Big Sky Country

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Life has been busy: holidays, work, packing...and a vacation? Yes, I took a vacation right before moving. Makes perfect sense.

I've been to Montana before, but in the summer. It was hard to recognize the landscape after winter changed it so much. I was based in Bozeman visiting a friend of mine who moved back up there for college. While I was up there I hung around the town, tried out skiing for the first time and went south to Chico Hot Springs. Bozeman is an adorable town. Small and surprisingly trendy. Great food, especially in the cafes downtown. I also received one of the best boxes of chocolates from a French Chocolat Co. I am curious as to how a French chocolate maker ended up in Montana. I bet it is a interesting story. There is a Museum of the Rockies behind the campus and it was pretty neat. Lots of dinosaur bones and a planetarium. I really loved the duck pond on campus. MSU has a heated pond that ducks stay in all year round. I brought them some bread and they would walk right up to you and surround you. Some would even jump for the bread or pull on your pants leg for attention.

Skiing was a blast! I was sort of nervous about trying it out, but I loved it!!! Much to the disappointment of my friend I barely fell over. Only 6 times my first day of skiing and I got off the bunny slopes and went down a real trail. ^_^ On the mountain I unhooked myself from the skis and made a snow angel. I really wish I had purchased a fun camera for up the mountain so that there could be photographic evidence of all the fun.

Chico Hot Springs is a small resort in the mountains in southern Montana. It is a natural hot spring and the water moves fast enough that they don't put any chlorine or other chemicals in the water. It felt sort of odd hanging out in a bathing suit when it was around 32 degrees Fahrenheit outside. The experience was beautiful. Sitting in a pool of hot water and gazing up at the mountain peaks through the steam as dark descended.

Leaving Montana through West Yellowstone was a bit precarious, but beautiful. At the start of the drive there isn't too much snow or ice, but as you climb the mountains it becomes a winter wonderland.

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Photos

Mountains around Bozeman
Bozeman has mountains almost completely surrounding it.

Mischievous Duck
This one kept trying to eat my pants & he even bit my hand jumping for the bread!

Gallatin River
At the start of the drive the river was flowing strong and lightly surrounded by ice and snow.

Icy Gallatin River
Halfway through the drive in Yellowstone the Gallatin becomes almost invisible.

Myles
My crazy friend.

West Yellowstone
Everything in this small town was covered under feet of snow.

Comments

[Kate]

I almost cried
As I was reading this, I almost cried because I miss you so much. Myles looks a whole lot different. I wouldn't have recognized him without the caption. The beard really transforms his face. You look so cute as a snow bunny.