana than any other state.

This is because the earth layer that holds the bones from that period is either at or near the surface in many places in Big Sky Country.  48 of the 56 counties have produced fossils.

So Montana State Univ. in Bozeman has a large paleontology department & the Rockies Museum on the MSU campus is a dinosaur lovers paradise.  Dinosaur-adoring kids squeal with delight, we saw/heard them.

I should've planned the photos better to go with the blog, but here's a few of what I have.

Here's 1BDTR....one big damn T-Rex.  I forgot to have Susanne in the pic for scale, but he's huge, 12-16 feet tall.  The dark bones are casts of what what was excavated.  The white is to complete the model.

A triceratops skull...big, too.

Here's part of the workshop where the tech scrape & clean fragments.

There was also a croc display, considered the closest living relative of those old boys.  This is the largest species, the Salt Water Croc, found in the waters of Southeast Asia.  He is much, much larger than his American cousins.  This is the work of a sculpture, not a taxidermist.

The museum also had a few live crocs.  These guys are real although they don't move much.

Finally, how can we leave Bozeman without a pic and some background on the town's  namesake, John Bozeman?  Apologies for the reflections.

Here are some reflections of a different sort.  John B was born in 1842 in Georgia.  In 1860, left his wife & 3 daughters (never to return) to join the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.  He headed to Montana in 1862, filed some gold claims that came to nothing.  He arrived at the conclusion that it would be more profitable to "mine the miners" than to mine for gold.  Longer story short, he blazed a shortcut known as the Bozeman Trail and in 1864 laid out the town of Bozeman.  Not much further is said about John until April, 1867 when he was found along the Yellowstone River shot dead in a murder never solved.

So, 1842 to 1867, not very long.

We left Bozeman and in two day's drive crossed over into Arizona in the Fredonia area.  As we proceeded along route 89A to 89, Arizona welcomed us back with this scene.  If you're receiving this by email, be sure to click on the title to get the web version.

This is definitely the last post.  We're back in Scottsdale early afternoon tomorrow.

Montana State of Mind & Other Stories

This trip I'm discovering the Montana state of mind.  It's not easily seen or felt just being here as a tourist, even multiple times.  It's also not available to those who have moved here later in life although they experience a touch of it.

You have to be born here and better yet, your parents born here, too.

Part of it is because of the land...the mountains & rivers are always close by.  Montana is a rural state, the largest city has 108,000 people; Bozeman, 42,000.  Once you get away from the high rises (in Montana, it's a high rise if it exceeds four stories), the mountains are both nearby and far away.

You see that here while still in town.  A shot taken from Enterprise Car Rental.  Bozeman High School is across the street, mountains close by.  The M is for Montana State University, largest in the state.

Drive anywhere and you're crossing streams and passing rushing rivers.  It's early July but the distant mountains still have snow caps.

There is so much to do outdoors, here it's in your blood to do them.  Winter is not what we in Arizona moved away from or others choose to live with.  Here it's an opportunity to do more differently & with different equipment.

The state of mind exists because unlike Arizona, most Montanans were born here.  So that pioneering spirit is genetic.

Montanans feel close to their history.  Lewis and Clark were and in a sense still are everywhere.  After that expedition (1805-06), there was a historical lag until the 1850's, when gold was discovered & cattle ranching began.  Those gold, silver and copper mines & mining towns past & present are all over.

Being in the little town of Virginia City last year, it was hard to believe that even for only a short while it was the largest city between Chicago & San Francisco.


It's reinforced by signs:

It's interesting to take a look at the state border above for a moment.  The jagged western line that wraps under until it stops at the "L" in LIVE is the border with Idaho.  Much of it follows a mountain range and the Continental Divide.  The word LIVE occupies Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.  And just north, somewhere in the lower part of the "W" in WAY is Bozeman.

As that southern line continues east, it's the border with Wyoming.  The eastern straight line is the border with North and South Dakota.  And of course, the northern border is with Canada, parts of British Columbia & Alberta.

How did I discover the Montana S of M?  By reading stories by Montanans in their local magazines.  You can feel it from the words.   And by rubbing shoulders with the locals, especially the servers in restaurants & clerks in stores. 

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Montana outdoor philosophy?

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I went to a local gun show the other day.  I miss gun shows; my gun show buddy of decades doesn't walk well anymore so he stopped going.  It was very nice but less fun doing it on my own.  Table after table of guns & accessories with some crafts thrown in.  The people are super friendly; always anxious to sell you something.  But I wasn't buying.

This was Friday late afternoon shortly after it opened.  On Saturday & Sunday, it'll be jammed.  This is about half of one room...there were three.

Friday night there was a milonga at a counter service Brazilian heath food restaurant.  We shared a mango/pineapple smoothie.  It was run by the much younger tango generation so the music was alternative blues, nothing resembling tango.  The steps taught in the class beforehand weren't tango either.  I heard the tango word "collect" a few times but that was it tango-wise.  We kinda lost interest & left.

We stopped at a wonderful local fried chicken place, got a half-chick & sides to go, went back to the apt., popped open some Cold Smoke & that was our Friday night on the town.

