Sunday, May 13, 2018

May 13, 2018

Choteau, Montana, is a sweet special little city that calls itself "Front Porch of The Rockies."  Pinedale, Wyoming, once had prominnt signs on either side of town that said, "All The Civiliation You Need."  Those signs would also well describe Choteau.  The city has everything anyone would ever need without anything extra.  It's the perfect "right-sized" rural Montana city.

We arrived here in a relentless rain late Friday afternoon and will be leaving sometime this sunny Mother's Day morning.  We've really enjoyed our short sojourn in Choteau. We parked two nights in the City Park Campground beside tiny Spring Creek, a tributary of the nearby Teton River.

Choteau is one of the last remaining cities on US 89 that continues to offer and maintain a City Park Campground.  Over 100 years ago when auto ownership and travel exploded, cities and towns all across American set up "tourist camps" to cater to  visiting motorists.  Eventually, such visitors wore out their welcome.  Today a City Park Campground is a novel rarity.  This campground costs a mere $8 a night and has clean restrooms, a trash container and a water spigot.

There's plenty for a Highway Heritage Tourists to see and do in Choteau. The city's history dates back to the earliest days of The Blackfeet Reservation in the 1860's.  By the time the turn of the century rolled around, Choteau was primed to become the legal and commercial hub of a lengthy stretch of The Rocky Mountain Front.

As an example of the community's long-term cultural and economic health, consider that Choteau has supported a first rate weekly newspaper since 1904!  Very, very few rural communities of less than 2,000 population can boast such a similar claim.

There are numerous thriving businesses of all kinds in Choteau. The city's residential district is a charming slice of the Norman Rockwell genre. Choteau benefits from the vast vibrant ag lands that sprawl across the horizon. Fat, good-looking cattle easily outnumber people here and the grain industry remains an economic kingpin.

Choteau's Old Trail Museum is definitely one of the best such facilities for a city this sie anywhere to be found. Most cities this size have some sort of a museum but nothing that can compare to the Old Trail Museum. The institution clearly shows people here care deeply about their history and heritage.

Indeed, history lives large on the local landscape. Everywhere you look there's some sort of reminder about the cultural cavalcade that left its legacy.  Consider that the namesake of the Choteau museum is "The Old Trail," which some say may date back 25,000 years as a connection between the Arctic and Mexico.  A credible case could be argued that The Old Trail is the very precursor of what's now highway US 89!

Time and our journey on US 89 from Mexico to Canada march on so we must once again take to the road today.  But we're a bit reluctant to leave such a sweet city as Choteau.  This place could easily be a "come back" spot for an extended stay to soak up so many highlights we're having to leave unseen.

Moving right along to what lies ahead today we will scout a purported camping area in Dupuyer for use on our return trip.  Today's objective is to get to the Glacier National Park's Saint Mary Campground just west of the community that bears the same name.  It's first-come, first-served this time of year so we want to arrive fairly early "just in case" there might be more campers than there are campsites.

If the Saint Mary Visitor Center is open there "should" be free, good WIFI there and maybe we can try to get caught up  posting some photos.

The weather is progged to be clear and dry at least until Wednesday.  Later this week, the wet weather returns.  However, it's gratifying to know that we will have a Bluebird Day to end The Drive on US 89 from Mexico to Canada.  Naturally, we've been in contact with Customs & Border Protection and they are expecting us at the CBP Piegan Port of Entry.  Chances are we will go there tomorrow.

We don't know what kinds of emotions will arise as a result of this journey's end.  It's a pretty safe bet it definitely will be an emotional moment for both of us.

Heck, just driving the final miles of US 89 will be emotional, especially since this is Ivan Doig Country.  Susun is reading "Dancing At The Rascal Fair" and I've read "This House of Sky" and The Macaskill Trilogy so all of those images will undoubtedly rise to the forefront as we drive The Ivan Doig Memorial Highway today.

We've said it before many times and we'll say it again many times, "Driving US 89 from Mexico to Canada has far, far exceeded our wildest expectations for a highway adventure."  It's an experience that will live with us forever.  We are so grateful to have had this opportunity.

Well, it's time for a right & proper Mother's Day Breakfast so we'll catch ya'll on down the road.

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