Northeastern Montana: More than land to blast through

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve driven through northeastern Montana twice. The second time was last summer. Each time my husband, kids and I have blasted through on our way to elsewhere–once to East Glacier and once to Billings. With the miles it takes to get that far from central Ohio, putting the pedal to the metal is a tendency.

As we pass each town separated by wide expanses of scenery topped by endless sky, “That looks like a neat place. I wonder what it’s like?” My attention, however, is more on our friends who are waiting for us at the end of journey. After reading this travel article in the New York Times, I’m thinking that the next time we should stop longer than it takes to fill the gas tank..

First, I didn’t realize how rich in dinosaurs this region is. My son is sooooo determined to dig for dinosaur bones. Here it’s possible. When we were in Miles City, one of the region’s towns, and the only place we stopped, the only digging was by my husband who dug a pheasant that we hit back in North Dakota out of the grill of our car.

Along with digging for dinosaur bones, fishing for paddlefish is another area offering. Plus, there are several museums that pay tribute to the natural and human history and life of this part of Montana. Next time, we’re parking the car and getting out. The article is a keeper since it tells exactly where to go.The article’s slide show is a perfect enticement.

Great American Road Trip: Ghost towns of Montana: Bannack

by Jamie Rhein on

Not far from Dillon, Montana is the turn off for Bannack. If you happen to be on I-15, take the trip up State Highway 278. We almost didn’t because of the feeling that we had to be at our destination sooner than later. Instead of paying attention to that feeling, we followed the notion that if we didn’t go to Bannack now, then when?

Bannack is one of Montana’s ghost towns with a rough and tumble past that is linked to Montana’s early mining history and statehood.

Back in 1862, a group of men led by a fellow named John White found gold along the banks of a creek where Lewis and Clark had passed by earlier. These fellows didn’t know a thing about Lewis and Clark’s visit, or that Lewis and Clark had named the creek Willow Creek. Because grasshoppers were everywhere, White and his fellow prospectors named the gold rich waters Grasshopper Creek.

While we were slapping away the relentless mosquitoes as we wandered in and out of the abandoned, weathered buildings, I thought Mosquito Creek would have been a good fit. But, back to the gold.

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Not long after news got out that gold had been found, people rushed to the area. Four hundred had arrived by fall and by spring, 3,000 people were looking for their fortunes.

As the population of people eking out a living swelled, so did the types of ways people made money. The buildings still there show the range of lifestyles and wealth. A hotel, boarding house, stores, a school house, jail, a church, a bootlegger’s cabin and miners’ cabins are some of the buildings that still line the boardwalks on either side of the dirt main street and wind up the hills and down towards the creek.

One of the great aspects of this state park is that you can meander in and out of buildings on your own, and at your own pace. Structures vary as to how intact they are which adds to the sense of abandonment and mystery.

The gallows up the narrow grassy path in back of the hotel add to the aura of just how rough life in a mining town can be. To add to the shudder effect, whoever stayed in the jail had a view of the gallows as a reminder of what might be in store.

In 1863, for example, Bannack’s sheriff, a guy named Henry Plummer was the ring leader a group of criminal cronies called “The Innocents.” They had a habit of terrorizing people. In January 1864, sick of the nonsense, a vigilante group formed to capture the sheriff. He was hanged from the gallows. So were his crooked pals.

On a more upside note of the law, the first governor of Montana, Sidney Edgerton, along with his wife and children arrived from Ohio to set up a residence in Bannack.

While I was talking with the state park guide at the visitor’s center, he told me that Europeans are quite interested in the history of the American west. According to him, this is because so much occurred in the United States in such a short amount of time. In a place like Bannack, it’s possible to see the life and death of a town that occurred in not much more than 100 years. For Americans, a trip to Bannack is a way to find out what hard scrabble means and appreciate part of U.S. history that is being kept alive by people who continue to tell the story and keep the buildings from falling apart entirely.

Although we didn’t camp here–ours was a two-hour visit, there are lovely camp sites that are first come, first serve. It’s also possible to learn how to pan for gold. We bought some in the gift shop in the visitor’s center. It was easier and faster.

[Gallery photos by Jamie Rhein. Others from State Park Web site]

Great American Road Trip 2009: The fly and drive combo New Mexico to Montana and back

by Jamie Rhein on

For the past seven summers, ever since we moved back from India, we’ve embarked on a Great American Road Trip. The first was the mega version that put 10,000 miles on a new Ford Taurus station wagon in three months. Mind you, this was in 2003 with a 10 year-old and a 1 ½ year old-and without video games, computers or a DVD player.

This year’s version is a fly drive combo. Three months for tootling around between the Atlantic and Pacific is harder to come by-three weeks, doable. Without a burning desire to drive through the Midwest to get to Montana from Ohio like last year when I waxed poetic about Wisconsin’s cheese curds, we flew on Northwest Airlines (aka Delta) over those endless corn and soybean fields to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sure Albuquerque is no where near Montana, our main destination, but there’s a reason for the detour.

