Missoula Montana

[Glen Ring]

We will be going to Missoula Montana to shoot a rifle match. Neither one of us have been to Montana, so we're looking forward to not only the match, but exploring the area.
What are the sights to see in that area?? Are there any museums worthwhile?
When we shoot in Concordia Kansas, there is a GREAT city park near the holiday inn that allows us to get our daily walks done and a GREAT burger place to eat at.
A Good place to stay near a walking area/park and good restaurant recommendations will be appreciated.
The shooting is just an excuse to travel to places we have never been.

[semtav]

If you can find some way to sneak in to Wyoming without getting caught, Cody Museum is top of the list.
Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.
Once you get too far NW in Montana, its all hills and trees. Sun rarely comes up before noon.
We find it best just to avoid that area !!

[George Babits]

Missoula is just a big tax free shopping center for those of us blessed with living in Salmon, Idaho. Not sure if there are any "sites to see" there or not. There used to be a really good pizza joint called "Red Pies over Montana" that we went to once in a while. Also two really good hamberger joints were Moose MaGoose and the Montana Pie Company. Both of those are no longer there. Don't know if Red Pies is still open or not.

George

[Del]

Hi Glen,

When are you making the trip? You have to remember that Montana is a very large state so if you want to see very much of it, you need to give yourself time. When you drive north out of OKC, when you hit the Montana border, you're about half way there!! Are you camping or moteling it? The Deep Creek Range is about 15 miles out of town west of Missoula. It is much more convenient to camp at the range than stay in town but many stay in town. Camping is free and it's a nice place to camp. No water or utilities, just dry camping but lots of shady spots to park.

The main touristy things are Yellowstone Park (the Cody Museum sits on the east entrance to the park) and Glacier Park. Helena has most museums (Montana Historical Museum with Charlie Russell's Art). Bozeman has a nice museum by the college (Museum of the Rockies) with dinosaur bones that were dug up in Montana, etc. Flathead Lake is always nice to visit and is close to Glacier. The whole Flathead valley is nice with ski resorts that run during the summer for mountain biking and zip lining and hiking. Montana is still probably the best fly fishing in the US but it's not near as good as it was 25 years ago. Still, hours spent floating a river are free hours on your life and don't go against your personal time clock!

There's also lots of shooting with Silhouette on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd weekends at Livingston, Butte, and Missoula. There's the Quigley match over Father's Day, Long Range matches at Missoula, Schuetzen matches at Hamilton, Long Range Buffalo shoots over on the eastern border and also at Polson on Flathead Lake on Memorial Day and Labor Day, as well as monthly matches in Billings, long range monthly matches at Forsyth where the Quigley match is held. My website that I keep up has many of these events listed: (www.mtbpcr.com).

My kids come home for about two months in the summer but are gone around the first of August. If your trip was in August, you would have a place to stay for a few days here on Flathead Lake. If you were traveling in an RV of some sort, I have two RV hookups at my house that you would be welcome to use. My youngest son will be using the one by the lake but there is one up in the driveway as well. Whatever....

[Glen Ring]

If you can find some way to sneak in to Wyoming without getting caught, Cody Museum is top of the list.
Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.

No sneaking here...Getting caught
Our first match in Wyoming will be the month prior so we'll work on that also.

Thanks Del
You make an old guy feel welcome. We will probably stay in a hotel. Jeanne won't camp anymore. This summer we'll be spending more time on locations and the shooting matches are just an excuse to travel. I have a former associate in that neck of the woods, but he'll be on a murder case here most of the summer I'm afraid.
I have fly fishing for trout on my bucket list so I might start practicing with a fly rod. I grew up a barefoot okie fishing small ponds and the river, but fly fishing has always looked like something I needed to do. Maybe we'll meet you at the range. We'll be the goofy old couple cutting up and having fun.

[Gussy]

Famous Dave's has some great baby back ribs.

[art ruggiero]

glacier national park is 2 hrs. from missoula its very worth seeing art

[Glen Ring]

Thanks Art. This will be Jeanne's and my big summer. We married as poor kids and have hit it hard for 43 years. Most of our vacations in recent years have been to Raton New Mexico. I think we'll see some of the other states while we can. Glacier national park looks like a cool place to visit.

[Kurt]

The best way to see this great Country is with a tent in the truck or a Gypsy wagon behind it and get off the two lane interstates.
I been doing it now for 22 years since I retired and I still have not seen it all.
I leave home in May and return in August. Between matches out west or in the east I get on the two tracks ( my two tracks have grass growing between them ) up in the hills where it's cool till the next shoot.
Motels are for city slickers.

[Glen Ring]

Yep we have seen a lot of country on the back roads. I love it that my wife shoots with me and consider myself a very lucky man that she does. At this age, she likes to be comfortable or she won't go...Happy wife, Happy life. She advised me she has done her last camping trip so we camp in a nice Hotel with a bath tub and a TV.

[mark1buff0]

Matt and I have been there, the rocky mountain elk foundation museum is there just down the road from a great place to eat the montana club and there is a good hotel right next door. So you can walk from the hotel to food by crossing 2 short parking lots. Great steaks good beer , short walk and its
bed time. Mark

[Glen Ring]

Mark
That sounds like the perfect place for us. !!!! Good food, Good beer, Good night !!

[cw50-70]

In Montana, you have to have a porky.

[gus65]

Little Bighorn Battlefield, Charles Bair Museum in Martinsdale, and the Charlie Russell Museum in Great Falls. And all the natural beauty between these destinations.

[John Bly]

If you go anywhere near Big Timber you gotta go by Shiloh.