The End of the Road….
I apologize for the delay in wrapping up Volume 8 (and thanks to the many Lunch Boxers who kept nagging me about finishing up) but I have finally “kind of” moved into the new house here in Billings. I say “kind of” because my belongings are still sitting in a warehouse in Vancouver, Washington, waiting to be moved! I can’t get too excited about the delay because it really was my end that caused it. Billings experienced a severe hail storm May 18 that caused widespread damage across the area, resulting in a lot of damage to homes. The new house sustained significant damage to the roof and, even though it was only three years old, the roof had to be replaced. Unfortunately there was a series of delays on the part of the seller’s insurance company which forced me to twice postpone delivery the shipment from Oregon. I was able to strike a deal with the moving company in which they waived the daily storage fee for keeping my belongings in the warehouse and in exchange I agreed to be “flexible” on the delivery date. The moving company is a consolidator so I know that they are waiting for some other shipments heading east up I-90 to make a full load. I just hope I get a bed by Christmas!
Many readers have asked about my destination, so I am wrapping up Volume 8 with some details and pictures about my new home. Billings is the largest city in Montana with a population of 100,000 (there are barely over one million in the entire state) and though relatively small, has most of the services found in much larger cities due to its’ geographic location and economic importance to a very large area, stretching from Spokane, Washington, to the west, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, to the east; and Denver to the south. There are two large medical hospital complexes, regional bank centers, energy companies, etc. Much of the economic action generated by the North Dakota oil boom funnels through Billings (resulting in a very tight housing market, amongst other things, the house that I bought was on the market 4 days and i got in a bidding war to get it). The airport is modern and busy, serviced by Alaska, United, Delta and several regional carriers. Pretty much all of the typical national retail chains have a presence in town, particularly in the booming west end. The downtown area is pretty much dominated by banking, government and two large hotels.
The development of the town is dictated by the unique geography of the Yellowstone River Valley. The Yellowstone River leaves Yellowstone Park at Gardiner, Montana and heads due north until it makes a sharp turn to the east at Livingston, about 115 miles west of Billings. The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the United States as it heads northeast through Montana to its junction with the Missouri River in the far northeast corner of the state. Eastern Montana is an ancient sea floor (which accounts for the widespread coal and oil deposits) and the Yellowstone has carved out a wide valley over the millions of years with a unique feature for about 200 miles around Billings. The valley, which grows and shrinks in width over the miles, is bordered on both the south and particularly on the north by sandstone cliffs (locally called the Rimrocks, or “Rims”), formed of the yellow stone which gave the river its’ name. The Billings area is where the valley narrows to a gap that’s about half a mile wide before opening up again to the northeast. I explored the city a bit in a journal entry last spring so I won’t go over that again. Instead, I’m going to focus on ME!!! 🙂
Here’s a Google map that helps locate my house in relation to the town. Billings is dominated by the Rims north of the downtown area, and Logan International Airport is located on a narrow plateau on top of the cliffs. Just to the north of the airport there is another, much smaller valley formed by Alkali Creek, which runs parallel to the Rims on the other side from town, and eventually flows into the Yellowstone River east of the gap.
If you locate Highway “3” in the center of the picture and follow it “up”, the bend is actually where the road climbs up the cliff to get to the airport on the narrow plateau that runs from left to right. East Alkali Creek Road runs along the bottom of Alkali Creek Canyon and you can see where my house sits. The location is great in that it is scenic, quiet, yet less than 10 minutes from the center of the downtown area (which is the “B” in Billings on the map).
The plateau is narrow, probably less than a quarter of a mile wide, and is pretty much taken up by the airport, the highway, and a narrow park that runs along the top of the Rims. The picture on the left is standing on the north side of the highway looking down into Alkali Creek Canyon at my neighborhood; I took the picture on the right by walking south across Airport Road (actually trotting so I didn’t hit by cars going a million miles an hour – Montana drivers deserve their very own chapter at a later date!) and looking south down over the cliff into downtown.
The actual house is a tri-level that’s about 30 years old but has been completely remodeled within the last 4 years (and now has a brand-new roof!). My younger sister Robyn and I are going to share the house, me upstairs and her downstairs, so it helps me out by making sure that the house doesn’t sit empty half the year while I travel.
That’s grandson Tanner, daughter Shannon and Curtis’ boy, helping Grandpa out (note my tasteful cowboy hat!!)
The house is very nice but the real reason that I bought it was the location. At the end of a small cul-de-sac, the house backs up to the bottom of the canyon and Alkali Creek. I took this picture standing on my back patio, looking north across the creek bed (it’s also the view out the back from the living room, dining room and kitchen nook).
Not only is the view great, but there is wildlife every where, including my yard. Turns out that the large sideyard is the local “freeway” for deer and antelope as they head down to the creek bottom. Augie the doggie and I had quite the surprise one morning when I took him out back for his early morning activity and came face-to-face with Bambi in the side yard. I ran inside and grabbed the camera and was surprised that not only was the deer still there, but it had gotten closer!
So, that’s my paradise at the end of the road and this wraps up Volume 8. The plan is to hang around Billings for the rest of the summer, and then head out on the big fall trip the day after Labor Day. Not exactly sure where I’ll be going, but here’s a hint. Listen to the song “Ol Man River” and let your imagination wander…
Many thanks for coming along with me on the journey.
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