Tucked Away

A cabin in Bozeman, Montana.



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2017: Delivering Energy
2016: Cat On A Hot...
2015: Starwood Is Still A Star
2014: Transylvania Has Better Internet
2013: Can I Get An Amen?
2012: Imagine Life Artificially Sweeter
2011: Sweets For The Sweet
2010: Silver Shoes, Cliff Clavin, And A Guinness World Record
2009: A Bevy Of Pavo Cristatus
2008: How Much Happy Can A Dollar Buy?
2007: The Heat Is On
2006: The New York Catch And Release Program
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Nest

Every once in a while we see these giant nests at the top of the power line poles.  This one was alongside the interstate in Montana and we're pretty sure we saw eagles flying from it.  Not sure if they were bald eagles or golden eagles - both are popular in the area - but they definitely appeared to be eagles.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~2016: Working On The Railroad
2015: There's A Killer Whale On My Sightseeing List
2014: You Look Hungry, Take These For Later
2013: A Dumpster Diver's Dream
2012: Reigning Over Sitting 300 Days A Year
2011: Raining In Baltimore
2010: Back That Ass Up
2009: Shaved, Slivered, Sliced, Grated, Chunked, And Best Of All, In Meatballs
2008: Too Small For America?
2007: Waiting For A Beautiful Balsamic Splash
2006: Other Weird Things In Utah
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

More Montana

Somewhere in Montana, late afternoon.


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2014: 'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky
2013: I Feel Like I'm Being Followed
2012: Keeping Pace With The Seniors
2011: Island Bound
2010: Cristo Velato
2009: Flash Dancing Through Summer
2008: Another Day, Another 32 Things About Me
2007: A Bottle And A Nap Would Be Nice
2006: Because You Never Know When You’re Going To Need A Roman Candle
2005: Thank A Trucker

A Round Town

Last week we ventured through a part of Montana we've never been in, the Northeast corner.  We were traveling from Minot, North Dakota to Lewistown, Montana.

On the recommendation of friends, we stopped in Circle, Montana. The visit had two purposes - the main one was to pick up the red scarf my friend Marlaina left the last time they were there, and the second reason was to eat a burger. 

Main Street was pretty quiet. We parked about two blocks from the restaurant and walked the main drag. Of course I found a parking spot a lot closer than the location Marlaina told me about.  She's a walker, I'm so not.

We made a beeline to the Round Towne Tavern & Casino. 'Cause that's where the grub was.

It wasn't what I expected. I thought it was going to be some small, dark hole in the wall. But it was bright and airy, and new. There were several pickup trucks parked outside, a few guys at the bar, and one lone cowboy - eating a steak, of course - seated in the dining room. More people filtered in as it got closer to the dinner hour.

On Marlaina's recommendation, I ordered the Round Towne Burger (Burger smothered with homemade spicy cream sauce and caramelized onions) and Ed ordered the Lumber Jack (Grilled mac and cheese topped with bbq pulled pork and caramelized onions) pictured below. Both were pretty delicious.

The dining room was huge and in the back to the left, there were more tables to eat at, plus a pool table, jukebox, and games.

Here's another shot of the bar.  You might be able to make out the words "Liquor Store" at the very end, where the people are seated.

That's the Grain Bin, a cool little liquor store that has shelves of alcohol, plus coolers stocked with beer and ice. There are only 612 people in this town. I don't know who they're selling all of this booze to.

Once you're sufficiently buzzed, I suspect you can head up front to the "casino" part of the establishment. They have video gambling, and what looks like a blackjack table.

We didn't really explore the rest of the town but it didn't appear as if much was going on anyway.  It was a good place to stop for a bite considering there isn't much out this way.

The most interesting entry on the town's Wikipedia page - which doesn't include all that much info to begin with - is that Circle is 192 miles from the nearest Starbucks. That makes it the furthest town from the nearest Starbucks in the lower 48 States.

Even I wouldn't drive 192 miles for a latte.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2014: A Dark Cloud Hangs Over The Plantation
2013: I Wonder How These Longhorns Would Feel If They Knew A Steakhouse Was Named After Them?
2012: Frying Up Memories
2011: Icy Beverages, Sun, And Sand
2010: Smalltopia And Rowdy Kittens
2009: Severely Disabled
2008: Boys In Dresses
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: When I'm Done Peeing, Do I Bang On The Pipes Or Just Yell When I Need Someone To Take Me Back To My Cell?
2005: The Emerald City

No Rooms To Let

The Gladstone Hotel in Circle, Montana.

