Dillon, Montana: We had a nice, uneventful drive south from Great Falls to Dillon. Dillon is an old gold-mining town with some spectacular victorian-era houses. I anticipate some photos of those houses will show up at cruztalkingtwo.blogspot.com, the other DrC's blog.
You have to wonder what keeps the town going these days, I suppose The University of Montana - Western campus helps with salaries and student spending. It is also a railroad town perhaps half way between Idaho Falls and Butte and a definite stop on the track that connects them. The railroad probably bases some people here.
The surrounding terrain is basically too mountainous to be good wheat farming country. Cattle grazing would seem to be a big part of the economy. Tourism is a factor too.
Montana is a state committed to railroading, moreso I believe than many others. Time was the state took over some track the railroads wanted to abandon and ran their own short line operation, perhaps they still do.
A retrospective note: do you remember me talking about our campground in Lethbridge called "Bridgeview"? After getting a good internet connection we found out about the railroad trestle ("bridge") across the coulee that campground calls home. The trestle is the longest and perhaps highest in North America, about a mile long, and 314 feet above the Oldman River which it spans. It was built over 100 years ago and trains still cross it daily. It is an eyeful.
Like Montana, trains are important to Canada. They are how its grain gets to the ports for shipment all over the world. Two train lines cross Canada east to west - the Canadian Pacific near the U.S. border which reaches the Pacific at Vancouver and the Canadian National farther north which reaches the ocean at Prince Rupert, BC, just south of Alaska.
Barring accident or breakdown, we'll be home tomorrow in western Wyoming. Then we get to spend a portion of the next 6 weeks bringing our OLLI classes up to date. I do "World Affairs" and the other DrC does digital photography. Lots has been happening in Eastern and Western Europe so I'll have plenty of work to do with a couple of my sessions.
