While it’s tough to top our action-packed first week in Montana, our second week here will go down as a memorable one as well. We are beginning to feel settled now….at least as settled as you can be while living 1,240 miles from your own bed.
During the week, we don’t get to explore much since we’re both busy working, but we take the dogs for a long walk every evening to wear them out so they will be well-behaved little loft-dwellers (and they are….about 75% of the time). We’ve discovered several great hiking trails around Billings. Our favorite is Riverfront Park which Jason and I like for the scenic views of the Yellowstone River. Denver and Ollie prefer it, though, because there are plenty of squirrels and ducks to bully. (We’ve taken them on incredible mountain excursions every weekend, but as far as those two are concerned, seeing a squirrel = the. most. exciting. thing. EVER!)
Once the weekend rolls around, we escape to the mountains! This time we rented a little cabin at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman and spent the majority of our time there hiking and fishing. In college, I skied at Bridger Bowl once while visiting my friend Ricarda and it was fun seeing it again without any snow this time. My friend Sarah suggested we also check out Hyalite Lake, so we did and, just as Sarah promised, it was absolutely beautiful! We hiked along Hyalite Creek and up to Grotto Falls. The wildflowers were in bloom everywhere we went. In the evenings it was cool and rainy, so we slept with the windows open which, in my book, is pretty much the recipe for sleep perfection (well, that plus these velour sheets that were on the bed in the cabin….yes, I will be ordering a set of my own come winter).
On Sunday, we drove to Big Sky which is about an hour from Bozeman, but it took us MUCH longer because we stopped all along the way so Jason could go fly fishing in the Gallatin River (the Gallatin is a mecca for serious fisherman, so he was in heaven!). While he was hunting for fishies, I did everything in my power to entertain the dogs and prevent them from jumping in the river. Apparently, water is almost as exciting as squirrels! We finally made it to Big Sky and spent a couple hours hanging out at the base of the ski mountain just enjoying the gorgeous afternoon.
Every day we look at each other and wonder how we got here! We’re so thankful for this great opportunity and plan to make the most of our time in Montana. How have 2 weeks passed already? All I know is that our next excursion takes us to Yellowstone and I’m secretly hoping we see a bear. I will keep you posted for sure!
