My Journey

[calicamper]

Jerry just wait for 2021-2022 on the cabin. Sadly by that point we will likely see a drop in market value. Right now all the tech workers stuck in tiny apartments with room mates are out buying places in remote areas thinking they’ll work remotely. Some might, but many will realize once your too far away from HQ your career path gets side lined. Jobs might exist but career paths fade with distance?. And funny enough I’m retired web based product trainer who was remote office in 2004, but I was 45 min from HQ and still had HQ visits. COVID changes this for the next 10-18 months most Tech companies have locked doors zero access policy right now. Many parents have adult kids back home remote working because roommates in a small condo etc makes working from home space near impossible. Mom and Dad in many cases have more space?

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

tikirob.....thank you for the kind words and for the feedback. I was a huge fan and user of ioverlander (not so much anymore).....I've donated over 100 sites to that ap but really my preference is to stumble onto sites.....

calicamper.....exactly and I agree with all that you said 100 %. I currently have a backup contract on a log cabin but I doubt that it will go through (I'll know next week). Another place came on the market recently and within its first day of being listed it had 4 cash offers. This was prior to the July 4th weekend and the sellers weren't allowing viewings until after the holiday weekend.....so it had 4 cash offers without a single viewing. That's what I'm up against this year.....



It's difficult to put into words just how exhilarating it was to put the madness of the larger Montana cities (Missoula, Butte and Bozeman) behind. Sometimes I think that we just don't realize how maddening our world really is until we've been able to escape that space and move on to more peaceful environments. Everything felt right about the decision to go east.....to explore the Montana prairies.....



We continued north on Highway 89 and at the intersection with Highway 294 we made a right turn, and now we were driving on the even much less traveled Highway 294.....



We passed through acres upon acres of rolling Montana hills.....exhilarating is truly the right word to describe the feelings I had as we passed through these amazing lands. Eventually there was a "T" in the highway and at the "T" we made another right turn onto Highway 12 and then just a few miles down that highway we made a stop at the entrance of the Selkirk Fishing Access lot.....



I had good luck with camping at the last fishing access lot in Gold Creek so Tanner and I took a walk down the gravel road to see what we could see.....



About halfway down the road was a sign that said "Camping in Designated Areas Only".....so we walked further along that road.....



It was our good fortune to find 3 small established campsites at the end of the road..... along the banks of the Musselshell River.....



The campsite we chose was not more than 50 feet from the rivers edge.....clouds were forming overhead so we parked the rig and headed out to explore our surroundings.....





This place seemed perfect after a day on the road.....Tanner chased the rabbits that seemed to be everywhere throughout the fields.....we walked and we walked.....



Yep.....Selkirk Fishing Acess was a good spot indeed.....bullet holes in a sign.....that's Montana.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

That first night spent at Selkirk Fishing Access campground.....we slept good camped along the Musselshell River.....



The morning skies clouded over and a bit of rain with high winds moved through the area.....



I saw no reason to leave after only night so Tanner and I headed out to explore.....



Our first long walk was along Highway 12.....





Traffic was light and we were able to bounce back and forth to either side of the highway avoiding any near collisions with passing motorists.....



Eventually the skies cleared as skies always do.....





This sign along the highway and this massive complex that sat behind it maybe a half mile off the highway intrigued me.....eventually I would have a pleasant visit at that complex.....more about that later.....



Our first walk of the day.....seven wonderful miles.....

 

[Foy]

Thanks for breaking trail for us, Jerry. Wife and I will complete a traverse across central and eastern Montana in the coming months. Excepting far eastern MT along the ND border badlands, we've never been there and we're so looking forward to it.

Very much looking forward to reading and seeing pics of your visit to the Colony.

Safe travels,

Foy

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Foy.....the colony was a total surprise to me. When I think of colony I think of Jamestown or Williamsburg.....not Huatrirites.....the colony was definitely interesting & enjoyable too. Soon I'll be posting about some great hiking I did in bear country.....you may want to add these places to your trip plans.....I loved it there.....



We stayed a second night and continued to explore.....another walk along Highway 12.....the first walk was to the west.....this walk was to the east.....





We took a side road to the south.....





.....and eventually that side road crossed the Musselshell River.....





At the intersection of the road and the river was a picturesque ranch.....





I was absolutely loving it here along this river.....we were certainly in no hurry to leave.....

 

[chet6.7]

I am reading Michener's Centennial,the pictures of the prairie fit in with where I am in the book.

 

[Sierra Valley]

Gods country what a beautiful area!

 

[Foy]

Yes, Jerry, I also hadn't a clue what the Hutterite colonies were all about until one day while poring over my Montana Benchmark I noticed several Colonies. I asked Mr. Google a question about the Montana colonies and spent the next couple of hours reading about them. The Hutterites are closely related to Pennsylvania's and Virginia's Mennonites in terms of strict non-resistance (avowed pacifists, barred by religions beliefs from conflict), but unlike the Mennonites, the Hutterites live communally. The farms and all housing, etc, are owned by the Colony, not by the individual members of the community. In recent years there has been a "reality" TV show about life in a Hutterite colony.

Great stuff, sir! Thanks so much for keeping it coming!

