When we left our Wisconsin Lake House, we sought a new home base with warmth and wide open spaces. So, we headed to the land of the Big Sky; Miles City, Montana to be exact. We had not felt many temperatures above 70 for almost a year. We had a few days like that in Wisconsin and we enjoyed a few days of it when we went to Panama City Beach, Florida. Other than that, we had not unpacked our shorts for a year. So, we were excited to do so. And, Montana did not disappoint.
We had so many things we wanted to do in Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wyoming. Out East, we would pick one spot and we could drive a few hours in any direction and engage in exploring the points of interest we sought. However, out West, the states are so much bigger that you can drive for hours in any direction and still be in the same state. We were faced with some serious home base location challenges. So, we decided to do Mid and Eastern Montana, Norther Wyoming, Southwestern North Dakota and Northwestern South Dakota. However, that was still a large area. And the cities can be far and few between.
Then we discovered a little town (population about 8,000) in Southeastern Montana called Miles City. It would definitely be a drive. But, within 2 to 4 hours, we could hit quite a few locations we knew of and so much more that we were unaware of. So, then, our next task, of course, was finding our home base. With 
smaller cities your choices can be more limited. However, fortune shined on us and did so brightly in the fashion of a delightful apartment owned by Eric and Robin Hogan. Through them we established a home base in a Big Sky Apartment.
We are a family of five. Four of us are bigger, rough and tumble guys who need a little space and one of us is Little Mama Nomad who appreciates her quiet away from the loud and boisterous guys. Staying in an apartment was a concern, both for our own space as well as concern of disturbing our neighbors. Well, within a few days in our Big Sky Apartment, all of those concerns were laid to rest.
This is a three bedroom apartment that can actually sleep 6 easily. Two bedrooms have full sized beds and one bedroom has a pair of bunk beds. It has one bathroom. But with a good schedule and a little bit of cooperation, we easily made it work. And the washer and dryer are conveniently located on the side of the hallway.
One bedroom has a medium sized flat screen TV and the living room seems to have one that is about 40 to 44 inches or so. They provide cable TV and internet that is both fast and reliable. In most places, our internet is in the single digits for speed (2mbps to 8mbps). On a few occasions we hit 13mbps to 21mbps. Well, on a bad day here we were at about 36mbps and on a good day up to 80mbps. And it worked without fail the entire time we were here. As a digitally connected family that uses Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video as our primary entertainment and my reliance upon an internet connection to communicate and operate professionally, this was a big bonus to us.
The living room was a good size and the table in the dining area would seat 6 comfortably. We had adequate shelf and cabinet space in the kitchen, which was equipped with a coffee maker, toaster, microwave and crock pot (in addition to the stove and fridge). Also, there was a new gas grill just outside the back door which we used multiple times through out the week. I was a grilling machine.
The grill is located in a backyard grassy area shared by the whole building. Each and every person we ran into was so pleasant. The Hogans hand pick their tenants with great care. One nice lady (next door) even gave us garden fresh cucumbers…twice! Delicious.
We wondered how this apartment gave us so much in a footprint that was smaller than we are accustomed to? We came to the conclusion that the space was efficiently and effectively utilized due to smart construction.
If any of us needed some space, there is a great park that is about a 1/4 of a mile down the road. It is called Wibaux and our boys utilized it often; lots of place to throw footballs and there is a basketball court. The streets in the area are perfectly suited for walks, which Mama Nomad did EVERY day. Some weeks she would clock between 20 and 35 miles! In addition, there is a community college (Miles Community College) that is about a 1/2 mile away. They offer a great gym membership with no monthly commitment. The boys and I went there 4 times a week to lift weights and play racquetball. There was no shortage of outdoor or exercise things to do.
About a 1/2 mile down the road is a grocery store called Reynolds that I often walked to for groceries. About a mile in the opposite direction is a larger grocery store called Albertsons that has whatever you need if Reynolds does not have it. Downtown Miles City is about a mile to mile and a half down Main Street. And, yes, you can walk to it to.
One of the things we found interesting was the abundance of ATVs on the road. There were all manner of ATVs that were licensed to be on the road. At first we thought it odd. Then we thought of the gas savings and said “why not?” There are a great many things, in town, you can get to on foot from the Big Sky Apartment. So we got our walk on and saved on a lot of driving.
The apartment was great. The neighbors were great. And the location was great. But the property owners were fantastic. The Hogans really went out of their way to make sure we were okay and well taken care of. Mama Nomad and I shared an anniversary here. I asked Robin about a restaurant and told her why. She later called me with a whole list of things we could do on our anniversary and we did quite a few of them; like Strawberry Hills and The Tongue River Winery. She was also the introductory party that allowed Noah to speak at the library. Do not get me wrong, other property owners took care of us. Some very well. But, so far, none took it to the level that Robin and Eric Hogan did.
If you want to do any of the Badlands (South Dakota, North Dakota or Montana), Sturgis, Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, Cody (Wyoming) Rodeos, Red Lodge, Beartooth Byway, Northern Yellowstone, Billing, Bozeman and so much more, I can easily recommend that you contact the Hogans about staying here at the Big Sky Apartment. Just go to HomeAway and type in p842203vb into the search box. Tell them the Nomads sent ya. Safe Travels.
