Friendship Force of
San Diego County
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OUTBOUND MONTANA EXCHANGE This domestic exchange in June 2006, shared by six members from Kern County and eighteen from San Diego, traveled across the vast miles of Montana. We met new friends from several Montana clubs; including Kalispell, Helena, Great Falls, and Billings clubs. It was a memorable experience over two weeks that included seeing the Rockies, both Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, big cities, small towns, beautiful forests and the flat plains. It was a tremendous experience shared by two Southern California clubs. Her we share some of our experiences. Kalispell by Anita Smith Fourteen of us left San Diego on June 13 excited to start our two week journey to Montana. When we landed in Salt Lake City we met four members from Kern County and continued together on the same flight to Kalispell. Upon arrival in Kalispell our hosts met us at the airport as well as two couples that drove vans to Montana; the Wests from Kern Co and the Van Arsdales from San Diego, now we’re a group of 24 ambassadors. We had the evening to settle in and meet our hosts. On Wed morning we enjoyed a lengthy tour of Plum Creek saw mill; their expertise was fabricating plywood. The afternoon was free time; some of us went to the Conrad Mansion and some toured a fantastic Central School Museum with artifacts from the local Indian culture. The evening was our opportunity to meet the other club members and hosts in a delicious potluck dinner. After much anticipation to see Glacier Park, we were off for the day in a van caravan; though it was spoiled by rain. We enjoyed lunch in Lake McDonald Lodge, continued on to view lakes, trails, water falls, fast flowing rivers that were at higher levels than the locals had seen in years. We ended the day with treats of huckleberry pie, ice cream, and fudge. Friday we journeyed to “Big Mountain”, the setting for Whitefish ski resort with chair lifts and hiking trails. We had gorgeous views of lakes, mountains, and Kalispell in the distance. Saturday morning found most of us enjoying breakfast at a local favorite restaurant, Somers Café; our starting point for a drive around Flathead Lake. During the day we visited small towns, viewed dams and cherry fields. In the evening we said our farewells at a dinner in Idle Spur Saloon. Many of us enjoyed a short walk to the yacht club and viewed the sporty sail boats. The evening had a gorgeous sunset; truly one that I’ll remember from the “Big Sky” state. On Sunday morning we boarded a bus and drove through wilderness & forested areas that bordered the Mission Range of the Rocky Mountains. We stopped and enjoyed a mountain top view at the pass and could see Helena in the distance. We were only a short ride until we met our hosts for the next home visit in the state’s capital city of Helena. Helena by Murray K. Lee Early Sunday evening on the 18th of June, Gladys and I arrived in Helena. We had missed the first week of the trip and were anxious to catch up. Our hosts, Bob and Pat Kuntz, met us at the airport, but reported bad news. Their septic system was clogged up and they had planned to put us up in the Holiday Inn for the night until other arrangements could be made. We went to dinner at the nearby Jade Garden, a Chinese restaurant that they liked. The next morning we were to all met at the “Bungalow,” a bed and breakfast listed in the National Register of Historic places. It was 40 miles north of Helena, hidden away in the mountains. Hostess, Pat O’Connell Anderson, cooked us an excellent buffet and told us the history of this historic building. Our next stop was the “Gates of the Mountains.” where Lewis and Clark passed through in 1905. We barely made it to the boat, which was to take us into the scenic limestone cliffs of the Missouri River. It rained on the way in, but cleared up on the way back allowing us to see the scenery in both rain and shine. That evening we enjoyed the delicious welcoming dinner at a local church given by the host club. By then our hosts had their plumbing problem fixed and we were able to move into their fabulous country home. Tuesday began early with a ride on the Last Chance Tour Train, which wended its way past downtown Helena’s government buildings and beautiful historic homes and sites. Following the train ride we were able to visit two of the sites, the State Capitol and the original Governor’s Mansion. Wednesday we took a two-hour bus ride north on I-15 to visit Great Falls. The countryside along the route included scenic vistas of ranch land, mountains, canyons, and rivers. Our first stop was at Ulm Pishkun Buffalo Jump State Park. The facility, which was located below the jump escarpment, featured an interpretive hall, and a story-telling circle. We were