I am quite fond of rest areas

I’m quite fond of rest areas. I’ve slept in them, used the facilities there, and pulled in to walk the dogs.

And over the years I’ve seen them change. It used to be that rest areas were located on remote stretches of highway far from towns. A long time ago that was the point -- to provide a place to take a break out in the boondocks.

Remote rest areas, however, deemed too dangerous, and too difficult to maintain, are vanishing. Many have been replaced with in-town rest areas such as the one in Bozeman, dubbed the Taj Mahal when it was being built. Another new rest area was recently completed in Harlowton.

What a huge waste of money. Travelers don’t need rest areas in the middle of towns where there are convenience stores, gas stations and restaurants.

Rest areas provided relief when that breakfast burrito you ate in Butte wasn’t going to make it all the way to Whitehall. Rest areas offered a place to pull in and close your eyes for an hour or so when you were having a hard time staying awake on the way home from that monster truck show in Billings.

A lot of rest areas have apparently been replaced by Walmarts and I’m fine with that. It only costs you a bit of your soul, the restrooms are located at the front of the store, and there are often fried doughnuts available.

But unfortunately, my favorite rest area, which closed for the first time this winter, probably won’t be replaced with a Walmart. James Kipp Recreation Area, a BLM campground on the Missouri River offered one of the most popular rest areas in the state. Located 70 miles south of Malta on a lonely stretch of Highway 191, Kipp saw a steady stream of travelers seeking relief.

The gate was locked this winter because money hadn’t been allocated to plow the road from 191 to the toilets. It couldn’t have cost much. There is a highway maintenance facility less than a mile down the road.

But Kipp is run by the BLM, the state owns the plow, and apparently there is too much red tape to negotiate. So now travelers have to hold it all the way to Lewistown, another 60 miles down the road.

Fortunately it’s a very remote stretch of highway and folks seem to be managing. There is a lot of yellow snow next to the pullouts at the chain-up areas.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]