Orchard and Grounds: An orchard grows next to the main building, a Greycliff Mill in Greycliff, Montana. As the orchard matures, the fruit harvested is used for products made at the mill. The grounds are well maintained and offer visitors a pleasant place to stroll while taking a break from their journey. The main building on the grounds, seen at left, is where visitors can order a snack of baked goods and a coffee bar or enjoy a lunch made with fresh grown or prepared ingredients, including the bread. The wood used in the building was moved from a 1760 barn in upstate New York and rebuilt in Montana. The building itself is worth a stop! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Flour Mill: A 19th century flour mill is a focal point in the main building of Greycliff Mill. The mill is in operation most of the time, but was not in operation when we visited. The grain is grown locally and the flour is used to make pastries sold in the coffee shop. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Los Alamos

For several years now we have enjoyed an annual trip to Big Timber, Mont. to meet other RVers traveling in campervans. We always enjoy catching up with friends we have made and meeting new travelers each year.

The gathering takes place every June on the weekend of the Sweet Grass County Festival and Rodeo. We have meetings scheduled at the campground just outside of town and we visit events in town or nearby 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 toured the mill ourselves, but this was an organized trip open to anyone who wanted to visit the mill. Most of our group chose to go along and it was a wonderful tour, lunch and tour of the facility.

I wrote a Post From the Road two years ago after our first visit to the mill. The main building and the mill were open and operational at the time, but much of the facility was still under construction.

During this visit on a windy day in June, our group was given a tour of the facility which consisted of the farm itself where the food served at the mill is grown fresh, a cheese cellar where cheese made on site is aged, 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 grows or produces much of what is sold at the mill. Also on the property are silos that have been converted into overnight accommodations, but we did not visit those facilities.

The folks who run the mill have created a first-class facility where travelers can stop for a snack and a cup of coffee, enjoy a lunch with virtually everything on the menu grown or made on site, browse the many gift items, or shop in the market building next to the main location for a variety of jams, baking mixes made from flour milled on site, or a variety of food items to enjoy now or to take home for later.

The grounds of Greycliff Mill are as clean and pristine as the buildings. There are flower gardens in the area, a children’s playground or several acres to enjoy and relax while taking a break from traveling.

This was the first time we saw 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 house after the tour. I think the Greycliff Mill outing was the most popular event of the weekend for our group of RVers this year.

When traveling through Montana, Greycliff Mill is located about halfway between Billings and Boseman, just off Interstate 90. Take a short detour for lunch or a snack and a great place to sit and relax. Travelers can’t miss Greycliff Mill in Greycliff, Mont.

Editor’s Note: Gary Warren, a veteran Los Alamos photographer, and his wife Marilyn travel the country and share their photos, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.

Gifts: Gifts are available for purchase at Greycliff Mill that are made by workers and other artisans in Montana. Some packaged foods are also available for purchase. The facility has several tables downstairs and upstairs where visitors can sit and enjoy a snack or lunch while at the mill. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Greycliff Market: The market is located in a separate building on the grounds of Greycliff Mill. Many of the ingredients used at Greycliff Mill are for sale at the market, as are other products made elsewhere. Award-winning cheeses are also made and aged in the cheese cellar located in the same building as the market. The cheeses can also be purchased at the market. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Fiber Crafts Tour: Our RV group toured the facilities at Greycliff Market. Here is the group as we toured the Fiber Crafts area at Greycliff Mill. Here is a worker holding a shawl she had just finished in the shop. Many items such as placemats, small towels and larger items such as shawls are made here. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Fiber Crafts: Here you can see the Fiber Crafts area with the looms in use and some of the products made in the store. The area was equipped with several looms of various sizes that were used to make the items for sale. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Greenhouse: A large greenhouse sits on the grounds of Greycliff Mill. The greenhouse is built about six feet below the surface of the grounds. The greenhouse draws geothermal heat from beneath the earth’s surface to make the space usable even in the cold winters. The greenhouse provides plants for gardening and flowers for the flower gardens on the grounds. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com