Lazy B Bar & Cafe – Augusta, Montana

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February 6, 2022

A good road trip is never really ever complete without stopping along the way for a quick snack.

Recently we stopped in for a quick bite at the Lazy B Bar & Cafe in Augusta during a recent road trip and I sorta came away a bit surprised at not only how fresh the food was, but also at just how decent the prices were too.

We ate and had coffee & soda for $24 bucks – There were 3 of us. Me, my wife, and a growing 15 year old. I’m pretty sure that all of what we had would have cost $40+ in Great Falls.

Wife had chicken alfredo with a large salad on the side, our Son had their “B” Dog Bonus (chili sauce, onion & mustard) that must have weighed at least 1/3 pound, with soda and chips, and I had their “B” Dog Kraut with coffee (they served up the whole pot). The Kraut wasn’t the soft and slushy kind you would get out of a jar either … it was the real deal.

What’s really sort of cool about towns like Augusta is that for some reason, they aren’t all up into that “let’s charge a bunch of money because we’re cool and trendy” deal. The prices are a little more down to earth, just like the people are.

Our Son was pretty stoked about being in, and eating in, a bar (it was his first time). “Not everyone that goes to a bar is there to drink”, I said to him …. “far from it. I used to go to a bar just north of Missoula when I lived down there because it had the best fried chicken on the planet.”

I think one of the reasons why some bar food is the best, is because the people running the bar don’t worry about it. They make way more money on the booze they sell. So much so that the food might even be considered a loss leader.

Another cool thing about the Lazy B Bar & Cafe is that the building it’s in was built clear back in 1883 and was once The Augusta Hotel. The original townsite was dedicated on May 8, 1893. And not to put too fine a point on it, the building that houses the Lazy B Bar & Cafe is actually older than the town itself. The most accepted version in the naming of this town is after Augusta Hogan, thought to be the first child born in this town, the daughter of J. D. Hogan, an early rancher.

Hannan Gulch Road Trip

By

Alan

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February 6, 2022

sun2 — Hannan Gulch looking east (tap or click to view larger)

Thought to take advantage of this latest Chinook we were having, so we piled into the truck and headed out for Augusta.

When we got to Augusta, we kept on going, west, up the Sun River drainage to Gibson Reservoir. Aside from a few ranchers doing their late afternoon feeding of livestock, and the FWP, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Hannan Gulch looking east (tap or click to view larger)

It was a fairly short drive as Montana drives go, and there was barely any snow. I had been up to the Hannan Gulch Bridge before during the winter, and there was always seemingly much more snow. This time the snow was just inches deep and we drove right in.

My Android phone isn’t known for taking the best pictures, but for some reason the ones I took today turned out fairly decent. It’s a Samsung J7, so it might be a bit dated when it comes to pictures. One day maybe, I’ll muster the fortitude to upgrade. Our Son’s phone is an LG (Android) and it takes way better pictures, and does video really well too.

Because there was such a lack of snow, we decided to drive further up the road. We eventually went as far as the end of the road at Mortimer Gulch above the reservoir.
The area was full of mountain goats, white tail, and mule deer. No bears of course, because … you know … February.

Since it’s the time of year that it is, the dude ranches all seemed quiet and tucked in. I guess the city slickers aren’t all up into doing the dude thing when it’s so cold, and I’m pretty sure that the dude ranchers are all sitting comfortably on the beach in margaritaville somewhere. (the actual temp up there today was 37 degrees)

Whenever I hear people talk about chasing around in Montana, whether it be camping or hiking, it always seems that the headwaters of the Sun River never gets a mention. Just as well I suppose. The dude ranches all seem to do fine during the summer and fall. Plenty of camping, hiking, and fishing. I hate to say it, but the fishing is actually better up at Sun Canyon than the fishing on the Blackfoot is.

Hannan Gulch Trail:

Trail Begins: Road 8983

Trail Ends: Upper Hannan Gulch

Hannan Gulch Trail follows an old seismic road most of its distance and is easy hiking. The last mile becomes moderately difficult. The gulch is open allowing for good views. Castle Reef rises impressively along the eastern side. The western ridge separates Hannan Gulch from Blacktail Gulch. Bear, deer and bighorn sheep inhabit the area. Trail vehicles permitted. Obtain a Forest Visitor’s map to determine any travel restrictions.

