Chinook, Montana (GA606)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 5,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.
Sadly Mary is struggling with health issues. To see the latest about her situation, click here

To view past blogs, scroll to the bottom of this page and use the menu.

I’m currently in my 24th year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click here

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The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Turtle Beach RV Resort in Manteca, California. I’m scheduled to depart here April 17th.

 

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

  In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

This entry was posted September 10, 2013…

 

 

 

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 68 miles from Malta to Chinook, Montana.

 

 

We continued traveling along U.S.Highway 2 West.

 

 

Mid-morning it looked like we were going to get involved with a thunderstorm, but it never did develop…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

Arriving at Chinook, we parked in a small lot across an alley adjacent to VFW Auxiliary Post 4620, which was closed…

Here’s the usual dinette window photo…

Once we got set up, we walked a couple of blocks to the Blaine County Museum. I just love the old black and white photographs and color paintings in these museums which show what life was like in days long ago and never to return.. Here are some of the photos that I took…

Here’s the Blaine County Museum official website link… http://www.blainecountymuseum.com/

Yesterday was an okay weather day. High 70’s, cloudy with humidity. Today’s forecast is 82 and sunny.

We’ll continue our westward travel later this morning.

Enjoying county museums is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Montana. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/discovering-chinook-blaine-co-montana/

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Forecast for today is mostly sunny and 68 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

“Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.” –James Madison

 

 

“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” —Mark Twain

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2019

Blaine County Museum – Chinook, Montana

The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails RV Resort in Seaside, Oregon. I’ve been here a number of times before, so I’ve thoroughly seen all of the local tourist attractions. So, now I’m just hanging out enjoying the nice weather. My three-week stay is up and I’ll depart here later this morning.

Mary is dealing with her over-flowing to-do list plate which can only be handled by herself. The construction of Mary’s rental continues delay plagued. She now is hoping to rejoin me by early September.  😦

A more relaxed mode…

After our 682 day on-the-go 2011-2013 circumnavigation of the United States, I have decided to slip into a more relaxed mode. In the next few months I will be traveling through areas previously explored. Unless I do something unusual, this Blog will feature a photo album from the circumnavigation and will change daily.

Today’s Subject…Blaine County Museum – Chinook, Montana…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see the other 32 photos in this album…

CLICK ON THE BELOW PHOTO. ONCE YOU ARRIVE AT THE PHOTO ALBUM, SIMPLY CLICK “SLIDESHOW” AND ENJOY!

 

Blaine County Museum, Chinook, Montana

 

 

To read about today’s photo album location, click this link…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook,_Montana

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

 

Yesterday was cloudy/showers and 60 degrees. Today’s forecast is cloudy/sunny and 65 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Oregon. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

 

 

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2015

Chester, Montana

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 82 miles from Chinook to Chester, Montana.

We continued traveling along U.S.Highway 2 West.

More of very light traffic…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Sometimes you have to pass large, slower-moving farm machinery…

About three weeks ago I identified I was have a problem with a dead battery in my towed Ford Bronco II. About two weeks ago I reported the problem had been fixed. Yesterday morning I discovered the Bronco battery was once again dead. The problem remains. While Mary did laundry yesterday I spent a couple of hours in the hot, broiling sun attempting to fix the problem. Almost, but not quite. Once again, beyond my expertise. I have a 10:00 AM appointment with a shop about 45 miles further down the road. Chester is a very small town with no auto electric repair services. While aggravating, on the road problems are usually resolved with some time and money. Fortunately, We have both.

We parked at the Chester City Park overnight…

Here’s the usual dinette window photo…

Yesterday was another lousy weather day. 83 degrees, sunny with high humidity. Next two-day forecast is 84 then 86 degrees! Yuckkitty!

We’ll continue our westward travel later this morning.

Enjoying parking in city parks is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Montana. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

DISCOVERING CHINOOK, BLAINE CO. MONTANA

Jim looks on Google Earth and tries to decide where we will park for the night. He chose Chinook, MT. because it had  potential places to park and the Blaine County Museum, for something to do. On the way in, we passed the Lohman building with two bars that have big neon signs. I walked to Finley’s Grocery store for milk, but I knew there had to be a story here.

