I read once that the ideal home base for a family of predators (I think it was lions, in this example) is on a high plateau, with a wide-ranging view so they can keep an eye on grazing prey below. Plus the location should have drinking water nearby and some kind of cover where the […]
Tag: Montana
Camped at the “Secret” Fishing Spot
It’s a secret, yet this road happens to be named Fish Creek Road; the guy in line at the dump station in town told us about it under his breath, putting his finger to his lips with a dramatic “shhh”; and my old friend David, whom I caught up with briefly in Missoula, said, “Oh, […]
Tracy Labors on His Birthday
The University of Montana I’m excited to be near Missoula, where I lived for two years getting an MA—which was not especially practical, but, damn, I had fun. All until the last three weeks. That’s when I learned a lesson that saved me from the wrong lifelong path. Although I love taking classes and researching […]
Banjo: a Good Dog in a Bad Situation
Readers ask for more Banjo, so here’s a Banjo story that’s not particularly epic or even travel-related, but those Banjo-lovers out there might enjoy it. You know how we spend nearly all day outside, which leaves us dirty, sunburned, bug bitten, and itchy in general. So worth it. Banjo’s in the same boat. She asks […]
Our Own Private Mountain
Instead of heading north in Montana, we picked just a little west, into more mountains for elevation. We’re outside a tiny town called Elliston, which is near Helena, which is HOT. It’s in the 80s up here in the mountains, but that’s not bad; a record high of 106 was set in Billings yesterday, 108 […]
Lessons from Isolation
Tracy says it’s been ten days only that we’ve been camping without cell signal, and in truth it’s not been more than two consecutive days, since we’ll drive out to download email pretty frequently. But when I check my calendar and my social soul, it feels for sure like three weeks. Maybe all summer? When was it I […]
Dodging Forest Fires in the Belt Mountains
We’re not in Oregon dodging that colossal fire—we’re still in Montana. How can you top the Beartooth? Our plan is to head north, cross Glacier National Park on Highway 2 (that we left because of the heat), and see if we can boondock for a good long while at my friend Jess’s family house on Flathead […]
Beartooth Highway
According to Destination Red Lodge, Beartooth Highway is “the most beautiful roadway in America.” Maybe “roadway” is the operative term here, being used in a very specific way, because I sure do enjoy Highway 101 along the Pacific Coast, and The Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Nat. Park, and even Skyline Drive along the […]
Glacier Lake Trail in Wyoming
We drove away from the campsite one morning along the same road we’re camped on that follows the main fork of Rock Creek—all the way up the canyon to the source of the creek in Wyoming. Little did I know that we’re on the border, but of course Tracy did because he looks at maps. […]
Moose or No Moose?
We’ve been camping in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana for five days so far, with no cell connection unless we drive out to town. So I’ve written this and the next blog post while at the campsite and am posting them, fingers crossed, while at the brewery in town several days later. The Town of […]
