Environmental

There are mountains all over the place in Montana - we all know that. But even I was surprised to learn just how many distinct mountain ranges there are across the state, with even more 'sub' ranges. It's a pretty impressive number.

"Cows are fed - Time to shred" is on their t-shirts. It's been around since 1936 in the Montana county that out-of-staters regularly mispronounce. As the oldest ski area in the state, this stunning piece of 640 skiable acres has perfected the art of gathering local love. It's a fascinating rabbit hole to go down when reading reviews, comments, and messages about the ski area that started out so many years ago as "King's Hill Ski Area".

As far as beautiful, high-mountain lakes with almost crystal-clear water go, Montana and Wyoming give each other a run for their money. You'll find several good contenders in both states, but we thought we'd lead some folks OUT of Montana to this gem of a lake.

Finding new ways to entertain guests who visit us in Montana is getting harder - especially without spending a fortune. Hiking, biking, fishing, and camping are still great options, but sometimes you want something a little more unique and unusual. The 'experiences' section on Airbnb is a good start to find these cool things to do.

If you're into RV life, van life, or camping amongst others, Montana has many excellent RV Parks to choose from. They're vastly different and offer an array of amenities from outdoor pools, playgrounds, seclusion, or creeks that run right through the property.

Very dry conditions, gusty winds up to 40 MPH, and the chance of lightning storms have created dangerous fire conditions across all of western Montana on Friday. Any wildfires that start today will be difficult to contain, so Red Flag Warnings have been issued across the western counties.

It's mid-day on one of the warmest days of the year, and I've driven by no fewer that half a dozen homes with their sprinklers on. It's not illegal to water your lawn, but their are rules and there is common sense - both of which are being ignored too often around Bozeman.

Wildfire smoke from Canada, and the smoke from fires within Montana dropped the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of Montana by dozens of points on Wednesday. Thursday isn't looking too promising either with Air Quality Alerts and Heat Advisories in effect for large portions of the state.

Red Flag Warnings have been issued for a large area covering Fort Peck Lake and the Missouri River on Thursday. Very dry conditions and gusty winds up to 40 MPH today make for extremely precarious conditions.

Montana has been surrounded by raging wildfires all summer and now we have plenty of our own to deal with. One of the most challenging aspects of these wildfires is the particulate filled smoke that they produce. It can stay localized in valleys or continuously blow into the state with the jet stream. How can you stay healthy if you're susceptible to breathing issues?

It's not the worst we've ever seen, but a few more unlucky lightning strikes and Montana's wildfire season could explode. We're currently battling 77 active wildfires and they are for the most part in remote, hard to fight areas, with plenty of timber and fuel to burn.

Hey, kiddie pools are important in the summer heat. As an expert in this arena, I thought I'd share some tips and tricks to getting the most out of your kiddie pool in Montana. Keeping those plastic saviors clean and fun to use takes a little maintenance.