Day 4 Montana: A Grand Day of Being Tourists

What a day! Carol and I decided to head north west to Ennis and Virginia City after our friend Jeannie had told us what a fun place it was. Lots of Western history, which fascinates both of us. We weren’t disappointed! Especially Virginia City was filled to the brim with the Old West, from a bunch of old shops and businesses set up just as they were back in the 1870s to stage coaches and hay wagons running through town. (Those were available for rides.)

Every museum building had a story to tell and so many artifacts from 15o years ago. We really got the flavor of life in an old West gold rush town. We even rode a steam train from Virginia City to neighboring ghost town, Nevada City and back again. Oh, and we saw a bear–okay, he was in a museum, but at one time, he was a ferocious grizzly.

Ennis was fun, full of shops with souvenirs–some your basic made-in-China crapola and some real artisan goods made right here in Montana. There were shops full of Western wear–shirts, Levis,  Stetsons, and boots–all way out of our vacation-fund price range, but fun to window shop. We had some yummy strawberry tarts at a cafe there and wandered in and out of shops. I found a couple of items for family members and a bracelet for me (I love, love bracelets) that has the word “Brave” engraved on the inside of it. Brave is my goal… I’m working on being braver this year.

Virginia City had some great shops too–again lots of souvenir-type stuff, but also some lovely artisan things and some fun things I got for prizes when Forever Cowboy releases in September.

The drive there and back was equally fascinating because the landscapes were so very different from each other. Here in Big Sky, it’s all huge mountains and pines. As we headed west, the landscape changed to rolling hills and pastures and wheat and hayfields with junipers dotting here and there and ranches and fences and sagebrush. I absorbed it all–even-saw a ranch that reminded me of what I imagined Del Foster’s ranch to be–and oh, the cows and horses!

On the way home, clouds rolled in and the sky–that huge Montana sky–turned dark and threatening, but we made it home pretty much dry because the storm stayed pretty much north of us.

We’re not sure what tomorrow will bring but we’ll be back here to share it with you! Thanks for joining us on the adventure to Montana–we hope you’re having as much fun as we are!

Hugs to all!  Nan/Carol