Bozeman Montana - It Is A Very Different Isolated Place

Football field - downtown - the Rockies.

On Main Street - Lewis and Clark passed thru here.

 Boseman is ranked as the 6th nicest college town in America. It is as different as it is nice. Having been here for 3 days now - I know just a little more about the place as you would know by googling - "bozeman montana wikipedia." The town has grown from 35,000 to 45,000 people in 10 years. I have found out from supper with a few faculty members is that the growth is from a budding tech industry - but the growth is largely from people having second and third homes here. It is a different more vigorious life style. 

We experienced two days of balmy weather reaching 60 degrees. Shirt sleeves and shorts were the order of the day under the giant dark blue sky. There is still plenty of snow on the mountains - one boasted to us that she has skied somewhere locally in each of the last 20 months. Sometimes she had to hike up 7 miles to the snow and then walk back. Downhill skiing - snow shoeing - and cross country skiing are ways of life. Lulu did not see a tie on campus all day and warned me that I would be overdressed with my one formal piece of packed luggage. Lulu also wore the only skirt. 

Starting today the highs will drop to 40 degrees and the overcast ceiling stretches all the way to the far horizon. 

I just read the Bozeman Chronicle - the local daily which costs $1.50. The legislature in Helena passes a budget every two years. This budget is $10.3 billion - that is for 2 years. They have a Democratic governor - and a Republican legislature. A $10 million pre-school program was dropped. They had it for the last few years in a deal with the feds. When the federal money dried up - they dropped it. Bozeman has one high school - they have decided to built a second one. People were not worried about the curriculum - they were more concerned about the mascot - colors - and lines of territory. They all building a new all-weather field that both schools will share. 

I am trying to write this without being racist - if I offend anyone - I am sorry. It is 95% white here. Usually in hotels we are used to minorities working the hotels. Here the housekeepers are white - of all ages. The staff in the restaurant are the same. This just surprises me. 

Teacher pay here is low. Our hosts said the average teacher salary is $41k. In PA - 16 years ago I retired from $60k. I read off a list of the perks I had - and the professors were in awe. I worked 8 to 3 - medical - dental - eye glasses - drugs - credit reimbursement - legal aid - sabbatical leaves - retirement bonus - and medical insurance to age 65 for Lulu and I. I reminded them that PA was a strong union state. 

This is basin and range country. The Rockies stick up all over. Between them are hundreds of miles of open range. Distances are wide open. Speed limits are 80 MPH. The vehicles of choice are giant 4WD trucks and SUVs. 

Lulu really loves the workshops she is doing. Since she has come 3000 miles - she must be an expert. her books and articles are in all the libraries here. She is an expert on school libraries - and dealing with autism in libraries. It is fun discussing this with library people that serve communities with a school enrollment of 40 kids - K to 12. Sometimes a school might not have any sophomores. 

Montana just broke 1 million in population. They are a hearty independent people. But they are a friendly sort. For me - maybe because I am old - I find people are nice all over. I am cautious - but it has been a long time anyone pulled a scam on me. I least expect it here. I only have one more state to visit - thanks to Lulu. It is Kansas. 

After Lulu's workshops - we will tour in our Chevy Malibu until May 4th. We do not even have hotels booked. We want to visit Custer's Last Stand. There is supposed to be a tombstone with her great grandfather's name on it - although he survived and lived in Tamaqua many years. He was at the battle. Next - we want to see Yellowstone National Park - the Grand Tetans - Jackson Hole - and maybe Craters of the Moon National Park in Idaho. I was only briefly in Idaho in 1977 - just passing thru.