by Mark Lewing, Stevensville
Having recently seen an editorial comment from a lady discussing the price of gas, I would like to pose a question. Would somebody please explain to me why the price of gas in Missoula/Lolo is, and has been for years now, the highest price west of the Mississippi? We recently completed our annual trek to MN, this time for another granddaughter wedding, and the second we leave Missoula on the interstate, the price of gas starts dropping off. At $3.09.9 here we turned around several days later to fill up in Thief River Falls, MN for $2.62.9 and head home. It was a penny more for gas in Grand Forks, ND. Since there is a refinery at Billings you would expect lower prices there but MN? In the old days it was said that the reason for the price being higher in Hamilton was due to the fact the gas had to be trucked in from Missoula where the Yellowstone Pipeline passes through. So why is it that we can fill up in Hamilton and count on paying at least two or three cents per gallon less? Somebody said it was gas taxes but I thought gas taxes were pretty much standard throughout the state and, correct me if I’m wrong, ND and MN are overall poorer states than MT.
While I’m at it, another little thing that bothers me is those ruts that the highway department keeps putting in the middle of roads around here. I can see it may be justified on a road like 93 where they cram the lanes together and expect drivers to miss each other by staying in their lane which is separated from oncoming lanes by two paint stripes a foot apart. On roads in other parts of the world similar to 93 you will see barriers down the middle like on Lolo Grade but not in MT.
I have asked the Dept for years not to put rumble strips in the middle of roads because they are of no earthly use except to irritate drivers every time you have to cross them. Oh, it’s a safety feature you say. 98% of the time crossing them is intentional and I don’t need reminding every time I make a left hand turn or pass another vehicle. Sometimes you may stray over there looking to the side or swatting a fly but you don’t need reminding that you are straying since you are aware of the oncoming traffic when you do it. So the only good use for the rumble strip being in the middle is to avoid a head on in the rare times you might fall asleep at the wheel or hit a patch of black ice. In those few cases, if there happens to be oncoming traffic, you would be dead meat long before you would come to and get back across that line.
As far as I’m concerned, those rumble strips are a waste of taxpayer’s dollars, not only to install, but because they cause early road destruction from freezing and thawing. Don’t believe me? Just take a drive up Lolo Creek sometime where they have been in place for three or four years, maybe even less. You don’t have to go far up there on that otherwise flawlessly smooth pavement before you will see at least two different patch jobs right down the rumble strips where the road surface has broken up.
Speaking of Europe, I always imagined lots of people and continuous towns until I got over there to see for myself. I was impressed with the fact that the countries we toured, eleven in all, have abundant farmlands and scattered towns but not the ag land subdivision sprawl you see here. They are taking pride in their lands and are prepared for the future whereas here we are shooting ourselves in the foot and, when the trucks no longer come out of California, we are going to be in trouble for sure. I read where people in eastern MT are banding together to protest and stop wind farms. Far as I could see their bottom line defense boils down to not in my backyard, I don’t want to look at them. Good luck with that. I also read where the county commissioners have shot down subdivisions on John Foley’s old ranch for ag related purposes. It’s about time. I have that issue here at my ranch and want to purchase more land that has recently come up for sale which I would include in my future conservation easement but I can’t afford it with irrigated hay land for sale at $400,000 per ten acre parcel. Nor can I find anyone willing to help me by buying it and selling me a smaller part that I could afford. So I have no other choice but to watch as my ranch becomes a suburb of Missoula. When I bought it in the early 70s, I had five neighbors, none within half a mile. Now look at it. Oh, for the real Montana winters of the past.