For one who didn't know much about the area called Alder, I was pleasantly delighted with our experience there! For some, it may be a just a turn in the road, but for us lucky dogs, we know it as Headquarters for us and the hunters we love. Close to Ennis, Virginia City, Dillon, the Ruby Reservoir, and smack dab in the middle of some phenomenal scenery, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

(You will all have to bear with me, as this article will not be NEAR as informative and good as the Ennis article. Sheri's so much better at writing these than I am *wink*!)

Some of you may have read the blogs and noticed that we stayed at the Alder KOA over Labor Day. We were blessed with the BEST RV site we could imagine. Lots of lawn for the kids to play on, beautiful views, set apart from the other campers... we even reserved it for next year! We then cruised over to Dillon for the Beaverhead County Fair. Can I just say that it was so nice to go to a good ol' country fair that wasn't completely packed? It was such a good experience for the girls. We hit a couple antique stores and garage sales throughout the day, and when it was time for the girls to get some rest, we headed home (that is, to our sweet camper).

The next day we headed over the hill to Virginia City. I forget how completely cool this town is. It's so historic, and the work that has gone into preserving it is wonderful! I especially liked the old print shop, but it's just a look-in building for now. We read that they're working on fixing it up, but it's so neat right now with all the old printing presses and letterpress type set up and frozen in time. Our first stop was the ice cream parlor, and Wilcoxsin's ice cream in waffle cones for everyone. I had chocolate. It was delicious beyond words, especially in the heat of the day. The 4 of us girls sat on a bench and people-watched. We actually saw neighboring campers, and we all recognized each other, which was very neat!

The Ruby River runs through the Alder area, and it is an amazing little river if I do say so myself. It flows into the Ruby Reservoir and back out below the dam. The Reservoir is a fun place to "mine" for rubies and garnets. Grab a sifter and a bowl, head to the shores, and start digging!

Here are some links to the area. Enjoy!

http://www.virginiacity.com/

http://www.beaverheadchamber.org/

http://koa.com/where/mt/26101/