Exploring Circle Bar Guest Ranch

It seems like most of my travels involve food and my recent visit to the Circle Bar Guest Ranch near Utica was no different. Debi turned out a fine meal topped off with blueberry cobbler. If I had known the cobbler was coming I may have gone a little easier on the entree! Oh dear, I should have scheduled a hike, or a work-out! The ranch is in the foothills of the Little Belt Mountains … Read more

Charlie Russell History

Russell Country, named after western artist Charlie Russell, has an amazing way to discover the landscapes that captivated Charlie. The Russell Auto Tour booklet uses reproductions of Russell paintings to show landscapes that you can still see today. The route is primarily from Great Falls to Lewistown on US Hwy 87 and the state legislature has dubbed this the Charlie Russell Memorial Trail. There is also another part of the route called Memorial Loop through Utica and beyond. … Read more

A Visit to Circle Bar Ranch

I’ve been fortunate to visit several of our amazing guest ranches this past summer and I was just at Circle Bar Guest Ranch near Utica. It did rain while I was there but I’m not going to complain about the rain! As you enter the main lodge of the Circle Bar there is a massive double-sided fireplace, a dining area and sitting area. The lodge also has a suite of sleeping rooms accessed from the inside which is great for … Read more

What The Hay – What An Event!

The Montana Bale Trail – What The Hay event is always held the first Sunday after Labor Day and it is certainly a date worth noting on your future calendars. This year the weather was picture-perfect. Since I had painted haybales in steady rain Thursday, just a few days ago, I had my doubts about the weather for the day of the event. Clear blue skies, a few fluffy white clouds and a temp around 75 … Read more

Some What The Hay Competition

Aha! The latest word on the street is that someone, who looks a lot like Art Taft, has been secretly building an entry for the What The Hay competition Sunday, September 12. Nobody would have known except for a garage door inadvertently left open. Although this photo doesn’t show the entire entry you have to wonder if this haybale artist really knows what he is doing! You can’t even figure out what the cre-hay-tion is … Read more

What The Hay – Building An Entry

The Russell Country board has painted haybales for the What The Hay event for quite a few years now. The event is held the first Sunday after Labor Day. What began as a spoof between two neighbors has grown into one of Montana’s most unique events. Decorated haybales dot the landscape between Windham, Utica and Hobson, Montana, about 25 paved miles through beautiful farm and ranch country. The event is a great showcase of Montana’s … Read more

More About Two Medicine Dinosaur Center

It seems to be quite a contrast to be in such a tiny town (Bynum, MT) with a population of about 27 people and find this unique dinosaur facility. Ongoing paleo digs are a great part of summer activities at Two Medicine but the center itself has amazing displays. It is one of the “stars” on the Montana Dinosaur Trail and a visit to the center won’t disappoint you. Going way, way back, these tiny nestling bones shown in the display case … Read more

In The Dinosaur Bone Prep Lab

I was busy trying to absorb all of the information being patiently explained and feeling slightly inadequate because I knew so little about what was in the bone prep lab at Two Medicine Dinosaur Center. This photo shows one of the Center’s interns working on a bone that had been “field jacketed” which is what is done to a specimen to get it out of the dig site and into the lab without disturbing it. Plaster … Read more

On The Montana Dinosaur Trail

Do you know about the Montana Dinosaur Trail? I recently visited several locations on the trail, beginning along the Rocky Mountain Front. Our first stop was to be at an active dinosaur dig west of Choteau. The dig is managed by Two Medicine Dinosaur Center in Bynum and we were to meet them as they traveled to the dig. Due to landowner restrictions only authorized vehicles can enter the site so I planned to leave … Read more

Chautauqua at the Russell Museum

A week ago I attended an outdoor chautauqua at the C. M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, MT. The event followed the model of the original Chautauqua movement founded in Chautauqua, NY in 1874. Characters invited to the chautauqua were relative to the time period that western artist Charlie Russell and his wife Nancy lived in Great Falls, MT between the late 1800s and 1926. The first session was titled Two Gals Gossiping About Early Montana. … Read more