Steamboat Geyser, the tallest active geyser in the world, delighted visitors to Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, spewing steam high into the air in a rare and powerful eruption that lasted several minutes and resulted in continuous steam and rumbling that persisted until Thursday morning....

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A new study by the Tax Foundation compared the cost of living between each of the 50 states and found that 100 dollars goes a lot further in some states than others.

“It would include groceries, rent, housing, healthcare, education… you know, anything that households spend their money on,” said Tax Foundation Economist Lyman Stone who worked on the study The Real Value of $100 in Each State. “You get the most bang for your buck in Mississippi, Arkansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Alabama, those states, whereas the real losers here are D.C., Hawaii, California, New York, and New Jersey.”

Stone and his team found that 100 dollars was worth less than 85 dollars in Washington D.C., while being the equivalent of 116 dollars in Missouri. Montana was near the middle of the pack with a value of 106 dollars.

“Prices in Montana are a little bit cheaper than the national average, but not that much,” Stone said. “I think some people were surprised to see that it tends to be rural places have lower prices and Montana is so non-urban, you’d think that it would have lower prices. But, as you all out in Montana know, shipping goods out to Montana isn’t the cheapest thing.”

In the region, Montana’s buying power is outperformed by every border state except Wyoming. For example, a 100 dollar bill will stretch an extra seven dollars further in South Dakota than it will in Montana.

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The Crow Tribe crowned and installed nine girls as Crow Fair Royalty for 2015 during a ceremony Wednesday marked by sage words of advice from tribal elders and colorful, intricately constructed costumes worn by the princesses themselves.

In the end, the crowd of 150 or so people who were gathered at the multipurpose building dined together and congratulated the new royals — Dionte Grant of the Black Lodge district, Kirsten DeCrane of Arrow Creek, Holly Holds the Enemy of Big Horn, Cordelia Falls Down of Center Lodge, Narissa Reed of Valley of the Chiefs, Taylee Evans of Mighty Few, Ruth Brightwings of No Water, Cynthia Hill of Off Reservation and Andrea Stump, Miss Crow Nation 2015.

Part of the evening was given to listening to tribal elders offer the new royalty advice for the coming year — some in the Crow language, others in English.

“We want them to represent the Crow Tribe well, to bring honor and respect to themselves and others,” said Burdick “Son-Son” Two Leggins, general manager of the 2015 Crow Fair Pow-wow Celebration. “That’s why we selected elders to speak tonight who are well-respected, who carry themselves well and are very humble.”

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Firefighters working the Three Mile fire near Florence made a surprising discovery on Friday, saving a pair of mountain lion cubs that were trapped in the fast-moving blaze.

Bitterroot National Forest spokesman Tod McKay reported that a crew was digging a line around the fire on initial attack when they heard noises coming from under a log that was on fire.

They couldn’t get close enough to tell what it was, so called in a firefighting helicopter, which dropped 600 gallons of water on the log.

After the fire was out, two mountain lion cubs came out from under the log and were scooped up by firefighters, McKay said. The crew dried off the soggy, blackened babies and called in wardens from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, who took over their care.

“They were only one to two weeks old, barely had their eyes open,” McKay said.

He said he didn’t know what would happen to the cubs now. Crews did not see any other mountain lion activity in the area.

The Three Mile fire, first seen Friday around 3 p.m., is burning on the Three Mile Game Range, about nine miles east of Florence in the Sapphire Mountains.

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Just weeks after a visitor crashed a drone into Yellowstone National Park’s largest hot spring, park officials have filed criminal charges against the alleged pilot, and are stepping up their efforts to publicize and enforce a ban on unmanned aerial vehicles in the park.

Theodorus Van Vliet of the Netherlands has been charged in connection with an Aug. 2 incident in which authorities say he crashed his unmanned aircraft into Grand Prismatic Spring. The drone sank into the popular hot spring and has not been found.

Van Vliet is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, according to a statement released Friday by the park’s public affairs office, and faces up to $5,000 in fines and/or six months in jail if found guilty.

The National Park Service has banned drones from all national parks due to what officials describe as “concerns about public safety, wildlife disturbance and potential impacts to the visitor experience and park resources.”

The increasing ease of use and affordability of small, lightweight aerial vehicles has made them popular among photographers and sightseers who use them to capture video and photos from previously unattainable vantage points.