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More food pics.  Dinner Saturday night, I had the Montana Trout Piccata; fabulous...best dinner in Bozeman.

I would never think to prepare a fish a la piccata.  It deserves a close-up.

TBT, those two lemon slices on the lower right cover up my first bite.  Lost my head, temporarily.

Susanne's side dish, Pasta Alfredo was pretty ordinary so she dressed it up with garlic, mushrooms & peas.

Our server Sarah, a delightful gal, is from a small village in far north Alaska, above the Arctic Circle.  For her, Bozeman winters are nothing.  She has her masters in neural psychology & is applying for doctoral studies in neural physical therapy.  This isn't the first time we've encountered grad students as servers.  I've read in the local paper that someone thought Bozeman restaurants had the best educated waitstaff in the country.

Chatting with the servers & salesfolks in stores is what's done here.

A sunset from our restaurant.  The town keeps getting in the way.

Sunday mornings, we always do a special breakfast together no matter where we are.  Last week we did fried eggs, ham, potatoes & a bit of Uncle Bill's Sauerkraut.  This Sunday we're doing bagels & lox.

After Sunday breakfast, we hit the road to explore side roads south of I-90.  The sky was overcast which removes all the color from outside scenes.

On the map I spotted a town at the end of a state road.  You can't go through the town, just there & back.  So off we went to Pony, MT.

It turns out, there's alot to learn about Pony.  Check it out HERE.



It is obviously a town that enjoyed a mining boom that left decades ago, maybe even a century back.  There's the obligatory bank building, symbol of where the boom-town money gets deposited.  But the money left long, long ago; the building is deserted.  The locals tell us the interior has been kept original...teller cages and all.

Here's the name above the door, beginning to show the ravages of time & Montana winters.

There's an irony at the bank.  Here's a campaign sign for the Republican candidate for Congress to replace Montana Congressman Zinke who Trump appointed as Secy. of the Interior.  Gianforte became famous for body-slamming a Manchester Guardian reporter on election eve.  I'm sure the town supported him but the irony is that the GOP at both the Federal & State level have no interest in doing anything for a faded, struggling former mining town.

Our next stop in Pony is not mentioned in the fancy web article above.  It is the Pony Bar, site of a former brothel of which the current staff is very proud.

The unassuming front.  Note the "lady" in the 2nd floor left window.

Here's a look around the interior.

We were in the bar for over an hour, chatting with the bartender & the patrons.  We get as much enjoyment from doing this as seeing sights.  A young lady told us she has taken on the project of keeping the bar and its memorabilia intact.  She showed us two pieces, a lithograph & a photo of brothel ladies (not from here), euphemistically referred to as "soiled doves".

They look like a tough, hardened bunch to me. (The blog's G rating is temporarily suspended, this pic only.)

Even with bad lighting, the scene below from Pony's main drag looking towards the Tobacco Root Mountains has an Alpine feel to it.

A close-up of the old mill ruins.

Some shots along the way.

This huge cave looks natural but a we found out from a Montana state park ranger, it's actually a horizontal limestone quarry from the late 19th century.  The limestone was mined then shipped to a copper smelter in Anaconda to help in the smelting of copper ore.

A sign along the road.  I cropped out the 2nd paragraph...it got boring.

And, turning 180°, here's the spot on the river where they camped.

We saw this all over Montana.  There are three ways to get through a narrow canyon...by river, rail & road.

I'm really sorry it's so gloomy.  That scene should really sparkle.  It was annoying when we got back to the apartment around 5pm, the sun came out & it was beautiful.

We stopped off at the Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park visitor center.  I asked the park ranger if L&C actually explored the cavern.  No, they use it as a draw.  I told him about Montezuma's Castle in Arizona...Montezuma never got to AZ.

We then took the park road back & high into the mountains.  We weren't interested in the hike & tour into the cavern, but was able to get this shot looking down instead of up.

After returning to the apt., we noticed alot of food in the 'fridge considering we're leaving soon.  Combine that with a lack of ambition to change clothes to go out again, Susanne rustled up a great farmer's market salad, tossed in some smoked salmon from this morning, warmed up last night's pasta & Uncle Bill's 'kraut (Damn that big jar!!)...we feasted in.

The trip is winding down; we leave on Wednesday.  I'm surprised I don't feel blog fatigue.  However, with time short, I'm not sure how many more posts I'll do, if any.  We're not planning any more excursions.  Just chill around town, have some nice dinners, enjoy days at 85°-95°, mornings in the mid-50's & get ready to leave.

See ya'!!

P.S.  I posted this on Facebook but with all the maddening Trump stuff going on, I just gotta throw in this serene yoga thought here, too.

Errant Post

Hi everyone,

Somehow, someway an old post from April, 2016 escaped the post corral.  I received it & so did Susanne.

I didn't do it, I swear.

Sorry!

Steve

A Year Later...It's 4th of July, Baby!!!

This is embarrassing...a special Independence Day post in 2017 that never made it to the blog.   So here it is, a year later.

As for 2018, we're heading back to Montana next week with posts to follow a few days later when we arrive, Missoula first.

