Wide Open Spaces

My love for country music can be traced back to two sources – my dad and my friend from high school who I drove to school every day of my junior and senior years. One thing my dad and I always talked about was going to see the Dixie Chicks in concert. We loved the Dixie Chicks. And while I am sure he did not lock himself in his room pretending to be them in concert while singing along to their CD memorizing every single lyric, I know he loved it when their songs came on the radio. Although seeing them in concert together is not something we will be able to do, I am sure he appreciated the fact that the moment I set foot in Montana the first thing to come to mind were the lyrics from Wide Open Spaces. And, indeed, how beautiful are the American West’s wide open spaces?

our view

Patrick and I spent three days in Bozeman, MT in a lovely carriage house we found on Airbnb. Why Montana, you might ask. Why not, I say. Truthfully, though, it is a place I do not remember visiting as a child and once I found the carriage house on Airbnb, I knew we had to go. We arrived in Bozeman with no agenda other than wanting to spend one day in Yellowstone National Park. When we arrived in Bozeman Saturday morning we caught the Northwestern v. Western Illinois football game at The Pourhouse in downtown Bozeman, picked up groceries as Rosauer’s, and then made our way to Cottonwood Creek. Mary, our host for the weekend, met us there and showed us around the carriage house. After a busy week at work followed by class Friday night, and an early flight Saturday, I decided what I really needed was a nap. While I napped Patrick hiked some of the 170 acres and then we took a pre-dinner drive.

We saw mule-deer, horses, and a lot of moo-ers (or cows as most people call them). When we got back we decided to take advantage of the carriage house’s kitchen and made strip steak and roasted asparagus. Even though it is something we eat with some regularity at home, it was delicious. During dinner we plotted our trip to Yellowstone.

Before my dad got sick he made me two bucket lists – one with sites in the United States and one with sites abroad. At the time, I thought it was a little silly (silly because I thought we had forever to talk about all the places I wanted to see, but we all know, too well, how short and precious this life is); however, now, I am so thankful to have them. My dad loved to travel and, more than that, he loved to see how other people lived both here and abroad as do I. As this trip drew near, Patrick began talking about visiting Yellowstone and I realized Yellowstone was on the bucket list my dad created for me. I was already excited about the trip but it took on new meaning as I realized it would allow me to see something my dad thought I should see, too. Although we did not have the bright blue skies you typically see in Old Faithful photographs, we enjoyed a day of (many) bison-sightings, geyers, and more wide open spaces.

welcome to Yellowstone!

by the road bison

wide open spaces

Old Faithful Lodge

The rest of our trip included more relaxing, more hikes, and more delicious food. If you find yourself in Bozeman might I recommend Roost for an inexpensive, delicious lunch or dinner, Nova Cafe for brunch (gluten free pastries abound!), and Open Range for a fancy dinner (and delectable cocktails).