I used to live in Albuquerque. So did my husband. Between us, we have loads of friends we haven’t seen since that first road trip. Besides, Albuquerque is a budget destination with cheap flights to get there and inexpensive car rentals for heading out on the open road IF you rent away from the airport (more on that later).

When planning a Great American Road Trip, I highly recommend the fly then drive option. One year we flew to Denver and drove to Montana. Another year we flew to Seattle. With a limited time frame, the flight cuts out the parts you don’t necessarily want to see and provides the time to see those places that you do. If you’re going to be renting a car when you reach your main destination, why not head a few states away for the opportunity to explore the bounties in between?

For us the bounties might be a national park, the largest metal sculptures in the world, a mom and pop restaurant with regional food, or a town that a highway bypassed. Sometimes we know where we’ll stop before we head out, or one of us notices a point on a map and says, “Let’s stop here.”

In the next few weeks, as we’re traveling in a Toyota Sienna van through New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Montana, where the landscape and people have a flavor so unique I could return again and again, I’ll fill you in on the places we’ve stopped and give some Great American Road Trip how-to suggestions.

We passed by Arches National Park a week ago. It’s been a busy week. Stay tuned. Ghost towns, neon and great eats on the way.

[The first photo was taken two years ago at the parade at Flint Creek Valley Days in Philipsburg, Montana where I am now. The second photo was taken last year at the pheasant family sculpture, part of the Enchanted Highway, on the way to Regent, North Dakota.]

Happy 4th of July thanks to 7000 dominos

by Jamie Rhein on

I was looking for YouTube footage of the 4th of July parade in Hannibal, Missouri, one of my most memorable 4th of July’s ever, when I came across this marvelous effort that worked. Flippy Cat didn’t set up the dominoes, but he makes a comment about them. Very cool.

Here are two other top 4th of July’s.

Sitting in the car in the cemetery in Philipsburg, Montana with my husband and two kids watching fireworks go off from various parts of town. There wasn’t an organized fireworks display, just random people doing their own thing. My son who was four at the time said, “This is a fireworks festival.” About the cemetery. We aren’t morbid. The cemetery is the highest point of the town, thus has the best views.

At Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts with my family and friends on a trip back through time to 1790-1840 for a reading of the Declaration of Independence in the town square. This historic village is one of the best I’ve been to and worth the trip.

Hope your 4th of July is swell. If you can swing it one day, there’s nothing more fun than a small town parade where candy is thrown like confetti.

Yo-Yo travel to day hike ventures on the Continental Divide

by Jamie Rhein on

For National Trails Day this past weekend, I hoofed it around Manhattan making my own trail between 2nd Avenue and the Hudson River and back, criss-crossing streets that had trees that depended upon which park I happened to pass. People watching was more my past-time than communing with nature.

For a few days late nod to National Trails Day, I’ve become engrossed in the hiking trails to be found along the Continental Divide. It all started when I found a video of Francis Tapon’s 6,000 mile trip along the Continental Divide. Tapon, a walking type traveler that must sport some great boots, took this journey two years ago.

This travel feat, the first yo-yo trip of the Divide where a person begins and ends in the same place, was one where Tapon passed through scenery quite opposite to my journey around Manhattan. Tapon’s scenery fit song lyrics to elementary music class favorites like “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful” –as cornball as that sounds.

The snapshots also pay tribute to the notion that spring weather in the United States is not the same. Although some people are throwing backyard barbecues and tossing back beers to cool off by Memorial Day, other places are still covered with snow. As Tapon passed along the trail, the snow lessened.

A person doesn’t have to be a hiking animal like Tapon to partake in the enjoyment. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail offers several options. There are day hikes and longer that have been mapped out by folks who have made trail development and maintenance their passion. Here’s are links on the Continental Divide Trail Alliance website to hikes in Montana and Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. One detail I appreciate about this website is how the trails have been organized according to which ones are family-friendly to difficult. Family-friendly designates those that are easier to traverse. The trail descriptions also provide information about how to get to particular trail heads and variations on hiking in each location.

From browsing the list, here is one hike from each area that I can personally vouch for based on experience. I’ve seen these spots myself. There’s a big difference in the scenery among these choices which adds to the notion that if you’ve seen one, you definitely have not seen them all:

  • Anaconda/Pintler Wilderness–Montana. I pass through here each summer on the way to Philipsburg. Anaconda, the town with the same name is touted as “Where Main Street Meets the Mountains.” A brother of a friend of mine camped at Lost Creek State Park campground near here and said it was the most gorgeous place he’s ever been.
  • Rocky Mountain National Park–Colorado. When I hiked here, the wildflowers were gorgeous. I was by myself and did not see another person for the few hours I set out to enjoy the scenery.
  • San Pedro Parks Wilderness, Santa Fe National Forest–New Mexico. If you head to this trail in the winter, cross-country skiing is in order. Cross-country skiing in New Mexico is sublime.
  • Shosone Lake Loop, Yellowstone National Park. When I was in Yellowstone, I hiked in back of the Roosevelt Lodge. The Shosone Lake Loop is closest to Old Faithful. You can’t go wrong in Yellowstone wherever you roam. Old Faithful is worth hanging around for as long as you’re in the area.