Exploring Bozeman

We’ve acclimated to the time and slept really soundly, and Brad is big on breakfast, so we headed to a nearby restaurant called Jams. It was everything you’d want in a breakfast place – great food, sassy tattooed waitresses, and interesting eavesdropping at nearby tables. Sort of reminded us of the Friendly Toast.

Brad was feeling adventurous and order hash (excellent) and I had arugula with a perfectly poached egg. Coffee in both our room and restaurant left something to be desired, so we will try one of the million coffee shops tomorrow.

We walked around the downtown to get our bearings, and ended up in a fantastic bookstore. Huge and well curated selection, and busy first thing in the morning.

We decided to go see Big Sky. No idea what to expect, but we’ve all heard the name bantered around, right? An hour’s drive along the Gallatin River into the small town of Big Sky, only to find out that the Big Sky Resort is much further up a long, narrow, winding road. The Yellowstone Club beyond that in another direction. Lots of ‘Members Only’, ‘No Admittance’ signs, coupled with large gravel filled trucks struggling up hill while our ears were popping and we aborted.

One cute story, we pulled over at a turnout to have a quiet look at the mountains, and a tricked out red Jeep pulled in and flew down what looked like the edge of the mountain. It just disappeared into the woods. On further inspection, there was a path in the woods, but tiny, bumpy and with knee high grass. Where that car was going is a mystery.

We did see lots of fly fishermen in the river along with some rafts. It was a sweet excursion, but I was happy to get back to civilization.

We stopped at the local food coop for lunch. It smelled like an old Erewhon store. Very hippie.

Because we got skunked at Big Sky, we took a short hike in a local park that had beautiful views and linked us to the library.

The library was amazing! Gorgeous and creative. Artwork, reading lounges, a 3D printer, craft room and a cool program for kids to do a tasting of sweet and sour. We hung and perused and chatted with the librarians.

We didn’t realize it but we were walking on the Gallagator Trail!

On the way back, we saw a tight rope set up about 4 feet off the ground between two huge trees – what a fun activity!

Jet lag, heat, windy mountain roads all caught up with us, and we crashed for a few hours. Dinner was at a sweet restaurant called Blackbird, we walked around the town, met some shop keepers and finished with ice cream. Here are some shots of the town.

A couple of observations about Bozeman; most restaurant and shop employees are women. Tattoos are ubiquitous. Everyone dresses casually, but men make a sport of it. Has to be the worse dressed men I’ve ever seen – rumpled is an art form, and ugly shoes prevail. On the bright side, many elderly people seem vibrant and ambulatory. It is a good mix of young and old, and everyone seems to be happy (and poorly dressed).

So, I’m confirming my status as a New Englander. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.