Montana!!!!

Montana, what can I say. I loved it! I had no expectations of Montana. I picked Bozeman because we have a customer there and I wanted to touch base with her. I met up with her and she was great. We connected right away. She was so gracious in telling me the popular hikes that locals take and gave me lots of information about the area and Yellowstone.
She also told me that Obama was going to be in Bozeman at the end of that week. Who would have "thunk it". What are the chances of me and the president both falling into Bozeman, MT on the same week? So I offered to try and get tickets for Alice and myself by waiting in line at the town hall the next morning. Each person would get 2 tickets to go see him speak. I got up early and went to town hall where I found several hundred people who had gotten up earlier than me. I was in line for a couple of hours and got kind of close to the door but the tickets ran out before I had a chance. Ah, well. The Friday he spoke, Alice took me out to lunch (for that infamous Bison burger I mentioned in the Yellowstone Blog) and invited me to her house to watch the telecast with she and her husband. So I did. It was great to watch with people who know the community and knew lots of people in the audience. I wished I could have been there, but alas, being in someone's home for rich conversation was almost as good.

Right outside Bozeman (and actually right in town) there are many hiking and biking trails, not to mention rolling hills surrounding the town and beyond. It struck me that there is a palpable consciousness about the environment and its citizens. There is a push toward "greening" buildings and the library has been very conscious of being "green" wherever possible in their new building. There are very specific markings on all roads for bike routes (which I've seen throughout the West Coast and Pacific North West) and there is alot of encouragement to take alternative forms of transportation. People here love their environment and are taking great pains to preserve it. The library even had priority parking for Hybrid vehicles. After seeing all the beauty I've seen and seeing others commitment to their community(I noticed that stores not only have handicapped parking but parking reserved for senior citizens. I loved that!)I have even more conviction to think of what I can to preserve this country and the beautiful people in it.

I went on a few hikes and one in particular stands out for me. It was a hike to Hyalite Canyon. There are Falls on the hike and I really wanted to see them. I drove about 20 miles out of town and got to a small lake in a canyon where people were fly fishing/kayaking and sailing. It was beautiful and set in the middle of the mountains. I continued to drive another few miles and got to the trail head. I saw many signs for grizzly bears and got a little nervous. As I walked up the trail I had all kinds of weird thoughts and "what if" scenarios. It made me realize how few people (if anyone) know where I am on a given day or where I'm staying AND how lucky I've been so far. I didn't see anyone at the beginning of the trail so, of course, my mind was all over the place. I continued on,knowing what has been proven to me over and over, stay on the path and trust that all will be well. I let go of the fear and enjoyed the scenery.After all,when has worrying ever really proven effective? As I continued to climb and get deeper into the woods, I started to see people here and there and felt better and better. The sound of the water running beside me with all its babbling kept me focused on how beautiful my surroundings actually were. I got to a spot where I saw hundreds of prayer rocks. I had learned their significance in New Mexico and Sedona and saw that this must be a meditation place for people.
As I recall the rocks layered on top of each other signify the layers of prayer. The first layer, foundation, is a prayer for all,society and ancestors. The next layer is for specific family members and those closest to us and the top is for specific and personal needs. I'm sure it can mean what you want but that is what I learned. Once I saw those rocks I really just relaxed.Soon after I could hear the rushing water coming from the fall and when I got to it;a little oasis in the middle of the forest. It was beautiful. I met a nice couple there.They had grown up next door to each other on farms in Colorado 40 years before. They went their separate ways and met again 40 years later at a funeral. Each had lost their spouse and when they reconnected kindled a love relationship. What a nice place to come celebrate that! We took each others picture and had a nice chat. Larry was a agriculturalist and talked about all the plants, flowers and trees on the way back (we took the hike back together) and it fondly reminded me of all the great experiences I had with Dave out in the wilderness where he'd tell me all the names of the trees and all about our surroundings. Loved that!

Well, it was a beautiful day! I drove back to the hotel around sunset which was amazing and reflected on the day.

Next I took the trip to Big Sky. Big Sky is one of Montana's nick names because it is so open and the sky at night is so beautiful and well, Big! So I didn't know if it was actually a place but it is. It's a beautiful ski resort.
The complex was gorgeous. I cried a good chunk of the drive up there, which was about an hour from town. I was overcome, again, with the beauty of the mountains surrounding me and the rushing water to my side. The mountains pull me in alot of ways and I get really emotional.

On my last night in the hotel I did what I usually do, my laundry. It was there I met Bob. He was a "rockhound" or so he called himself. He was a retired chemist who investigated rocks (geology) as a hobby. He was an interesting character and we got to talking. He told me about his adventures and I told him about mine. We talked about rocks and where he finds them but also about their healing power. He went to his car and brought out some of his findings. He ended up giving me a little quartz "herkimer diamond" from his collection. He said it has the healing power of balancing the energy flow in the body and I thought it was perfect because that is what Reflexology does. I told him it was the perfect gift and was grateful. I don't think Bob was the kind of guy to engage strangers so it really meant a lot to receive this from him. I'm not sure what I'll do with it but it's a treasure I'll hold dear.
So... I loved Montana so much, I didn't want to leave. What happened next? I met a woman from Rhode Island who now lives in Montana and happened to have a free, empty apartment attached to her home and invited me to stay there as long as I'd like. Well, I wasn't going to pass that up! She had three horses, a dog and a cat. I loved it there! Here's a picture of the view from Betsy's backyard. Her property is surrounded by mountains in the distance and the sunrise and sunsets were both something to behold! I was able to spend a second week in Montana and relax in the community and spend more time with my new friends. I went to a lovely farmer's marked where I got lots of fruit and fresh veggies and bought myself a fun pair of "Feet" earrings. The woman I bought them from was so grateful it made it worth the trip.
All and all I loved what I saw of Montana. It's a big state and there is so much more to see that I know I'll go back.


My last 24 hours in Montana were trying. I didn't mention that at the beginning of the trip I had to get my computer fixed. I met a great group of young guys who own a computer "fix it" business and they did just that. It worked great for the 2 weeks and the day before I left my hard drive died. UGH... Had to go back and was glad to have already established contact. They took care of it but within 12 hours my phone and my GPS(AMOS) died. Okay, God, what are you trying to tell me? Let's just say my 11 hour drive to Colorado was quiet to say the least. No AMOS, no phone, just me and open road. More to come about that!