The wall behind Rick Bass glows in the early winter hours like sunlit jars of honey. He is set up to lead a writer’s workshop from a young musician’s Western red cedar-paneled studio. Bass is alone, save for a jumble of dogs and a couple...
When my teenage son, Braden, and I climbed out of our minivan, temperatures hovered in the mid-20s and an ethereal layer of mist covered Freezeout Lake. We weren’t the first to arrive; a handful of pickups, Subarus, and other mud-splattered vehicles huddled in the tiny...
Looking at it from a certain perspective, John N. Maclean was a successful writer long before his famous father, Norman Maclean, made his mark on American literature. But when the time came for John to write his first book, his father’s reputation — although he...
When COVID-19 hit and shelter-in-place orders were established in early 2020, the very idea of losing my freedom to roam was nearly as unpalatable to me as catching the virus. For a few weeks, I found myself stumbling around, unsure of how to make use...
“All roads lead to Rome” is a proverb from the Golden Milestone (Milliarium Aureum) that was erected by Emperor Augustus in 20 B.C.E. Located in the Forum, the monument marked the starting point for all of the roads across the Roman Empire. One hundred years...
Lena Marie Schiffer gets teary-eyed when she thinks about her mainstage debut at the Red Ants Pants Music Festival in 2016. “It was truly a life-changing moment for me,” says the frontwoman for Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, a Bozeman, Montana-based bluegrass band. “I...
Steven Rinella is only slightly distracted. He’s taking his youngest son to Chico Hot Springs in Montana’s Paradise Valley for his birthday, and there are details to resolve. “We have a deal with our kids,” says Rinella, whose personal life, for most readers, is secondary...
When a couple from the Midwest came to visit dear friends in Big Sky, Montana, to ring in the New Year in 1993, they had no idea how much the experience would change their lives. Both avid skiers (a sport they enjoyed with their then-school-aged...
When a Texas family stumbled upon a slopeside lot at the Yellowstone Club, a private residential community and ski area in Big Sky, Montana, they knew it was a keeper. Ideally situated for the ultimate ski-in/ski-out experience, the site fit the husband’s dream to have...
Twenty-five years ago, when a husband and wife from Los Angeles were traveling through the tiny town of Twin Bridges, Montana, they pulled up in front of a fly-fishing shop. There, the enthusiastic guide behind the counter told them about an iconic fishing lodge in...