Livingston, Montana is a charming town.  Now very middle class, it was once booming with wealthy bankers and coal and lumber executives. Some of their fine old houses still exist within walking distance of Elizabeth’s house.

Lots of old buildings down town remain from when it was a bit of a boom town.

Most of them now are no longer being put to their original purpose.  Hardware stores are junk/ antique establishments.

In this one, the proprietor’s dogs put a couple of old chairs to good use.

Seems like everyone in Livingston has at least two dogs.

An old school is now a museum. Local artifacts, mostly related to trains, fire-fighting, and Indians. 

I am more interested in the buildings themselves than the artifacts.  Here is a Crow Headdress and a woman’s saddle:

The beautiful historic depot is now a museum too.

A careless photographer cut off the top of this one which reads in original mosaics, “Women’s Lounge.”

While downtown, I bought a poster which has now found a place in the living room.

  And a cross for my collection.

It was a great trip.  People are so nice, chatting you up, asking and answering questions.

Happily, the drive home was mostly uneventful.  You can drive at the speed of light in Montana and Idaho. Back in Oregon you’d better set your cruise control to 65 because it’s really hard to slow down.  I paid the price out there last year.

On the way, I listened to the audio version of the book I will be reviewing for my discussion group next month, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.  It is an amazing , extensively researched and documented, true story.  I loved reading it last year and I now hear it will be made into a movie  by Martin Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio.  I guess he’ll play the FBI man.

After about 2000 miles, I usually need to add a quart of oil which I always keep in the car.  However, this time I neglected to get one out of the spare tire compartment before loading all my gear heavy on top of it.  Couldn’t buy the kind I need  at a gas station in Burns, Oregon, on a Sunday morning. But the attendant came out and helped me dig under everything to pull one out.  Then, without my even asking, he popped the hood, checked the dipstick, and poured it in.

I guess I’ll close with a food bit.  One of my very favorite treats can only be purchased at gas stations in most western states. (Not mine!!)  So stocked up in Jerome, Idaho, to keep my strength up the rest of the way home.

Then, before I knew it, the precious time I spent with Elizabeth and all the fun we had together were memories. And, as we always say, “Home again. Home again. Jiggity Jig”

So much of my trip was about rivers, and on the long drive I pondered the part rivers played and continue to play in the history of the United states.  Expansion. Discovery. Manifest Destiny. The location of our major cities.

First, I drove out the Columbia River Gorge.  Takes my breath away every time.

Turning north into Washington, I drove along the winding Snake.

How did it get it’s name long before anyone had this God’s eye view?

I was blown away visiting the headwaters of the Missouri.

I remember learning about our major rivers in 5th Grade Geography and the part they played in our history.  The Ohio and the Missouri flow into the Mississippi, I learned.  I was tasked to draw a map illustrating this.  At that time, I hadn’t yet traveled far from my little town.  I knew that the Missouri’s source was in Washington State, which was on the other side of the world to me, and that it flowed into the Mississippi at St. Louis. I never dreamed that I would get to visit those places.

Here, again, are my headwater photos:

Of course, the Missouri never “communicates” with the Pacific.  Jefferson wasn’t right about everything.

The Missouri River officially starts at the confluence of the Jefferson and Madison  near Three Forks, Montana, and is joined by the Gallatin a mile downstream.

Confluence with the Gallatin:

We were not the first people here.

Elizabeth on the bank of the Gallatin:

Roxie faking literacy:

Everyone making her mark at the confluence:

Sorry to keep reposting this one.  I just love it.

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And then there was the Yellowstone. The longest wild river in the United States.

Of course, these pictures show only the placid bits of our voyages. You really can’t take pictures when you are shooting rapids.  (Okay, so they were just splashy parts. Not really class 3.)

Lots of amazing wildlife along the way.  Love this bald eagle.

It’s hard to organize my thoughts and pictures about my recent drive to and from Montana to visit Elizabeth.

The drive itself was so beautiful.  First out The Gorge.  Then north to Spokane. Then quickly across the Idaho panhandle and into Montana. All beautiful except north through western Washington.  That was a good time to listen to NPR.

Beautiful into Montana. Incredibly beautiful from Bozeman to Livingston.

Growing up when car trouble was fairly commonplace, I am always go grateful for my reliable Subaru.

I’m going to make this first part about food.  A subject very near to my heart. And thighs.

At Elizabeth’s house, it was all about things from her garden. Fritatas. Burritos. Just-picked corn on the cob. To die for.

Beans seemed to be the bumper crop.

There were also little round, yellow cucumbers, beets, yellow pear tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkins, and the aforementioned corn and sunflowers.  The birds will enjoy their seeds this winter.

And food at Elizabeth’s is never ordinary.

Carefully prepared.

Even the salt is hand-ground.

We did eat out a time or two, returning to favorite places I remembered from last year. An incredible Sunday brunch at Chico Hot Springs.  The garden there is an inspiration. And the BBQ place at tiny Emigrant where, surprisingly, there is a tiny Episcopal Church.

And we bought pizza and cake at Gil’s to eat while watching GBBS episodes.  Those British bakers always inspire my sweet tooth.

End of Part I.  At least for now.

Just back from a wonderful road trip.  So many things.  I think I’ll have to sort them into several categorical posts.  Food.  Livingston. Elizabeth’s garden. Rivers.

Later.  I’m falling asleep. Still on Mountain time.

Elizabeth took my new header picture today at the headwaters of the Missouri after a nice hike to see the confluence with the Gallatin.

Here she is on the bank of the Gallatin.

And here at the confluence.

A fuller post of my amazing road trip to Montana may have to wait. Right now she is making burritos, all with ingredients from her garden so dinner can’t wait!