Eclectic travelers

600 West Kagy Boulevard Bozeman, MT   http://museumoftherockies.org/   Started in 1957 this museum on the Montana State University Campus is a wonderful treasure when the weather does not invite you in to the mountains.   Big Mike invites you in and is a good symbol for the museums real strength. I loved the geology, the displays that gave the full story of geologic and biologic evolution over the age of the earth.  There are numerous fossil bones, but not just cabinets collecting dust. These elements were put in displays with comparisons and descriptions that added to the experience of observation with knowledge that could help the viewer become more proficient in paleontology.   There were lessons in reading the rock stories, new up to date information on our continually expanding ability to learn from the fossil records. There was a nice hall on the American Indians of Montana and I especially enjoyed the interactive feature that allow...

We visited Headwaters State Park between Bozeman and Butte with Jon and Kristin.  This is a featured state park in Montana and should be a gem in their state park system.  This is where the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallitin rivers come together to form the Missouri. It is exciting for anyone who is familiar with either the geography or the history of the US.  The Missouri/Mississippi River drainage is an immense part of our national freshwater system and the Missouri was the highway of Louis and Clark for a majority of their famous journey.  The Jefferson and Madison are the first to join, then the Galletin comes in from the east within a 1/4 mile to create the massive drainage that starts the flow of the Missouri.  Draining mountain ranges all around Yellowstone and south Montana this river is a rich landscape for wildlife and bird migration. It has been the site of human use and conflict as long as we have a history.  The American Indians were he...

We enjoy visiting the old gateway to Yellowstone.  The store fronts are wonderful and harken back to the old west.  There are great restaurants and my favorite book store in Montana The book store is a wonderful place off the main street with a terrific collection of western themed books set in an old storefront.  The atmosphere of the store is terrific and I always stop and buy a book when time allows.

Somehow in all the years we’ve been visiting Grand Marais, MN we have not eaten at this very popular establishment. And I love fish! Yesterday, we made the decision that this was the day – hoping they weren’t closed on Mondays.   It was another gloriously bright October day with the temperature hovering around the mid-50s.   Located near the North House Folk School on Hwy 61, we found a curbside parking spot and when we saw people walking up the slope from the restaurant’s front door, we knew we were in luck. We were told that this small (from the front) restaurant started out 24 years ago as a place that offered sailing trips and sold hot dogs from a window.   It is now a bright, wood paneled, two dining room eatery.   There is an outside patio/deck facing the water too, and on this windy day, with the water sparkling in the harbor, two couples braved the windchill to enjoy an autumn lunch in the sun. Gulls flew up and swirled around in front of t...

Written by Kate, photography by Mike Anyone who has been to Grand Marais, MN over the years probably drove past The Pie Place, but missed seeing it.   Set back from Highway 61 it was a small, one story, white clapboard building, with an enclosed front porch.   Inside it had the character of an old 1940s café, but the food was always tasty and the namesake pies outstanding.   Last May, The Pie Place moved into town to a much better location.   It is now easily found on Main Street, right across from the beautiful harbor.   It succeeds a number of other restaurants at this location and we hope it will be successful and have a long run in this new spot.   It has become our favorite place to eat in town, and that’s saying something, since Grand Marais has an unusually good selection of eating establishments for a town its size.   We ate there in August when our friends Mark and Jeannie Sandbo suggested it as a good lunch spot.   Karen Halberschleb...

Written by Kate - photos by Mike A visit to Ashland , Wisconsin is a much more pleasant experience these days than in the not too distant past.   It was a port city for freighters and rows of rusting ore docks as well as a coal power plant blocked ones view of big Chequamegon Bay .   Once the shipping industry stopped, the town suffered economically and it showed.   But times have changed – for the better.   Today, Ashland is working hard to restore its shoreline and making it more visitor friendly, as well as environmentally healthy.   Some of the old ore docks still stand, but there are fewer of them and the power plant is still there, but it is converting to using biofuels. The Chequamegan Hotel is a bright white beacon of gentility, recently renovated to showcase its historical character and its close connection to the lake.   We were lucky enough to have a corner suite on the 3 rd floor and enjoyed the view out into the bay, even on th...