A Little Advice For a Family New to MT?

[ROOKUS]

Originally Posted by K-FOX

ROOKUS,

Sounds like heaven to me too! A 450 acre ranch in the middle of NOWHERE! In a Log Cabin! That's my kind of place. Never heard of Fishtail though. I think the Columbus area is pretty. Make sure that pantry is stocked very well indeed. And lot'sa seasoned firewood.

Hope you enjoy it, I know I would. If you have a hobby stock up on supplies for that too. I'd be buying LOTS of fabric to quilt with!


K-FOX

Yeah, it sounds like heaven to me for sure. Plus, the owners of the ranch are going to have a couple of vacation rental spots, so there will be new people around during the times when it is rented. I am going to be offering some painting/drawing lessons to the guests, as well as working on some fitness routines for the folks who want them.

As far as a hobby, I plan to work on the scrapbooks I am making for each of my daughters, read, and paint (I'm a professional artist, and haven't had a lot of time lately to devote to my craft)....

I've got to get Scott working on that firewood as soon as we get there. I imagine winter will be there before we know it when we get there in Sept.

[ROOKUS]

Hey Kingster, thanks for giving me the feel of the place. My brother will be thrilled about the fly fishing shop when he comes to visit. He's a pro sports fisherman, and can't wait to fish in this area.

That's good to know that the roads are kept open. My husband and I both have 4wd, but it will make life easier to have year round roads.

I found out that Fishtail does have an elementary school (12 students, I believe), so my eldest will attend kindergarten there. My 3 year old will be going to Abarokee Preschool.

The fires are of course a concern. I know the house we will be living in has creeks on a couple sides, which would hopefully act as a bit of a fire barrier. It's been a long time since I have lived in an area in a drought. In SW Washington, it's pretty wet and rainy throughout the year.

Thank you so much for the heads up!

[rangerider]

The only way those creeks will help you in a fire situation is if you can pump a whole lot of water out of them and onto your house. Check out some of the fire footage on YouTube and others - wildfires in the forest can jump a quarter mile or more faster than you can watch it run.

On a lighter note, when getting warm duds and boots for the winter, check out used sporting stores for your stuff. Don't know exactly what Billings has, but Bozeman has a spot called Second Wind Sports that I have bought from for close to twenty years. No need or want for new; I can pick up nearly new outdoors clothing and equipment for pennies on the dollar - primo stuff, too - that people ( I guess) get for Christmas and then never use. Bought a first rate Patagonia parka/shell in there last year for $65 that I know was over $400 two years ago, and it had been used but very, very little. Long johns, fleece, skiwear, heavy coveralls, hats, mittens, you name it, and some time spent picking through the racks will net you a lot of good stuff for $100. If you had a lot of items to buy, I'd actually make the drive to BZN if Billings didn't have a good spot - even with $4.20 gas it would save you a bundle (and yes, I know where Fishtail is, spent some time years ago working on the Mystic Lake dam project up there).

Be picky about what you buy, there's a lot of junk out there and it's made to look like the real deal. I have worked outdoors all my life here; ranching, logging, rock crushers, fire, construction, ski resort, etc., etc. and seen some of the best and the worst. Some of the better brands have gotten cheaper made - Carhartt used to be the best outdoor workwear you could buy, now it's little better than the cheap stuff. I have an old pair of Carhartt pants that I kept to remind me of my days in the log camps and compared to a new pair you wouldn't even know it was the same company other than the name tag. So if you have to buy high end stuff, buy it cheap in the second hand shops - the vast majority isn't worth the money at retail levels.

Whoops, save for one. A shameless plug here for a friend of mine who has traveled some of the same paths as I. He's a talented guy with design and has a shop in Three Forks. I use his stuff, have gotten some new from him and a couple things from SWSports. The clothing is bombproof and made for hard and heavy use. He will also custom make your design for a price. His clothing is nothing real fancy, but stout, very well made, and (I think) looks plenty nice. Big plus, it is made simple without much for moving parts, no velcro, and can be repaired if you run into a bad situation far from home.

Good luck, I'm an adventurer of sorts so I wish you well on your move here. What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger....

[Vulcan500]

Good grief! Some posters make MT sound like the Arctic Circle. Winter is cold, summer is hot. Coat, hat, gloves will be fine. Long underwear? I've lived here 30 yrs w/o it. I don't know anyone who lets the fridge get completely empty b4 heading into town for groceries...just come, enjoy Montana and plan on living like a normal person.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Vulcan500

Good grief! Some posters make MT sound like the Arctic Circle. Winter is cold, summer is hot. Coat, hat, gloves will be fine. Long underwear? I've lived here 30 yrs w/o it. I don't know anyone who lets the fridge get completely empty b4 heading into town for groceries...just come, enjoy Montana and plan on living like a normal person.

Depends on whether you work outdoors or not. My mom never invested in any special winter gear but she was an indoor person all winter, and it's not like you'll suffer much in the short walk from front door to car. Me, I worked outdoors year round (when you've got livestock you have no choice about that!) and I travelled fairly often in winter, and cut wood and dug coal in winter too, and I always walked a mile or more to school when I was a kid and again in college -- so I *had* to have good winter gear, it was that or freeze off body parts!

Also, if you're a big strapping person, because of the lower surface to volume ratio, you retain body heat way better than skinny little folks like me (I look like a roadkill and that makes a difference too, in how much insulation you need to put on.

[rickers]

You got it right Reziac, I go outside in shorts and sandals in super cold weather to dump trash or bring the dog in after her business is done but then it's back to the fireplace for me ! If I have to spend anymore than a minute or two in sub freezing or sub zero weather I friggin bundle up big time. Working outside all day in really cold weather requires a place to warm up in and change out the frozen gloves like a warm rig or a line shack !

[silverwolf13]

I am in NW Montana. You can get from 11 foot to about 25 foot. Get a good 4x4, you will need it. Learn to like the snow, it is here for awhile.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by silverwolf13

I am in NW Montana. You can get from 11 foot to about 25 foot. Get a good 4x4, you will need it. Learn to like the snow, it is here for awhile.

Dunno about construction methods in your neck of the arctic, but in West Yellowstone, there is a good reason why many houses have a door on the SECOND floor