July 16, 2019
Great Falls, Montana
Heading North… North… and more North. Why? And you all should already know the answer, because it’s there.
After leaving the hospital yesterday, a hail storm, followed by heavy rain developed. It was nasty! But we were in high spirits, we did not mind it at all.
Go figure this Livingstone Mo. Dumpy town, a luxury hospital, all motels are taken. There is nothing here! What gives?
For some reason … up late and exhausted. Must have been hospital-residual tension-and-release.
This morning the sky is clear. The ground shows a lot of water and the motorcycles are soaked.
Cleaned up a little and off we went. Great Falls Montana here we come. It will be riding and riding and a bit more. The plains are, while beautiful, barren. Nothing to see. Mountains all around… “Montana”, as in montaña in Spanish?
By noon, at Great Falls, we met with Sandy, John’s kind of family. We are staying here for the night.
Sandy was born in Great Falls. Knows a lot of what I’d call history, to her is just memories.
Why Great Falls? Originally five falls on the Missouri River. The montana Power company took over the five falls and dam them. Now, they are great falls.
She explains about livingstone, and Bozeman, Great Falls and other places in Montana. Before, 2,000, we hardly had 900,000 people in the entire state. Hollywood figures owning a 10,000 acre ranch for nickels and dimes. Poof! Population explosion (today we near 1,100,0000 inhabitants), an acre now sells for real money and we have a drug (meth) the problem is called “The Yakima Connection”. Not pretty. But Great Falls remains a terrific place. The main industries are a hospital, the Montana Power Company and the National Guard, in that order.
A side trip to the Mayer Dam, one of the now great falls d hydroelectric plant. Also along the River is a trout hatchery (that was a boring one) and the ROE, the shortest river in America (about 200 ft long). This RoeRiver starts at an artesian spring, pours water like there is no tomorrow and empties into the Missouri 200 feet down. Now, aren’t you glad to have learned this?
Must not forget the high point of this day: the Charlie Russel Museum.
For the uneducated (which I was, and no longer), Charlie Russel is the pre-eminent painter of Western Art. Yes! He is very good. I take the liberty of suggesting reading the works if Louis Lamour and/or Zane Grey along the observation of these paintings.
This was an easy lazy day… great!
