Montana has been on my mind lately. Honestly, it has never really left my mind. Talking to friends back home just makes it worse. What I wouldn’t give for just a couple breaths of crisp, clean mountain air and being able to look up and see the mountains.
I’ll be back there sooner or later. When I am, I’ve already got a few things planned out. Here’s what I’m going to do:
Kiss the sweet ground. As soon as I cross the state line, I’m pulling over.
Master spey casting. My previous efforts have caused the originator of the spey rod to roll over in his grave, but there is always time to improve.
Hike back to [redacted] Lake. I’ve been thinking about that place since last summer.
Catch a fish every month of the year. Hell, maybe I’ll even shoot for every week of the year…
Explore new water. With the influx of people moving and traveling to Montana, the famous waters get pretty crowded. But there are countless miles of streams and lesser known waters that get little or no pressure.
Build my beer cap mosaic fly tying desk. The idea is to create the image of a trout taking a fly against a background of a river bed strictly out of beer bottle caps. That’s a lot of beer.
Eat the eggs benedict at Main Street Overeasy in downtown Bozeman. The food is damn good and you can’t beat the service.
Float the kitchen sink in Bear Trap Canyon. Thank God catarafts are stable…
Have a sixer of Salmon Fly Honey Rye in the fridge at all times. This is non-negotiable.
Get involved. There will always be issues and threats to rivers, fish, and access. Now is a good time to start giving a damn.
Get the jeep fixed. Faithful readers will remember us talking about “Billie Girl”, the Chi Wulff 1983 CJ7. Currently she is sitting in a storage unit with the tongue of a raft trailer through her windshield. (How that happened is not important) Aside from needing a new windshield, the lights don’t work, the gas tank leaks, the front end is shot, and the top is held together with Shoe Goo.
Montana will always be home for me. No matter where I am or how much it changes, it will always be home.
It really is the last best place.
