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MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 06:24 PM Jul 2020

Montana is inundated with out of state visitors right now.

I drive 20 miles round trip every day on the interstate to take my teenage son to baseball practice. The highway is loaded with out of staters every single day. Today my husband drove the kiddo up to Kalispell for a ball tournament and they report that they didn’t see but a handful of MT plates in that two hour drive. There were endless SUVs pulling RVs and giant motor homes from GA, FL, CA and WA...all over. Last weekend, we drove 4 hours over to Lewistown and saw the same thing on our highways...tons of vehicles from other places. We take our camper and all our own food...we don’t eat out....no motels. I’m frustrated. We had really low Covid numbers for so long. We were doing okay. Seems the word is out and folks are coming to MT in droves. The virus will come with them.

39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Montana is inundated with out of state visitors right now. (Original Post) MontanaMama Jul 2020 OP
😕We just cancelled our trip to Glacier NP. we can do it Jul 2020 #1
Please come when it is safe. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #4
Definitely! we can do it Jul 2020 #6
Sorry MontMa blm Jul 2020 #2
Ugh. I hope not! soothsayer Jul 2020 #3
Try living in Florida. Out of state tags everywhere. jimfields33 Jul 2020 #5
No thank you. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #7
Sorry to hear that. I hope it's just 4th of July vacationers for Montana jimfields33 Jul 2020 #9
Same here in Rehoboth Beach DE we can do it Jul 2020 #39
Now you know how the Incas and Mayans felt ... VMA131Marine Jul 2020 #8
A ball tournament? OneBro Jul 2020 #10
Local teams only. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #11
I noticed the traffic on the Oregon coast is extremely high. Most cars I've seen since last summer. CanonRay Jul 2020 #12
Damn. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #14
No cases there that I've heard of CanonRay Jul 2020 #24
Us folks from Florida Chainfire Jul 2020 #13
You can keep that FL Covid down there MontanaMama Jul 2020 #15
Perhaps they are the same ones coming across the border into Canada Bev54 Jul 2020 #16
Good! They should keep Americans out. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #17
They are allowing them to travel through to Alaska but we Bev54 Jul 2020 #18
That's how we feel in MT. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #19
I saw TX, CO, GA, FL and a shitton from CA in Albertsons parking lot GemDigger Jul 2020 #20
Wow. Really? MontanaMama Jul 2020 #22
I Don't go out much. Delmette2.0 Jul 2020 #35
We have relatives in Montana and we were supposed to take a trip this month to Great Falls Nay Jul 2020 #21
I'm sorry. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #23
Thank you -- it was going to be a nice car trip, nipping up into Canada for the drive across Nay Jul 2020 #37
We all heard there was no mask-wearing tyranny there. Buckeye_Democrat Jul 2020 #25
You're a funny one... MontanaMama Jul 2020 #27
Back at ya! Buckeye_Democrat Jul 2020 #29
Exactly. 2naSalit Jul 2020 #28
Damn straight... 2naSalit Jul 2020 #26
So my kiddo's first game in Kalispell just ended. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #30
Which is why I have come to the 2naSalit Jul 2020 #31
interstate highway. that explains it nt msongs Jul 2020 #32
This only points out the need for a national strategy luv2fly Jul 2020 #33
100% right. MontanaMama Jul 2020 #34
The ones who don't mask up are who scares me most. Buying gas or groceries you see it. Ford_Prefect Jul 2020 #36
My mother in law lives in Stevi... MontanaMama Jul 2020 #38

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
7. No thank you.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 06:31 PM
Jul 2020

I’m sorry that’s happening there too. We had way under 500 cases in the whole state when phase 1 reopening began. It’s a runaway train now.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
11. Local teams only.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 06:50 PM
Jul 2020

And only in communities with phase 2 openings. These are usually big regional tournaments with kids from all over the NW and Canada but they’ve been scaled way back to just MT kids. No concessions. Dugouts bleached between games. No fans in the stands. 6’ distancing between family groups in the grass and mandatory masks. While it’s not the same as what we’re used to, it’s been okay...the kids had an opportunity to play a little bit. This is the last tourney for the year and it’s just in time since the tourists are here.

