My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We returned to Highway 93 and began to drive even further north.....somewhere along that stretch of highway I pulled over to rethink our next planned destination. Something told me to return to the valley that I loved so much.....



So we backtracked down the highway and a few hours later there we were again.....





I was so unsettled.....I had not prepared myself for leaving here.....this was not part of the big plan.....





Sometimes it's difficult to move on.....when you have no idea where to go.....



We hung out at a few different places in the valley.....we really needed to devise a new plan.....



I finally decided to continue south on Highway 93.....we stopped at the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas.....the perfect place for a man to contemplate life.....





That day I came up with a new plan.....not a long term plan but a plan nonetheless.....it was time to visit with friends.....

 

[longhorn1]

Your post on people pouring into Montana and purchasing cabins over market price. Well today, a state that has laid low as far as Covid-19, Montana has now made the National spotlight with a spike in Covid-19. Guess we will have to see if it is due to the influx. Be safe.

 

[ITTOG]

Great pictures as always. I hope you can find a place in Montana that you like and don't have to overpay.

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[Ace Brown]

Tanner is sure a handsome dog.


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[PKDreamers]

Have a read of this.
And sorry for the hijack.

Alaska's most famous bus, which adventure seekers risked their lives to visit, has been removed

A wrecked bus made famous by a non-fiction book and movie about a North American explorer is removed for tourists' safety.

www.abc.net.au

 

[ITTOG]

Tanner is sure a handsome dog.


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Yes and he seems to love the camera.

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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....yep, coronavirus is definitely here and I would imagine that there's a multitude of reasons for its sharp increase. I've noticed very little wearing of masks and the same with social distancing. Yesterday there were 25 new cases while at the beginning of the week I think it was 6. It's here and spreading rapidly.....yet the numbers are still quite low compared to our country overall and most other parts of the world.....

ITTOG.....don't be mistaken.....he's a natural poser and he has no shame.....

Ace.....thanks.....that's actually what I think would be called a double edged sword. I'm constantly getting comments on his good looks during my travels.....people ask if they can have him, can they buy him, would I consider breeding him, and on and on. I carry a fear that someone will steal him one day. I'll be sharing a story soon on a terrifying event that took place in our lives a few days ago.....I almost lost him.....



We returned to Missoula, Montana where we would stay for a few nights.....the parking lots of Bretz RV and Walmart were our new home. We walked along the asphalt paths on the banks of the Clark Fork.....



These rapids in the downtown section attract the ice cold water loving crowds.....



I have a black friend that lives on the east coast and she says to me often (and when I say often.....I mean often)....."Jerry, why do live in Montana ? There's no black people there and you know I can't visit you. The white people that live there don't want me there." And my reply is always the same....."Sonya, I came to Montana cause the mountains are white, and not because the people are white.".....



Like many cities around our country and the world, there were daily Black Lives Matter demonstrations going on in Missoula, Montana.....







It was interesting to watch these demonstrations from the sidelines.....Montana certainly is not known for diversity but here in this somewhat small town in Montana diversity did exist.....





There were Black Lives Matters supporters that filled three fourths of the city block.....and then there was the remainder of the street filled with Trump supporters.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The good news here in Missoula, Montana was that everyone seemed to get along just fine.....as a matter of fact I had an opportunity to speak with one of the organizers of the Black Lives Matter group and they told me that they had an agreement with the Trump supporters to keep the demonstrations peaceful.....







Now that was comforting to know because I took notice that the overwhelming majority of the Trump supporters were armed with firearms. I saw my fair share of hand guns and long rifles and I also saw armed men that I was told were a part of the Montana Miltia (I have no idea what that is).....





Our walks through the city were not just along the river nor just by the protesters.....we must have walked every city block in Missoula, Montana multiple times.....





Missoula, Montana is a friendly city.....I like it quite a bit here.....



But after a few days and nights we were back on the highway.....it was time to get moving once again.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It felt good to get back on the highway and to leave the "big" Montana city behind. The weather on that particular day started out real nice and Tanner & I had the windows down.....Tanners head hung out the window.....we had the music blaring in our ears as we headed east along Interstate 70.....so much stress in the world these days.....the pandemic, the racial tensions, and millions of people suffering from the economic hard times. The highway definitely provides a temporary escape from all that ails us.....

Clouds began to fill the skies, the windows went up, the temperatures went down.....snow in June in Montana is not all that unusual so I'm not so sure why this storm would surprise me.....it did.....



We pulled off the interstate near Anaconda, Montana and spent that night in Uncle Bucks abandoned parking lot.....



Quite a bit of snow fell in the mountains that night.....I was told better than a foot. We were so close to Anaconda, Montana that I decided to make a slight detour and walk around town.....



We left the rig at the visitors center which is where I took these pictures of the retired railroad cars.....





Anaconda, Montana is a mining town.....or it once was a mining town.....I'm not sure which. Might be time for Foy to chime in.....I'm no historian that's for sure.....





Lots of beautiful old buildings line these streets.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We walked through the business district.....this place was once a thriving town.....not so much anymore.....



The Deer Lodge County Courthouse building.....I guess could best described as being a grand old building.....





We also walked along many of the residential streets.....here we happened onto an old, old home burning to the ground.....



On a brighter note we crossed paths with this deer along one of the residential streets.....



Turns out that she had just given birth to a pair of fawns.....



I spoke with the homeowner and he told me that they were two days old and that indeed they were born in his front yard.....isn't the world such an amazing place.....

 

[jadmt]

if you want the best breakfast in Anaconda maybe in Montana hit Donavans. Anaconda and Butte are two places that have a life of their own but most of that life has long gone. When I was in high school in the 70's Anaconda was a tough place we would go there for tournaments and you had to worry about getting jumped outside the locker room after the games. The cool thing is if you were 15 or 16 yoa and looked like you were at least 12 you could buy beer lol. I worked with a lot of people from Anaconda after the smelt closed down those guys had some stories.

Even if you don't want to eat go in and go to the sports section in the bar area and read about Wayne Estes

 

[Foy]

I'm happy to offer a bit more info about Anaconda, Montana. While there are notable and once very productive mines around Anaconda, the town was built around a huge smelter built to smelt the copper ores from Butte, about 30 miles distant. Copper baron Marcus Daley built the railroad in 1894 out of frustration with the rates he was being charged to ship on the Northern Pacific. The line from Butte to the smelter was exceptionally heavy duty due to the tonnage it was designed to haul. In 1913, Daley electrified the railroad, shedding +40 steam engines in favor of 27 electric engines, of which the one pictured may be one of, although the history websites say the sole surviving electric engine is on display at the big mining museum in Butte. Whatever the case, the railroad was the first in the US to be electrified. The smelter in Anaconda operated from the 1880s until permanently closed in 1980. The 585' tall smokestack is tall and big enough to fit the Washington Monument inside of it and is the tallest freestanding masonry structure in the world. Thousands of men worked in the smelter operations and on the related railroad assets, establishing a vibrant little city for much of the 20th century.

Foy

 

[Arjan]

You really made my day after all the trains I played with today with these pics and the stories !

Many thanks.

Yes, Goldens are very much an easy target and in today's world you have to keep an eye on them...

Merci Beaucouop !

 

[ITTOG]

You sure do run into some amazing events and pictures Jerry. You are proof that always being out helps one see the world that is happening around them. How cool to see that deer and the babies. Then the fire as it is happening.

PS Hopefully no one was injured and they had insurance.

 

[tgil]

That pic of Tanner and Momma Doe is priceless! The fawns are icing on the cake!