Bud and Shirley"s

When I camped in Montana a decade ago, I remember driving past Bud and Shirley's Hotel somewhere along the way and I wish I had taken a picture. Though not related to the motel owners, my Uncle Bud and Aunt Shirley have been an inspiration to me. Now in their eighties, I cherish visiting them in the Twin Cities. I can see my dad's eyes in Bud's eyes and I love his stories. Shirley has shared a warm welcome ever since I can remember. Uncle Bud taught me how to bake over a campfire with a dutch oven. I will never forget watching the northern lights for the first time on the beach of Cass Lake on that same trip. Bud and I both share an interest in genealogy. Good things in life.

So thankfully, this time as I drove through Darby Montana I got a photo I can share with them. Three cheers for Bud and Shirley. It is fitting that their name should be in lights!

Of Cherries and Huckleberries

Though I was tempted to visit Blotchett Canyon near Hamilton, Montana the development between Hamilton and Missoula made me want to keep driving. We decide to head to Glacier - but not without getting our fill of cherries grown in the Flathead Valley.

Pete had never visited Glacier and was taken by its beauty. One would have to be crazy not to enjoy the Going to the Sun Highway. Agpar Village wins the Huckleberry Pie contest over East Glacier. We enjoyed several 2-6 mile hikes and then one evening decided to turn east.

With the sun at our backs we said goodbye to our Montana adventure. Evenings in Havre, Montana and Devils Lake, South Dakota were all that were between us and my moms cabin in Hackensack, Minnesota. Lucky for us, we had four ninety degree days to swim to our hearts content before seeing family in Minneapolis and returning to Milwaukee.

Before I close the record of this grand summer journey - let me pay tribute to my able and efficient Prius. Three of us lived out of this wonderful little Toyota, comfortably for three weeks and 4000 miles. Even over mountain passes it maintained at least 53mpg.

This summer - it was grand!

Big Hole

I was happy to return to the Pioneer Mountains and Big Hole area of southwestern Montana. Nic, Ali and I camped at Mono Creek Campground, searched for crystals at Crystal Park and hiked into Coolidge Ghost town along the Pioneer Scenic Byway twelve years ago and things were much the same. It is always good that some things (especially in the natural world) never change. We also relaxed at nearby Elkhorn Hot Springs this time.

Davyd, Pete and I were the sole campers at Mono Creek for two nights and headed for Jackson Hot Springs for a soak and breakfast. We fell in love with the little (I mean little) town of Jackson. Pete tells me I shouldn't talk about it here because it is a best kept secret. At breakfast we learned our waitress was also a massage therapist so we stayed and I was the lucky recipient of a 90 minute massage. After the hot springs, a massage can be not less then heaven. After dinner we went to the tiny school yard across the street and played monster tether ball with horses as "fans in the stands" as the sun set in the big beautiful western sky.

We visited the Big Hole Battlefield and all three of us had tears in our eyes. Our county gunned down Nez Perce Indians there while they slept in 1877 for not signing the treaty that took more land for the gold it held. It is a very solemn spot in the beautiful valley.

Davyd - a Teenager at Eight?

Before we left on the trip we set a goal that Davyd would hike eight miles since he was eight years old. He had hiked seven last year so it should be a breeze (never mind that now we were at 10,000 feet.) He amazed us all an merrily hiking a lucky thirteen. When asked for a highlight of his summer now he tells everyone " I hiked thirteen miles!"

Lynn and Roger Jackson (more Forest Service compatriots) were the most gracious hosts, inviting us into their home, baking us blueberry pie and ginger cookies and being wonderful trail guides.

And the second of the trips coincidences, Nancy Salminen was on a forest fire assignment in Red Lodge Montana and we got to share lunch, dinner (and a cold) together.

From Red Lodge went on to Bozeman, resting out heads at the Gallatin Gateway, an old railroad hotel and feasting on a delicious chili reannos. We spend two days touring Bozeman wondering if we could make it our home. The Museum of the Rockies and especially the Pioneer home is not to be missed. McKenzie River Pizza had the spring green salad with vinaigrette and Grape Nuts (!) - a delicious combination that we have now adopted replacing the Parmesan cheese in our garlic salad (see recipes) on occasion.