The hotel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of Interior. It was added in 1980. There is a plaque on the wall that says:

One of the few remaining original buildings on Circle's main street, the Gladstone Hotel welcomed its first guests in the new town on Christmas Day of 1915. Just over a year before, Circle town lots first went on sale. Built to serve travelers on the promised Great Northern Railroad, the Gladstone would wait 14 years to fulfill that duty. Meanwhile, homestead families moved steadily into this part of Dawson County, and McCone County was created in 1919. The hotel has seen many uses over the years. In the great influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, it became the community hospital, with one room reserved as morgue. During World War II, its restaurant was a gathering place for those awaiting radio news from the fronts. The Gladstone's original "high class bar" never reopened after Prohibition ended, but since has been used for many a private party. And, the hotel also became a retirement home for some of the community's elders. Originally built with 20 sleeping rooms, the Gladstone received a 10-room addition in 1948 when oil development raised expectations of a new boom for Circle.

Most of the windows were boarded up, with the exception of the two front windows, one of which was broken.  I stuck my hand in to take a picture of the inside, which looked vaguely like the lobby of an old hotel. It smelled like a musty old building.

Even with a broken window, it was clear that no one was taking anything from the place. The town's estimated population as of 2014 was 609 people. I'm guessing if anyone bothered to steal anything, they'd know exactly whose house to go to.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2014: Beautiful Brutalism In A Bucolic Bourg
2013: Have A Little Faith In The Romantic Comedy
2012: The Perfect Volunteer
2011: The Men Who Stare AT Goats
2010: A Peek At A Working Team
2009: Alligators Are Not A Girl’s Best Friend
2008: Forget Your Cholesterol. Get A Hearing Aid.
2007: Sizzling Good Time
2006: Amarillo May Smell Like Cow Shit, But They Have Some Pretty Tasty Steaks
2005: List Of Fives

Fields Of Gold

Fields of wheat in Northeastern Montana. The pale gold color goes on for miles and miles, blanketing the hills on either side of the highway.  It's really quite spectacular.



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2014: Natural Home Decor
2013: Cats In Trucker Hats
2012: Marbelize It!
2011: Inner Harbor Fixture
2010: Sandía On The Wall
2009: Big Rig Parking AT #34
2008: The Benefits Of Marriage Without The Hassle Of Dieting To Get Into The Dress
2007: Gateway To The West
2006: Taking A Lesson From An Eleven Year Old
2005: Rejoicing And Be Sad

Where The Good Girls Run Into Trouble

Bad Route Road in Montana.

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2014: Feed The Children Of The World
2013: Burst Of Power
2012: If This Worked, I’d Become A Cannibal
2011: How I While Away The Hours
2010: Incredibly Average, Yet Heroic If Necessary
2009: May I Take A Message?
2008: Doing The Speed Limit In Your Sleep
2007: Now I Can Go Back To Watching The Show
2006: Ten Of Life’s Simplest Pleasures
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Early Morning Driving Perks

I prefer sunrises over sunsets and today I was treated to this view in Montana.

Sometimes it's worth getting up before daylight.

I just go about my business and then before I know it, it has arrived.



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2013: I Get To See This Amazing Stuff!
2012: 3...2...1...Cross The Hudson!
2011: New Life
2010: Wearing Your Message On Your Sleeve. Er, Wrist.
2009: In The Round
2008: Eddie’s Adoring/Bored Girlfriend Friday
2007: Lux Perpetua
2006: The Lesser Known King Of Romance
2005: Wow. What Beautiful Gums You Have.

Farm To Belly

This week we stopped at Wheat Montana Farms Bakery and Retail Store in Three Forks, Montana - Exit 274 off of I-90.  We planned on going to the Town Pump truck stop on the south side of the highway, but decided to turn north when we exited.  The side of their building says "Bakery" and "Deli" in giant letters that can be seen from the highway.  It was a no brainer.  

In addition to the wall of bread, rolls, and bagels, they had a bakery and deli case.  The place was pretty busy, so I couldn't get close enough to the main case to get pictures of the bakery items, but believe me when I say they had cinnamon rolls the size of an infant's head.  I didn't get one of those, as I was in the mood for a chocolate croissant.  Unfortunately that was normal sized, but delicious.

