There's no Great Falls in Great Falls. It's all dammed up!

This picture is actually from yesterday, but it got overlooked, and I like it.

After Starbucks yesterday we walked over to the mall so Sasha could pick up her newly resized engagement ring. Brian seemed more eager than Sasha! He's a 2 stripe airman at Malmstrom AFB, guarding the nuclear missiles. After picking up the ring, Brian went back to the base to catch some zzz's and we went back to the house to grab a quick bite. Then we headed out to see the sights of Great Falls.

Checking out the springs

We first went to the Great Springs. The Springs are an aquifer that wells up about 200 feet from the Missouri river. This makes it the shortest river in the world. The water is crystal clear, and supposedly has some minerals in it that are very good for the fish in the area. It's an interesting sight to see the starkly clear water flowing into the somewhat muddy Missouri. Due to the composition of the water, they have a large trout hatchery on site. They have a small showcase pool where they keep some enormous trout. These trout are so big it's ridiculous. All are over 2 feet long, and some are over 3 feet long. They just swim in circles in this 20 foot circular pond, and they are so thick you could shoot them and not miss.

Rarely do pretty women and big fish come together in the same package.

After Great Springs we took a short drive over to Rainbow Dam, formerly Rainbow Falls. The dam was not really that impressive, but the cliffs where the water used to fall were rather cool. I guess the mist from the falls used to have a perpetual rainbow. It seemed a shame, but the sign says that the dams in the Great Falls area produce 1/2 of all Montana's electricity.

You can tell that the bridge is post-sway, due to the look on Steph's face.

From Rainbow Dam Sasha took us to Ryan Dam, which is much more impressive. It was about 20 miles outside of town, down a rather shoddy 2 lane road. The quality of the road didn't keep Sasha from flying down it in her camry. I told Jazlynn that when she grows up she has to promise not to drive like her mommy. The entrance to the dam is down a steep gorge and ends at a foot bridge that takes you to an island created by the water coming from the powerhouse on one side and the overspill from the dam on the other side. The bridge has a sign that says 'Do not sway the bridge, 6 people maximum'. Of course, since there was only 4 of us, I had to sway the bridge. The island has a small kitchen built on it with electric stoves in it. Apparently these were the first electric stoves in the area, built to show the local population the wonders of electricity. The island was landscaped well with fruit trees and flowers, and several scenic overlooks. From one vantage we could see a trout hole with at least 20 large trout in it. Jazlynn decided to run through some sprinklers while we wandered around the rest of the island and ended up fully soaked, fully clothed, in about 5 minutes. So we made her run around to dry off. She really has boundless energy.

It's a dam, and a pretty girl.

After we were fully dammed we headed over to Malmstrom AFB to see Brian. Security at the base was quite strict. We had to stop at the entrance and give them our ID's for a quick background check, and then Brian had to call to get us in. Then we drove to a gate where they checked all of Sasha's paperwork including car insurance and registration. The base has some quite nice housing, and several demonstration missiles around just for fun. Brian's quarters are in a dorm facility, and are more than adequate for a single guy, and nicer than what I had at University of Idaho. We hung out at the dorm for a little while, then headed back to Sasha's to get Jazlynn changed.

Jaz and friend getting soaked.

On our way out to dinner, Brian took us on a tour through the city. Great Falls reminds me a lot of Turlock in it's size and feel. Although, instead of churches on every corner like in Turlock, there seems to be a casino on every corner. I guess gambling is completely unrestricted in Montana. It seemed like half of the billboards in Great Falls were anti crime billboards. From anti-meth, to anti-drunk-driving, to wear your seatbelt billboards. The anti-meth billboards are just hideous, with dramatized pictures of someone's ruined face, supposedly due to meth. You all know that I don't advocate the use of any psychotropic substances, even caffeine, and I'm sure that those billboards do work as a deterrent, but I really hope they take them down. Maybe those billboards are the reason I saw a sign advertising new 3000 sq foot homes for $150k, or maybe it's cuz Great Falls gets to -27 F in the winter.

Chipmates

We had a pleasant dinner at a local diner, then headed back to Sasha's grandparents and packed up. After some discussion, with some trepidations on my part, Sasha cut Steph's hair. She gave her a quick trim and layered it, and Stephanie is happy with it. She didn't even cry. By then we were exhausted so we crashed out.

Pre-cut. Sasha is the mohel.

Today we headed out for Yellowstone at 530. the drive so far is pretty, but reception is again spotty. The moon set in front of us as the sun rose behind us. Yes, I know that means we were driving west, we had to for about 30 miles to get to the correct freeway.

The end of the day, and the sun.

That is all.