Montana has always been my home. Even during the times I have lived away for various reasons, it has been the place I consider “home”. Home is a interesting name for a place. It implies a heritage, a history, a sense of belonging. It is where you are from and a large part of who you are and how you came to be that way.
Yep, Montana has always been home. I was born here, and will always be “from Montana”. But times change, people change, places change. The world will always find a way to throw new challenges and opportunities at you. It’s a big world out there.
When the Cosmic Baker (as Jimmy Buffett would say) was mixing the recipe for our family, He added quite a bit more wanderlust than most people have. Growing up, we moved around quite a bit. This opened up the world, showing my sister and I that there is a lot out there; a lot more than just the here and now and what we are used to. With that added dash of wanderlust comes an intellectual curiosity about the world around me, filled with new places to see, new cultures to experience, and new things to try.
Long story short, I’m leaving Montana. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be packing my shit up and heading to Gig Harbor, Washington.
Why Gig Harbor? Several reasons. When I first visited Washington this past July to visit the folks, I was really surprised. I had always held this vision of the Puget Sound area as a drab, dreary, crowded, blah kind of place. While it does have its drab and dreary days, and God knows it’s crowded, it was so much more than I thought it would be. The area holds a lot. You have the amenities of the city, but still have mountains and wilderness close by. The salt water is particularly alluring. I’ve always wanted to learn to sail…
The fishing has also always held a particular appeal to me. The pursuit of anadromous species is completely foreign to me. It will be an interesting challenge. Not to mention the numerous fish in the salt water (such as sea run cutthroat), the bass, panfish, musky and trout in the lakes and ponds, and the trout streams in the mountains. There is so much variety, so many options.
But as to why Gig Harbor in particular, I am pleased to announce that I will be joining the staff at Gig Harbor Fly Shop as their video/blogging/social media/shop help/photo/etc etc guy. It will be great working with a good group of guys in a small shop. And what better way to learn the fishery than working in a fly shop!
Leaving Montana is always hard. But it isn’t the same place it once was. Bozeman in particular has changed drastically in the past five years. It is almost hard to recognize anymore. It is full of tailgating drivers and shiny cars, and if you take the time to talk to a group of people, three out of five of them have just moved here from California in the past year. It is growing so drastically, and changing into something I hate to see. It happened to Colorado, it happened to Jackson, and now it’s happening here too.
Bozeangles indeed.
It is always hard to leave good friends behind, and I have been blessed with many here in Bozeman. To you guys, I say this. I’ll be back in town to hunt and fish, and if you ever want to come visit, you have a free place to stay! Good friends still stay friends, no matter how far away they are. Montana will always be here, and will only be a car ride away. We’ve had some damn good times around here this past year and a half…
I am young and unattached. There is no better time in my life to just pick up and move somewhere new. Talking to my mentor Craig (who lived in the area for many years) about it, he said that some of the things he most regrets are not taking the chances like this he had when he was younger. Life is short.
So here we go again. Off to bigger and brighter things, things that will shape me and change me in ways I can’t even begin to imagine. And when you think about it, that is pretty damn exciting.
