View From The Bridge 10/23/13

“VIEW from the BRIDGE
by Muncie
10/23/13

CUTEST STORY EVER
I just have to pass this on because I think that it is the cutest story ever.  I hope that it cheers up your day.

My daughter Jennifer’s friend has a grandson, Kameron, (yes, with a K) who is a precious 4-year-old.  His Mom and Dad do not like video games for kids.  “That is why we have acreage so they can run anywhere and use that crazy thing called “imagination.”   Kameron wanted to play a video game and we told him, “NO.”  He got mad at us and told us, “If I knew the number to 911, I would call it and trade you in for new parents.”

Are you laughing until tears come?

VETERANS PHOTOS
Photos were put on the back burner while I, (and other volunteers at the Joel Overholser Research Center,) worked on Bob Doerk’s books, notebooks, and vertical files.

I had a phone call last week that there were some Veterans coming to visit Fort Benton and they were going to the Sunrise Bluffs to see the Photo Display. 

My partner in this project, B.J. McIntyre had previously had the pictures scanned but they needed to be framed.  Since I had a very hectic week with my Sweetheart in the hospital and my son’s family visiting from Michigan, I called B.J. and she came over immediately and got the job done.  She also typed the bios and put them into the album.

The walls have really filled up this past year and if you still have not seen it please do before Veterans Day on November 11th.  We owe them so much and they can never be thanked enough.  A visit to the Bluffs and signing of the Guest Book is a sign that you care.

RECYCLING
Since I did not write a View last week, I failed to tell you that Recycle Day was on Saturday the 19th at the Fairgrounds.  The next Recycle Day will be November 2nd at the Faorgrpimds frp, 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m./  I’ll have quite a load in my truck by then.  I am so grateful for what the Recycle Committee is doing for our community.  Please volunteer some time to help if you possibly can.

NEW WALKING TRAIL
I received this information first hand from a person who walked the new Levee Walking Trail.  There are now solar lights along the trail which adds a safety feature for those of you who walk at night.  Thanks again to the City as they must have been the installers. 

Do remember that there is a need for a couple of cement benches along that trail.  Perhaps during the winter months a need will come up for a table.  Picnic tables would be much enjoyed next summer.  Also remember that if you have a need for wood, there is a good supply available.

UNDERPASS
Last Saturday morning, I was leaving town about 8:00 a.m.  There was a car ahead of me and another behind me going up the hill toward the Underpass.  A white truck came through the Underpass without yielding.  It was a close call.

If it was a local resident…shame on you.  If it was a stranger, then perhaps they did not understand the procedure.  Please advise everyone that you know the way I was taught.  You pull over as far to the right as you can on the upper side of the underpass, count to 5 and if no vehicles are in sight, drive through. 

There has always been a lot of talk about making the road a one way.  Plan B would put a stop light where you are supposed to stop, and Plan C putting a light down the hill which would turn a light on the top to let you know if a vehicle is coming up the hill.  Somehow the talk dies down.  Must we wait until some serious accident happens?  Must we wonder if it would be someone near and dear to us?

In the meanwhile, please be careful.  Pay attention to your driving, don’t talk on your cell phone, and DO NOT text.  I wish that the whole state of Montana would ban texting while driving.

HIGHWAY 87
Here is another dangerous situation with cars pulling out to pass and meeting head-on with a vehicle coming in the other direction.  There was a very serious accident last week to a local resident.  It has recently happened to us while son Randy was driving.  A car pulled out from behind a truck and there we were.  Fortunately, the other driver drove into the ditch.  I still remember the look on his face when he saw us.

By both elevators, Kershaw and Tunis, there is a dip in the road. We tested it a few years ago by driving a quarter of a mile behind our friend’s vehicle.  At those two grain elevators, the car ahead of us disappeared into the dip of the road.  If you were passing at those points, you would meet another vehicle head on.
I called the Department of Transportation and asked if double yellow lines could be painted in those two spots.  It has been over 10 years since I called and memory is short.  I do remember that they came out and checked it out.  They told me that there had not been an accident in those areas for at least 10 years.  Yellow lines are still not there and the same situation occurred to us several times since.

I would like to hear from anyone who has had a dangerous situation happen to them on Highway 87.

MONTANA TRIVIA
Today’s question is a history one.  “How many forts were built in Montana between 1807 and 1885?”  See answer below.
GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.

A.  99 and that is more than one a year.