July 8, 2008 -- BOZEMAN!!

As of July 1, I've moved to Bozeman. It is interesting -- I am still in Montana, but the entire "feel" of the experience is different. Big Sky is a ski resort and small town. The people were younger, and much more involved in the "great out doors". Bozeman is a city, and it feels like a city -- complete with lots of traffic. I don't remember this much traffic in Bozeman, but a few of the local people I've talked to said the city is really growing. The downtown is very active -- they have many functions that take place in the DT area, like "Music on Main" (every Thursday night they close off a section of main street and have a band play for a couple of hours -- beer and food available for sale -- it was lots of fun), "Art Walk" which is held once a month (I haven't gone yet, but there are many art galleries -- food from local vendors available), "Farmers Market" which is held in one of the many parks just a few blocks from Main street (every Tuesday -- fresh fruits & vegetables for sale along with crafts), etc. There are many beautiful parks set aside along the rivers and creeks, with walking trails and bike paths.

And while I felt a much more "outdoors" atmosphere at Big Sky, Bozeman does have its share of young people with Montana State University campus here in town. And many, many people ride bikes vs. driving (even us older folk). The people in Montana (for the most part) are much more "active" than I've seen in Georgia, and of course, there are more activities here to keep you active -- hiking, biking, skiing, fly fishing in the many rivers, white water rafting (although I think the locals might be "guides", but they don't tend to do the rafting tours -- this is for tourists), kayaking (these are locals), etc.

One of the local activities I've gotten into is hiking the "M" trail. There is a mountain on the outskirts of town where an extremely large white rock "M" (for Montana State University) has been placed at the top of this mountain. (View above is from the top of the "M" looking at Bozeman) And many, many people hike up this mountain every day -- I've even seen some jogging up. The parking lot is always full, even at 7:00 AM. There is an "easier" trail of 1 1/2 miles up to the top, and there is a reason easier is in quotes. For 1 1/2 miles, it is always up, up, up. I've been hiking regularly up big hills for 2 weeks in Big Sky, and I've done this one 4 times, and I'm still stopping all the time and trying not to have a heart attack. Of course, this means the down hill doesn't tax your breath, but your feet, ankles, knees, etc. And there is another way up to the "M" which is more strenuous -- really climbing. I don't think I'll be taking that one. (The view above is from the top of the "M" looking down into the parking lot -- the start of the hike)

But the views on the way up are incredible. At this time, the mountain is covered in wild flowers, so it is beautiful (see picture on left). Unfortunately, it seems that smoke from Canada and California wild fires is blowing into Montana, so the views are very hazy. It's a shame because the Absorkee mountains are snow covered and beautiful.

The carriage house I'm renting this month is very nice. It's just the right size with a full kitchen, little eating area, living area with cable TV (you know I can't live without that), separate bedroom and bath. I've had a great idea -- this would be perfect to build on my property. Put a carriage house over a garage. And I would build it just like this one. The people who own this carriage house live in the house attached, and the husband, Dan, is a builder and built the house. And he was telling me how much thought went into building this space to include everything that would be needed. He did a great job, and I think this could be affordable to build. It's perfect to spend 2-3 months in, and if I decided to move permanently, I could add on. Or if I sold it, the next buyer could use this as a guest house and build the home that they want. SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN!!

I plan to drive to my owner property in Nye tomorrow. When I tell the local people about Nye, if they have heard of it, they always say "Oh, it's so beautiful there". And if they haven't heard of it, when they hear it is in the Beartooth Mountains, they say the same thing. Most think that is a great location. So I need to spend more time there and make sure that is the property I want to keep.