given a talk in the circle by a native Crow tribesman, who described the local Indian culture. A short way from the jump was Great Falls and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. This beautifully-designed site focused on the relations between the “Corps of Discovery.” and the many Indian tribes encountered by Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Next the local Great Falls Friendship Force hosted a lunch for us in town featuring giant deli-style sandwiches and sumi salad. A short distance from there was the C. M. Russell Museum. It featured the largest collection of paintings and sculptures of the famous “America’s Cowboy Artist.” On the grounds are Russell’s home and his legendary log cabin studio. Thursday was a free day and our host invited us to go to lunch at the Senior Center, where Bob liked to line dance with fellow seniors. Afterward we asked them to take us into Last Chance Gulch to see Reeder’s Alley, a restored miner’s village and Chinatown, dating from the gold rush days. At 5pm we attended the farewell dinner at the Fox Ridge Golf Course and on the way back they took us to Hauser Lake on the York Road just beyond their home. From the campsite known as Devil’s Elbow, we were able to look across the lake to the side of the mountain and see the line of the remains of a 25-mile long Chinese-built aqueduct or flume. This was built over a hundred years ago and was used to transport water to their gold mine site. Bob had always wondered how they were able to engineer the proper level to assure the water’s continuous flow. Next AM, after sad farewells to our gracious Helena hosts, we were off to Billings. Billings by Ben and Pat Goossen On Friday June 23 we left from Helena by bus with the same driver that delivered us from Kalispell. It was good to have a friendly face driving the bus. We had a chance to visit with him during lunch and he was delightful. When we arrived in Billings we were met by our hosts John and Carol Schaff. Anita was also to be hosted by them. As Carol was the Billings ED and President we had a great time sharing club ideas and experiences. On arrival at their home we helped load up the van and headed for the baseball park as Carol and her daughter were catering a tailgate party for Blue Sky Airlines employees. The food was great and it was fun to share in an activity that they were already scheduled to take part in. On Saturday the 24th the Little Big Horn re-enactment was scheduled. We first enjoyed the actual Little Big Horn National Park which I found even more interesting. The re-enactment was fun but the actual site grabbed our imaginations a little more. That night we enjoyed dinner with hosts and a few more guests from the exchange. Small dinner worked well for getting better acquainted. On Sunday June 25th began the Great Adventure to Yellowstone. We boarded 5 vans with walkie-talkies and expert drivers and along the way stopped for numerous photo-ops and breath-taking scenery including Atrists Point, Little Grand Canyon and more. Lunch was enjoyed along the way by a river with food prepared by hosts. We checked into Yellowstone Lake Inn cabins, stepping around a bison having dinner at the cabins. Most of us had dinner at the cafeteria and a few of us enjoyed a string quartet in the Inn while gazing at the lake. We even enjoyed a fine Port from the bar. Monday June 26th was a big day at Old Faithful. Good walks and observing geysers and seeing the remodeled Old Faithful Inn were the highlights. We reluctantly boarded our vans and headed home stopping for lunch and a visitor’s center. We recalled the animals we have seen; deer, bison, antelope, and moose and counted our blessings. That night we went out to dinner with Anita, our hosts, Jody Miller, Hildie Elges, and John and Jean VanArsdale. We enjoyed Moose Drool beer and buffalo. June 27th was our last day in Montana and was a free day with hosts. John took us to Pompeys Pillar National Park to see where Clark had signed a rock and a new visitor’s center was being opened. It was very interesting and we now have a renewed interest in Lewis and Clark. We had lunch with hosts, the VanArsdales, Marilyn St. John, and Anita. We helped load up and take a few things to a hall for our Farewell Dinner. The dinner was chicken, ribs, salads and killer desserts. John Schaff played a triple keyboard before and after dinner. A poet recited some of his poetry which was about Montana and was enjoyed. The ambassadors did their skit and the timing and performances were outstanding. It was enjoyed by hosts, ambassadors and performers. After dinner we went home, exchanged gifts, enjoyed conversation and went to bed to be ready to head back to California in the morning. A Great Week! |
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Last modified: September 13, 2007 |
