This morning we woke up in beautiful Missoula, Montana. After a delicious breakfast of a giant English muffin (a theme of the trip was England and Oxford . . . two words we saw EVERYWHERE), we wandered off to the Smokejumpers Academy. This is where the derring-do of young men and women comes in handy in order to protect the forests from thoughtless people that throw lit cigarettes out of airplanes into the middle of remote areas. Or, from lightning strikes. Basically, these people jump out of planes and hack out firelines. Most of the equipment was designed right there in Missoula. Hurray for the United States Forest Service and Smokey Bear! Here are Emily and Megan enjoying the thrill of real smoke jumper footage.
And this is us driving by and enjoying the thrill of real smoke jumpers.
After Missoula, where I somehow got lost in the Walgreen's, we headed towards Butte, taking the scenic route through Phillipsburg and Anaconda (formerly known as Copperopolis) where Lucille Ball used to live. Here's the scenery. Aren't those clouds lovely?
In Phillipsburg, we stopped at a legit soda fountain for lunch and grabbed some candy and the largest southwestern Montana candy store I've ever been in. Unfortunately, we were a little to early in the year for what must be the social event of the season:
In Anaconda, we stopped at the Washoe Theatre, one of the top five architectural buildings in the US. Radio City Music Hall and Washoe Theatre are the only original art deco theaters left in the nation. We stopped by to see if it was open and the guy let us wander around. It was stunning and definitely worth the three minutes.
After a busy morning of detours, we cruised through Butte, Bozeman, and Billings. Before this trip, I had sunshine and lollipop views of Bozeman. Um, it's nice. But really small. I think Missoula is where it's at. Billings is right out, although the beef was delicious (not sure I ate all day except for that fudge and root beer float in PBurg). It was an educational day. I love Montana, I'd love to live here someday, but that someday is not in the nearest future.
This morning we woke up in beautiful Missoula, Montana. After a delicious breakfast of a giant English muffin (a theme of the trip was England and Oxford . . . two words we saw EVERYWHERE), we wandered off to the Smokejumpers Academy. This is where the derring-do of young men and women comes in handy in order to protect the forests from thoughtless people that throw lit cigarettes out of airplanes into the middle of remote areas. Or, from lightning strikes. Basically, these people jump out of planes and hack out firelines. Most of the equipment was designed right there in Missoula. Hurray for the United States Forest Service and Smokey Bear! Here are Emily and Megan enjoying the thrill of real smoke jumper footage. 
And this is us driving by and enjoying the thrill of real smoke jumpers. 
After Missoula, where I somehow got lost in the Walgreen's, we headed towards Butte, taking the scenic route through Phillipsburg and Anaconda (formerly known as Copperopolis) where Lucille Ball used to live. Here's the scenery. Aren't those clouds lovely? 
In Phillipsburg, we stopped at a legit soda fountain for lunch and grabbed some candy and the largest southwestern Montana candy store I've ever been in. Unfortunately, we were a little to early in the year for what must be the social event of the season: 
In Anaconda, we stopped at the Washoe Theatre, one of the top five architectural buildings in the US. Radio City Music Hall and Washoe Theatre are the only original art deco theaters left in the nation. We stopped by to see if it was open and the guy let us wander around. It was stunning and definitely worth the three minutes. 
After a busy morning of detours, we cruised through Butte, Bozeman, and Billings. Before this trip, I had sunshine and lollipop views of Bozeman. Um, it's nice. But really small. I think Missoula is where it's at. Billings is right out, although the beef was delicious (not sure I ate all day except for that fudge and root beer float in PBurg). It was an educational day. I love Montana, I'd love to live here someday, but that someday is not in the nearest future.
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