Launched: Nana & Papa Camp Montana

On the road and here we are in Red Lodge, MT:

    Yep, it was a roundabout route, but here we are in Red Lodge via Missoula, MT on our was to Yellowstone. Not the usual way to get to America's oldest national park, but it was a detour down memory byway/highway/interstate/lane from our home in Bend, Oregon. First family stop was in Missoula at my brother and sister-in-law's house where we were shown Montana hospitality that included backcountry fly fishing for my husband, Jerry, and a day at Seeley Lake then Granett Ghost Town for me, Maya and Kai. Keep in mind that the four of us traveled over 1,000 miles before picking up Jackson and Audrey at Billings International Airport.

Billings Airport with the
fearsome foursome

    Red Lodge was home to my mother and step dad and "summer camp" for our two kids for years. As they say, you can't go home again, but being here has brought back the best of memories for me and a chance to show our grandchildren where the place that meant so much to their parents. The historic district of this mining town is just plain hopping with restaurants, bars, galleries, and shops. On the night we arrived,  Arts Guild wine and art auction in the old depot was just winding down featuring plenty of upscale goings-on that weren't there in the 1970s and 80s. What has not changed is the stunning landscapes that just kept on going as we drove to East Rosebud Lake then back to Wild Bill Lake for kid-friendly fishing.

The Beartooth Range

But then there are the oddities like: Pig Racing. What can I say. Pigs with numbers race around a track and you sort of bet on them. Hilarious good time. See Travel Tips.

Pig races: Bear Creek, MT

Those would be the racing pigs

TRAVEL TIPS

• Remember that almost every road in Montana seems to be under construction in the summer. Seriously. That speed limit may have been changed to 80 (or maybe 85 mph) but count on delays and lots of fast drivers with swarms of motorcycles.
• Alpine Lodge, Red Lodge: Love this log-faced motel with great rates, and big outdoor breakfast included each morning, super comfortable beds and rooms or cabins. Nothing fancy, but a great value with a huge lawn full of games, an outdoor fire pit and friendly owners, Larry and Trish. Google them.
• Bear Creek Saloon and Pig Races run Thursday through Sunday. Dinner reservations recommended for no nonsense steak meals. The pig races are a fundraiser for local scholarships, and you can actually win in a very convoluted system of betting. Bear Creek is seven miles from Red Lodge.