Today started way too early!  Up at five a.m. in the dark to get to the airport by 6 a.m.  I flew out of Newark, NJ.  First stop was Minneapolis with a quick layover and then on to Missoula, Montana.  Total travel time door to hotel was 10 hours, but it was only 2 pm Mountain time!  The shuttle driver who took me to the car rental place gave me a ghost story lead, telling me about a downtown Macys building that was supposed to be haunted.  Then I rented a Subaru Forester SUV and drove to my hotel.  It was a lovely place called C'mon Inn, and was built in a rustic style with log staircases and balconies, the head of an elk over the fireplace and about 6 hot tubs and two pools.  (Did I mention the waterfall?)  

With so much of the afternoon still open, I hopped right back into the car and headed for downtown Missoula to visit the haunted Macys building.  It has a red-brick exterior and looked like a normal everyday Macys inside -- at first.  Then I started noticing the details:  super high ceilings molded into intricate design, old staircases to the second floor, fancy old skylights.  And when I asked the staff about the ghost story, the lady who waited on me said:  "Oh, that's Walter."  She told me there had been sightings of Walter in the building, and that he was one of the former owners of the old Mercantile building which was eventually sold to Macys.  Another clerk I interviewed took me downstairs to the basement to show me the catwalk leading to the sub-basement where Walter McLeod had been seen several times in separate encounters.  Everyone who saw the ghost described him as an older fellow with a worn face, wearing a plaid shirt and overalls.  One girl who worked in the store and who has a background as a psychic, said she got goosebumps every time she went downstairs and felt like someone was watching her whenever she ventured into the 'dungeon'.   She never knew why, until today when she overheard one of her coworkers talking about Walter's ghost.

      After my spooky visit to Macys, I stopped at a local camera store to get my lenses cleaned, preparatory to tomorrow's visit to the National Bison refuge.  Hoping to take marvelous pictures!  I also picked up a tripod to stabilize my massive new 80-400mm Nikkor lens.  Then I rode around town taking photos of the county courthouse, the university - where I hear tell there is a whole class haunting the Jeanette Rankin Hall; Brantly Hall is haunted by the ghost of a female student who committed suicide; and the Theater which is haunted by both a spectral dog and a dedicated theater goer.  Cool stuff. 

     I finished my downtown tour with a trip to Caras Park to ride the Carousel for Missoula.  It was so much fun to zip around and around and up and down.  I even managed to snag a blue ring, but didn't get the brass ring for the free ride.  The carousel horses are all hand-carved and each one is different.  They were fabulous! 

     The day closed with a trip to Target for a 24 pack of water to take on my journeying, some snacks for the road, and a nice Italian dinner.  A quick dip in the pool and early bed, since the bison will be up and at 'em at dawn tomorrow!  A great day!!