Reflecting in Yellowstone

I have great affection for the West which is renewed with every trip I make to Montana. Even after 20 years of visiting Montana, I’m still caught off guard by it’s vastness and endless beauty. I never truly understood why people referred to Montana as Big Sky country until I saw it with my own eyes for the first time.

The large, open, mountain fields…

The sweeping vistas…

There are places, while in disrepair, feel as authentic and isolated as they probably did 100 years ago.

There’s a ruggedness to the land and the way people lived. Before “tiny home” became a buzzword,  a smaller homestead was a reality born of necessity.

Then there’s the  famous 3 Dollar Bridge in Madison County where I first learned to fly fish on the Madison River some 20 years ago with my best friend Monte.

But in the end what draws me back to Montana is Yellowstone National Park. It has an illusion of simplicity, but in reality nothing is simple in Yellowstone. It’s a complex ecosystem that pushes and pulls to find its balance.

It’s this balance that I envy as it serves as a reminder that my own creativity can only thrive when family, friends, and work are in balance.