Diversions

Recent Posts

Unusual footrace highlights Montana’s varied terrain

Hay

For some of us, the approach of fall—with its distinct smells, light and colors—is indistinguishable from the approach of cross-country running season. Many of these folks in Montana’s running community will gather on Saturday, Oct. 31, for one of the most unusual footraces in the state—a cross-country race known as the Montana Cup. Patrick Judge, president of the Helena Vigilante Runners and race director for this year’s edition of the cup, describes the event as “a team cross-country running event similar to a high-school or collegiate race, but open to everyone.” (more…) Continue Reading →

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Beartooth rockslide may be the biggest in North America

Slide

It doesn’t have quite the immediate appeal of Old Faithful, but there is a notable geological feature in the Beartooth Mountains that Auzie Blevins and John Boehmke believe more people should know about. The feature is an immense heap of rock, the result of a gigantic rockslide that formed a natural dam and created Deep Lake, one of the largest bodies of water in the Beartooths. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Family’s devotion to rarely used church spans a century

Altar

On the high plains of Eastern Montana, abandoned churches are nearly as plentiful as abandoned schoolhouses. From a distance, the little white church sitting on a rise nine miles west and a little south of Broadview looks as if it might be one of those forlorn, forgotten structures. But step inside and it is immediately clear that this is a church still under someone’s loving care. The ornate altar, with its prominent statue of the Virgin Mary and a front panel featuring a relief sculpture of the Last Supper, is bright and beautifully preserved. (more…) Continue Reading →

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On the road to Roundup, a new restaurant with a flair

DOA

Let’s say you live in Billings and you’re in the mood for some substantial food that is also imaginative, even a little edgy. And maybe you’d like to wash it down with some fun cocktails containing ingredients you’d never thought to mix with booze. Where to go? How about 30 miles north of Billings on Highway 87, to a roadside tavern on the outskirts of hell-and-gone? (more…) Continue Reading →

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Popular, very busy caterer to take a much-needed break

Tatarka

After more than a dozen years of nurturing ceremonies and celebrations, the owner of Beyond Basil Catering is hanging up her chef’s coat, at least temporarily. For more than a decade, Marcy Tatarka has been juggling part-time work as a neonatal nurse at St. Vincent Healthcare while feeding the masses. (more…) Continue Reading →

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One last look at a small patch of ‘The Wilds’ on West End

Photos

As I picked my way through what looked like a tree cemetery, my heart felt heavy as I recalled the countless times I had traveled this dirt path in search of solitude and renewal, and always being able to find it in the surrounding woods. I knew this day was coming because three weeks earlier I had bumped into a surveyor with a map spread out on the hood of his company truck. He asked me if this path was traveled much. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Recycled trailer brings tailgating to Rocky soccer

Van

What do you think you’d do with an aging 24-foot double-wheel travel trailer traded in for the latest, greatest model on the lot? Wreck it, I hear you say, but not Dave and Michelle Luce. Michelle saw something beautiful and functional in this old cast-off. Their son, Donovan Luce, is a freshman at Rocky Mountain College and plays on the men’s soccer team. Dave and Michelle, who have watched just about every one of his games from age 8 through high school and club career, were gearing up for a different experience at college games—tailgating! Continue Reading →

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In Helena, a chance meeting with a fascinating wasp

Wasp

I recently joined some work colleagues for a farewell celebration in the courtyard of one of Helena’s public houses along Last Chance Gulch. One of our party noticed that we were sitting under a deciduous tree that seemed to have been dead for several years. Presently, we were visited by a very large wasp, which several in the group found quite disturbing. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Nonstop action, amazing athleticism at Indian relay

Start

If you weren’t one of the 5,000 people thronging the grandstand at MetraPark in Billings on Sunday, take my advice: you’ll want to be there next year for the finale of the All Nations Indian Relay Championships. It’s a spectacle like no other, with all the crazy bravado of a Mountain Dew-fueled extreme sport, complete with frenetic announcers, blaring rock music, a giant instant-replay screen and screaming fans. (more…) Continue Reading →

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