MISSOULA, MT Day 2.  I drove into town for a good haircut, and Betty worked on housework like laundry and cleaning.  On the way home, I did some grocery shopping. 

After that we drove to the Forestry Smoke Jumpers School.  This is where people learn to jump into forest fire areas to fight the fires.  It also is the place where they live during fire season and maintain their gear.  They are next to an airport where three different kinds of aircraft serve their needs to deliver personnel to the fires and to assist in fighting those fires. 

We were given a tour of the facilities and one of the aircraft.  There is also a sort of museum there, with a book store.  We could walk inside a fire lookout tower, where a ranger would live while scouring the landscape for fires.  They sew their own outfits on site, since no manufacturer would make these in such low volume.

Inside a Fire Lookout Tower

 

Locker Room Showing Custom Gear They Make

This is the Room Where They Check Out,
Repair, and Refold Parachutes for Next Time

Plane Which Delivers Smoke Jumpers to Fires 

Inside Smoke Jumper Dispatch Plane