It's August 2022 and so much has changed since I wrote this blog in 2013 and 2014.  I'm now 82 years old and living in the Wild West State of Montana in the North West part of the United States.  In 2020 my husband passed away just before Covid started.  I moved to Tennessee to live with my daughter.  After a year of working remotely, her company decided she could work that way permanently.  She chose to move to Montana to be close to her sister, so now all three of my children and two of my great grandchildren live within ten miles of me. Where we live is in a small town (population 300).  Dutton is located about 80 miles south of the Canadian Border and about 50 miles east of the Rocky Mountains where you can find hiking trails, ski areas, camping areas, etc..  Although we are surrounded by rolling fields of grain - wheat, barley, hops, etc. - we have beautiful views of the mountains in the distance.  

I enjoyed writing the blog about my country and I hope you can get a glimpse of it through my blog.  No matter where I live I have found there are friendly people and wonderful local "sights" to see.  When we moved here I was afraid that there would be nothing to do or see nearby.  Was I ever mistaken!

These small rural towns make their own activities and the people completely support the local sports teams.  In Power, where my older daughter lives, they have an annual fund raising weekend called "Harvest Fest".  They have lots of activities including street dancing, a Fireman's Breakfast, Pie Social at the Senior Center, a Silent Auction, a Steak and Shrimp Dinner followed by a live auction of many items that have been donated by the townspeople, farmers and sponsoring companies that buy the grains from the local area.  This raises money to support the Fire Department, Senior Center and the High School Sports Program.  

Just a few miles away is a town by the name of Bynum.  They have a wonderful Dinosaur Museum.  It's not large but they have the first "baby" dinosaur skeleton found and a number of dinosaur eggs that have been found in the Two Medicine and surrounding areas.  Next door is a Rock Shop that has many beautiful items to explore from simple polished rocks to kitchen or bathroom sinks made from polished stone.  Naturally they have jewelry pieces and other items from quartz, onyx and other stones.

About half an hour's drive south of us is the city of Great Falls.  It is where we buy groceries and anything else we need.  There are several museums including the Charles M. Russell Museum of Art, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Malmstrom Museum and Airpark among others.  The Fairgrounds in Great Falls have exhibits and shows, along with rodeos, concerts and exhibits throughout the year.  In the summer is a fun filled State Fair.  Western Art Week , a huge Art Show, is held at the Fairgrounds in March. There is a Symphony Orchestra, Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts, unique restaurants, nearby parks and nature areas. Malmstrom Air Base is on the East side of Great Falls. Shodown Ski area is just  over an hour's drive south of Great Falls. Lots to see and do!

https://www.planetware.com/montana/top-rated-things-to-do-in-great-falls-mt-us-mt-47.htm

Montana doesn't feel like an isolated, lonely place to live - it's alive, vibrant and exciting with much to do and see.  I love the small town life and don't miss living in large cities at all.  Everything I would like is within a short distance of home. I do miss the crazy city traffic - gladly!

     

This land of ours

This is just an extra - a break now that I am about half way through this project.  It is just a few of my thoughts to help you see my country and our people the way I do.  I love to fly because you can see the way glaciers formed the land below and how the rivers carve the land.  There are parts of our western states that are so wild and remote they make me wonder if any person has ever been in that spot.  

Grand Canyon View

To understand the people of the United States of America, perhaps a look at the geography of our country might explain why we have been able to grow and prosper so well.  When water and food is plentiful, people are able to live without worrying about their basic necessities so much.  When you have a bountiful supply, it is much easier to be generous with the excess.   There are people who are hungry in our country, but they are a small proportion of the total population.  Most of them are only temporarily without food, not dying of hunger because there is no food available. 

Our country has been blessed with a large amount of land that is good for cultivation, many rivers and lakes to provide water and fish, great forests to allow a variety of wildlife to exist and a moderate climate.  Our desert areas are not extensive even though there are several areas of desert.  Although there are extreme high and low temperatures each year, they are in isolated local areas rather than widespread across the entire country. 

