Hello, we are in Malta, MT now, 730 miles into our trip! We had a great day yesterday even though we were very frustrated with our technology stuff. We saw Makoshika Dinosaur Museum in Glendive. The boys liked the way the displays were set up. They are noticing that displays are made differently in different museums. Jake enjoyed the forest habitat and the t-rex fighting off the stegosaurus. In Garfield County the stygie … Read more
A couple of gals (grandmas) from northeast Montana plan to treat their grandkids to a road trip to visit as many stops along Montana’s Dinosaur Trail as they can. They’ll be doing daily updates as they travel along the trail. We’ve dubbed their trip “Driving’ With Dixie” since Grandma Dixie was the lead organizer for this great road trip. Dixie, her sister and a several grandkids plan to start their trek in southeast Montana, Ekalaka … Read more
I recently helped show off one of our great visitor attractions to several international folks traveling through northcentral Montana. Our plans were to visit First People’s Buffalo Jump State Park about 15 minutes from Great Falls, MT near the small town of Ulm. When this tour was planned a month ago I wondered what kind of weather we would have. Springtime in Russell Country typically guarantees a variety of weather so I knew we might … Read more
The Train I’m talking about is the Charlie Russell Chew Choo and the bunny is, of course, the Easter Bunny! Since the bunny is pretty busy this time of year, the only day to ride the train and visit with the bunny is Saturday, April 11th. And, for this day only, the train is called the Easter Bunny Express. Photos with the Easter Bunny will be available. The details – train ride begins at noon … Read more
I was definitely charmed! A couple of weeks ago I was in Fort Benton”, MT and had a fun time exploring their Charm Trail. It was developed to encourage visitors to the community to check out businesses all around town. The Charm Trail began mostly with businesses on Front Street which runs along the pedestrian friendly levee, and has expanded to cover the town. There are Charm Trail Maps listing the 66 participating businesses and … Read more
It’s time to try something different – riding the Charlie Russell Chew Choo dinner train. Five of us board the train about 8 miles out of Lewistown, MT. It’s a mixed crowd with some folks celebrating anniversaries, a few locals showing off Lewistown’s tourism attractions to visitors, travelers coming to the area specifically to ride the dinner train, and then we are joined by a busload of happy Canadians! What a fun bunch they are. … Read more
My first thought today is about the incredible diversity of geography in northcentral Montana. Our past few travels have either crossed the Missouri River or been on the Missouri River. If you launch a raft on the Missouri between Great Falls and Helena, the water is vastly different from what we saw today at James Kipp Recreation Area. As we have driven on highways close to the river we have been heading downstream. The river … Read more
We stayed overnight at Virgelle, MT in original homestead cabins, complete with kerosene lantern and a copy of the original property deed. What unique lodging! The Virgelle Merc was busy this morning with several groups getting ready to launch canoes at Coal Banks Landing just one mile downstream. We didn’t get a chance to canoe, but we did ride the free river ferry and my travel buddies loved it! The Upper Missouri has three river … Read more
We left Great Falls this morning and drove first to Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Past blogs will give you a glimpse into my birdwatching skills and I wanted to show this gem off to my friends. After a stop at Benton Lake’s new visitor center we took one of the auto tour routes. We saw a lot of birds, I couldn’t name hardly any of them. Our visit was still a treat but…I should … Read more
It’s definitely summertime and that means time to enjoy our waterways. Join me in recalling my last float trip down the Mighty Missouri and through the famous White Cliffs. Our first stop was in Fort Benton, MT at the Upper Missouri River Breaks Interpretive Center. We learned some good tips on floating the river and also bought river maps. The Wild & Scenic Missouri stretches for 149 miles and is contained in the Upper Missouri … Read more