Relax at The Backyard, You're on Seeley Time

SEELEY LAKE – Dave and Ronda Trottier took ownership of the Montana Pines Motel and what used to be the Base Camp Bar this past summer. They renamed the property "The Backyard" and are looking forward to making this a family-friendly destination for all forms of recreationists.

Dave was born in Great Falls, Mont. and raised in Stevensville, Mont. He worked as a second-generation mover.

Ronda grew up in Kalispell, Mont. Her grandfather built the Red Lion Thunderbird in Missoula and her father visited the area in the 1970s and fell in love with it. When Ronda was young, she would go with her grandparents to visit Holland Lake and Lindberg Lake and stop at the Elkhorn Café, now The Backyard, to eat along the way.

Dave and Ronda met in Kalispell. She rode with him for 18 years moving people. They spent a year working in the oil fields around Medora, N.D. and lived in an RV park. They thought owning an RV Park would be a fun business to get into and for the past seven years had been looking for property to pursue this dream. Dave said the bar on the property in Seeley Lake was kind of a bonus.

"It was the intrigue," said Ronda. "It's the interaction with different people. It's always fun to meet someone and figure out why they are here."

The Trottiers started leasing the property Aug. 1. They renamed the property "The Backyard." They came up with the name several years ago when Dave purchased his first barbeque.

"The salesman asked what we would name our barbeque restaurant if we ever opened one. I threw out there, 'Oh, I don't know we're just kind of hanging out in the backyard,'" said Ronda. "The guy said, 'I like that.'"

They have cleaned the bar from top to bottom and clear-coated all the logs in the bar. They have six flat screen TVs and show the NFL games Monday and Thursday nights and Sundays. They also have a pool table and installed a state-of-the-art jukebox that can access anything from the Internet and can search by artist, title or part of the lyrics.

"I hear our jukebox is the best in the valley and our pool table, I hear, is the best in the valley from the pool players," said Ronda.

Next summer they hope to add a patio off the back of the bar to make it more of a 'backyard.' They also hope to sell food.

Dave's second passion is barbequing. Currently they offer half time barbeque for the Griz games and have offered chili, soups, stews and various appetizers when not barbequing.

"It's a promotional giveaway," said Ronda.

"We do it donation only because we can't legally sell it," added Dave. "Whatever people decide to donate just goes in for the next weekend."

They will continue to run the motel as Montana Pines. They said they offer 13 rooms, including two rooms that allow pets. All rooms are extremely clean Ronda said thanks to their phenomenal house keeper and only employee Judy McKean.

While not all the rooms have a refrigerator and microwave, they are willing to accommodate the special requests of their guests as much as they are able.

This summer they had bicyclist and Enduro riders doing the Continental Divide trail stop in. One of the Enduro riders wrote for Enduro mountain bike magazine and promoted The Backyard as a destination.

"We are off [the] path," said Ronda. "But when you are coming from Eureka, we are the next destination stop. It's a great way to get people here. We have the facilities to accommodate."

For the upcoming snowmobile season, The Backyard is a sled in, sled out option. Next summer they are hoping to promote themselves as a destination for motorcyclists.

Providing the best customer service is their number one goal. They are enjoying the people and happy to be back in Montana.

"We are here to provide a friendly, relaxing environment," said Ronda. "That's our motto: Relax, you're on Seeley time."

In addition to the motel, they offer year round self-contained camping. In the future, they look forward to turning the motel into cabins and the acreage to the south of the motel into an RV Park. They also hope to offer shower and laundry facilities for their guests.

"Our future is to develop this into what Seeley Lake needs," said Ronda.

"The potential of this property is unbelievable," said Dave. "The bottom line is customer service. That was always the thrill and challenge of our job in the past. We really enjoy people. This is our future."

Currently The Backyard is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 2-10 p.m., Fridays 2 p.m. – 2 a.m .; Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. They are closed on Tuesdays. The Trottiers said they are willing to adjust hours to accommodate the different seasons.

The Backyard can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/The-Backyard-at-Seeley-Lake-1774007429538815/?fref=ts, they can be reached at 406-499-2422 or 406-677-2278 or via email thebackyard2016@outlook.com