Tourists: Please...

July 15, 2021, 12:43 PM

Rey HRH

i wish I could say I enjoyed driving through Montana. Went to Yellowstone on a cross country drive. Left the hotel early in the morning. Saw no hotels before nightfall, got stuck driving through some winding mountain roads that had no lights. Hardly any traffic and no trucks. The other cars that were there were driving too fast for me to tag along. Then came the rain, fog, sleet, and snow. We really were scared for our lives. Finally, one truck came by that we were able to follow in the dark. When they stopped at a gas station, we followed and thanked the two people in it.

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.

July 15, 2021, 01:26 PM

HRK

quote:
Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
quote:
Originally posted by HRK:
Shouldn't wear cowboy boots at the beach, nor flip flops in Cowboy Country... Taint proper....

What about filp-flops, shorts, and a cowboy hat while listening to Garth Brookes sing Pink Floyd songs?

Depends, what song is he singing....

July 15, 2021, 02:10 PM

Butch 2340

We are currently tourist in Jackson Wy, my wife just loves this place even mentioned retire out this way. Once I showed her how high the snow would be in winter she reconsidered. I do love the western spirit folks have out in this part of the country. I heard a local address a large group of tourist asking them all where they came from, one group said california without missing a beat he said "Welcome to America" the whole crowd burst into laughter.

July 15, 2021, 11:17 PM

cheeze

I do all my best solving in flip flops.

July 16, 2021, 08:46 AM

sigcrazy7

quote:
Originally posted by UTsig:
I live in the Zion N.P. area, talk about tourists!! Locals carry cigarette lighters to burn the toilet paper left behind every tree and rock. Then there's the graffiti. One thing we don't have this year are hundreds of tour buses, we were overrun before Covid. I heard Yellowstone was the same.

Go to a restaurant outside Zion and all you see are CA, AZ and NV license plates.

I’ve lived in UT since 1988, never been to Zion, Bryce, or Arches. When asked why, I say it’s because I’d just go to California if I want to be with those crowds. Besides, if I’m going down there, I’m heading straight to Powell.

As for MT, back when I was still trucking, I never had a bad day when I was trucking in MT. Sure, I had hard days, but no bad days. Western MT is beautiful.

July 17, 2021, 12:45 AM

mcrimm

………and we continue to fill up with tourists. Some music festival is 10 miles away and is to attract 10,000 people. Our roads aren’t made for that. We’ve seem at least 8 traffic deaths in the last few weeks, including 2 today. Too much speed & booze.

Tonight, we drove highway 35 home after watching a play in Polson at about 10:30. We make this drive a number of times in a summer. Usually we see 10 cars going south on the east side of the lake. Tonight I would guess we saw 300 headed south while we headed north. This is a narrow 2 lane with lots of curves and minimal passing areas. The speed limit is 50. A couple of cars passed us going at least 80 in double yellow zones. About 10% of oncoming drivers wouldn’t dim their lights. Insanity.

Com’on fall.

July 17, 2021, 02:11 AM

bearstarr

Yep, I was part of the problem over the 4th of July in the Flathead.
Third trip of the year to the valley, and one day I hope not to leave.

mcrimm
Fall is the best time of the year to be in the Flathead. When the leaves start to change color, best post card around. With a little dusting on top of the Bob.

Hope to be back the end of the month.

July 18, 2021, 03:51 PM

Inusuit

quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH:
i wish I could say I enjoyed driving through Montana. Went to Yellowstone on a cross country drive. Left the hotel early in the morning. Saw no hotels before nightfall, got stuck driving through some winding mountain roads that had no lights. Hardly any traffic and no trucks. The other cars that were there were driving too fast for me to tag along. Then came the rain, fog, sleet, and snow. We really were scared for our lives. Finally, one truck came by that we were able to follow in the dark. When they stopped at a gas station, we followed and thanked the two people in it.

You sound like the kind of tourist the OP is talking about. Isn't Montana's fault you didn't plan your trip. To include distance between motels and the year round possibility of inclement weather.

