Our associate Bob Beachy took a fly fishing trip to Montana and is still thinking about the state’s natural wonders. Read about his love of the Treasure State and how you can enjoy some Montana Time right here at home:
For folks who haven’t experienced Big Sky Country, a short blog entry will not do it justice. One can’t explain the allure of Armstrong Spring Creek, the Bighorn, Clark Fork, or the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers that enchants fly fishers from around the world. It isn’t just the fish you might catch; it’s the places you might catch them! No wonder our group, The Royal Order of Lunatic Fly Fishers, always holds its annual convocation somewhere under the Big Sky.
Fishing aside, it is an awesome place to visit just for the scenery. Places like Glacier National Park and, of course, Yellowstone, should resonate in the memories of all people who treasure the outdoors. While there, one might try the local Moose Drool, Cutthroat or Slow Elk cereal malt beverages; visit the iconic western painter Charles Russell’s museum; or experience the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls.
If you can’t go to Montana yourself, at least read one of Ivan Doig’s fabulous books on the state. Sometimes called the poet laureate of Montana, this recently deceased author wrote book after book of fictional exploits of some truly engaging characters and families, all the while imparting fascinating tidbits about the history and character of the state. Starting with Dancing at the Rascal Fair, then English Creek and finally the masterpiece Ride With Me, Mariah Montana, Doig created a trilogy that both enchants readers and informs them about the settling of the American West and the European immigrants who populated small communities west of the Mississippi. If you aren’t up for some really serious literary displays, try Peter Bowen’s hysterical books about Gabriel Du Pré, a Montana brand inspector.
If you find no intrigue in the above, lean back with a cold Powder Hound beer and listen to Ian Tyson (“The Gift”), Chris Ledoux (“Montana Rodeo”), Suzy Bogguss (“I’m At Home On The Range”) or, better yet, David Walburn singing about all the things a man could ever need:
“A cabin on the mountainside,
Good friends when the well runs dry,
A good loving woman when the sun goes down,
Letting life unwind on Montana time,
Montana time.”
I’ll be back sometime from my Great Escape.