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Angela Jamison is a native Montanan and she grew up in beautiful Bozeman. I'm the mother of two girls and write a blog about our life here and taking in the simple pleasures of family and food.

One of my favorite things about a Montana summer is camping.  Nothing fancy, just good old fashion, sleeping in a tent camping.  I think how people define camping can vary drastically.  Some consider loading up their fifth wheel with all the luxuries of home and traveling to a designated campground with restrooms and full hook-ups to be camping.  On the other end are those who put all they need  in a backpack and hike miles to a remote spot, put up a tent, make a fire ring and eat the small amount of dehydrated food they could fit in the pack.  I fall somewhere comfortably in the middle of these two extremes.  Going far away from campgrounds to truly be out in the mountains, yet be able to bring a few more necessities and in this case I do consider beer a necessity…it is camping after all.  Because we try to get out as many weekends as possible during our short summer months, we have camping down to a science around here.  Easy to pack up, set up and get around to the business of camping.  And because I do believe camping to be so amazing and good for the soul, I think if everyone did it people could save a lot of money on therapy.  So, here are some tips on how to make it good.

One of the best things about camping is the simplicity of it, which is why this is important to keep in my when getting ready to go camping.  It’s good to be prepared, but the less you have the easier it is.  We have found that everything we need for a night of camping can fit in our car.  The obvious things…tent, sleeping bags, camp chairs, food and water.  I keep one small box always packed with other camping essentials…matches, headlamps, first aid kit, plates, utensils and of course a deck of cards for camp fire games.  One skillet for cooking in and a marshmallow roasting stick and we are good to go.  We barely pack any clothes, just warm things to layer up on as the nights cool down in the mountains.  Done with packing.

Cooking in the mountains stays simple as well because we only bring what can be cooked over the fire.  This usually means everything wrapped in tinfoil and thrown on the fire.  I get it all ready before we go so all of the chopping is out of the way and you can relax drinking the aforementioned beer watching the fire as your dinner cooks.  Ahhhh.  I have found the easiest thing is fish seasoned with herbs and olive oil in one thing of tinfoil and diced potatoes and veggies in the other.  Everything tastes bester when cooked over the fire and when s’mores are on the menu for dessert it is all good.  Speaking of s’mores, no camp trip is complete without this family favorite. 

Days camping are spent exploring the area around you.  Hiking, walking along the stream, taking in the beauty that you have found by traveling deep in the mountains.  There are no distractions of technology because if you found a good spot it means there is no cell reception.  It is quiet.  The only sounds are the wilderness around you and if you have a family it’s happy children using their imaginations to fuel their play.  Everything slows down as you take in the fresh air and relax.  This is why it is good for the soul.  You can breath a little deeper.  Your thoughts slow down.  There is no to-do list.  As the sun goes down, the glow of the campfire and the stars above bring even more peace.  It is truly captivating.  Falling asleep and waking up to the birds outside your tent and if you are lucky enough maybe a rambling creek nearby.  Waking up slow as nature slowly wakes up around you. 

Yes, I do believe camping is my favorite summer activity.  I feel forever grateful to live in a place where getting to the mountains or rivers for camping is easy.  If only we had more months out of the year to take in this hobby.  I suppose there are plenty of people who enjoy winter camping in a 30-degree below sleeping bag.  That’s just crazy…I think we’ll stick with soaking up the months we get and then patiently wait for the next camping season to begin. 

Ethyl, the 20-year-old wandering female grizzly, has arrived at one of the greatest grizzly bear territories in the world — Glacier National Park.

It might be only a temporary visit, knowing her — she has been roving thousands of square miles in Montana and northern Idaho for the past two years.

The latest transmission from her Argos satellite collar was on Aug. 11, when she was about 12 miles southeast of historic Lake McDonald Lodge.

"She's been in Glacier Park for the past month," said Rick Mace, a grizzly bear research biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Kalispell, Montana.

The first transmission of the year, after she emerged from hibernation, was received May 2, when she was pinpointed five miles south of St. Regis, Montana, Mace said Friday.

Biologists flew over her then, finding her practically "rock climbing" May 5 near Dry Creek. They snapped a photograph for proof as she climbed a steep, rocky hillside.

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