Big Sky Country

This past week I was in Big Sky Country. And they weren’t kidding! It’s absolutely gorgeous with sky as far as you can see. Huge sweeping vistas. This was my first trip to Montana and as soon as I left the airport all I could think of was my friend and mentor, Terry Duncan. Both of us had always wanted to come to Montana. So yeah, it got me a little emotional. I was here for four days - with only one afternoon for sightseeing, so I had to make the most of it. Since this is my territory for work, I’ll definitely be back and forth though.

I flew into Billings, and on my afternoon

passing as Clark chiseled his name and date in the rock. The views from the top were spectacular. The name Pompey comes from the child of their native guide.

My next stop was the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings. There were some great exhibits including one on Willie Wilson, a Dine’ (Navajo) photographer from New Mexico - CPIX project of natives done with a wet plate collodion photographic technique. As I was admiring the work, I overheard three ladies talking, “When you see stuff like this, it just makes me feel like we’re going to die and not leave a mark on the world.” “Yeah, but we’re not Indians.”

Dinner was a Montana steak at Jake’s Bar and Grill. Really great steak and great service - despite the hostess not being happy that I didn’t have a reservation. She handled it well though.

Late the next afternoon, I got a call from a colleague in Bozeman - my destination for the next morning. She mentioned that I might want to leave now as there was a late spring storm heading in with a snow forecast. Apparently a week before there was a foot of snow and people got stuck on the mountain pass for 13 hours. Needless to say, I packed within 5 minutes and was on my way. Now, I know how to drive in snow and in the mountains. But I wasn’t familiar with the roads here AND I was in a Chevy Malibu. No 4wheel or all wheel drive. I made the drive in two hours arriving hours ahead of the snow. The road to Bozeman was filled with stunning scenery and mountain ranges with heavy clouds hovering.

The next morning the heavy, wet snow was still coming down. The drive to my customer was slushy but not bad.

I also discovered the Copper Whiskey Bar in Bozeman. It has an amazing selection of Bourbon and Whiskey including my favorite 18 year old Highland Park Scotch. Great service and food here. I had the Copper burger one night and pork tacos another night. Yes, I went back. I discovered some great Montana sipping bourbon there that I plan to order online. Good stuff.

Friday came all too soon. I stopped to fill my rental car with gas and one of this videos came on at the pump. This one was actually interesting because it was warning about fire season - cautioning people to be wary of dragging chains or poor brakes that could cause sparks on the asphalt and start a fire. It’s always so fascinating learning the particulars about each different place I’ve been.

So farewell for now, Montana. I will be back to do more exploring. Can I just say how much I love my life? I am truly blessed to get to combine my love of exploring with my passion for my work. What’s your passion? Are you pursuing it? Don’t get me wrong, I gave up a lot for this life. But it’s with it.

As always, thanks for reading. And feel free to share. I’d love to get more readers.

Gypsy Jules

Warr;or and Adventurer