Orchard and Grounds: An orchard grows next to the main building a Greycliff Mill in Greycliff, Mont. As the orchard matures fruit harvested will be used in products made at the facility. The grounds are well maintained giving visitors a pleasant area to walk while taking a break from their travels. The main building on site, seen on the left, is where visitors can order a snack of baked goods and coffee bar or enjoy a lunch made with freshly grown or made ingredients including the breads. The timbers used in the building were moved from a barn dating to 1760 in upstate New York and reconstructed in Montana. The building itself is worth a stop! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Flour Mill: A flour mill from the 1800s is a focal point in the main building at Greycliff Mill. The mill operates much of the time but was not operating when we visited. The grain is locally grown and the flour made is used to make pastries for sale at the coffee bar. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Los Alamos
We have enjoyed an annual trip to Big Timber, Mont. for several years to meet up with other RVers who travel in like camper vans. We always enjoy catching up with friends that we have made as well as meeting new travelers every year.
The gathering takes place in June every year on the weekend of the Sweet Grass County Festival and Rodeo. We have planned gatherings at the campground just outside of town as well as attending events in town or around the area during this special weekend.
This year we all traveled about 10 miles east of Big Timber to Greycliff, Mont. to visit the Greycliff Mill. We have visited the mill ourselves but this was an organized trip open for all who wanted to visit the mill. Most of our group chose to attend and it was a delightful visit, lunch, and tour of the facility.
I previously wrote a Post From the Road two years ago following our first visit to the mill. The main building and mill were open and operating at that time but much of the facility was still under construction.
During this visit on a windy June day our group was given a tour of the facility which consist of the farm itself where food served at the mill is grown fresh, a cheese cave where cheese made on site ages, a Fiber Crafts shop where everything from small towels to larger shawls are made, a leather shop, and a greenhouse where plants and flowers are grown. Greycliff Mill is very self sufficient and grow or make much of what is sold at the mill. Also on site are silos which have been converted to overnight lodging but we did not tour those facilities.
The folks who operate the mill have created a first class facility where travelers can stop in for a snack and cup of coffee, enjoy a lunch with most everything on the menu grown or made on sight, browse through many gift items or shop in the Market building next to the main location for a variety of jams, baking mixes made with flour that is ground on sight, or a variety of food items for now or for taking home for later.
The grounds at Greycliff Mill are as clean and pristine as the buildings. Flower gardens are seen about the area, a playground for the children, or several acres to enjoy and relax while taking a break from traveling.
This was the first time we had seen the facility completed and we were impressed. The food was delicious and prepared for our large group while we toured the grounds and ready to eat when we returned to the main building following the tour. I believe the Greycliff Mill outing was the most popular event of the weekend for our group of RVers this year.
When traveling in Montana, the Greycliff Mill is located about midway between Billings and Boseman right off of Interstate 90. Take a quick detour for a lunch or snack and a fantastic location to sit and relax. Travelers should not miss stopping at the Greycliff Mill in Greycliff, Mont.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Gifts: Gift items are for sale at Greycliff Mill which are made by employees as well as other crafters in Montana. Some packaged food items are for sale as well. The facility has several tables downstairs and upstairs for visitors to sit and enjoy a snack or lunch while at the mill. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Greycliff Market: The Market which is located in a separate building on the grounds at Greycliff Mill. Many of the ingredients used in Greycliff Mill are for sale at the Market as well as other products made elsewhere. Award winning cheeses are also made and aged in the cheese cave incorporated in the same building as the market. The cheeses can be purchased in the market as well. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Fiber Crafts Tour: Our group of RVers was given a tour of the facilities at Greycliff Market. Shown is the group while we toured the Fiber Crafts area at Greycliff Mill. Shown is an employee holding a shawl which she had just finished in the shop. Many items such as place mats, small towels, and larger items such as shawls are made here. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Fiber Crafts: Shown is the Fiber Crafts space with the looms used as well as some of the products made in the shop. The space was equipped with several weaving looms of various sizes used to make the items for sale. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Greenhouse: A large greenhouse is on site at the Greycliff Mill. The green-house is built about six feet under the surface of the grounds. The greenhouse draws geothermal heat from below the earth’s surface to make the space useful even in the cold winters. The greenhouse furnishes plants for gardening as well as flowers for the flower gardens onsite. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com