Big Sky, MT – Friends, Fun, and Fishing

It’s been a few weeks since we shared another stop on our trip to the northwest and the Rockies. There’s a reason for that. After four months on the road, we encountered the inertia of returning to life at home. We had two large boxes of mail to sort (most of it was junk), medical appointments to keep, my mom needed some catch-up time, and my PC was in the throes of a death spiral. Catching up with home life went well–the computer issues did not.

I ordered a Big Mac only to find that converting over thirty years of files and pictures from a PC to a Mac required more effort than I wanted to expend, so I returned it. I ordered a mid-level PC but found that the resolution for picture editing wasn’t as good as the small laptop I use for travel. I returned it as well.

For now, I am using my small laptop connected to my PC monitor by way of a $60 docking station.  I should have used my travel computer to start with, but my old eyes work better when I don’t have to squint at a small screen. It’s not an ideal situation, but it gets me back to my blog, which I missed while spending a lot of time to no avail. It’s good to be back; let’s go to Big Sky, Montana.

Before Big Sky, Helen and I spent three days in West Yellowstone, MT, a small town located beside the western entrance of Yellowstone National Park. We wanted to meet up with Helen’s niece, McLeod, working as a housekeeping manager at Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge. We visited Mammoth last summer on the northern end of Yellowstone and looked forward to another visit. We met for lunch in nearby Gardiner, MT, and had a great time while learning much about the challenges of working in a lodge in the time of COVID. Back in West Yellowstone, we rode our bikes a lot, explored a little, and found a saloon suitable for gaming.  Helen loves gaming.

Last summer, we discovered The Inn on the Gallatin, a campground that offered everything we love about RV travel. We booked another stay at the end of that experience and eagerly looked forward to a return trip in this unique setting. The Inn on the Gallatin is a “boutique” for RVers.  The owners, Deann and Steve, take great pains to enhance the experience of their guests.  The campsites sit adjacent to decks overlooking the scenic Gallatin River. The flower beds and the lawns are immaculately maintained and colorfully accented with artwork and whimsey.

On weekends, Steve and Deann open a cafe next to the office for campground guests and feature gourmet breakfast offerings complete with warm doughnut holes and fresh coffee.  Breakfast at the Inn is a not-to-be-missed experience, and we invited Debbie, our friend from Knoxville, now living close by, to share this pleasure with us. Debbie had visited the cafe often after moving into the area and knew Deann and Steve well. They greeted her with open arms. We lingered long over the breakfast table before waving Debbie goodby and retreating to Dora for a nap.

The following day, Debbie’s husband Rick, also from East Tennessee, picked me up for a fly-fishing trip on the Gallatin. Rick is an expert fisherman and tied the flies that he shared with me.  On this day, Rick unselfishly decided not to fish and offered to wade the river and guide me through the section of the river he chose for us.  After several misses, his counsel paid off, and I landed a rainbow. The picture below illustrates my elation. Even if I had not had success at fishing, I would have been fine.  Fly-fishing in a mountain stream requires a degree of concentration that shuts out a lot of life’s noise. I find it very calming, and I owe Rick a big thank-you for a delightful outing.

The remainder of our time at the Inn was relatively low-key.  I prepared a delicious meal of scallops and bacon that we purchased frozen in Morro Bay, CA, and saved for dinner on our deck in Big Sky.  Smoke from distant wildfires drifted above us during our stay but was of no concern (yet).

At the end of our visit to Big Sky, we flowed away as calmly as the river behind us.  It was time to Ease Along.