Peter S. this one is for you!!

Bull Riding

No, I didn't actually ride a bull. But, continuing my attendance at Montana fairs, I attended the Montana State Fair in Billings to watch professional bull riding. I did learn that these men have to stay on the bull for a certain amount of time before they get a score. How that score is determined, I have absolutely NO CLUE. I do have to admit that when a rider stayed on the bull more than a couple seconds there was a magical buzz that filled the arena. In addition, each bull had a completely different personality and which bull a rider drew was a significant determinant of their overall success.

The lighting in the arena was difficult to take pictures in therefore the quality of photos are pretty bad, but they convey the sense of the action.

The people of Montana are quite proud of being American's and always make comments about the men serving our country in foreign wars.

Each rodeo apparently has a clown which provides entertainment. This Michael Phelps look-a-like I found funny until he made a horrific Brokeback Mountain crack that drew silence from the crowd. Did they not understand the reference or did the crowd also not find the joke worthy of response? My bet is the latter.

Beartooth Pass

Southwest of Billings, MT runs Montana State Highway 212, or more commonly known as Beartooth Pass Road, a spectacular road that links Billings to Yellowstone National Park. Keith took a work day here in Billings, so I drove up to the top of the pass, which is located ABOVE treeline at 10,947 feet above sea level. Again, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The New California

I remember when I was younger, even up to just a couple years ago, it used to seem when you were on a road trip, there were cars with California plates everywhere. Perhaps it was due to the sheer number of California residents but it always seemed that it was a California plated car that filled the parking lots. Car driving like they own the road? California.

However, on this trip, those plates are now replaced by cars from the state of Washington? Being a native of Washington state, I used to get so excited when I saw a plate with plates from Washington. Now? Get those things out of my sight.

A Long Time Obsession

Written by one of Montana's favorite authors, its native son, Norman MacLean

About a decade ago, I read the above book, and like many people, for some reason, became obsessed with the story of 13 young men who lost their lives in 1949 in Mann Gulch about 20 miles north of Helena, MT. These were smoke jumpers, just three years after the inception of the program, who jumped out of a plane around 4PM one August afternoon and by 5:45PM were dead because the fire overtook them as they ran up the slope trying to escape the fire. 3 men survived, two because they actually managed to outrun the fire and 1 man, who because he set a fire in front of him, and thereby denied fuel to the Mann Gulch fire itself, survived. Because of this tragedy, fire science was made a priority and a research lab, such as the one I visited in Missoula, came to be.

Mann Gulch is located on the Missouri River in an area called Gates of the Mountains. This gorge was named by Lewis and Clark during their Corps of Discovery. They say these high walls and believed them to be the "gates" to the Rocky Mountains. I boarded a tour boat and went on a two hour ride into the Gates of the Mountains.

At the downstream end (Northern end) of the Gates, on the East side is Mann Gulch. A one and a half mile hike from the sign takes one to the two headstones and crosses that mark the location of where the majority of these men perished. The thirteenth is near the top of the Northern ridge line where one of the men nearly outran the fire. Only one of the three remaining survivors of the Mann Gulch tragedy still lives.

A sign commemorating the historic event/tragedy that happened on this site

Looking here at the Southern slope where the fire started due to lightning. The gulch takes a dogleg to the left and when the fire jumped from one side of the gulch to the other, it was the beginning of the end.

Looking here at the Northern slope of Mann Gulch. Although this is nearer to the river, the steepness of the ridge here is also what is found further up the gulch similar conditions upon which the men ran.

The names of the thirteen who died in the Mann Gulch fire.

Glacier National Park

Not much commentary needed, I'll just let the pictures do the talking. The first is the entrance into the park at Columbia Falls, the last is a look west from the eastern plains of Montana near St. Mary's.

Northwest Montana

Heading North from Missoula, MT one heads into the Flathead Valley, the crown jewel being Flathead Lake. Our day was spent positioning ourselves in Kalispell, MT to be at the entrance to Glacier National Park. Here are some highlights.....

My traveling companion, the Cruisemaster, Keith and our home away from home, the Touraeg

The inside of St. Ignatius Church, the site of the first missionary site in Montana. These murals were painted by the church cook.

I'm glad they use compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Huckleberries are all the rage during the summer in Montana.

All huckleberries all the time!

Flathead Lake

High Culture, Low Culture and A Chick Flick

My friend Carlos P. (a University of Montana alum and fellow lover of Missoula, MT) and I loved the show, Gilmore Girls. I have unilaterally made a pact that he and I would watch each and every movie Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham ever made and will make. Because of that, I watched a matinee of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. I am just going to come out and say it that I teared up at two points and the bigger declaration and that is I LOVE CHICK FLICKS, especially ones that are centered around high school.

The afternoon was spent at the Western Montana State Fair. Photos.....

This Democratic Party table was out of Obama stickers, perhaps a good sign?

Seriously this was a booth at the fair.

Our energy woes even hit at the fair.

I won once, but then got greedy and lost my winnings.

Soft on the cheek!

Time for the demolition derby. We sang the Star-Spangled Banner and stood to salute the flag and this tank.

Right after the derby, it was time for the Missoula Symphony Orchestra's summer concert in the park.

The Missoula Symphony Orchestra in Caras Park

It's a great country we live in that a immigrant from the former Yugoslavia can be the conductor of this Symphony in the mountains and select popular tunes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Legends of the Fall, the William Tell Overture, Clair de Lune as well as a medley of jazz and the theme from a number of great Western Movies. A great day here in the mountains makes me think about moving to Missoula.....