The Mint was open. The friendly bartender there told me the bar opened in 1911, closed briefly during prohibition and became a dress shop. It reopened after prohibition as a bar and has been one ever since. The front part of the bar was divided, with a barber shop open to the street at one time. The barber fixed a light to his door. He sat at the bar and when the light flashed on, he knew he had a customer and would dash out and take care of his customer.  (Hmm. I wonder how sober he was by the end of the day.)

She also told me that a movie scene was filmed in the bar, in the alley behind the bar,  and places around town. After a book of the same name, the movie is  Blood In Winter, based on Native American James Welsh’s life in Montana. The book is available on Amazon, she told me.

Then, she turned on the Neon sign for me to take a picture.

The Elk Bar was closed, but I shot their sign and learned later, from Jude Shepherd, the Curator of the Blaine Co. Museum, that the business was sold and the new owner took the sign to another location.The townspeople were incensed and raised enough money to buy it back, and now they own it and here, by God, it stays!!

At the museum, is the poignant story of the Bears Paw Battle.  Chief Joseph’s four-month run for safety is named the “Forty Miles From Freedom”. He staved off the United States Calvary on the run with women and children for 4 months and was only 40 miles from the Canadian border and freedom when they were finally cornered and nearly annihilated.   East of Chinook is the Bears Paw Battle State Park. Chief Josephs path took them just a few miles south of Chinook in Blaine County. The museum has a beautiful mural by Lorenzo Ghiglieri, several  bronzes, and a film about the battle and some artifacts, mostly bullets.

Chief Joseph and other tribal members wanted to live in peace, but they were savaged and their treaties were disregarded. When he surrendered he said, “I will fight no more forever.”

Homesteading on the Montana Plains was hard. This family of 15 lived in a renovated chicken coup because it was bigger than their house.

Life could be lonely, remote. Long winters and cold. This is a one room school-house.

Churches here seemed to spring up on the plains in the middle of nowhere.

Children had to pitch in and help with the endless family chores.

Eight year old Peggy.

This family grew sugar beets.

Sugar was King then.

.

The diseases the doctor treated in the old days reminds us of how lucky we are.

Sheep were also a big part of the economy.

Angora sheep chaps.

Among items I’ve never seen before was this sheepherder’s tin dog. I asked Jude how it worked. She explained that sheep are easily frightened. And if the dog wasn’t near by, the herder would shake the cans filled with rocks at them, and throw it in their midst and they’d get moving.

Another item I’d never seen before is a clothes fork. It didn’t take me long to remember how it was used.  My mother never had a clothes fork, but she used a straight wooden stick to the same purpose. To pull sheets out of the boiling hot water and transfer them to a cold rinse tub. Oh, my.

I loved this decorated desk from a photography studio.

And, the matching chair.  How sweet is that!

From that photo studio came this wedding picture, under glass. The glare was such I couldn’t get them both, but I thought his hairstyle was worth working to capture. Wow! I’d marry him in a New York minute. Blaine County has a wonderful museum, Chinook is right on Highway 2. Great place.  Jude took me to another museum in town that is very special. I’ll get to that tomorrow.

Chinook, Montana

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 68 miles from Malta to Chinook, Montana.

We continued traveling along U.S.Highway 2 West.

Mid-morning it looked like we were going to get involved with a thunderstorm, but it never did develop…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Arriving at Chinook, we parked in a small lot across an alley adjacent to VFW Auxiliary Post 4620, which was closed…

Here’s the usual dinette window photo…

Once we got set up, we walked a couple pf blocks to the Blaine County Museum. I just love the old black and white photographs and color paintings in these museums which show what life was like in days long ago and never to return.. Here are some of the photos that I took…

Here’s the Blaine County Museum official website link… http://www.blainecountymuseum.com/

Yesterday was an okay weather day. High 70’s, cloudy with humidity. Today’s forecast is 82 and sunny.

We’ll continue our westward travel later this morning.

Enjoying county museums is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Montana. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust