DAYS 9-10 OF OUR EPIC SUMMER JOURNEY

BEAUTIFUL BIG SKY COUNTRY ~ BIG SKY, MONTANA!! 

DAYS 9-10 - Big Sky, MT back to Bozeman for 1 More Night... Then Homeward Bound 

Wow! How in the world did 9 days fly by so quickly? It was hard to believe that we would be heading home the next morning. We were a little homesick, sure - for the rest of our families and our 4-legged babies - but it was hard to leave. I almost wanted to cry a little!

This surprised me because typically, I'm ready to go home after being anywhere for 5 or more days and I think I would've been content staying another 10!

Since it pretty much poured rain the late afternoon and night before, we were able to have a relaxing day indoors. We definitely welcomed the 'slower pace', but were ready to see some more of that beautiful Big Sky Country before heading back to North Carolina the next morning.

Billionaire Ted Turner's 114,000 acre property with some 5,000 bison scattered across it. 

This is the 120-mile-long Gallatin River, where A River Runs Through It was filmed.

Big Sky is known for the "Biggest Skiing in America" because there's an average of 400 inches of powder that falls per season and the lift lines are small to non-existent. I can ski, but wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm a skier. Maybe because I'm more of a summer and fall girl than a winter and spring.

But who knows? Maybe I'll add "skiing the Lone Peak" to my bucket list, just so I can say I've done it one day!

Every Wednesday from June through September, a Farmer's Market is held at the Fire Pit Park in Town Center.

The Town Center area is small, but they have a little something for everyone when it comes to shopping and dining.

While Big Sky is one of the top ski destinations in the U.S., there are definitely things to do in the summer months as well. One thing I really wished we had taken the time to do in Big Sky was to ride the Lone Peak Tram. It travels 1,450 vertical feet at a rate of 13 mph in just 4 minutes. Once you're standing on the summit of Lone Peak (11,166 feet elevation), they say you can see across 3 states, 2 national parks and many mountain ranges on a clear day.

From June until September, Big Sky offers the Lone Peak Expedition, which I think would've been amazing!

After lunch at Alberto's Mexican Cuisine, we headed back to Bozeman.

Now, I'm from rural Union Grove and we're pretty used to LOTS of lush fields in North Carolina, but I'm not sure I've EVER seen so much sheer GREEN vastness in all my life. Just beautiful!

Several of the cities/states we visited had hillside letters. The next time we head out west, I plan to make sure and photograph all of them!

Our AirBNB had a nest of baby birds on the back deck and we sat and watched the mama and daddy bird work tirelessly for 2 days to make sure they were getting enough food. It was surprising that they didn't mind us at all.

Saying good bye to our baby birds.

The next morning, we wistfully headed to the Bozeman airport. The terminal is relatively small and quaint, but it's beautiful!

While we may have departed Bozeman in presence, we left in a Montana-State-Of-Mind! It was wild and free... and the entire experience, for me, was life-changing.

'Til Next Time Bozeman!! 

We had a 3 hour layover in Minneapolis and I was THRILLED to see the airport had its own Prince themed store!

The couple of days spent in the Big Sky State were spectacular and refreshing - even with the rain. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect place to slow down the pace a little. Not to mention, Montana's scenic beauty is one-of-a-kind and has such a calming effect. I think I fell in love with its simplicity.


My advice: When in Montana, you need to either be fly fishing or horseback riding. Period. We had plans to possibly do this, but it poured rain our first afternoon and night there, so we were unfortunately unable. Let me tell you... it was July 2-4 and it got super chilly in the evenings... and that was a COLD rain. If you're planning a visit to Montana, be sure to pack warm layers. I was extremely thankful I did, because I usually feel like I'm freezing to death anyway (even in our Carolina Indian Summers).

Accommodations: AirBNB in Bozeman, MT.

What I learned: We spent 10 glorious days in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions and as I mentioned, I'm positive I could've stayed 10 more. Morning, noon and night sped past us like race cars on the Charlotte Motor Speedway and I found myself sad to be leaving. I had seen so, so much... but felt like the surface had only been scratched. I wanted to see so, so much MORE!! While the days seemed so very short, the adventure gave me a newfound sense of freedom... of respect... of pure and utter gratefulness. I left a little piece of my heart among all those mountains and am already planning in my mind when we can go back and where we should go. Adventures are the best way to learn. About new places, cultures and yourself.



Stay tuned!! Overall trip advice/do-overs/etc. post coming SOON!!

"It's a funny thing, coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what's changed is you." F. Scott Fitzgerald

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}, Day 7{P2} and Day 8)