Sunday Brunch- 4.24.11- Get outta town- The Madison Valley
'Back to Good' one little trip at a time. There are no excuses in not living the life we really want. All we need to do is trust and leap- the net always appears.
At the end of a 3 week whirlwind, I was finally able to do something spontaneous and fun. Yesterday afternoon, I headed down to the Madison Valley to check in with friends. I didnt get to see any of them but I did meet new friends, enjoyed some water time, explored a bit and happened to catch a little Montana Safari of sorts. As a side note:: I really like that landing strip in the middle of the Valley. One day I WILL land a plane there. Its time to complete that task I set out to do 13 years ago. My dad was a private pilot- so much time was spent in the air and at small airports across the country as a kid. I love everything about it. One more item to add to the bucket list.
The goal was to possibly make it down to West Yellowstone via Ennis and back to Bozeman via Big Sky. By the time I made it to Cameron and the Beartooth Fly Shop- it was getting dark so I ended up staying on the river outside Ennis at a little place called the Rainbow Lodge. Very kind people. They are friends of the Delekta's who own the Beartooth Fly Shop on the Madison past Cameron. If you fish the Madison, you probably know Nancy and Dan by name, a big smile and a hug. Good people indeed and full of all the genuine kindness, hospitality and generosity of spirit it takes to run an operation built around ones passion. I love them, can you tell? Here is a link to their website www.beartoothflyfishing.com
Their Shop is packed with everything and anything you would need for a successful day on the river. They have great guides, gear, lunches and insider tips. All that is good and necessary, but I really go for my hugs.
There were a few hundred head of Elk in the fields beneath the Sphinx, pronghorn sheep, cattle, sheep, water birds & deer all out enjoying the sunshine for the first time in weeks. The little town of Cameron has some swank new signage that seems it might be worth more than the whole town thrown together. Ok, Im sure that isn't true, but they must be gearing up for a Summer reopening of some measure. Over all, it was very quiet , the only exception being the abundance of the wild life.
This looks colder than it actually was. The sun had been lost by the time this photo was taken.
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This was beautiful in person. Driving East from Varney Bridge at sunset.
I love the layers of color in this one. They will only get better as we head towards Spring in our high mountain dessert.
The Elk, deer, pronghorn and birds were too well disguised to see clearly in photos from my Blackberry- but the black angus and their spring babes show up perfectly.
This is the kind of day we woke up to Easter morning. Awesome. Perfect for the drive back to Bozeman to stoke up the Sunday Brunch show for you by 9am.'
Rainbow Valley Lodge and its hostess with the most-est. She is well known far and wide for her pine needle baskets. www.rainbowvalley.com
Again, my picture of them didnt turn out so well. Here is one of the two of them in their lobby from their website. Im glad I stayed and will be back! They also have a nice selection of gifts, handcrafted items, fishing gear etc... They have a good selection of gear for the ladies as well and a comfy sitting area and waking up surrounded by rich real wood paneling is always a good thing in this girls book.
An easy drive up to your room with gear holds out front. The O'Dell Spring Creek is right there too. Pretty sweet access.
Then it was back to Bozeman....
I think this might become a trend....
Here is this weeks playlist- wonderful calls and requests. Thanks for adding to the fun today. Happy Easter Bunny Day.
Red Horse- Coshiville- Red Horse
Lyle Lovett- If I Had a Boat- Pontiac
Daniel Martin Moore- In These Hearts- Stray Age
Ray LaMontagne- For the Summer- recorded Live in the Fall of 2010
Patty Griffin- Coming Home- Downtown Church
Tony Furtado- Waste of the Moon- Deep Water
Madeline Peyroux- River of Tears- Bare Bones
Steve Earle- Tennessee Blues- Washington Square Serenade
Indigo Girls- Love Will Come to You- Rites of Passage
Jeffery Foucault- Train to Jackson- Ghost Repeater
Crooked Still-You Got the Silver- Some Strange Country
Neil Young- Silver & Gold- Silver & Gold
Redbird- Hold On- Redbird
Amos Lee- Clear Blue Eyes- Mission Bell
Eddie Vedder- Longing to Belong
David Gray- Only the Wine- single
Joan Baez- Diamonds and Rust- Diamonds and Rust
Shawn Colvin- Diamond in the Rough- Live 88
Robert Earl Keen- The Road Goes on Forever- The Party Never Ends
Joni Mitchell- Big Yellow Taxi- Hits and Misses
Taj Mahal- Giant Step- The Best of Taj Mahal
James Taylor- Sweet Baby James- LIVE
Josh Ritter- Snow is Gone- Hello Starling
Darrell Scott- The Open Door- A Crooked Road
Cat Stevens- Katmandu- Classics
Suzanne Vega- Songs in Red and Gray- Close Up Vol 1
Eddie Vedder- Growin’ Up- Berkley show bootleg 4.7.08
John Hiatt- Gone- Crossing Muddy Waters
Emmy Lou Harris- Gone- Songbird
Jackson Brown & David Lindley- Running on Empty- Love is Strange
Joel Raphael- Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key-
Neil Young- My My, Hey Hey- Rust Never Sleeps
Beatles- Blackbird- White Album
Abigail Washburn- City of Refuge- City of Refuge
Ben Sollee- How to See the Sun Rise- Learning to Bend
Ben Harper- Happily Ever After In Your Eyes- Both Sides of the Gun
Norah Jones- Sunrise- Feels Like Home
Matt Costa- Sunshine- Songs We Sing
Green River Ordinance- Where the West Wind Blows- The Morning Passengers EP
Cat Stevens- On the Road to Find Out- Classics
Alexi Murdoch- All My Days- Time Without Consequence
Martin Sexton- With a Little Help from my Friends- Live Solo