Montana 2021

We just returned from our annual Montana pilgrimage. This time we drove. Traffic was about as expected. Lots of people and campers.  There seemed to be plenty of RV sites available at the many less than desirable roadside campgrounds but it could also be that they are full with overnight campers that hit the road early. The climate was great as usual with the usual sporadic but the west coast fires put a damper on things - so much smoke you couldn't see the surrounding mountain views. Cameras weren't of much use.  

The resort area of Big Sky MT was a disappointment not only with the smoke but there weren't enough employees to maintain stores, restaurants, etc. It was a mad dash at dinner time to find any place to eat. Some restaurants weren't taking reservations for the next 2 weeks. Others just shut down or had limited hours. Likewise with using the ziplines or renting downhill mountain bikes. There wasn't enough staff or bikes were in disrepair - I assume not enough part availability or staff to maintain them. The main fishing rivers were probably flowing at 1/3 the normal level with some areas closed to reduce stress on the fish so I skipped that.

The lack of staffing at Big Sky is nothing new with housing so expensive few can consider taking the many open job positions. Local businesses have begun building lower income housing but it hasn't begun to make an impact. Montana businesses seemed to offer relatively good starting pay. I suggested my daughter check it out next summer to avoid the summer heat and gain a nice work/play/socializing balance.

Missoula was similar with the hoard of dinner seeking folks walking the streets from restaurant to restaurant. Montana fires also put a damper on things with some displaced local residents and a rare major road closing. Missoula, Kalispell, and Bozeman were busy as heck with lots of traffic.  

All in all we got it done with several days of memory-filled fun. One obvious take away is the people in Montana are more friendly and in general more considerate. They were more likely to engage you in small talk. You could walk the streets and not feel like you were at risk of being mugged, shot, or that I owe them for something from past generation's transgressions. That's the way I grew up. I really miss that.

Hopefully next year things will be somewhat more normal. Still sounds like you had a good time.

Colorado was like that this year. If the restaurant was open, it was understaffed and wait times were crazy. Gas stations couldn't get fuel delivery, due to driver shortages. The little mountain towns are getting far to expensive to live in, even before we paid people to stay home. The hospitality workers just can't make it there anymore.

Long, long time restaurants were closed, short hours or just selling out. In short, they've California'd the Rockies. Regular working families can't afford to stay.

No doubt things have changed for good in the Rockies. Hopefully the true Californians freak out from the cold weather and cabin fever.

Yes, it was a good time and good to get away from the AZ heat.

I forgot about the gas truck driver shortages. I hear they were driven away during the pandemic slow down and now it's tough to encourage those drivers back. Apparently they tend to be the more experienced drivers but the gig has that obvious risk of hauling thousands of gallons of fuel but also long term health risk from frequently breathing toxic fumes.