Ah Wyoming!

We loved Wyoming. We saw wolves in Bear Lodge Campground, had a great hike at Devils Tower and got up close and personal with a moose along Prune Creek. My all time favorite though was returning to the Big Horns!

I had backpacked the Big Horns when I was 18 (including 13, 165 foot Cloud Peak) and the range was every bit as beautiful as my memory recorded them. We camped at Porcupine and hiked up to Medicine Wheel. The view was beautiful and the 10,000 some foot elevation got us flat-landers primed for future hikes.

On our way though Buffalo Wyoming, Pete became smitten with the Occidental Hotel (looks right out of an old western!) and insisted we stay the night. I am not usually a beef-eater but... "when in Wyoming...." I had the best fillet mignon in the entire world at the Occidental that night. There was a great coffee shop and gallery across the street. We were pleasantly surprised that they had the best coffee in the world - Alterra - roasted in Milwaukee!

The Best of South Dakota

A whole state via interstate can be daunting for scenery hounds, but we think we found the best of South Dakota. From Pipestone MN we headed for DeSmet SD, one of Laura Ingall's homesteads. We spent a pleasant few hours learning about homesteaders life, from sod houses to soap and rope making. Davyd enjoyed driving riding the horses and wagon. I have always had a soft spot for Laura myself since being wrapped in her books in third grade. Besides, we are almost old family friends, as later in life I learned that my great great Grandparents bought their property in Stockholm WI from Laura's grandfather in 1868.

We zigzaged the late afternoon away on rural roads, only to be absolutely delighted with an amazing view of prairie bluffs over looking the Missouri River on the northern outskirts of Chamberlain SD. The view was stunning and a gentleman from Jerusalem was enjoying it with a friend when we arrived, making a very picturesque scene. We hiked the bluffs for an hour or so before driving into the sunset. The next morning we toured the 1880's Town (set of Dances with Wolves) - touristy yes, but fun- after a thunder storm.

Back in Minnesota I had commented "lots of bikers, must be fuel prices getting more on the road". By South Dakota and asked Pete "hey is that Sturgis motorcycle rally in August". By western South Dakota I had answered my own question it was a very obvious "yes!" Bikers were everywhere, filling motels, campgrounds, gas stations, even little ghost towns sprung to life (we ate Indian tacos in Scenic SD with a parade of bikers). The bikers in the Badlands were most interesting - Europeans that looked like rock stars and fashion models along with grey-haired American business men that looked like they were wearing dry cleaned jeans and pressed black bandannas strutting their stuff for the weekend. Everywhere else they just looked like...bikers. Needless to say we drove through the Black Hills but didn't stay!

Westward Ho!

Three weeks on the road sounds to good to be true. True it is and Pete , Davyd and I left Milwaukee about 7AM. By noon we had crossed the Mississippi and took our first "back road" along Highway 16 through Houston and Filmore County in Minnesota. We walked Lansboro to stretch our legs and had a picnic lunch in a nice roadside park just outside of town. We jumped back on 90, stopping in Blue Earth to take Davyd's picture with the Jolly Green Giant and stop at the Dairy Queen next door. We hit our destination of Split Rock Creek State Park, near Pipestone MN by dinner time. Two state in one day, we were on our way!

One of three wonderful coincidences was camping the first night right next to Jeff and Barbara Rosales. It took and hour or two to make the connection, but I had worked with Jeff on the Superior and Chippewa National Forests some fifteen or twenty years ago, so it was a fun reunion. We shared evening cups of wine and morning coffee with grasshoppers singing in the background.

I had never been to Pipestone National Monument and was delighted to hike the prairie trails and see firsthand the pipestone used for pipe and carving by native peoples. The town of Pipestone with its read rock buildings was small and charming. I with the antique store was open on Sunday as we passed through! South Dakota here we come!