After 2.5 months in Costa Rica riding in the back of trucks, dodging poisonous snakes and managing a language barrier you would think Montana would be a breeze. It’s in the USA for God sakes! Not True! This is the most desolate yes GORGEOUS place I’ve been in the world. I’m 35 miles from a gas station, 90 miles from a Target and now I’m dodging Grizzly bears, moose and elk. The last 1.5 week has been a huge adjustment in every respect from driving a car on a daily basis to learning how to use bear spray to scraping frost from my windshield.
While living in the middle of nowhere means no social life it also translates to true beauty. I wake up to a view of snowcapped mountains, the Madison River which is the premiere trout fly fishing river in the country in my backyard, 2 emerald alpine lakes just a 20 minute drive away and full rainbows on a weekly basis. And the sunsets…well nothing compares to a Madison valley sunset from the Lodge at Sun Ranch!
My first week of work has been great training in CPR, Philanthropy programs, wine tasting, and horseback riding. Now the first guests were from Hell! No surprise here, they are New Yorkers that live and breathe Wall Street (or what remains of it). The control freak, Hugh, bought out the entire lodge for his 70th birthday. Why this man is not dead from a heart attack at 70 is beyond me! Relaxation is not in his vocabulary. Well, Hugh got his nickname because the first day at breakfast because he showed up to the lodge’s great room in a red robe and slippers. That’s when the “OH SHIT they are going to be high maintenance” light flashed in my head. Well after a half day Hugh starts the demands: the coffee isn’t strong enough, roll my picnic silverware in linens, tell the chef to add more butter to the pound cake, and return the salmon after we order 30 lbs of fresh fish from Washington. However, the most insulting remark came from Hugh’s wife when she was upset with a staff member who cut the birthday cake to large and she lashed out with “it’s not your fault you probably went to public schools and have no common sense because your parents were so poor they had to work two jobs when you were growing up!” I’m sorry we didn’t all grow up in a 5,000 sf condo in Manhattan! Dear God, I knew with room rates at $300-$900/night we would have a high end clientele I just did not associate that with obnoxiously rude.
As for the fun stuff, I’ve been running daily and hiking in Yellowstone and the Gallitan National Forest. Ironically enough, I was visiting the geysers in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone and ran into my feed sales man (farm term) who I haven’t seen since I was 18! Small world….we chatted forever and just shock our heads at the coincidence!!!
On a final note, the ranch is gorgeous. It was owned by Steven Sigel until 1998 when Roger Lang (Silicon Valley Entrepreneur) bought it. The place it outstanding with a 3.5 mile driveway and the most amazing mountain views I’ve ever seen. The movie the Patriot was filmed onsite and the movie the River Runs Through It was filmed within an hour of my location.
While living in the middle of nowhere means no social life it also translates to true beauty. I wake up to a view of snowcapped mountains, the Madison River which is the premiere trout fly fishing river in the country in my backyard, 2 emerald alpine lakes just a 20 minute drive away and full rainbows on a weekly basis. And the sunsets…well nothing compares to a Madison valley sunset from the Lodge at Sun Ranch!
My first week of work has been great training in CPR, Philanthropy programs, wine tasting, and horseback riding. Now the first guests were from Hell! No surprise here, they are New Yorkers that live and breathe Wall Street (or what remains of it). The control freak, Hugh, bought out the entire lodge for his 70th birthday. Why this man is not dead from a heart attack at 70 is beyond me! Relaxation is not in his vocabulary. Well, