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Kilted vlogger makes journey across Montana

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Kilted vlogger makes journey across Montana


GREAT FALLS — If you decide to be a travel vlogger, you have to do something to set you apart from the hundreds of others. If you’re Paul, that means leaning into your Scottish lineage.

“I thought, well, that would make me a little bit different to the other 10,000 people,” said Paul, the content creator behind Paul Wheel Drive on Youtube.

So for nearly four years, Paul has been wearing a kilt.

“Just gives me a bit of an idea, people who are trying to follow me on YouTube,” Paul said. “…Oh, yeah. He’s the guy with the kilt.”

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Paul is a van life vlogger, which is exactly what it sounds like. He films his life living out of a 2003 Volkswagen Winnebago Rialta.

“It is my accommodation, my home, my recluse, the whole thing,” Paul said.



Paul has traveled around the world twice, and four years ago decided to drive around Australia, creating YouTube videos to help people learn tips and tricks when traveling on the road. Every video ends with the same information:

“How much in fuel, how much in accommodation, how long it took me to get there and how far it really was,” Paul said.

After three years touring Australia, Paul got a six-month Visa and decided to help Americans out.

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“I really didn’t find much in the way of tourist offices. Not in California anyway,” Paul said, “So I thought, ‘Well, that definitely reminds me why I came here, to make up what I had made in Australia for Americans.’”

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If you’ve ever wanted to strike out and do some van living on your own, let the man with the kilt show you how. It’s not always pretty, but that isn’t the point.

“The real joy of travel isn’t being at a place, although, you know, there’s obviously benefits of it,” Paul said. “It’s just the travel itself.”

Even if that means living in a 22-foot, 20-year old RV that Paul finds is plenty big enough.

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“I think it’d be fine for two [people], but I’ve never really had two to be traveling with,” Paul said. “But, like, for one it’s just perfect.”

If you want to try this for yourself, Paul says to rent the house and the equipment, and if you are with a partner, prepare for a somewhat rude awakening.

He noted, “Now, they might have been married for 20 years and think they know each other really, really well, but suddenly when you’re in this room, it’s just like, ‘Get out of here, get out.’”

It’s not financially viable. It’s not especially luxurious, but it will give you memories and experiences that last a lifetime and are priceless.

Click here to check out Paul’s channel on Youtube.

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Montana

Harmon's Histories: Autumn in Montana fills days with sunshine, poetry … and naps

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Harmon's Histories: Autumn in Montana fills days with sunshine, poetry … and naps


By Jim Harmon

Autumn is my favorite season, except . . .

Except for what follows: WINTER!

Wouldn’t it be splendid if fall lasted a full six months, then transitioned effortlessly into spring?

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The poets know of what I speak.

Sunshine on an aspen grove is one of the many delights of autumn. Missoula Current photo

Sunshine on an aspen grove is one of the many delights of autumn. Missoula Current photo

Julie L. O’Connor’s “The Artistry Of Nature: A Poem On The Colors Of Fall” best sums it up for me:

“There’s a crispness in the air that greets the morning sun,
a feeling of anticipation, a new day has begun.
Harvest days are ending, winter is drawing near,
yet in between is surely the most special time of year.”

John Keats’ love letter “To Autumn” is another nod to the best season of the year:

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“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run.”

What a wonderful description of the season: “the maturing sun.”

The angle of the sun is best in autumn, warm yet not hot. I could stretch out in a lawn chair and spend every fall afternoon in the sun.

Little wonder that fall has inspired so many poets — such beauty! Missoula Current photo.

Little wonder that fall has inspired so many poets — such beauty! Missoula Current photo.

Then there’s Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73:

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“That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.”

In fall, Shakespeare saw a reflection of himself – no longer a “fair youth.”

“You can see in me a reflection of the autumnal and wintry time of year, when yellow leaves, or none, or few, hang upon the trees; the branches of such trees are like the choirs in monasteries, since they were once home to ‘sweet birds’ who sang, but are now bare.”

As I am but a couple of years short of four score, I can relate.

Fall is awash in color along the Missouri River just outside of Fort Benton. Missoula Current photo.

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Fall is awash in color along the Missouri River just outside of Fort Benton. Missoula Current photo.

Carl Sandburg’s “Theme in Yellow” captures well the sense of autumn, with a sense of humor, assuming the body of a pumpkin:

“I spot the hills with yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October, when dusk is fallen,
Children join hands, and circle round me
Singing ghost songs, and love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o’-lantern, With terrible teeth
And the children know I am fooling.”

I suspect poet Robert Gibb, like me, enjoyed sitting in a lawn chair every fall afternoon, soaking in the southern sun, writing “For the Chipmunk in My Yard:”

“I think he knows I’m alive, having come down
The three steps of the back porch
And given me a good once over.”

Ah, yes . . . autumn is such a wonderful time.

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Given the season that follows, I’ll soon be in my cozy cave, hibernating, except when my lovely wife awakens me – but just long enough to send in my column.

Jim Harmon is a longtime Missoula news broadcaster, now retired, who writes a weekly history column for Missoula Current. You can contact Jim at fuzzyfossil187@gmail.com. His best-selling book, “The Sneakin’est Man That Ever Was,” a collection of 46 vignettes of Western Montana history, is available at harmonshistories.com.





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Montana man records shocking up-close footage of UFO rotating in air that made his wife ‘cry’

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Montana man records shocking up-close footage of UFO rotating in air that made his wife ‘cry’


A man in small-town Montana has captured footage of an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) and shared the shocking video that made his wife ‘cry’ on Reddit.

The video was recorded on Friday between 10:10 and 10:15 pm, and showed what appears to be a blinking craft streaking across the clear night sky.

Said to have been spinning and adorned with a series of rotating lights, the apparent object flew over tiny Choteau, home to a population of just over 1,700 people.

The videos, along with the original poster’s in-depth account of the sighting, reveals how the man and his wife first mistook the unknown object for a meteor. 

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It comes after Montana was singled out as a hotspot for UFO sightings, with visitors recording some of the most significant and well-documented footage. 

A man in small-town Montana has captured footage of an Unidentified Flying Object. Filmed Friday between 10:10 and 10:15 pm, the video seemingly shows a blinking craft streaking across the sky

Said to have been spinning and adorned with a series of rotating lights, the apparent aircraft flew over tiny Choteau

Said to have been spinning and adorned with a series of rotating lights, the apparent aircraft flew over tiny Choteau

‘On Friday night my wife and I were sitting on the deck out back looking at the stars – we do this every night,’ wrote the unnamed poster, who goes by the user name PoneThePoon.

‘Just after 10pm my wife said “is that a shooting star??”, which I found odd, because if it was I wouldn’t have time to look at it. 

‘The tree near me was blocking the direction she was staring so I got up and looked, and my jaw dropped,’ he continued. 

‘I said ‘Holy s**t. Holy s**t!!’ and we both jumped off of the deck and got into the yard for a better view.’

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Three separate clips show a light in the distance that appeared to be rotating in mid-air and the edge of what appeared to be a craft.

The town is sparsely populated, with a population of just over 1,700, and boasts an exceedingly clear sky

The town is sparsely populated, with a population of just over 1,700, and boasts an exceedingly clear sky

The sight, he said, left his spouse in tears after it lingered for a few minutes before flying away.

‘The craft seemed huge, miles away,’ he recalled – adding how it had several blinking and spinning lights, and a rotating orange-red light on the bottom. 

‘You can only see the orange/red light in the video,’ he explained, revealing, ‘We observed it for 2-3 minutes as it continued flying away, and then it was just gone. 

‘No noise, it was just gone.’

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He also recalled how once the photos and video were secured on his wife’s Galaxy Fold 4, he tried to do the same on his Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

However, he said, the phone ‘died right in front of my eyes’.

The man who filmed the clips posted them to Reddit, and was soon met with awe

The man who filmed the clips posted them to Reddit, and was soon met with awe

Rushing to retrieve his charger, he continued to use his wife’s phone to take ‘tons of various zoomed photos and videos,’ he recalled.  

‘What I have here is the best that came out of all that, this thing was really far away for a night time phone shot, so I’m pleased with what we did get.’

Speaking about the possibility that the craft was an Elon Musk-made satellite, he said: ‘I don’t believe this was Starlink.’

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‘I’ve watched a ton of Starlink videos since observing this, and our lights were rotating/blinking, not a static line of unchanging lights.

‘After we got inside to see what we actually captured, my wife was shaking and crying from the experience,’ he concluded.

‘It was kind of scary, I couldn’t fall asleep until 4am and it was my night to do the early feed for our twin boys.’

The Reddit post was soon met with awe by commenters.