CanonRay

(14,037 posts)
12. I noticed the traffic on the Oregon coast is extremely high. Most cars I've seen since last summer.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 06:55 PM
Jul 2020

We're getting overrun and our numbers were already going in the toilet.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
14. Damn.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 07:09 PM
Jul 2020

Yachats is my go to after the kiddo is done playing baseball for the summer. Not this year though.

Bev54

(9,962 posts)
16. Perhaps they are the same ones coming across the border into Canada
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 07:33 PM
Jul 2020

by saying they are going through to Alaska but instead are touristing. The RCMP have fined 1200 Americans in Banff (hint) not enroute to Alaska and my friends and family are seeing many on Vancouver Island, certainly not the route to Alaska. Canadian citizens are now reporting them to border services and RCMP.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
17. Good! They should keep Americans out.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 07:34 PM
Jul 2020

I honestly didn’t think anybody would be allowed to cross the border.

Bev54

(9,962 posts)
18. They are allowing them to travel through to Alaska but we
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 07:36 PM
Jul 2020

need to put trackers on them. It is really pissing people off, we have worked hard to keep our covid in check. I know of at least one that has been diagnosed, not sure if any others.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
19. That's how we feel in MT.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 07:41 PM
Jul 2020

We had really good numbers until now. Nobody has to come up here and nobody really needs to drive to Alaska. Stay the hell home.

Nay

(12,051 posts)
21. We have relatives in Montana and we were supposed to take a trip this month to Great Falls
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 07:43 PM
Jul 2020

and Billings, but no deal. We canceled.

Nay

(12,051 posts)
37. Thank you -- it was going to be a nice car trip, nipping up into Canada for the drive across
Sat Jul 4, 2020, 08:16 AM
Jul 2020

the country, then dipping down into Montana, Yellowstone, etc. We've had it planned for a couple of years.

I wish I knew when this stupid virus was going to be beaten! Mr Nay and I are getting old and won't have much time left to do this trip.

Buckeye_Democrat

(14,847 posts)
25. We all heard there was no mask-wearing tyranny there.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 08:01 PM
Jul 2020

So we're all coming for the open skies and the freedumb!



I hope it doesn't spread there!

2naSalit

(86,054 posts)
26. Damn straight...
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 08:01 PM
Jul 2020

They showed up three weeks ago down here and they have only grown in number. I see live performances have started up in a few places. the restaurants have been open for weeks and the vacation lodges, a few B&B types are open. I know a couple big ones that are not open for the entire season. But there's no place left to camp down this valley either.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
30. So my kiddo's first game in Kalispell just ended.
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 08:05 PM
Jul 2020

He called me and said there are some people in motor homes with out of state plates from FL, SC and IN pulled up behind the fields watching the games. They were asked if they had players in the game and could they please move the RV’s and they said that no, they didn’t have any friends or family playing, they just wanted to watch some baseball. We’re doomed.

luv2fly

(2,475 posts)
33. This only points out the need for a national strategy
Fri Jul 3, 2020, 09:58 PM
Jul 2020

Which of course we don't have since the orange anus has the big chair.

Ford_Prefect

(7,823 posts)
36. The ones who don't mask up are who scares me most. Buying gas or groceries you see it.
Sat Jul 4, 2020, 03:18 AM
Jul 2020

I'm scared the out of state gang will bring and spread it here. But I am as worried about the "don't tell me how to live" Montanans who won't do the right thing at all.

Most stores seem to have got the message. Whether I'm in Missoula or Stevi or Corvallis the difference seems to be whether you think and where you get your news.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
38. My mother in law lives in Stevi...
Sat Jul 4, 2020, 10:38 AM
Jul 2020

in a small gated community. She says the folks who live in the townhomes seem to be playing by the rules but at the grocery store or in town? Nope. No masks to speak of. The Bitteroot only gets more red as you travel south. I try to only shop at the Good Food Store and Costco where masks are mandatory. Once in a while, I have to go to Albertsons (or as my kiddo calls it “meth-Albertsons”) and mask wearing there is a crap shoot.

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