We drove 3,486 miles to Kalispell, MT for a memorial service for Janet’s only sibling and basically the last of her family line. We drove the first 1500 miles in two days with an overnight in Billings, MT. It was a joy to take in the beauty of God’s creation.
Winds across South Dakota on Thursday the 10th were horrific! Gusts up to 60 mph!
I loved watching the trains going over the Absaroka Range of the Rockies between Livingston and Bozeman. A coalie had two motors and four DPU’s, a stacker was streaming through the timber, and they were loading a ballast train. How fun is that!
The church in Kalispell that was willing to host the memorial service for Tom had a great facility!
Also, the church had great people! They were the friendliest ever – surpassing even us! A couple about two rows behind us were ones we knew back in SD and a guy in front of me had ministered in SD and knew some of the same people I did.
I knew one of the security guys from years ago and he told me that probably 70% of those in attendance were carrying. Boy – anyone trying anything would be greeted with a hail of lead!
Kalispell is over-ran with people – many fleeing CA. The town to the north, Whitefish, is full of millionaires. The Christian school there is bursting with the majority from non-Christian homes who want out of the public system. The school is a mission field with the parents’ permission.
Kalispell had some liberals force the removal of a Ten Commandment stone from a prominent highway location. The citizens rose up in complaint and put up large Ten Commandment billboards everywhere – pretty fun!
We were also impressed with all the American flags as they were everywhere including up and down residential streets.
Also of note were the coffee huts. Probably every other block on main drags.
Also of note in Kalispell were the number of businesses closed on Sunday! Yeah!
From Browning to Choteau, MT, (east side of Glacier Nat Park) is a vast, vast country with truly a big, big sky! In that same stretch there are few, very few, people and ranches look to be pretty poor except for two impressive colonies – all else bland. We had Mennonite colonies in South Dakota that were also, very, very successful. Likely the same kind of operation.
It was HOT! Kalispell was mid-90’s, Laurel MT was 102, Cody WY, on the 16th was 107 and the day before 105.
The highway north out of Lovell (where we lived for 12 years) was closed due to smoke from two raging forest fires. The flames of the fire to the north could occasionally be seen – I have never seen such.
Going up the face of the west side of the Big Horns (no natural canyon thus some 9% grades), I encountered only one vehicle going down. A very quiet day. Across the top of the Big Horns we did not see one deer and no moose – rare! Coming home I saw four antelope – each alone. Not one group of critters!
I saw a sign announcing the presence of a “KOA Resort” – those two terms don’t seem to belong together, do they!
At the North Platte rodeo the announcer prayed and noted in that prayer that his salvation was by faith in the death of Jesus on the cross.
We talked with a head nurse of a care home in another state who reported that she had only one resident die of COVID but four have died shortly after getting the vaccine. That is NOT good!
I did not listen to the radio or CD but for only about 15 minutes. Furthermore, I also saw only 30 minutes or so of television and, of course, NO screen time (no phone and no computer). What a great vacation!
As always it is good to go AND it is good to come home. Thanks for the adventure!
a PK Musing 
Leave a comment