Pictured: The Rocky Mountain range just outside of Choteau

Pictured: The Rocky Mountain range just outside of Choteau

‘Really cool footage. Good explanation too,’ wrote viewer impressed by the post.

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‘Kudos. Now don’t let them disappear into the abyss. Good footage has a way of inexplicably going missing,’ the person added.

‘Download it, keep copies,’ another chimed in, as the post received more than 3,200 upvotes in less than a day.

‘This could have been the best UFO video ever if the sky was just a little bit lighter,’ added a third top commenter. ‘Frustrating, but definitely interesting.’ 

After asking what others thought of the sighting, most appeared to be at least be open to the idea the craft being something that cannot be explained.

‘Awesome!’ one such commenter wrote on Monday, as the post was bombarded with a bevy of replies.

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As of writing, the origins and nature of the aircraft in the sparsely populated remained unknown. No other reports of the sighting have surfaced

As of writing, the origins and nature of the aircraft in the sparsely populated remained unknown. No other reports of the sighting have surfaced

‘You should download the app Phenom and post this there!’ the person added. ‘It cant be taken down by anyone online or banned… This is great footage.’

The origins and nature of the apparent craft remain unknown. No other reports of the sighting have surfaced.

Montana has emerged in recent years as a hotspot for UFO activity, potentially due to the state’s sparse population and roaming, vacant plains.

In 1950, two spinning disks seemingly flew over Great Falls and were captured on a hand-held camera – yielding clips that continue to defy conventional explanation to this day 

In the ’60s, apparent UFOs were seen over the Minuteman missile silos – then home to a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles in the midst of the Great Plains.  

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In separate incidents that occurred while the alleged UFO hung overhead, a series of armed and ready nuclear missiles were suddenly deactivated – leaving missile launch officers at a loss. 

The US Air Force allegedly ordered these men never to tell anyone what happened, books like Joan Bird’s Montana UFO’s and Extraterrestrials have claimed.

The account examines such events and why they occur in the state, with many reports remaining unexplained in both government and private circles.



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Montana's Ice Caves are a stunning natural wonder

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Montana's Ice Caves are a stunning natural wonder


GREAT FALLS — Nestled just outside of Lewistown, Montana, lies a hidden gem that many outdoor enthusiasts may not know about—the Ice Caves.

These natural wonders are a must-see for anyone looking for a unique and challenging hiking experience in the stunning mountain landscapes of central Montana.

Formed over millions of years by water slowly seeping through cracks in the rock, the Ice Caves remain frozen year-round, regardless of the temperature outside.

They’re a fascinating example of nature’s ability to preserve cold air in a manner that defies the warmth of the summer sun. The caves are perched high in the mountains, and getting there is no easy feat.

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Hikers have a couple of options when it comes to exploring the Ice Caves. There are campsites available at Crystal Lake, which lies at the base of the trail.

Although the lake itself dries up later in the summer, it’s a great spot to cool off early in the season.

For those looking to tackle the caves as part of a longer adventure, there’s a 12-mile loop trail, or you can opt for a shorter five-mile out-and-back trek.

The trail is not for the faint of heart. With more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain in the first 2.5 miles, it’s a steep climb, so make sure you’re in good shape and wearing sturdy hiking shoes.

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The journey takes you through changing landscapes—from lush forests to jagged shale—offering the chance to spot wildlife and immerse yourself in the wilderness.



One crucial piece of advice: bring plenty of water. There’s no water available on the trail, so it’s essential to pack at least two liters per person, and more if you’re planning to camp.

The Ice Caves are about midway along the trail, so they make for a rewarding stop before continuing on your journey.

The caves themselves are an awe-inspiring sight. The narrow opening leads to a cool, icy interior that remains frozen even when it’s 90 degrees outside. This is due to the heavy cold air being trapped inside, making the caves a natural refrigerator.

As you descend from the caves, you’ll be treated to some of the most breathtaking views in the region. On a clear day, you can see as far as Canada and Wyoming, making the effort to reach the caves all the more worthwhile. Even on a smoky day, the vistas are impressive.

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For those up for the challenge, the Ice Caves trail is one of Montana’s most rewarding hikes. It’s a favorite for many, and if you’re able to tackle it, you’ll undoubtedly find it to be one of your most memorable outdoor adventures.

So pack your gear, lace up your boots, and head out to discover the Ice Caves—an unforgettable experience awaits.

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