July 10, 2008

One of my big objectives as I spent 2 months in Montana was to spend time at my property in Nye, MT. I know it is a very small town (less than 200 full-time residents) that is nestled into the Beartooth Mountains and Custer National Forest. In fact, the road that goes through Nye ends about 2 miles out of town at the Custer National Forest. And when I purchased the property, there was a one room schoolhouse (still there - picture to the left), and just one other “commercial” building, which was a post office, had some groceries (advertised beer), and had 2 gas pumps (no diesel). So in the last 2 years, I had wondered if I purchased property which might be too remote for me. Footnote: I'm pleased to say that Nye now has a new, separate post office and a restaurant where I hear you can get a good burger and fries -- very important in my life.

So during my time in Montana, I wanted to get to know the area immediately around Nye – towns like Dean, Fishtail, Absorkee, Roscoe, Red Lodge, etc. I wanted to see if this is right for me. And to find out the value of the property today. If the price had gone up, maybe it would be a better idea to sell and purchase a small home nearer to town – already built where I could come spend summers. So I’ve also looked at MANY real estate magazines, looked up properties on the Internet, etc.

Armed with all the property listings in larger towns along I-90 such as Bozeman, Livingston, Big Timber, and Three Forks, I set off. I drove around the towns finding the homes for sale and getting a feeling for each of the towns. I found a team roping competition in Three Forks, so I forgot about the real estate and watched the roping.

I did find Livingston and Big Timber to be very nice and cute towns with little eating places and shops. And their downtown residential areas were tree lined with small homes that were in decent repair (for the most part).

Then I drove to the property. The drive to Nye takes me off I-90 into Columbus, MT (not a place I would want to live) and about 45 minutes later you reach Nye. You go through Absorkee, and when you leave, you see the majestic, snow covered Beartooth Mountains and they are beautiful (see picture to the left). The road to Nye has some of the most beautiful and panoramic views of these huge mountains (tallest in Montana) with thousands of acres of meadows below. It just takes your breath away and makes you stop the car just to look. Coming into Nye there is the Stillwater River complete with its rapids and (from what I understand) outstanding fly fishing (picture below is of the Nye Valley and Stillwater River).

I went to the property – the roads are incredibly bad, and I wondered if my diesel truck was going to make it up the hill, through the ruts, and over the rocks (guess it will cut down on sightseers). I parked the truck just off the road, and armed with my plat and my Google Earth printouts, I started searching for the boundaries of the property. I knew where the 11 acres was basically located, but I wanted to try to find the boundaries this time.

The property was BEAUTIFUL – prettier than I ever remember seeing it. Montana had a lot of snow over the winter and lots of rain this spring, and it is greener than I ever remember seeing it. So my property had many different wildflowers, the Aspens were lush, the pines were beautiful, and I even thought there might be enough grass to pasture a horse (although the truck and trailer would not get up the road). I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY PROPERTY!!! I had thought about what I love about Montana – definitely the mountains, the forests, the rivers, and the wildlife. And I have it all in this property. I’ve posted only a few of the pictures that I took, but it should give you a feel for my property

ALL OF THE PICTURES BELOW ARE OF MY PROPERTY.

July 12, 2008

Then there is the issue of being remote. Granted, Nye it is not a city like Bozeman or has all the events Bozeman would have. But they have a local BBQ called “Nye goes Nuts” held at the volunteer fire department. And it

was Saturday, July 12. So I made up my mind that I would go to meet some of the local people. It was refreshing to see the folks – families, children, and older people – a whole community. I met several women; one who had lived in Nye since the 50’s and raised her family there. Another woman and her husband lived in Reno and built a house about 3 years ago. They come for the summers. And when I was leaving my property on Thrusday, I met a man who moved to Buffalo Jump Ranch (development where my property is located) full time about 2 years ago from Chicago. He invited me to stop up at his house where he lived with his family. The people are so friendly (or as a friend said, “Maybe they are just starved for conversation”). If these folks see you, they just pull over and talk to you.

I did hear a funny story which relates to being remote. While I was at my property on Thursday, a FedEx truck went by me on the dirt road. I thought how remote could this be – Federal Express. I also drove further up the road to discover the folks who owned 40 acres above me had built their house. At the BBQ one person told me she has seen a UPS truck with a horse trailer attached to it. Apparently when the driver runs out of road, he has a horse he rides to deliver the package.

On Saturday prior to the BBQ, I drove further south to Red Lodge. It’s the largest town in the area, about 40 miles southeast of Nye. And this town has grown in the last 2 years. The downtown area is very quaint, with lots of beautiful stores and great places to eat. They also have a lot of activities, rodeos, concerts, ski slopes and lifts, etc., and that’s not bad only 40 miles away. And as most places in Montana at this time of year – LOTS OF HARLEY BIKERS. I believe they are having a Harley rally this weekend. But the shopping was great and I did myself proud by only buying a few things (luckily they haven’t shut off my credit card).

So to net all of this out……I’m very happy with the property that I have. The property is beautiful and the valley is breathtaking with the mountains and the river. I only hope I can build something small to spend my summers on my own property.