July 18, 2021, 03:52 PM

Inusuit

quote:
Originally posted by Butch 2340:
We are currently tourist in Jackson Wy, my wife just loves this place even mentioned retire out this way. Once I showed her how high the snow would be in winter she reconsidered. I do love the western spirit folks have out in this part of the country. I heard a local address a large group of tourist asking them all where they came from, one group said california without missing a beat he said "Welcome to America" the whole crowd burst into laughter.

You know that those of us in the rest of the state don't consider Jackson a part of Wyoming, don't you?

July 18, 2021, 03:57 PM

selogic

I thought the flip flop thing was funny . I get it . Here we get annoyed at the people that say they are planning to visit New Orleans and want to know the best place to eat real Cajun food .

July 18, 2021, 06:10 PM

rburg

quote:
Originally posted by jhe888:
Flip flops irritate you?

Lighten up, Francis.

No, its people trying to look like men who wear them. Do you own flip flops? Have you ever been seen in public wearing them? Those should be the first two questions on the man card application.

July 18, 2021, 11:03 PM

Rey HRH

quote:
Originally posted by Inusuit:
quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH:
i wish I could say I enjoyed driving through Montana. Went to Yellowstone on a cross country drive. Left the hotel early in the morning. Saw no hotels before nightfall, got stuck driving through some winding mountain roads that had no lights. Hardly any traffic and no trucks. The other cars that were there were driving too fast for me to tag along. Then came the rain, fog, sleet, and snow. We really were scared for our lives. Finally, one truck came by that we were able to follow in the dark. When they stopped at a gas station, we followed and thanked the two people in it.

You sound like the kind of tourist the OP is talking about. Isn't Montana's fault you didn't plan your trip. To include distance between motels and the year round possibility of inclement weather.

I didn't get to do any of the things the OP was talking about since I drove through Montana in the dark. That was my first cross country drive and, no, we didn't plan stops. That was the intent of our trip. Do you always start out perfect the first time you do something?

The second cross-country trip, we did decide no driving in the dark or in the SUV at gas stations like we did the first time. I used Waze to plan fill ups at Loves and I used the Best Western app to confirm reservations before we got there.

July 19, 2021, 09:34 AM

BigSwede

You can pry my flip flops my cold, dead uhhhhhh feet

July 19, 2021, 09:43 AM

trebor44

The "west" is NOT the West! Hasn't been since the 1870's. Read "Tough Trip Through Paradise" by A. Garcia, it may give you a little perspective.

July 19, 2021, 09:54 AM

just1tym

quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
Welcome to our beautiful state.

First, spend money, then go home.

Been on the south end now since the early 50's and if'n you get this far down spanish is your friend

July 19, 2021, 10:03 AM

BB61

quote:
Originally posted by HRK:
Shouldn't wear cowboy boots at the beach, nor flip flops in Cowboy Country... Taint proper....

^^^^

. True.

July 19, 2021, 07:48 PM

radioman

quote:
Originally posted by mcrimm:
Some music festival is 10 miles away and is to attract 10,000 people.

Watch out for growing drum circles...

August 03, 2021, 09:59 PM

Tieva

quote:
Originally posted by mcrimm:
………and we continue to fill up with tourists. Some music festival is 10 miles away and is to attract 10,000 people. Our roads aren’t made for that. We’ve seem at least 8 traffic deaths in the last few weeks, including 2 today. Too much speed & booze.

Tonight, we drove highway 35 home after watching a play in Polson at about 10:30. We make this drive a number of times in a summer. Usually we see 10 cars going south on the east side of the lake. Tonight I would guess we saw 300 headed south while we headed north. This is a narrow 2 lane with lots of curves and minimal passing areas. The speed limit is 50. A couple of cars passed us going at least 80 in double yellow zones. About 10% of oncoming drivers wouldn’t dim their lights. Insanity.

Com’on fall.

That music festival in Whitefish actually attracted over 20,000 people! The LEO's in Whitefish had their hands full all weekend with drunks and fights.