Butte is and was quite a place.
The home of Evel Knievel.
The city was a melting pot of ethnic groups. It has an incredibly rich history. One of my favorite books related to Butte, since I love to eat and cook, is the "Butte Heritage Cookbook". There are some recipes from it here; Virtual Visit
Once I got to go to the Columbia Gardens in Butte with some of my distant cousins whose parents worked in the mine in Butte. It was a great place for kids. That wooden roller coaster was ex citing.
Another time my cousin and I stopped at Luigi's Bar and Dancehall in Butte. Quite a place. Luigi had filled the bar with marionettes (some life sized) and other odd things. He would make them dance or jump up when you passed them to use the bathroom. He was quite an entertainer. The day we stopped at Luigi's we were the only people there so we got a personal show. Someone told me the back bar from Luigi's was put into a Mercantile store in Montana where people not only helped themselves but rang up their own groceries The Montana Standard - Butte, Montana USA
Pork Chop John's in Butte is a great place for a good sandwich. I like the egg and cheese, simple and good.
On to Bozeman....
I think of the Pickle Barrel Sandwich Shop, Bridger Bowl and the beautiful rivers and scenery of Bozeman. It's become quite yuppified/upscaled since I lived there but still a nice place to visit.
This webpage mentions both the Pickle Barrel and Bridger Bowl Ski Area. Bridger Bowl is a fantastic ski area. Good snow, nice variety of hills and sort of a family/small place atmosphere (at least 30 years ago). I think probably the same now.
Pickle Barrel just has good big sandwiches and a nice atmosphere across from Montana State University around some shady trees. Plus you get to get your own dill pickle.
The rivers around Bozeman have some of the best fishing, floating site seeing you could want. There are some nice shots on this page Three Forks Montana Located in South West Montana. Three Forks is where the Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson Rivers combine to form the Missouri. Fishing can be great in that area (some big brown trout in the fall).
And then finally to Columbus to say goodbye to my Mom. It's a beautiful place
Yellowstone River Photographs : Montana Photo Gallery
and she was a beautiful person...
