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Sunday September 29 2002 oimsoes The Top of the World Store jLhe heavyset motorcycle rider visit The Milams bought the store two years ago from Phil and Carol Napoli who ran it each summer for 23 years The log atom dates back to 1934 It was built by Dominic Marino on nearby Beartooth Lake just two years before the narrow winding Beartooth Highwaywas completed In 1964 the store was moved to its present location on a tundra clearing above the lake Beartooth Butte looms to the west as a backdrop The store’s location is one rea- son it’s so popular Phil Napoli 62 said from his current home in Powell Wyo “The American public can’t travel 68 miles without stopping someplace” he said “It’s lasted because the owners have had some kind of other income or enjoy the lifestyle “Like most tourist businesses it's just marginally profitable” motel The store a it shop and 10 campground sites all sit on Shoshone National Forest land The 1 000 square-fostore is stuffed to the gills with unusual gifts snacks toys guide books fishing gear liquor and Thirt “Clothing or novelties are the most popular items” Bart Milam said But he also sells lots of Wyoming fishing licenses to Montanans and hundreds of off-beat shot glasses Karen King of Randolph NJ is pretty representative of the kind of customer foe store attracts She stopped at the store for a cold drink and a shack but ended up - - - Red-streak- ed four-un- 68-mi- le ot ! Pagel — — sits at about 9400 feet above sea level summer so it never seems isolat- ed to the Milams However phone lines don’t run up here so they have to rely on a cellular phone Even then they often have to drive a fewmiles down the road to get a signal They use their satellite Internet service to place orders or to e mail friends who are coming to ' - leaned his black leather bulk over the counter “Where do you winter?” he asked store owner Bart Milam 35 “Here" Milam responded “Here?” the motorcyclist asked raising his furry eyebrows “Why don’t they ever believe me when I say that?” Milam said loudly Yes Bart and Kristi Milam and their four children winter and summer at the Top of the World a small Wyoming general store motel and campground sitting at 9400 feet above sea level just the border from Montana Kristi in addition to home- schooling the children takes care of the motel and does the book work Bart tends the store with the help of two summer employees and visiting relatives He also tends to the generator that mns 24 hours a day seven days a weelL He pumps gas and keeps the fami- ly’s small fleet of snowmobiles running and the woodstove stoked in the winter The store is nestled in pine trees about halfway between the Mon- tana towns of Cooke City and Red Lodge along US Highway 212 — the Beartooth Highway that loops south into Wyoming The northeast access road to Yellowstone National Park is a stretch of sinuous some- times pavement k that at times seems more hos-pitable to mountain goats than automobiles The road is plowed open at the beginning of the sum-mer and remains open to autos until closed by snow in the fall Af this altitude that’s early Because of the striking terrain travelere often comment on the remoteness of Top of the World ‘ There are no phone or power lines The mail comes once a ' week and the Milam’s mailbox is 14 miles down the road But some 230000 people travel foe Beartooth Highway during foe in Wyoming The Herald Journal i buying a silver bracelet ' “It was nice to come here out in the middle of nowhere and get a cold drink and a little souvenir" she said Dispensing information to tourists such as King and regular clients who have returned each year for decades is just part of doing business at Top of the World “It was a little bit like running a neighborhood bar” Napoli said “You’re like the clearinghouse for the whole area All information goes through you” That includes rescue informa-acro- ss tion when there’s a snowmobile accident or a bear attack in the ‘area The Milams have a two-wa- y radio that they can call the sher- ifTs office in Cody Wyo — over ' 70 miles away Before moving to the moun- tains the Milams were wheat farmers They also still own a lim- ousine service in Billings Mont The family had camped and snowmobiled in the Beartooth Mountains for years and liked the area When they decided to move off the farm they began looking for a business in nearby Cooke City but settled instead on the Top of the World partly because it came with a home This winter the couple plans to open die store in January on weekends to see if there’s any business from snowmobilers Napoli wishes the couple good luck weathering the winters “We had some interesting expe-riences learning how to live in Jhat environment” he said “When foe snow gets up over thd roof it can be a little scary “It’s a pretty tough environ- - ment” he said “But with modem conveniences it’ not as tough as it used to be” Kristi Milam 34 laughs at a customer's suggestion that the ' couple may get bored during the long winter months “We have four kids” she said - : r i i Top: Tucker Milam left and Jarrett Milam peek in through the (fining room window as their sister Marissa does homework at the Top of The World general store motet and campground complex Bart and Kristi Milam homeschool their children Above: Bart Milam left gave up wheat farming and Hving on the Eastern Montana plains to run the Top of the World Store i1 located about 9400 feet above aea level ' mV T ' ' ‘i i Text and Photos by The Associated Press i ' V 1 v |