DAY 8 OF 10 OF OUR EPIC SUMMER JOURNEY

ONWARD TO "THE BEAUTIFUL CITY" ~ BOZEMAN, MONTANA!! 

DAY 8 - Bozeman, MT

The scenery from the drive from the North Entrance of Yellowstone out of Gardiner to Bozeman can pretty much be summed up by a single word: MOUNTAINS! It's impossible to describe how beautiful this part of the West is and since I was a first-timer, I was completely overwhelmed by its majesty. My heart was - and continues to be - filled with awe and gratitude for this gorgeous country we live in.

Pulling in our AirBNB in Bridger Bowl was a little bittersweet. While we were all ready to slow-down a little, we realized but in two {too!} short days, we would be flying back to Charlotte, NC... marking an end to this amazing journey. As I mentioned in the Day 7 {P1} post (and the photos at the end of it), it was pretty dark by the time we arrived to Bozeman.

The view from my side of the bed.

I was a little bummed about that because my grandparents lived in Livingston when my dad was a little boy and I wanted so badly to see the town with the Paradise Valley backdrop that stole my Paw Paw's heart from the Carolinas for awhile. They say it's one of the "Coolest Small Towns in the US". Oh well... just means we'll have to go back!

At any rate, while it was dark when we arrived.. ~ oh my goodness, the scenery we awoke to was so breathtaking!

The view from our front porch. Bridger Bowl Ski Area was just across the way.

Bridger Bowl Ski Area

Our AirBNB had everything we needed to enjoy our time in Bozeman - a game room with a sauna (which unfortunately, we couldn't get to work... but that was okay) and even an on-site guest house. It was a beautiful morning (with a LOT of rain for the afternoon forecast), so we spent some time walking around and exploring its gorgeous grounds. 

Another amazing view from the driveway.

Honestly, I didn't mind the rain too much. For the most part, it was an easy, laid back day of napping, reading and playing ping pong, bumper pool and foosball in the game room.

The teenagers spent the better part of a rainy day in the game room.

It was a huge change of pace when we arrived to Bozeman, so we were able to spend a little bit of time both days in their downtown. It was such a cute area and they have so many places to shop and eat. The Museum of the Rockies is #1 on their 'top things to do' and while we didn't visit, I would highly recommend it! We also wanted to do the Montana Grizzly Encounter, but the afternoon and night's downpour put a damper on those plans. At some point, I'd definitely like to return for a rain check and to hike the Grotto Fall Trail.

East Gallatin River

Cactus Records: A self-proclaimed place for "music lovers, counter-culture and the offbeat".
Celebrating 50 years in 2020!

The Bozeman Hotel: Opened in 1891 and reported by the Bozeman Chronicle to be "the most elaborate, complete and comfortable caravansory so far constructed in the state" at the time.

The Baxter Hotel, dating from 1929 with Bozeman's original pub "The Bacchus".

Ice cream in Bozeman... where 5 months out of the year, the average daily temperature is less than 40 degrees.

The Art Deco Marquee of the Rialto Theater, which is comprised of 3 spaces and was originally built in 1908 as the United States Postal Service and a storefront. It became the theater in 1924 and is said to have flourished during the Roaring 20's.

They say you can't swing a cat in Bozeman without hitting a brewery or distillery. While that may or may not be true, the only one we stopped at was Bozeman Brewing Company, where their tag line is, "Drink 'Til MT." 

Pretty witty, huh? Drink 'til em-(p)ty, get it?

Delicious food truck outside of BBC!

Giving the local some love!

I loved everything about Bozeman. It was so picturesque and almost like a dream town! It's called "the most liveable place" and it's easy to see why. The mountains are dramatic, it's world-renowned for fly-fishing... ~ think of A River Runs Through It, because that movie was filmed right in Livingston and Bozeman! In fact, 25+ years later, it is said the movie completely changed the area's tourism and the film "certainly changed fly-fishing and it probably changed the state of Montana". (John Maclean)

Click photo for more info on the 25th anniversary.

Could this Carolina girl call this place home? Absolutely! Without a doubt, it's one of the most beautiful places I've seen for sure. While I'm a mountains girl... I still need the roar of ocean waves and the comfort of all four seasons, so "I like calling North Carolina home".

Stay tuned for the last post {sad face} of our Epic Summer Journey, where we travel to Big Sky for a bit on Day 9 and head home on Day 10. I'll also share how we might have spent the 10 days differently.

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters." ~ Norman Maclean

Cheers, y'all!!

xoxo!



(See Day 1, Day 2 {P1}, Day 2 {P2}, Day 3 {P1} Day 3{P2}, Day 3{P3} Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7{P1}, and Day 7{P2})