Montana
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Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park, Montana
A couple years back, my mom – an avid blog reader since day one – wrote her first ever guest post. She really enjoyed the process and offered to write more posts in the future should the opportunity arise. This one had actually been in progress for a while and, since my California trip still… Continue reading
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Walking in a winter wonderland – Lava Lake, Montana
A while back, I saw photos of this snow-covered wonderland and I knew I had to see it for myself. It took a few years to find the opportunity, but I finally managed to squeeze it in. We arrived at the trailhead around 10:00am on a Friday to find an icy road to the parking… Continue reading
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Montana Summits: Storm Castle Peak
Never ones to waste a day of sunshine, my mom and I decided to squeeze in one last hike before the end of our trip. So we headed down Gallatin Canyon to climb Storm Castle, a 7165 foot (2184 m) summit. This is a fairly popular hike, although somewhat less so than other nearby hikes,… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2022, part VI: Hebgen, Cliff, Wade, and Earthquake Lakes
August 17, 1959. It was a clear, moonlit night in southwest Montana’s Madison River Canyon. Nearly three hundred tourists slept peacefully in various campgrounds and cabins. Nineteen terrifying seconds later, the canyon – and their lives – had been changed forever. At 11:37pm, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake – the largest earthquake ever recorded in Montana… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2022, part V: mining history at Virginia City and Nevada City
On May 26, 1863, six prospectors discovered gold in a region of southwest Montana known as Alder Gulch. Almost overnight, the region went from a secret the men had intended to keep to themselves to a booming mining hub. Settlers rushed to the region, lured by the veins of quartz that contained large amounts of… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2022, part IV: Skalkaho Highway and Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway
When one says the word “highway,” one generally envisions a paved road with two or more lanes and fast speed limits. Montana Highway 38 – the Skalkaho Highway – meets none of these criteria. The present-day path of the Skalkaho Highway is a former trail used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years by Native… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2022, part III: getting lost in the Bitterroot National Forest
I don’t do well when I don’t have lodging reservations for each night of a trip. It makes me anxious. But Lake Como Campground in the Bitterroot National Forest doesn’t take reservations, and we really wanted to stay there, so we were forced to go without and hope for the best. To give ourselves the… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2022, part II: a somber visit to Big Hole National Battlefield
On August 7, 1877, a band of approximately 750 Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) arrived in the Big Hole Valley, known to them as Iskumtselalik Pah or ‘Place of the Buffalo Calf.’ They were fleeing the US Army. For over 20 years, the US government had been stealing their land, which once stretched from western Montana to… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2022, part I: Philipsburg, Anaconda, and the Pintler Scenic Highway
Inspired by our previous Montana roadtrip, my mom and I planned another one this past summer. Our intended theme was a little less history and a little more scenery. The actual theme ended up being ‘where can we go next to avoid the rain?’ But despite the less-than-stellar weather, we mostly made it work. Day… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2021, part VI: acoustic geology at Ringing Rocks
The final stop on our six-day Montana road trip was quite possibly the most bizarre place I’ve ever been in my life: Ringing Rocks. Which is – as the name suggests – a collection of rocks that ring… when hit with a hammer, that is. It’s not entirely clear why this happens. Geologists think it… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2021, part V: the richest hill on earth
In Montana, the license plate on your car reveals where you live. The numbers were assigned numerically based on population; back in the day, Butte was by far the most populous city in Montana so it was assigned #1. Although it retains its #1 license plate designation, Butte is no longer the largest city in… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2021, part IV: cowboys, old cars, & the prison museum
Next up on our Montana history tour: Deer Lodge, a small town with a surprising amount of history! We arrived mid-morning and our first stop was Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site. This is an old cattle ranch that’s still semi-active. They have horses and cattle on site and park workers give tours, talks, and demonstrations of… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2021, part III: First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park & Gates of the Mountains
Five of the six days of our Montana road trip were beautiful – warm, sunny, no rain to speak of. Perfect weather for exploring. But naturally, the one cold rainy day of our entire trip was the day of our boat tour. Just the kind of weather you want when you’ll be sitting on a… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2021, part II: Fort Benton & the Missouri River Breaks
If you know me – or you’ve been following this blog for a while – you know I’m a planner. Some might say I’m an overplanner. I usually have a lengthy and well-researched list of things to do at each destination. Such was not the case for these first couple days of our road trip.… Continue reading
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Montana road trip 2021, part I: waterfalls, birds, & the Lewis and Clark expedition
When my mom and I met up in Montana this summer, it was to spend a week exploring one of my favorite states, visiting a few well-known attractions and a handful of lesser-known ones in the western half of the state. Continue reading
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Wild Mustangs and Montana Skies – Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Memorial weekend in Colorado was a snowy mess, so it was fortunate that I’d already made plans to visit Bighorn Canyon with my mom. We set off on Friday morning, reaching Bighorn Canyon by early afternoon. The main visitor center is located in the town of Lovell, Wyoming a few miles from the Rec Area… Continue reading
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Wildflowers and a Montana Summit – Hyalite Peak
Years ago, I hiked to Hyalite Lake. It’s 11 miles (17.5 km) roundtrip, closer to 13 miles (21 km) when you add in all the detours to the many waterfalls along the way, and my feet were pretty exhausted by the time we were back to the car. But the trail doesn’t end at Hyalite… Continue reading
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Madison Buffalo Jump
Madison Buffalo Jump State Park – or, as my boyfriend called it in a failed attempt to speak Spanish, ‘El Hoompo de Boofalo’ – is very tiny, but it’s full of history. A buffalo jump is a cliff that was used by Native Americans to kill bison prior to the acquisition of horses or guns.… Continue reading
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Gold Rush! – Bannack State Park, Montana
There are a lot of misconceptions about Montana. Then again, there are misconceptions about a lot of places, especially places that the majority of people aren’t familiar with. But there’s also some degree to truth to some of these misconceptions. For example, plenty of Montanans own guns. And in more rural areas a lot of… Continue reading
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Under the Big Sky – Beehive Basin, Montana
After spending our first few days in Montana exploring the local highlights, we set out to accomplish an important goal: head up into the mountains. My mom had previously hiked to Beehive Basin and very much enjoyed it, so we decided this would be our destination. We set out under cloudy skies and found ourselves… Continue reading
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