Sunday, July 13, 2008
Life, Travel

Country road, take me home

Exploring Big Sky, Montana

By Carly Felton

The goal: a vacation with my hometown best friend in a new setting.

The catch: We only had three days and would be traveling from opposite ends of the country (California and Atlanta).

The complication: We both travel a lot and wanted to go somewhere neither of us had ever been.
The result: A trip to Big Sky, Mont.

Now, no offense to the friendly residents of this scenic state, but Montana has never, and I mean never, ever, crossed my mind in terms of places I want to visit. But one article assignment and many SkyMiles later, we were on our way.

I flew Delta to Salt Lake City and then boarded a small SkyWest plane (I was in row seven and eerily close to the back) to Gallatin Field Airport in Belgrade, eight miles from Bozeman, where I met my friend, Morgan, who had flown through Denver. (The only direct flights from Atlanta are available on Delta twice weekly but only during select months, June not being one of them.)
Exiting the plane to this five-gate, lodge-like airport where flannel shirts, mullets and fanny packs are aplenty made me think the stereotype of Montana as a backwoods place had some truth to it. But I later discovered the real appeal of the state: the laid-back, no-frills attitude of its residents and their harmony with nature.

Let me back up. After a painless one hour and 15 minute ride aboard the Karst Stage shuttle, we checked into the Summit Hotel at Big Sky in Mountain Village. The 115-room luxury high-rise has a rustic look with wooden furniture, animal paintings and cowhide-covered lobby seating. Our room offered a view of the mountain chairlift, and despite the 38- to 60-degree F weather, there were patches of snow on the ground.

Following a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a quick breakfast at the Hotel’s Carabiner Lounge—oatmeal and yogurt for me, and buckwheat pancakes with mixed berry compote for Morgan—before heading to Jake’s Horses in Meadow Village. (Note: If you’re not visiting with a large group or as part of a meeting, convention or tour, and plan on leaving the resort property at all, I highly suggest renting a car.)

A bit difficult to spot from the road, Jake’s offers a variety of trail rides, as well as hay rides, fishing trips and other outdoor adventures. Morgan and I joined a group of about six riders learning the basics of horseback riding with the help of two instructors. We mounted horses and embarked on a two-hour trail ride that took us through streams, meadows and mountains. Initially nervous about controlling my horse, Clover, I eventually grew confident enough to relax and enjoy the clear blue skies, snow-capped peaks and rushing waters.

Before I knew it, the ride was over, and we hustled to Bugaboo Cafe, a quiet, casual restaurant for a quick lunch of colorful salads. Satiated but rearing to go, we next drove to Geyser Whitewater Expeditions, where we were outfitted with fleece jackets, wet suits and rubber footies; taught the basics of rowing; and taken aboard a bus to the Gallatin Canyon, where we raced through class II-IV rapids, all the while shrieking, smiling, laughing and chilled to the bone.

Still on an adrenaline rush—albeit a cold one—afterward, we embarked on a short hike (about 15 minutes) on a paved path to see Ouzel Falls, a little-publicized 35-foot cascade of rushing water. The view was spectacular, and the site great for photo ops; however, the combination of jet lag and physical exertion had started to set in, and we were pooped. We happily downed a quick but hearty dinner of chicken egg rolls, hummus and pita, vegetable tempura, and burgers and sweet potato fries at Choppers, a new motorcycle-themed Meadow Village restaurant, and practically fell into bed.

We started off the next day with a filling brunch/lunch of panini and pasta salad at Andiamo Italian Grille in the Big Sky Village Center. The trendy black, red and cowhide-decorated restaurant has a distinctly contemporary city-like vibe; it almost seems out of place at Big Sky, but the food was tasty nonetheless.

Our bodies fortified, we met up with Doug of Yellowstone Tour Guides for a private trip to the National Park. During the hour-long van ride, we learned much about the 2.2 million-acre area, which is bigger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. In fact, parts of Yellowstone are in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Doug told us about the Park’s ecosystem and the many animals we would later see: eagles, elk, buffalo, deer and even black bears.

By the time we arrived at Old Faithful, we knew all about its every-90-minutes eruptions; yet we were still both astonished and impressed at the powerful sight of the massive geyser erupting. We drove through as much of the park as time allowed, stopping to check out other geysers, as well as mud pots, hot springs and canyons. We ended the long day with barbecue fare at the Roosevelt Lodge Dining Room, one of only four restaurants in Yellowstone.

Arriving back at Big Sky after midnight, we were amazed at how quickly the trip had come and gone. We’d been there, done that and strengthened our bond along the way. SP