Road trip gallery:

‘Jetsons’ house for sale in Oklahoma

By

Alan

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February 3, 2022

Back in the 70’s people were coming up with all kinds of futuristic looking stuff. Like the now defunct futuristic city of Arcosanti for instance located in Arizona’s barren Sonoran Desert.
Though many of the futuristic builds from the 70′ or 80’s never came to completion, here’s one that did.

You could buy this Jetsons house tomorrow and just move right in.

This unusual house is for sale in Oklahoma, and is drawing attention online due to its resemblance to the titular family’s domicile from classic cartoon series The Jetsons.

Completed in 2005, this place lists for right around 400K, has 2 bedrooms, and 3 full bathrooms. Why 3 full bathrooms? Well, I suppose it might have something to do with … the future.

Nancy Davis Vandenhende of Halloran Home Team – eXp Realty, who showed the unusual Tulsa home in a popular TikTok video, said the house features its own elevator that takes residents and visitors up to the saucer-shaped main floor of the house.

Watch the video:

Photo courtesy of Chinowth & Cohen Realtors

Drop Dead

By

Alan

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January 28, 2022

Six retired Irishmen were playing poker in Monaghan’s flat in Dungarvan when Sean O’Toole loses €700 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table.

Showing respect for their fallen brother, the other five continue playing standing up.

Michael Lennon looks around and asks, “Oh, me boys, someone’s got to tell Sean’s wife. Who will it be?”

They draw straws.

Cavan Colquhoun picks the short one.

They tell him to be discreet and gentle and not to make a bad situation any worse.
“Discreet? I’m the most discreet Irishmen you’ll ever meet. Discretion is my middle name. Leave it to me”, announces Cavan.

He goes over to O’Toole’s house and knocks on the door.

Brenda O’Toole answers and asks what he wants and Cavan declares, “Your husband just lost €700 and is afraid to come home.”

“Tell him to drop dead!” snarls Brenda.

“I’ll go tell him.” says Cavan.

The Cosmic Hoax

By

Alan

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January 22, 2022

Recently I had the opportunity to look at a documentary over on TubiTV that spoke to the subject of UFO’s and of how the federal government is playing games with regard to it.

UFO conspiracy theories are actually nothing new. Over the past 50 or some odd years, we’ve been inundated with stories of possible monsters from space, wishing to wipe humans from the face of the earth. Spooky stuff indeed.

Actually, over the past centuries, when you include the Sumarian myths of “Flying Gods”, we can pretty safely say that humans have been bullshitting themselves into believing in extra terrestrials since the very beginning. It’s pretty easy to be convinced of such things over a prolonged period of time, especially since human society may very well have been much further advanced before the great flood than it was after. Man made flying machines are really nothing new at all in the larger scheme of things.

Populations around the world are made to be afraid of everything. Whether it be race, the socioeconomic, climate, age, youth, or whatever else, we will invariably find UFO’s in the mix somewhere, as governments march forward in the use of fear to quench their never ending thirst for power.

Recently, the government was tasked with investigating these so-called UFO’s, and in the end, providing a report on their findings.
The report that the government filed was very much predictable. It’s pretty easy to investigate yourself. You can come up with anything you want as long as you stay with the narrative of fear and misinformation.

It’s much easier to have the masses believe in something that isn’t real, than it is to have the masses balk at something that is.

You can pretty much know that the gig is up when all of these so-called sightings happen around military installations, Navy ships at sea, and the Air Force in the air. It’s much easier to control the technology when it’s kept close to the ones that created it.

The UFO is the perfect cover for when you want to test your latest technology against yourself. The sweet spot here is when you can convince other competing governments around the world that you have no clue about what it is you are actually testing. Might come in handy when you finally use your new technology for reconnaissance or spy missions over the sovereign ground of another competing nation.

As I’ve mentioned before in a previous blog post, “As far as technology is concerned, quite a lot of it was acquired from the Third Reich after the war. Jet engines (F14 Fighter), rocket engines (Ballistic Missiles), the flying wing (B2 Bomber), and yes, even prototype plans for a saucer shaped flying craft were recovered.”

Who’s to say that the Germans didn’t nearly master the anti-gravity deal through the use of competing poles as it relates to earths own magnetism. When it comes to other various inventions, we have to understand that our government and it’s military are way ahead of the game before anything much watered down is introduced to the public.

In this video from CNET, we can find the very predictable result of government investigating itself. Enjoy!