I left Montana for Portland back in 1996. It took a year or so, but eventually Portland started to feel like home. As time went on, I started looking forward to getting back home to Portland after visits to Montana. Now that I've been back in Montana for a couple of years, it's starting to … Continue reading Montana Feels Like Home Again
I have one of those dogs that is terrified of fireworks. Every year, I drug the poor guy and hope for the best. This year, we decided to go somewhere without fireworks. Lake Alva is just a bit north of Seeley Lake. There’s a great fireworks display in Seeley, but Alva is far enough away … Continue reading Lake Alva
For whatever reason, I've always been terrified of spiders. There are exceptions, (I'll let a tarantula crawl all over my arm,) but for the most part, I avoid them like the plague. I recently drove my mom and I to a little mini family reunion, and was reminded of the fact that when I was … Continue reading Widow
When my dad suggested driving out to American Bar for Father's Day this year, I was all for it. I'm always down to check out a new bar. What I didn't realize is that American Bar he was referring to isn't a bar at all. It's a sub-development on the eastern shore of Upper Holter … Continue reading A Drive to American Bar
One thing I love about summer is the early sunrises. I tend to wake up whenever sunlight starts streaming through my window, so in the summer I tend to wake up early. The older I get, the more I enjoy waking up early. The other day, I woke up at 5:45 am. Wide awake. No … Continue reading Mornings
There's a running joke amongst my friends. I buy campers, sit on them for a bit, then sell them again without even using them once. The last three were like that. I don't think the Ram van was my fault, though. The first time I loaded it up to go camping, it wouldn't start. At … Continue reading Sanford Park Campground, and a little camper history
My buddy Steve mentioned that he was going to run down to the Hardy Creek Bridge area of the canyon to shoot the ice blocks on the Missouri. The weather was perfect, so I headed over there with him. I've driven through this canyon that runs between Great Falls and Helena a million times, and … Continue reading Wolf Creek Canyon Ice
I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I didn't explore as much as I'd have liked when I was a kid living in Central Montana. Now that I'm back, I'm having a blast exploring all the little reservoirs along the Rocky Mountain Front. Dad and I fished Holter Lake for the most part, but never … Continue reading Eureka Reservoir
When I was a kid, my sister and I would take the Greyhound bus between Missoula and Great Falls. We started out sitting in the front seat so the bus driver could keep an eye on us, but as we got older, we moved further and further back in the bus. On one trip, there … Continue reading Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild
When I was in high school, I would drive out along Giant Springs Road and park by the railroad bridge. There was usually something interesting down the hill by the water--a shopping cart, a bike, etc. I don't remember there ever being trailheads, though. It's entirely possible they were there, but my teenage self was … Continue reading South Shore Trail
