Flying Over Wyoming and Montana

We flew up to Montana for work this week, which we have done about fifty times over the past twenty years. Because we go to Montana on such a frequent basis, we tend not to give much thought to the beauty of the area. The area is truly spectacular, not just Yellowstone National Park, but the entire area. It isn’t as though the beauty of nature somehow stops at the border of the park, it is just where protection of the land and wildlife comes to an end. On this particular trip, we decided to take a few photos of the landscape as we flew over northern Wyoming and then into Montana. It might be Spring throughout most of the northern hemisphere, but here in the high-country, winter is still clinging on for another month or so. We are still getting snow occasionally as you can tell from the peaks of the mountains as our plane flew over the Rocky Mountains.

We Believe this is Yellowstone Lake
Snow and Mountains

Once we crossed over the mountains and entered the valley where we were to land, the scenery turned from white peaks to lush green farmland. The growing season for plants in this region is very short, so seeing all of the green grass was very refreshing. It also means that there is a reduced chance of fires, a risk that is unfortunately high in our home state of Colorado. We decided not to go into the park this trip, mostly because of the road conditions as it continued to snow in the mountains and on the mountain passes during our entire time in Montana.

Green Valley and Mountains
Gorgeous Landscape

We will try not to take the beautiful scenery of Wyoming and Montana for granted during any of our subsequent trips. We live in a gorgeous part of the world and seeing it from an airplane is a wonderful way to truly appreciate how wild and wonderful it really is.

View from the Plane

 

Bozeman, Montana

We’ve been in Bozeman, Montana since Tuesday and are getting ready to fly home again tomorrow.  It was a work trip where we traveled together, but we weren’t able to make it into Yellowstone this time.  The weather was surprisingly cold, even by Montana standards for September, and it has been rainy until today and the higher elevations, above 7,500 feet, are covered in snow.  Bozeman is a beautiful little town that sits in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides.  We’ve been fortunate to visit Bozeman many times over the past fifteen years and are always drawn to its quaint, historical, charm.

Downtown Bozeman, Montana
Mural in the John Bozeman Bistro

Many people fly into Bozeman for the many different locations that you can reach once you land here.  During the ski season, Big Sky Ski Resort is a short drive away, although the locals ski Bridger Bowl.  You can get to both the North and West entrances of Yellowstone from Bozeman, so it is really convenient for anyone interested in heading to the park.  The area is probably best known for its fly fishing and people flock here from around the world to take advantage of what we understand to be some of the best fly fishing that can be found anyplace.  Needless to say, opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, rafting, biking, or simply enjoying nature abound throughout the area.

Mountain Ranges Around Bozeman

One of our favorite restaurants in downtown Bozeman is the John Bozeman Bistro.  They often have unique specials, but it is the atmosphere that we like the most.  You can also enjoy a burger at Ted’s Montana Grill, which oddly enough was not the first of the locations in the restaurant chain, although Ted Turner does have a huge bison ranch in the area.  One nice thing about Bozeman being a draw for tourists is that there are plenty of nice restaurants for people to enjoy.  In addition to being a tourist location, Montana State University (MSU) is also located here, which keeps the town young and vibrant.

Reuben and French Onion Soup at the John Bozeman Bistro

Since the weather didn’t really cooperate, highs in the low 50’s and lows at night into the middle to lower 30’s, we didn’t have as many opportunities on this trip to get out and enjoy the outdoors.  We’ll likely be back again, knowing how much we like the area, so we’ll be sure to make the most of our next trip.