The store sells baseball caps and t-shirts - with clever sayings like "Stop and smell the flours" - in addition to crocks like the one below, mugs, candles, cookbooks, and other items.

You can also purchase large and small quantities of different types of flours and whole grains for baking.  They have flour and pancake mixes, cereal, specialty grains, oat groats, spelt, etc.  When we left, we chatted with a trucker parked next to us who bought a 50-pound bag of Prairie Gold Wheat for his daughter, who likes to bake bread.  They are known for their non-GMO products.

There is plenty of seating in the deli and if you can't stay for lunch, take it to go.  And don't forget to buy a cinnamon roll, muffin or croissant for later, to have with your evening cup of coffee.

There's plenty of truck parking and it's a great place to pick up something delicious to bring home to the family.

This is their corporate headquarters location and the store is open Monday through Sunday from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Wheat Montana Farms Bakery and Deli
10778 US Highway 287
Three Forks, MT  59752
406.285.3614


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: It's The Weekend. Kick Back And Relax.
2012: With Pleasure
2011: It’s Exhausting Imagining You In These Pants
2010: Florentine Youth
2009: What’s In A Name?
2008: Farming The Wind
2007: Eddie In The Big Little City Friday
2006: Photograph It If You Think You May Never See It Again
2005: Why???

Yellow Trees, Big Sky

Earlier this month I posted another photo of yellow trees in Montana.  We've been through here a few times in the last two weeks.  I'm drawn to their brightness and varied yellow hue.

This picture was taken in the late afternoon, but the sky was still bright, the river was flowing in the background, you can get a glimpse of a small mountain ridge, and then there's that line of pretty trees in varying shades of yellow.


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2013: The Negotiation
2012: Going Au Naturel
2011: A Great Idea
2010: The Real Deal
2009: This Should Keep You Buy For A While
2008: Plenty Of Room For The Ladies
2007: It All Began With The Cheese
2006: Zig Zag Wisconsin Color
2005: Made In China

Montana Moments

We crossed the country from Virginia to Washington and the Fall colors were really great. Lots of reds and oranges in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, but then we got into more yellows once we hit Montana.

Here's drive-by photographic proof.


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2013: Scanning Comes To A Mouth Near You
2012: Go Ahead, Judge Me
2011: Con Los Años Que Me Quedan
2010: Ten. Ten. Ten. A Perfect Score!
2009: Lighting The Testosterone Torch
2008: Eddie Helps The Economy Friday
2007: Talk About A Thorn In Your Side
2006: My Sentiments Exactly
2005: Mason? Dixon? Line? BELOW It.

The Value Of This Place Continues To Increase

If you're heading across the country on Interstate 90, and you happen to make it into the state of Montana, you'll want to stop at Lincoln's $50,000 World Famous Silver Dollar Bar, nestled in the beautiful Lolo National Forest.  

The bar was started in 1952 by Gerry and Marie Lincoln and has been family owned and operated since then.  The facility consists of a bar, restaurant, motel, gas station, and gift shop.  Inside, you'll see why they began by calling it the $10,000 Silver Dollar Bar, but have upped it to $50,000.

The silver dollar tradition started when someone got the idea to embed one into the top of the bar.  The silver dollars in the bar top are covered with a thick polyurethane coating.

It's been said that over 2,500 silver dollars are added each year.  When we were there in 2011, the "Today's Total" board read 58,390 silver dollars.

The bar has been full of coins for years, so in order to accommodate tourists and yearly donations, they started displaying them on the walls.

Each of the silver dollars display the name, and sometimes the location, of the people who donated them.  The ones on the walls are embedded in wood first, dated, and then the panels are numbered and nailed to the wall.

In addition to the unbelievable display of silver dollars in the bar, is the unbelievable display of kitsch in the gift shop.  They have the most unusual collection of...well, one internet reviewer said, "This place is completely loaded with crap. 30% Flea Market, 25% Grandma's Basement, 45% who knows what, but 100% manufactured in China."

He's 100% right.  But it's so much fun to sift through.  There's so much stuff, I can't imagine not coming away with at something.  Beaded Native American-style necklaces, bracelets, and eyeglass "leashes", anyone?  

Silver bracelets - real and costume.  The amount of faux bling in this place is fantastic.

 Plagued with joint pain?  Copper jewelry abounds.

We didn't patronize the bar or restaurant, so I can't speak to the quality of either, but this place is definitely worth a stop.

