If you are following my blog regularly, you are probably
wondering at times at the direction we are going as we seem to be wandering all
over the map! I think this J.R.R.
Tolkien quote fits our trip perfectly:
Not all who wander are lost!
Although we were in Montana briefly during our Caravan bus
tour, we had to return later (when it was warmer) to see Glacier National Park.
Billings / Tippet Rise
Art Center:
We stayed a few nights in
Billings specifically to visit the Tippet Rise Art Center which is located near
the town of Fishtail.
Tippet Rise Art Center is set
on a 12,000-acre working sheep and cattle ranch and is more than just an
outdoor sculpture park. The Center also hosts
classical chamber music and recitals. Since the space is very large, it’s necessary
to take a tram tour, which stops at each outdoor sculpture.
These sculptures showcase
the Beartooth Mountains as the backdrop.
Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa lead the team at Ensamble Studio to
create:
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| Beartooth Portal |
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| Inverted Portal |
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| Inverted Portal |
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| Domo |
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Domo (Concerts
are held within this sculpture!)
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Here are sculptures by two of our favorite artists:
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| Proverb by Mark di Suvero |
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| Proverb by Mark di Suvero |
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| Beethoven’s Quartet by Mark di Suvero |
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| Two Discs by Alexander Calder |
A few years ago Houston
featured work by this artist in our Hermann Park. I especially liked this sculpture – perhaps you
can find me in the piece!
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| Daydreams by Patrick Dougherty |
Here’s another interesting sculpture:
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| Satellite #5: Pioneer by Stephen Talasnik |
This sculpture is also a
pavilion used for concerts and other events.
It was inspired by the wooden and straw structures that are sacred in
the Dogon communities of West Africa.
This pavilion is constructed of local ponderosa and lodgepole pine.
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| Xylem by Francis Kéré |
Great Falls:
Montana is a large
state! We actually stayed in Great Falls
on our way up to Glacier National Park and again after we left Glacier. This gave us an opportunity to visit two
wonderful museums.
This is a terrific
museum! To celebrate its 64 years, the
Museum offered this exhibition, Charles M. Russell: The Legacy of America’s
Cowboy Artist. It features a variety
of Russell’s works from the permanent collection – including oil paintings,
watercolors, bronzes, and drawings – that showcase the depth and range of
Charles M. Russell.
For example, here is the
earliest known watercolor by Russell when he was about 15 years old:
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The Bucker, 1878-1880
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While on a trip to New York,
Russell had the opportunity to visit studios of top New York artists and
illustrators to see them work. He
learned many new techniques from them, in particular how to “lay on color”. This piece exemplifies these new skills:
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The Fireboat, 1918
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Here are a few works by other artists that I particularly enjoyed, especially since we are in Montana
and headed to Glacier National Park!
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Big Sky Country by Orlin
Helgoe
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Mural of Three Scenes in Glacier National
Park
By John Frey
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The Museum also has the
Russel house and his studio, “Cabin in the City”. We were able to go inside both to see how he
lived and worked.
The other museum we visited
in Great Falls was this one related to the Lewis & Clark Trail.
It chronicles the journey of
Lewis and Clark and their experiences with the various tribes of the Plains and
Pacific Northwest.
One of the most difficult
parts of the journey was at Great Falls, 5 large waterfalls on the Missouri River. The centerpiece in the Museum is this
two-story diorama of the portage around these falls:
Here’s a picture of the
Falls today – much smaller now that there is a dam to manage the flow.
There was also a “live”
exhibit – a real Newfoundland dog much like the one owned by Lewis. His dog Seaman traveled with Lewis and Clark
for most of this trip.
Whitefish / Glacier
National Park:
We had a wonderful Airbnb
host in Whitefish who provided great suggestions for exploring the area as well
as how to enjoy Glacier National Park.
One of the sites she recommended was Flathead Lake. This lake was created by Ice Age glaciers and
is the largest natural lake in the western United States.
Probably the most famous
part of Glacier National Park is the “Going-to-the-Sun Road”. We opted not to drive it, but to take a
van. This gave us the opportunity to
enjoy the views without worrying about going off the road! Here are a few of those fabulous views:
One of the van drivers
suggested we take our picnic lunch by this lake – great idea!
We got off at Logan’s Pass
one morning to take a hike to the Hidden Lake.
Needless to say, we didn’t make it to the Lake. But we saw beargrass blooming, mountain goats
and beautiful scenery:
Goodbye Montana ....
Next stop, one of the least visited states ...