This is the part of the trip where we are slowly making our way back across the U.S., in no hurry to get to Florida before it cools down a bit, as Rita so rightly pointed out in her comments on the blog. As we made our way across Montana to North Dakota, we stopped by the 4 B’s: Butte, Big Sky, Bozeman, and Billings.
Before we arrived at our first “B,” the campground we were in had a short path that led to the creek flowing next to our campsite. Murphy and I made several trips for him to enjoy stick retrieval and just good ‘ole wading about but once he decided he wanted to go down without approval. As Dave yelled at him to stop, he just kept on trucking. It was so funny! I wish I had a picture of him trotting down there, ears back. The campsite also had a huge area in the back where Murphy could chase his favorite ball, courtesy of Camp Annie in Roan Mountain, Tennessee where he spent 3 weeks several years ago.
The first “B”: Butte. Our very practical stop in Butte was at a gas station which had a RV dump station, to drain our black and gray water holding tanks. Each RV carries a hose which is connected to the RV and into a sewer outlet to drain its holding tanks. The rule of thumb is once the hose is connected at both ends; you drain a bit of the gray water (holding kitchen, shower, and bathroom sink water) to ensure it is tightly connected. Then the lever is switched to drain the black tank, holding waste water. Once empty, the lever is turned back to the gray water, which also washes out any remaining gunk in the hose from the black tank. Easy, right? Well, the RV who pulled up next to us while Dave was draining our tanks, proceeded to set up for dumping while Dave was putting our hoses away. I happened to be walking back with Murphy to see the guy start to dump, not testing his connection with gray water, switching the lever to drain his black tank at full force. His connection was not secured to the drain in the ground. So there goes his black yucky water all over the drain area. So gross! He reached down and reconnected it, but the yuckiness was all over the ground. And, he was not wearing gloves Seeing that is something I cannot unsee. Hopefully, he thoroughly rinsed the area when he was done.
As we were driving out of Butte, Dave spotted a white figure on top of the mountains in the distance. Through a quick web search, I found information on the 90-foot tall Our Lady of the Rockies, the 4th largest statue in the U.S., which sits on the top of the Continental Divide. Bob O’Bill promised the Virgin Mary that he would build a shrine to her if his wife was cured of cancer. His wife fully recovered from her cancer and his promise became a community-wide project to honor mothers everywhere. Almost every part of the project was donated, from the land on top of the ridge, the machinery needed to cut a road up the mountain, the designer and welder, and the labor. The 60-ton statue was placed there in December 1985 by National Guard and Army Reserve units. Quite a story!
Our second “B” stop: Big Sky, Montana.
Who remembers Chet Huntley of the Huntley–Brinkley Report, which aired on NBC from 1956 to 1970? When Huntley retired at the show’s conclusion, he returned to his roots in the state of Montana with a vision. Together with investors, he founded Big Sky, Inc. as a seasonal ski resort, about 50 miles north of the northwest entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The resort opened in 1973, but sadly, Huntley passed away from lung cancer shortly afterward.
In 1976 the resort was sold, and over the years it has steadily expanded its lifts and operations under various partnerships. No longer just a seasonal ski area, Big Sky has become a year-round destination. Still, skiing is its biggest draw—marketed as “The Biggest Skiing in America.” Today, Big Sky consistently ranks among the top North American ski resorts, especially admired for its challenging advanced terrain, though it offers slopes for every skill level.
We spent the day hiking in the nearby hills. Along the hike, Murphy went off-trail and bounded down a hillside toward a creek. The photo below shows him scrambling back up—just before Dave clipped him back on the leash. Bad Murphy. (Though, admittedly, it was pretty funny.)
We capped off the day with a fabulous Mexican dinner in Big Sky at Tres Toros Tacos & Tequila. Their salsas were so flavorful and we ended with a delicious piece of Tres Leche cake, which they make on premises.
Our third “B” stop: Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman, the fourth largest city in Montana and home to Montana State University had one thing I was interested in visiting. Bozeman Hot Springs! I started the day with a soak in their hot springs, enjoying both their indoor and outdoor pools. They have 12 pools in total, all of various temperatures including a 56-degree cold plunge. It was situated between two of the warmer indoor pools (106 degrees) and I stuck my hand in it. No thank you! Anyway, I was a wet noodle the rest of the day. Bozeman Hot Springs ranks as my second-best hot springs, below the Liard Hot Springs in Canada.
We enjoyed walking around downtown Bozeman and I was able to enjoy probably my last huckleberry treat, this time a Huckleberry Basil Martini. I still have a bit of Huckleberry chocolate bar, licorice and moose munch left. I am trying to make them last!
The last B: Billings. Billings is Montana’s largest city, with a 2025 estimated population of 120,864. One article said, for its size, it still maintains a small-town charm. Having grown up in the San Franciso Bay Area, with an estimated population of 7.7 million, I think 120,000 people is a small town!
Billings landscape is defined by the rimrocks, sandstone cliffs which, millions of years ago, was the bottom of a vast inland sea. Over time, as the sea receded, and it left behind the sandstone formations which surround the city. We enjoyed a hike on top of the rim with a bit of a hike down to the Yellowstone River, which cuts through the town.
We decided to splurge and stopped in a KOA campground in Billings. As we drove up, the sign above the office said, “Billings KOA World’s First KOA est. 1962”. Wow. There now over 520 franchised KOA (Kampground of America) campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada. I rated this one an A+. It had a free very nice mini-golf course, a great dog park, and a nice laundry. What more can a girl ask for?
That wraps up our visit to Montana. Next stop: Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Thanks for following along our adventure.
Loving the hot springs soak Brenda, Time for remedial training for Murphy Dave, and I do not need a chaperone to go in the creek Murphy.
Love to see the fall coloring in our big beautiful country.
Seems like Murphy has developed a sense of independence in all his travels.
Enjoy your trip back to home. Stay safe! Reta