See ya then!!

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Hope you all had a great 4th.  Ours was super, read on.

It began with a yoga class in Bozeman at 6:30am.  Done in an hour, we changed into travel clothes & hit the road to Ennis, a small town about an hour south.  The ride is very scenic, typical Montana.  It was early so little traffic & no activity.

Arriving in Ennis for our first activity, a community breakfast, we joined a long line.  The first food event ran 6:00 to 10:00am, we got there around 8:30.  The line moved quickly.

The place seems jammed but there were open places.  Three more long tables off camera to the right.

We went through the line and joined the crowd.  Food & wifie pic:

Not exactly gourmet, but this breakfast is a fund raiser for the fire & rescue folks, so we're glad to chip in.

Next on the program is the 4th of July parade.  Here are a few of the many shots I took.

The crowds are large.

Some of the entries.

Lots of clowns, mostly Shriners.

The inevitable political statement.  I don't think he realizes what his multi-colored shirt represents.

And poke fun of California.

Must include this pristine '51 Chevy convertible; back in the early '60's I owned the hardtop coupe version.

OK, parade done in 35 minutes.  What's next on the program?  Oh yes, the car show.

The car below deserves special mention.  Every Wednesday the Wall Street Journal publishes a piece, with photos, of a unique car.  The choices are eclectic.  About three Wednesdays ago a gorgeous old Buick was the subject.  The owner lives near Bozeman.  A thought:  It would be nice to meet up with this car & its owner, Jerry.

Well, here it is in Ennis, a 1952 Buick two-door sport coupe.  That's Jerry back on the right.

Rear view

Under the hood is a modern, super-duper V-8...454 cubes, passes everything on the road but a gas station.  (Buicks had straight-8's back then).  I don't think Marilyn was part of the original.  Jerry is taking the family in the Buick to California next month.

Two more & we're done.  A '49 Buick convertible with original straight-8.  There was a gorgeous elegance to the late '40's/early 50's cars.  But it was all swept away in 1955 when the new styling and V-8's for the low priced three came in.

Some pickups.

OK, we've done breakfast, the parade & a car show.  What's next?  Lunch!  The Lions Club picnic back in town, in the park, also a fundraiser.

The chow line.  A burger or a hot dog, beans, potato chips, a watermelon wedge & a drink.

The burger & hot dog production area, manned by Lions (different from "lions").

Nice crowd.

The next activity was in about four hours, the rodeo. By now were were ready to head back to Bozeman so we did.

The road to Bozeman runs along the Madison River for a few miles.  If you recall from last year's posts, the Madison is one the three rivers that join to form the Missouri.  Those rivers were named by Meriwether Lewis in July 1805.  The Jefferson, named after President Jefferson who authorized the expedition.  The Madison, after James Madison, Secretary of State (not yet president) and the Gallatin, after Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury (he funded the expedition, also wrote the $3 mil check to Napoleon that bought up this hunk of real estate).  By 1805, these guys were all out of office.

(I'm going to digress because I love history.  After the Constitution established the presidency, it turns out there was a shortage of top people to serve in the executive branch.  We all know Washington was the first president; what we don't think about much is that John Adams was the first VP and both Jefferson & Hamilton served in Washington's cabinet, at that time only four members.  When Washington retired, John Adams was elected the 2nd president.  His VP was Jefferson.  Those two became rivals philosophically & in a bitterly fought campaign, Jefferson beat Adams to become the 3rd; Aaron Burr was Jefferson's first term VP, hmmm.  James Madison became our 4th president.  Meanwhile time marches on and John Quincy Adams (Adam's son) who gained much experience as his father's assistant & protege in Europe with his father during the Revolutionary War and as Monroe's Secretary of State), became the 6th president and the first of the post RevWar generation.  Back to regular programming.)

It turns out the Madison is one of the great recreational rivers in southwestern Montana.  It flows from south to north, beginning in Yellowstone National Park & heads north.  Rivers usually flow the other way, north to south...the Mississippi, the Missouri.  Schoolkids know the major exception, the Nile.  Several others are in Montana.

The Madison has two sections, separated by Ennis Lake, near Ennis of course.  The section to the north is the lower Madison & the southern section, the upper.  Crazy, no?

OK, enough talk, some pics.  At this place, flowing through a narrow valley the Madison takes lots of curves, so a long shot up or down river isn't possible.  It's a fast flowing river.

It turns out Independence Day is a perfect day for tubing on the Madison and we saw hundreds.

BTW, by the time the Madison joins the other two to form the Missouri, it's down to not much more than a creek.

After returning to Bozeman, we rested up a bit, then went to another farmer's market; this time only 70% arts & crafts.  That gave us the opportunity to buy some carrots, huge radishes, lettuce & green onions.  What I missed were the lovely farm-grown tomatoes.  Turns out it's too early in the season.  Years back we did Montreal in late summer & hit the harvest season right on.  They have a wonderful farmer's market (no crafts, thank gawd) and if you think Canada is only ice & snow, think again.

That's it for now.  

 
Next post in about two weeks.