How many meals have we eaten at Bob's Bar and Restaurant in Neihart? Who served them to us and suggested a huckleberry cream drink to go with our Reubens and sweet potato fries? It was our friend Tony, a guy who has been quietly bemused by our sometimes crazy winter outings in the Little Belt Mountains.

So this day was no different; we started it with a fun day of snowshoeing three miles along Jefferson Creek, followed by a quick trip to lower and upper Memorial Falls, followed by a late lunch at Bob's, for Tony's last day of cooking and serving food.  After 36 years, he deserves a vacation, trips to see his children and just some rest; still, it was hard to say goodbye.

The day started at 8:30 a.m., seeing us on trail around 10, after a quick trip to the Inconvenience Store to drop off some plastic and paper sacks and using the facilities.

At the trailhead, we had a few false starts. It was so cold, that most of us decided on third or fourth layer, a heavier jacket, bigger gloves and even another pair of pants. Despite the cold, the day was gorgeous, not much wind, blue skies and sun. However, we didn't get too many pictures on the way going as we were too cold to get out our cameras. The few times Gail and Katie pulled out their cameras, the shutters and zoom made weird noises and were a bit slow to focus. Nora tried to use her phone but the battery died immediately due to the cold.

We trekked to the bridge and decided to keep going until we hit the Pack-It-In, Pack-It-Out sign, making a full three miles. On the return to the cars, we finally started to warm a bit, so we stopped a bit more for pictures as the crystals along the creek were amazingly large and sparkly.

Then it was off for a trip to see Memorial Falls all frozen in winter wonderland glory, just a quarter mile down the road. And it was gorgeous. The entire walk along the creek leading to the falls was magical. We had to watch our step along the frozen spring section as the ice was quite slippery. After enjoying the main waterfall, we decided to follow the well-worn trail to the upper falls. Again, the icy crystals were so pretty. The falls wasn't frozen over the way the lower falls were, probably owing to the sun shining directly through the trees. The lower falls is in the canyon, not receiving much light, if any at all.

At 12:30, we finished our hike and headed to Bob's, to catch Tony on his last day. Sure enough, he was there but hanging out in the back. Instead of him giving us our familiar menus, a woman came over and did so. We inquired if she were the new owner and she replied she was. We found out her name is Janice and she plans to keep the same menu except run specials. She didnt' want to mess with tradition.  Most of the gals were happy that the Reuben and sweet potato fries would be sticking around.

Janice is from Texas but was raised in Indiana and the Chicago area. She said her boys have graduated from high school and she always wanted to run a motel, so now she is. And she is interested in joining our group. Katie gave her the info.Service was a bit slow, and Tony pretty much kept to the back until we dragged him out, gave him a card, promised to get him and buy him lunch when we are in town and asked for a last photo with him behind the bar and we in front. .He was smiling.

Who went: Nora, Gail, Sara, Katie

Susan C's Recipe
Lime Jello Salad

Prepare 3 ounce Lime Jello as directed on the package. 

Mix 1 cup shredded green cabbage, 1 cup drained chopped fresh pineapple, 1 cup almond slices, and 1 pomegranate.

Pour jello into mold. Add vegetable, fruit, nut mixture.

Let it set for 4 hours.

Gail, Viki, Susan C, and Jo Ann left Great Falls at 8:30 a.m. for snowshoeing at Silver Crest. Thank you, Gail, for driving. We were pleased that the road was mostly bare and dry, the parking lot was plowed and the trail was mostly broken.  Gail led and Jo Ann was the sweep until the warming hut. After our stop at the warming hut for a snack and a drink, Jo Ann and Susan broke trail, three or four inches, on the slight uphill climb.  
There was no wind.  We all commented about the fast moving clouds. A couple times when we stopped for a photo of the snow glistering on the trees, a cloud moved over and spoiled our shot. But, in a moment the sun was out again. It was peaceful trekking through the trees, roundtrip about two miles.
On the way back to Great Falls, we stopped at Bob’s Bar for lunch, but the restaurant was closed. So, we continued to Monarch and stopped for lunch at Cougar Canyon. We all had great burgers and excellent service. The bartender told us that Bob’s closes on Monday and Tuesday each week.
The bartender overheard us discussing bear spray and asked if we carried it when snowshoeing. He told us that recently mountain lions have killed deer in the yard of a few resident’s in the area. Apparently, the lion population is increasing with no predators.
We arrived back in Great Falls about 2:30 p.m. A perfect day in the mountains. 

Eight from Canada, six from Great Falls, one from Eureka and one from Rudyard--16 hiking-crazy gals met for an almost-December hike in Glacier National Park.

The drive in (GF group left at 6:30 a.m.) was gorgeous with alpine glow over the Rocky Mountain Front, a herd of over 60 elk in Two Dog Flats (where they usually hang out morn and eves), and two bald eagles in old snags along St. Mary Lake.

It was a bit chilly with an initial headwind, but we bundled up and headed out at about 10 a.m. after a quick group picture at the Rising Sun sign.

The lack of snow kept the hiking very easy, most of which was on the road anyway. The pavement did affect our hips and knees by the end of the hike, but what a hike it was. The snow-capped mountains stood out despite the rather gray day. We also enjoyed the reds and oranges of the willows and red Osier dogwood in stark contrast against the burn of the Reynolds Creek fire from a few years ago.  And the ice crystals forming on the weeping walls and waterfalls were gorgeous.  

Our "hike" took us first to the world famous Wild Goose Island overlook, for some the first time they had this normally popular, swarming-with-people place all to themselves.  We snapped hundreds of photos before venturing on to the next point of interest: Sunrift Gorge, a very narrow slot canyon with Baring Creek running through it. Along the way, we saw coyote and wolf scat along with a lone moose's footprints in the little bit of snow remaining on the side of the road.

We took our pictures at the gorge, which had ice crystals and icicles forming along the canyon walls, and headed down the rather steep path to Baring Falls for our lunch. On the trail we saw evidence of digging, probably a bear, but we didn't see tracks.

Baring Falls was ice free, a bit of a surprise. We enjoyed eating at this peaceful place, again all to ourselves. Then we continued down the trail to Sun Point. We were hoping that the sun would peek out of the clouds by the time we arrived but it kept hidden. Still, this viewpoint is stunning: Divide Mountain in one direction and Fusillade and Citadel in the other. It was too cloudy to see Florence falls. Also, the spotting guide had been taken down for the winter, so a few of the mountains we couldn't identify as no one had brought a map.

Then it was back up to the road from the Sun Point area, a four-mile walk back to the cars bypassing Wild Goose Island once again. The wind was at our backs now, making us all feel a bit too warm. We really sped back to the cars, covering the four miles in just over an hour.

We didn't see any other wildlife other than the elk and eagles that we saw on the way in (except Madelon saw a badger on her way home), but the mountain views were pretty. The sun started shining as we got out of the valley area making them all the more beautiful against a blue sky.

It was now time to say goodbye to Madelon as she headed back to Eureka and the eight Canadian gals. The rest headed to Browning, where we then said goodbye to Ann as she went to Rudyard. The GF gals stopped in Valier for a quick bite at the Panther Cafe before heading to GF, the others already arrived at their homes. GF gals got back at 7:30, an hour earlier than expected.

Who went: Maria, Randi, Susan, Gail, June, Katie (GF); Madelon (Eureka); Ann (Rudyard); Carol, Pat, Kathy, LaVern, Laura, Linda, Sharon, Loural.