You can't miss it.  The billboards will lead you right to its treasures.


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2013: Bursts Of Light And A Bean
2012: Cool As A Cucumber
2011: I Think We Have A Winner
2010: Progressively Yours,
2009: Spill It
2008: I’ve NEVER Colored Inside The Lines. Why The Surprise?
2007: I Didn’t Make It, But I Ate It
2006: Sorry, no post for this day.
2005: Slim Or None! I’ll Take None.

I Think I Saw A Nimbostratus

In Crow Agency, Montana, where Interstate 90 meets U.S. Route 212, you'll find the Little Bighorn Battlefield.  You can see a portion of it in the photo above.

We turned off here and took U.S. Route 212 East through Montana, across the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations, through towns named Lame Deer and Epsie.

We went through Custer National Forest before crossing the very northeast corner of Wyoming and dropping into South Dakota.  We passed through Belle Fourche, stopping to get Chinese take-out for dinner (don't expect anything spectacular...it's South Dakota), then headed through Sturgis before stopping in Rapid City for the night.

The landscape in this area is arresting.  Green hills spreading for miles.  Herds of horses running playfully, nudging each other with their noses, bumping their large bodies together as they frolicked.  Droves of cows huddling together near ponds and in pastures.  Calves suckling their mothers, larger cows lounging in the grass or scratching against posts.  And clouds everywhere.  It really helps to know your cloud formations in this part of the nation.

We really loved this route.  It shortened our drive by 55 miles.  Well worth getting off the interstate and taking a different, beautiful route.  We don't come up to this part of the country too often, but when we do we usually do the east-west routes across the southern portion of each state.

The road was excellent, the traffic was non-existent, and the scenery was varied and interesting.  My kind of shortcut, and something we'll definitely do again.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Ed Breaking Bad In The Lap Pool
2012: View From The Bridge
2011: Small Place, Big Flavor
2010: La Vita è Bella
2009: He Looks Much Better Here Than On The Penny
2008: One Of The Few Places In Iowa NOT Under Water
2007: We Need A Manager On Register Three Please!
2006: Mobile Misses
2005: Idaho?? YOU Da Ho!!

A Warrior Waging A Noble Fight, Fueled By Chocolate Ice Cream

I took this picture of Eddie at the $50,000 Silver Dollar gift shop in Haugan, Montana. Ed has a face for hats and can transform his look in a matter of seconds. He's a chameleon and every I.D. he has looks different. If you were to find his wallet, you'd think he was on the lam, using multiple identities.

Seeing him in this helmet made me think that "warrior" is the perfect word for my stepfather. He's been home since his two-day stint in the hospital and has been essentially bedridden. He wants to get up, but he's really weak and it isn't really suggested by the nurses. He has such incredible will, though. He's a fighter. And very determined.

Each night, we put him to bed, tuck him in, give him his meds (and a sleeping pill as recommended by the nurses) and bid him goodnight. Two mornings in a row now, we've been awakened at five in the morning with him halfway out of the bed. He pulled the oxygen tube from his nose, unbuttoned his pajama top, threw back the covers, and pulled his legs over the side of the bed, determined to get out. This morning, one foot was firmly planted on the floor, and the other had just the toes touching. It must have taken him quite some time to get to that point since he doesn't move very fast, to begin with. What the hell?? I keep asking him where he thinks he's going and he says he's "bored" just lying there in bed.

He's physically declining, but his mind is extremely active and he's talking a lot. Ed said to him, "Frank, I've known you for almost eight years now and this is the most I've ever heard you talk." Frank laughed heartily at that.

Every morning, when Frank wakes up, he asks for Ed (slowly and deliberately forming the words...Where. Is. Edoardo?). Freakin' Ed, man. Everyone asks for Ed - my nephews, my parents, my friends. WTF?? My mother and I are the ones feeding Frank, giving him his meds, making sure he's drinking enough fluids, adjusting his blankets, listening to his stories, playing music for him, etc. and the only person he's asking for is Ed! Sonofabitch!

It's really amazing though, to watch how he fights to "get back to normal", as he keeps saying. But what is normal at almost ninety years old? He was doing seven miles on the treadmill just a few years ago. Daily. I haven't walked seven miles total in the last year. I think he expects to still be doing that, but it's just not going to happen. He's extremely lucid and his memory is outstanding; we looked at a video slideshow recently that had photos in it that were over sixty years old and he was able to identify everyone in them.

