Ben's 1st Christmas

Since Traci and I began dating we have alternated holidays with our family. This past Thanksgiving was spent with my mom then Christmas with Traci's folks, next year it switches. For Christmas we packed up our bags, loaded the jeep, picked up my mom and sister and headed east to enjoy a white Christmas. The first night was spent in Kellogg, ID where the hotel had several poster of the area throughout the hotel. It appears that there is plenty to do in Kellogg besides kicking tires although the Jeep section at Dave Smith's seems to be quite exciting for myself. Anyhow, we got up early on Monday morning and despite a small snowfall, the roads were in great conditions for traveling. We didn't get too sidetracked on our drive although since Ben did not have any holiday outfits, we had to make a quick stop in Missoula for a little shopping.

On Christmas Eve, I got a chance to take a helicopter tour around Bozeman and the Bridger Mountains. I was not in the mood to fly since I had traveled the day before but was eventually glad I took this opportunity of a life time. We took off from the airport towards the Bridger Mountains and flew over Ross Pass where we immediately took on some turbulence. Bridger Ski Resort looked busy with skiers and snowboarders trying to make it down the mountain in one piece. We flew over Mt. Ellis Academy where we took a few photos of the grandparents home then headed back to the airport. It was great to see Bozeman from above and fly in a Bell Jet Ranger.

Cliff and Evelyn Starkebaum were married on Christmas Eve and so began a tradition to open gifts on their anniversary. Three generation later we are still opening gifts on Christmas Eve. This year I received a few neat gifts all around, my in-laws bought me a new set of leaf springs for the Chevy to replace the two pogo sticks in the rear. I received a CD of Alison Krauss and Union Station, an architectural ruler and a interactive book of the Corps of Discovery. However my number of gifts did not compare to the amount of gifts that Ben got although he was more intrigued on the wrapping paper than the actual gifts. He opened two gifts but had to leave the rest for Christmas Day after becoming over stimulated by all the unwrapping.

A while ago Traci and I bought a 1980 Cherokee Chief in Montana to use as a parts car. My intentions were to resale the car later that year but three years later it was still sitting on the campus of Mt. Ellis Academy. A couple from Pony, MT bought the jeep and needed us to deliver it so we spent our Christmas Day afternoon trying to load the Jeep on the trailer. I had never visited Pony so it was quite neat to see this old mining town left as relic of prosperous times for miners.

Recently I have been captivated by the history of the Milwaukee Railroad also known as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. Quite a long name don't you think? Anyhow, It was electrified in Washington, Idaho and Montana and remnants of the old railroad can still be seen today. In Deer lodge there are two locomotives, a E-9 MILW 36A and a E70 ‘Little Joe’ (it's electric). I won't go into the history of the Milwaukee Railroad since this post is about Christmas and not trains. However, this past trip to Montana became a personal 'I Spy Game' of where can I spot old remnants of the Milwaukee Railroad. Somehow history that is just outside my backdoor highly triggers my interest.