Getting into Missoula... with realistic expectations

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by Montana Griz

... . Just on a whim, I thought I'd randomly go through some older threads about Missoula, since
I just, 2 days ago (Friday), spent 7 hours away from my home down in the Bitterroot going to Missoula to do some shopping and get various errands handled.....approx one hour eachway totally 111 miles.
Being in my late 80s and retired for approx 26 years, I may avg approxr 6 trips per year into Missoula.....Re-reading the above post made me realize it is an excellent summation of my feelings of Missoula.

My first exposure to Missoula was the result of a business trip from my home in the mountains of Colorado, that resulted in my landing at MSO some time in the 3rd week in May of 1975 via Frontier A L. ..I had never been to Missoula before and I liked what I saw!
The next day I rented a 4WD vehicle that would serve the purpose of getting me to the decommissioned BLACKBIRD COLBALT MINE up in the mountains southwest of Salmon Idaho for a meeting with a couple of engineers related to a proposed project my employer would be bidding on.

As I drove through the Bitterroot Valley the next day I was impressed with the various attractive aspects of the valley between Missoula and Sula. I spent the night at BUD & SHIRLEY'S MOTEL in Darby and proceded on to the Blackbird Mine the next day.

Long story short........approx 12 months later I ended up buying 14 acres on a creek that feeds into the B R River about 13 miles outside of Hamilton.........built my future retirement home in 1980 and continued working for 40 yrs, until the end of 1993. My late wife (married 51 yrs), loved living in the Bitterroot as much as I do,......and I will continue to live here until the end.............

Funny how a positive impression of Missoula back in May 1975,.......a day's drive down through the Bitterroot and a 'spare of the moment' meeting with a Realtor, resulted in moving to western Montana in early 1980, taking a year to build our retirement home and:.....'Never Look Back'.