One of the first tourists to Montana was a man named Maximillian of Wied. Or, if you want to be more specific, Prince Maximillian Alexander Phillip of Wied-Neuwied. Unlike the Lewis and Clark Expedition or the fur trappers that followed, Maximillian did not come to explore or make money, he came simply to look around. … Read more
Back in January, we made plans to cross-country ski into a Forest Service cabin. I spent the next month in a near panic, worried that we wouldn’t have any snow to ski on. I spend a lot of time worrying about the weather when we plan trips. In fairness, the country only a few miles … Read more
On Saturday I was a little worried about going skiing. It had felt like spring down in Missoula, and the reports coming from Chief Joseph weren’t all that encouraging. Warm weather kept thawing the surface every day, and cold weather kept freezing it every night, resulting in super icy conditions that made it nearly impossible … Read more
Last weekend marked the seventh annual National Ski Joring Association Championships in Whitefish, Montana (the pictures on this post are from the 2014 event). Skijoring in Whitefish has a history stretching back at least half a century. During the 1960s and early ’70s, the annual Whitefish Winter Carnival prominently featured a skijoring competition. However, in … Read more
In a creative writing workshop, my wife wrote about growing up on a farm. Later, in the same essay, she talked about growing up on a ranch. This caused considerable consternation in the workshop. “You can’t use those words interchangeably,” people said. “It’s a farm or it’s a ranch. You need to figure out which … Read more
Winter marks a slow-down in Montana’s event calendar. My guess: people are far too busy skiing to bother with events. However, there are still some very exciting things happening in Montana this next month, I’m going to highlight a few, and be sure to check out the whole list at: virtualmontana.com/events/ With snowshoeing, … Read more
Not long before Christmas, I needed a new notebook. On a whim, I bought one without lines. I’ve started drafting my blog posts using unnecessary squiggly arrows and doodles. In reality, this is just an ingenious procrastination method, but it also makes me feel like an old fashioned natural philosopher. I like to think that … Read more
Tempest videographer Mike Dreesman spent the first week of January in Yellowstone National Park. He took some stunning footage of big horn sheep, bison, eagles, and scenery, but probably his most arresting footage was of two carcasses in the snow. Mike spent nearly four hours taking video of a bison carcass which lay half submerged … Read more
In Christmastime in Montana, David Walter has compiled hundreds of stories and descriptions of Christmas celebrations from the archives of Montana history, and I was perusing it earlier this week. Wait, peruse means to “examine carefully and at length?” Never mind, I wasn’t perusing anything. I speed-skimmed Christmastime in Montana, on the search for blog-postable … Read more
You, dear reader, will never have an opportunity to travel through Montana with my dad [name withheld because he doesn’t trust the internet]. Which is a shame, because it is one of the best ways of seeing the state. References like Names on the Faces of Montana, virtualmontana.com, this blog, and a good Montana Map … Read more