Foy

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

We have a colony where I live, nice folks. When I was a field advisor i spent a lot of time there. And they also use technology, brand new trucks, auto steer tractors, our local guys drive ford raptors to check water, etc. State of the art computer controlled irrigation systems. Much different from the Amish. Our local, and probably all of them, speak a old form of German. I had a German exchange student do ride along with me for a month or so, as part of the local ag education program. He said, that he understood parts, but that it was the old German language they dont teach anymore.

 

[Foy]

Yep, and that's a good point to emphasize: while there are some belief system parallels, there are wide variations between the Amish and Mennonites and Hutterites. To this casual observer, the Mennonites seem somewhere in the middle in terms of use of modern technology, with the Amish on the "no tech" end of spectrum, and the Hutterites on the "all the tech we can use" end of the spectrum.

Fascinating to get around the country and see how so many different ways to live there are, eh?

Foy

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

PNWY.....the Martinsdale Colony consists of 170 members and during my visit they all spoke German except for when they spoke directly to me. They were nice folks but I will add that I thought them to be a bit unusual.....I don't say that in a negative sense but their mannerisms were different best I could tell.....

Foy.....it really is interesting & exciting when you come across something like this. In some ways it's almost like traveling to a foreign land (and I speak from having traveled overseas quite a bit over the years).....



We were walking along Highway 12 when I spotted a middle aged man, dressed a bit unusual, working on the nearby fields sprinkler system......we struck up a conversation that went something like this.....

Him: who are you ?

Me: Jerry.

Him: what are you doing ?

Me: walking my dog.

Him: why ?

Me: I love to walk. We're always walking.

Him: where's your truck ?
(this is Montana.....you just assume that you have a truck).

Me: I'm parked at the Selkirk Fishing Access lot.

Him: why ?

Me: I'm camped there.

Him: why ?


Well.....I won't bore you any longer with the remainder of that conversation (interrogation) but needless to say that the sight of a stranger walking his dog along Highway 12 sure did give great concern to what turned out to be a middle aged Hutterite man.....





Eventually I enquired about the availability of the fresh vegetables that were referenced on the highway sign and he said that they had cucumbers and wasn't sure what else.....





I asked if I could return the following day to check things out, maybe purchase some vegetables, and he said that would be fine. As we walked back along the highway a pick up truck stopped.....the driver.....obviously another middle aged Hutterite man.....he says to me "you looking for someone ?". I replied "nope, just walking." He stares me down.....15 maybe 30 seconds pass by.....he says "OK" and drives off.....



Tanner & I spent the remainder of that day just hanging out.....lots to expore.....





That evening a pair of rangers stopped by our campsite and we talked about my encounters with the Hutterites.....the rangers said that these people mostly keep to themselves and pretty much are untrusting of the outside world & especially strangers like me.....the rangers said that seeing me walking along the highway was so out of character for the area that I more than likely raised those great concerns I previously mentioned.....

.....so we stayed a third night at the Selkirk Fishing Access campground.....



.....and then following day we drove up to visit the Martinsdale Colony.....



Absolutely incredible the lives these people have built.....community.....

 

[Foy]

Cool to know there are around 170 members of the Martinsdale Colony. Those interested should read up on what the procedures are for when a colony's population exceeds around 250. They lead a very, very different lifestyle than most, but it is admirable in many ways.

I can't help but notice you posted no pictures of the Hutterites you encountered. And I'm not surprised.

Foy

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Foy.....regarding photographs there was a mixed reaction. I spent about an hour on site and everyone was friendly although most everyone seemed more interested in completing their chores than they were in speaking with me. My first attempt at a pictute was met with this.....



At that point I decided not to photograph any adults but the children were curious about me and were more than accommodating.....



That's Arnie driving the four wheeler.....he was bringing the kids in for lunch.....they had spent the morning working in the garden.....



Arnie yelled "get in your truck and follow me".....and that's just what I did.....



He took me to a cooled storage unit to check out the fresh vegetables that were for sale. The kids gathered round me and they all just pretty much stared at me.....a few spoke in whispers.....all I heard was in German.....



Arnie was into my rig & my lifestyle.....and he jumped inside the camper to check it out. We got along great but he had a busy day ahead of him.....obviously this is a hard working group of people.....



Once Arnie left I had a look at what I had just bought.....even though I'm a vegetarian.....I wondered how I had just spent $80.....there was no way that I'd consume all that fresh food.....it seemed like a good idea at the time.....



I drove through the colony.....snapped a few more photos.....





.....and then we headed for the small town of Martinsdale, Montana.....to see what we could see.....

 

[tgil]

Yes, Jerry, I also hadn't a clue what the Hutterite colonies were all about until one day while poring over my Montana Benchmark I noticed several Colonies. I asked Mr. Google a question about the Montana colonies and spent the next couple of hours reading about them. The Hutterites are closely related to Pennsylvania's and Virginia's Mennonites in terms of strict non-resistance (avowed pacifists, barred by religions beliefs from conflict), but unlike the Mennonites, the Hutterites live communally. The farms and all housing, etc, are owned by the Colony, not by the individual members of the community. In recent years there has been a "reality" TV show about life in a Hutterite colony.

Great stuff, sir! Thanks so much for keeping it coming!

Foy

I enjoyed watching that show, when it was on. It was the first thing that popped into my head when Jerry mentioned the colony.

 

[Sierra Valley]

I see Duncan Ranch Colony up the road on google. Looks just like the other one.