"With Montana it is love..."

[innerslytherin]

The only time John Steinbeck ever said anything I really cared for.  I love Montana.

I know the winters are brutal, and I know I hate winter.  But if I ever manage to become a full-time writer, I am picking up and moving to Montana.  And it doesn't even have to be the resorty Flathead Lake area.  I would be happy living around Missoula or Bozeman or Great Falls or Billings.

We spent two nights at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, which is hands down the most expensive and ritzy place I've ever stayed in my life.  We had a balcony and fireplace in our room.  It was gorgeous and wonderful, but I'll tell you, Comfort Inn is WAAAAY more my speed. LOL

Yesterday we were up at Glacier National Park.  Going-to-the-Sun Highway is still closed 14 miles in from Apgar Village, but we still managed to see grizzlies way up on the mountain (a mama and two cubs), a herd of bighorn sheep, half a dozen mountain goats, a moose, and a loon.  Also several bald eagles in the past three days.  I think I've seen more bald eagles in three days in Montana than I have seen in three years in Indiana.  It's very exciting to me, though the best friend isn't impressed with anything except the moose.  (She loves mooses and collects them, but had never seen one in person.)

Today we drove down 93 from Whitefish to Missoula, where we caught I-90 over to Bozeman.  I was very impressed with the smokestack from the old copper smelting works at Anaconda.  It's very difficult being a history & nature nut traveling with someone who is neither a history nor a nature nut.  She always hates it when I chat with store clerks back home, so it's got to be killing her how we nature nuts at Glacier share binoculars and spotting scopes to watch grizzlies graze the hillside, or how everyone asks where we're from and where we're headed.  Though I was proud of her, she did chat with the front desk clerk at our hotel here in Bozeman.  I've never stayed in any brand of Hilton before either, so this is very nice, if again a bit rich for my pocketbook.  Thank God we're here in the off season!

For a lot of reasons, actually.  I love having Glacier just to ourselves and a few other nutty nature types.  The first time I was there, Going-to-the-Sun was bumper to bumper with cars and RVs both, and while we didn't get all the way to Logan Pass, it was still beautiful and impressive, and it was a lot nicer without someone on my butt the whole time.  We got to see Many Glacier too, though it was very cloudy, and only Grinnell Glacier was at all visible.  Didn't matter much, because the best friend was totally unimpressed with glaciers.  She didn't realize they are just huge chunks of compacted ice that hardly melt.  Me, I was impressed with the snowdrifts as tall as our rental car in the Many Glacier parking lot, let alone glaciers! :D  And Lake St. Mary was still mostly ice, which I found gorgeous.

Tomorrow we are booking it down to Yellowstone, where I am hoping (but not holding my breath) to see wolves (PLEASE GOD PLEASE) and some more grizzlies.  I'd also like her to see bison, even though she doesn't seem to care about that either.  I'm also hoping for golden eagles on this trip, but two previous trips to Montana haven't yielded goldens, so I'm not holding my breath there either.  We're staying in Jackson, which I am afraid will kill me with its trendy resortiness, but she should love it, so there you go.

Someday I want to bring my dad out here.  He has never been to Montana, and he would LOVE Glacier and the Little Bighorn.  And I've never yet seen Wounded Knee out here either, and I know Dad would like the Anaconda and Butte history.  Oh well.  For now I'll soak up as much as I can.

Comments

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

My dad took our family back to Glacier National Park when I was 10 or 11. It was spectacular. What a great place for a vacation!

[dragonladyk.livejournal.com]

I was born and raised in Montana, and I will give you an insider's tip: have a steady outside source of income. Because the economy in Montana when the rest of the nation is good is like what California is now that everything is bad. The suicide, alcoholism, and mental illness rates are double the rest of the nation's as a result. Have. Money.

DragonLady

[amichevole.livejournal.com]

You better hope there aren't werewolves instead.

[lar_laughs.livejournal.com]

How long are you in Yellowstone for? Jackson is doable for me for like LUNCH on Saturday. Seriously! I'll drive over if it works in your plans.

[chaoticprose.livejournal.com]

Sooo glad you got to go and are enjoying yourself. I've been to Billings and around there but not for many years. I've never been to Yellowstone, though. Enjoy the rest of your trip! :)

[nebula99.livejournal.com]

I just had a look at some photos of Glacier - it looks stunning! I'm crossing my fingers for wolves for you.

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

My cousins run a hotel in West Glacier, if you end up going back that way look 'em up. Nicer than Comfort Inn but in the same price range. ;) Though the Lodge is very nice, especially if someone else is paying for it!

Montana is beautiful, definitely. Now I kinda miss the place!

[jujuberry136.livejournal.com]

Last time I tried going to Glacier it was on fire, so please keep the descriptions coming! Your trip sounds amazing.

[kosmickway.livejournal.com]

That sounds SO AMAZING! OMG, fantastic! Mom has cousins out in Montana and has been talking about taking us out there... now I'll tell her we REALLY need to go!

All that wildlife and nature ... *sigh* it sounds terrific! Take LOOOOOTS of photos! Can't wait to see them!

I hope you see your wolves ... even better, I hope you get to take pics of them! Tell us everything when you get back! I'm so excited for you! What a fabulous trip!

(Wow, I need to lay off the exclamation points. That was just pathetic, wasn't it? LOL.)

*hugs*

[kosmickway.livejournal.com]

This has nothing to do with Montana but ...

COMBUSTION, PART 4 is up at my journal and at RossiPrentiss. Have fun ;)

[amorettea.livejournal.com]

This is not the spring for weather, that is for sure. Here in eastern Montana half of the state is underwater and we're normally the Great American Desert.

As for the economy, I'd rather be poor here than rich anywhere else. I LOVE Montana, being a fifth generation resident, in spite of the disadvantages, like having to drive 300 miles round trip to buy a decent pair of shoes.

If you ever make it to Little Big Horn, let me know. I'm just down the road apiece and have lots of local history contacts. (Don't come this year. The Crow rez is underwater and parts of I-90 have been, too.)

[trust-know-1.livejournal.com]

squeeee! I love that you love Montana! I've lived here for 18 years and I couldn't imagine growing up and living anywhere else.

You definitely need to hit up Missoula if you haven't before. It has a totally different feel from the rest of the state (except for around the Flathead area) and almost always has something going on.

And GNP is soo beautiful. I never get used to it.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to my neck of the woods.