High Plains

 Our population per square km averages 32 people per square km or 12.355 per square mile.  This is less than Belarus (47/km or 18.147/mi) and more than Sweden (21/km or 8.1081/mi).  Twenty-eight of our states have higher population density, but thirty-two of them are lower with Montana (2.648/km or 1.0224mi.), Wyoming (2.259/km pr 0.872/mi.) and Alaska (0.488/km or 0.1888/mi.) as the three least populated states.  That means you might have to check out five square miles before you would find one person in Alaska!  Our cities may be densely populated but we have a lot of wide open spaces!  When land is plentiful it is not difficult to provide food in a temperate climate with a sufficient water supply.  It’s also very easy to be tolerant of your neighbor if he lives several kilometers or miles away.  

Water is the basic necessity of life that draws all people to settle and build near a water source.  This is true everywhere.  The rivers, lakes and seas of this world provide not only water but food so it is only natural that cities and towns spring up in these places and barren areas are the last to be settled. 

The Mississippi River forms the border or flows through a total of ten states from near the Canadian border in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.  The Mississippi River Valley is constantly being renewed with silt from the river.  This makes very fertile land along this delta region and a shipping channel to connect the northern and southern states.  

Fall Foliage Show of Color

Thirteen of the states have the Atlantic Ocean as their eastern border. Alaska, Hawaii, California, Washington and Oregon enjoy the Pacific Ocean while Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are on the Gulf of Mexico.  The St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes provide the border between Canada and ten of our northern states.  The Colorado River, which formed the Grand Canyon, flows through several of our land locked western states.  Other large rivers and many lakes provide water sources to the remaining interior states.   We have few states without a good water and food supply.  Even our desert areas have water piped in to supply enough water for daily living even if it is not available to irrigate crops or water lawns to keep them green.

The Great Plains is called the bread basket because it is such an immense, mainly flat, fertile land where wheat and other grains are grown in large quantities.  It is difficult to imagine how large this area is unless you travel across it.  I really began to understand this when I took a train ride from Oregon to Chicago.  When we left Glacier Park in Montana, the Great Plains began. Fields of grain as far as you could see formed the view all day long.   It was almost a full 24 hours before we finally began to see trees and rolling hills the next morning.  

Grandeur of the Mountains

This is the land where Native Americans once lived with enormous herds of bison.  It must have been spectacular to see that sight!  I am ashamed that my ancestors failed to understand that there was plenty to share.  The slaughter of the bison herds just for their hides (and the bragging rights of killing so many at once) was shameful.    Although there were many just and noble people who began this country, there were also many scoundrels and selfish ones.   I guess this is true anywhere you go.  There are good people and there are also those who think only of themselves.  They remind me of little babies who haven’t learned to share.

 

Like the water sources, there are several mountain ranges in the United States.  These geographical features are shared by many states and help to define certain regions.  We have the Great Plains, The Mississippi River Valley, The Rocky Mountains, The Appalachians, The Great Lakes Region and The Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts.  We have other regions, such as The New England States, which are defined by their history as the original settlements of this country.  The South consists mainly of states that seceded from the Union during the Civil War.  When I write about an individual state I may not always remember to mention the main characteristics of that state.  Please understand it is only because I may not think of it at the time.

Beauty on the Desert

Free passage between states and a good highway system has allowed us to travel or move to any area of the country that appeals to us.   My family moved to seven different states during the time I attended school.  We lived in Arkansas, Virginia, Texas, Nebraska, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and then back to Texas before I graduated from high school.  During that time we visited many of the states nearby.  I guess that is why I love to travel and have enjoyed the many moves since.      

After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, each state began to receive more tourists from within the USA.  This created a demand for more hotels, restaurants, theme parks, and other “tourist” attractions.  This has made the USA a great tourist destination no matter where you go. 

I believe any true lover of travel can find interesting things to see and do anywhere they go.  If you really enjoy travel, the main thing you are looking for is to see how other people live, what exciting things are in their backyards and what special tastes they can serve.   Every place has its own story and each place is a little different from its neighbors.  If I could live my life again and choose to do what I want, I would love to travel to every country and meet all the people of the world.