When he's groggy, he sees family members who have already passed; his mother, his sister-in-law Anita (at a buffet, no less!), and his three brothers. Some things I've read say seeing dead people is a sign that the person is dying. Could be, but I don't completely believe it. Right now I'm listening to him have a lengthy conversation with my mother. His voice is strong and he's talking about when we went to Las Vegas in the early eighties.  We stayed at The Dunes and ate at Sultan's Table, the fanciest restaurant in the hotel. We even pulled out the photo of the four of us from that night. It seemed to support his memory.

There were a few minutes of silence before he spoke again.

He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Where's my ice cream? I asked for it more than twenty minutes ago."


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1 YEAR AGO: Ragazzo dell’Ombrello
2 YEARS AGO: Eddie It’s Not Even Halloween Yet Friday
3 YEARS AGO: Not So Different, Are We?
4 YEARS AGO: Quite Uneducated If You Ask Me
5 YEARS AGO: Sometimes Identity Theft Can SAVE You Money
6 YEARS AGO: Mina In Fifty Years

Minatory Montana Morning

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1 YEAR AGO: Crafting A Way To Fill A Need
2 YEARS AGO: The Other White Meat: Tropical Style
3 YEARS AGO: Night Falls On The Fuel Island
4 YEARS AGO: Wanderlust Checklist
5 YEARS AGO: What Are Records??
6 YEARS AGO: Hello, America!

Faceted Beauty For Less Than Three Bucks

Found at a gift shop in Montana.


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1 YEAR AGO:  Triple FFF-18
2 YEARS AGO: Hot Tuna Doesn’t Get Any Play In My Truck
3 YEARS AGO: Corn Fed Summer
4 YEARS AGO: Eddie Breaks The Rules Friday
5 YEARS AGO: The Chicks Of Dixie
6 YEARS AGO: Text Me

They Claim To Have The Most Sky

The wide open road in Montana, with their big sky and all.

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1 YEAR AGO: No Escape
2 YEARS AGO: Help Wanted. Must Have Own Cassock.
3 YEARS AGO: It’s All An Illuuuuusion
4 YEARS AGO: Tipping Point
5 YEARS AGO: Snap Decision To A Healthier Life
6 YEARS AGO: Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer

Montana Fluff

These dandelions were gigantic! Each fluffy head was the size of a baseball!!


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1 YEAR AGO: Stop The Presses!
2 YEARS AGO: Fiesta Ed Friday
3 YEARS AGO: Crotchety Old Woman
4 YEARS AGO: One Side Of A Coin
5 YEARS AGO: Why Oh Why
6 YEARS AGO: Sign Of The Times

I Love This Lookout

Spending the week going back and forth across the country makes me fall behind in my blog writing. That's probably the least favorite part about doing a team run for me. On the other hand, this run takes me through the northern part of the country (from east to west) and two places I love driving through are Montana and the Idaho Panhandle.

This photo is from Lookout Pass, on the Montana-Idaho state line. It's not the best shot, but I LOVE being able to see the snow and get out in some of that wonderful cold weather.


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1 YEAR AGO: There Ain’t No Rodeo On This Rodeo
2 YEARS AGO: Covering All The Bases
3 YEARS AGO: Ed Fantasizes Out Loud
4 YEARS AGO: Better Late Than Never
5 YEARS AGO: The Last Best Chance

Hail To The Driver

Only minutes after Eddie pulled over in a chain removal area in southeastern Montana to check our load, and just before he was getting ready to get out of the truck, the skies opened up and unloaded twenty minutes of hail on us.

Every little piece of ice that hit the truck had me cringing inside wondering if it was doing any damage. All we could do was watch, as there was no stopping it, sitting there in silence and listening to the barrage of pings on our sleeper, windshield and hood.

Here's a picture of the hood of the truck with the buildup of the hail:

And here are some little pieces of ice that I caught when I stuck my hand out the window:

They weren't very big and didn't do any damage, but it was interesting to see the skies go from sunny to hailstorm in a matter of minutes.

Of course, Ed tried to convince me to drive after it happened...yeah, whatever.


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1 YEAR AGO: Eddie Shows His Good Side Friday
2 YEARS AGO: Go Bananas!!
3 YEARS AGO: Shmuley Says
4 YEARS AGO: Fangboner