A Few Days in Shelby, Montana and surrounding area

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, North Dakota, South Dakota
Shelby, Montana[/caption] March 28, 2013:  On our way back to Kentucky from Rexburg, Idaho we made a three day detour to Shelby, Montana to visit our daughter and her husband and their 4 children. Thanks to our new best trailer tires we were able to go on rough roads quite smoothly, and I have to say till date they have been my best investment on the RV. During our three days here, we were very busy with a trip to the base of Glacier National Park, a drive around town capturing the "Neon Essence" of Shelby, and a trip north to Sweetgrass, just south of the Canadian border, where we also visited a Hutterite colony and learned of their amazing communal ways.  This post will cover these activities through photos…
Read More

Road Trip Home from Idaho – Day 1: Rexburg, ID to Shelby, MT

Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, North Dakota, South Dakota
Gold Butte in Northern Montana as seen from Frontier Bar near Shelby, Montana[/caption] Mar. 27, 2013: After almost two weeks in Rexburg working with my new employer DSN America, it was time to return back to Kentucky and home sweet home.  They had flown Julianne out to Idaho, so I was blessed to have my very best friend and sweetheart with me for the long drive home, with a brief stopover in Shelby, Montana to see our daughter and their kids.  It was an easy first day. Rexburg, ID to Shelby, MT We left Rexburg in the afternoon and eventually zipped up I-15.  We crossed over Monida Pass, which serve as the border between Idaho and Montana. The mountains were still snow covered and beautiful, especially as we came close to the…
Read More

Sumoflam is Everywhere – A Photo Gallery

Arizona, Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Colorado, Horses, Missouri, North Dakota, Place Names, Route 66, South Carolina, South Dakota, Squirrels, States and Provinces, Trinity Music Productions, Wildflowers, Yard Art
Sumoflam and Thunderbirds in Bismarck, ND[/caption] Over the years I have taken nearly 30,000 photos of my travels and in most cases I have not been in the photos.  Over the coming months I will add new galleries that are thematic. this is the first one.  Enjoy!! [nggallery id=2] ]]>
Read More

Traveling the Enchanted Highway in North Dakota

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, City Skylines, North Dakota, South Dakota
If you are at all interested in the whimsical, unique and humongous roadside attractions of this great country, then a drive down the amazing Enchanted Highway in North Dakota is a MUST!! On April 2, 2013, I finally had the opportunity to drive one of the "Bucket List" trips for me in all of my travels across the country.  The 32 mile drive features a number of pieces of the amazing artwork of retired Regent, ND school teacher Gary Greff who has taken on this effort in order to keep the small dying town from becoming a ghost town.  I hope to have a pretty comprehensive overview of the entire route, including the map below and detailed directions, mileage, photos and even some details about each stop along the way.…
Read More

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 4: Shelby, MT to Rexburg, ID

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, South Dakota
Cabin in the Snow[/caption] March 25, 2013: After a fabulous couple of days in Shelby, MT with my daughter, her husband and all the kids, it was back on the road for the last leg of the trip to Rexburg.  This was basically a straight shot down I-15 thru Great Falls, Helena and Butte.   Unfortunately, the day started off pretty snowy and yucky. [caption id="attachment_1998" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Gas Station in Shelby, MT[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1999" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Interstate 15 heading South towards Great Falls[/caption] By the time I had hit the Great Falls area, the weather was basically clearing up and so it was more or less smooth sailing to Helena.  I was provided an excellent view of Tower Rock State Park. [caption id="attachment_1960" align="aligncenter" width="300"] South on I-15 towards Tower…
Read More

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 3: Miles City, MT to Shelby, MT

Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, South Dakota
Antelope on the Run[/caption] Day 3 - March 10, 2013: A beautiful morning in Miles City, Montana.  A cool 45 degrees and bright sunny skies.  Should be a wonderful day to drive to Shelby, about 6 or 7 hours away. Following is the path I took to Shelby from Miles City: Miles City to Shelby, Montana [caption id="attachment_1942" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Welcome to Miles City[/caption] Miles City is a town of about 8500 people in Custer County in the far southeast of Montana. The town was founded in 1877 by settlers who had been evicted by General Nelson A. Miles from the Tongue River Cantonment for selling alcohol to the soldiers.  It is a typical Western town and actually similar to some Texas towns I have been to. [caption id="attachment_1935" align="aligncenter"…
Read More

Road Trip to Idaho – Day 1: Lexington, KY to Savage, MN

Backroads Discoveries, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Missouri, South Dakota, States and Provinces
Sunset in Northern Iowa[/caption] A couple of days ago I was informed I have an opportunity for some work in Idaho, and possibly full time employment.  They want me to come out for two weeks and suggested I drive out instead of fly, especially since they know I love to do that.  So, today (March 8) I drove 848 miles over a 15 1/2 hour stretch, finally arriving in Savage, MN for the night.  Following is the map of the trip: Lexington, KY to Savage MN I left Lexington at about 6 AM and just drove straight through Indianapolis and eventually made my way to Advance, IN.  This is a small town located in Boone County.  I went there because of the name. [caption id="attachment_1780" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Advance, Indiana[/caption] Advance…
Read More

Another Central Kentucky Roadtrip – Stanford and Crab Orchard

Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Route 66
Old Pepsi Wall Ad - downtown Stanford, KY[/caption] On Thursday (Feb. 28, 2013) my wife and I made a trip to Stanford, KY for a meeting.  Stanford is the second oldest town in the state and Lincoln County is one of Kentucky's three original counties.  Benjamin Logan accompanied Daniel Boone to the area and in 1775 built a fort in what is now Stanford.  It was originally called Logan's Fort. A diorama replica of the fort is housed in the Lincoln County Public Library. I figured that while we were in Stanford we could also catch a bit of the history and scenery of of the area, so we made it a half day "Sumoflam Road Trip" and took some back roads.  Following is the map of our route for…
Read More