Blogs from Great Falls, Montana, United States, North America

Anxiety rose along with the elevation as we drove toward the heart of Montana today, making our way from Billings to Great Falls. The growing tension inside the Rasmussen Silverado had nothing to do with the previous night’s conversation, when, over strawberry daiquiris and the Outback Steakhouse's signature “blooming onion,” I chose to defended my particular political heresy against my parents’ orthodoxy. No! It was the upcoming Tour de Dad – that heroes’ quest – that cast such a long shadow. The wondrous mapping tools of our modern world provided my parents little security in that Silverado. Maps were double and triple checked and still the path remained obscure. Questions were asked, answered, and asked again. Certainty, it seemed, was all but impossible. “I wanna know where I’m going!” became a frequent comment. Outside, the plains ... read more

So it is official...the Evans family is on the road to the trip of a lifetime, ALASKA. ! We left Whitehall at 4:30pm on Thursday, June 28 for a 6-7 week trip that will take us through the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and The Yukon and all around Alaska, otherwise known as, The Last Frontier. For us half the fun will be the long drive there because we plan to see some amazing places in Canada, like Banff and Jasper National Parks and great destinations all along the Alaskan Highway(ALCAN). When we left Whitehall it was a sweltering 87', but that was nothing compared to the 97' as we crossed into Illinois at 7:30pm. Aaron made great time driving crossing into Iowa at 10:30 and a rest stop in Davenport, Iowa was our campground ... read more

Another beautiful day in Montana. Was 47 this morning. Now 79. We had a nice potluck dinner last evening. Good food and good companionship. We went to see the four falls that are here on the Missouri river. The Missouri river empties into the Mississippi at St.Louis. These falls produce hydroelectric power. We were planning to leave tomorrow but think we will stay one more day. I had a new experience last night and this morning. As I said yesterday, we are next to an Air Force base. Last night at 10:00 they played taps and this morning at 7:00 they play revelie(sp?). Disclaimer - I am not responsible for misspelled words or typo's.... read more

Monday, August 15th 64 degrees and rainy at 9:15. Rained on and off all night. Some blue can be seen in the south and east. Great Falls Wal-mart parking lot. Mileage is 15095. Drove to the Charles Russell Museum a few blocks in a residential area from where we were. The museum has a large collection of Russell's paintings and is organized in five galleries by dates, which show the changes in his style from a young man until he died in 1926. Russell came to Montana from a wealthy St. Louis family and worked as a cow hand on several ranches in the Judith River Valley and other areas near Great Falls until he was famous enough to make his living as an artist. He was a great painter in watercolor and oils of cowboys, ... read more