Montana– category –

Bozeman was our last stop until Yellowstone, so this week was filled with preparations.  We took everything out of the van for deep-cleaning and organizing, plus I took the van into the shop the check on a leak and have the alignment set...

I had heard of Bozeman's Big Sky Aikido from seminar flyers and some previous research, but had yet to visit or train under Olson Sensei.  With classes most days of the week and a scheduled that covers basic, general, advanced, and weapo...

Our friend in Missoula mentioned the Lewis & Clark Caverns as one of his favorite things in Montana so we decided to check them out.  They’re not on our map and the first sign we saw for them was on the highway exit, which is odd bec...

As we approach Yellowstone, we needed to test one vital thing: how well Fin (and therefor we) sleeps in the Westy.  We tried camping with him when he was about 6 months old and he did not sleep well.  He woke up in the middle of the nigh...

An hour West of Missoula sits Montana's best preserved ghost town.  in the early 1900s Garnet was a bustling town filled with prospectors, but it has sat uninhabited since the 1960s.  All but one of the houses have been donated and are p...

During our week in Missoula, we wanted to see the sights and explore the city.  The location of our AirBnb allowed us to walk downtown with ease, though Missoula isn’t so large that anywhere is too far away.  It’s a flat city, too, so bi...

Aikido of Missoula is centered in downtown, close to the Missoula public library.  On the second floor of its building, the dojo is accessed through a glass door on street level that can be easy to miss at first.  Once upstairs, however,...

One hour North of Missoula, the National Bison Range is one of the USA's oldest wildlife refugees.  Established in 1908, it covers almost 19,000 acres and is a must visit.  There are obviously bison, but you can also see pronghorn, elk, ...

After a week in the Lewiston-Clarkston area, we planned to camp for the weekend in the Lolo National Forest.  A cold hit Fin, however, so we decided to play it safe and do the long drive to Missoula.  The drive over the Northern side of ...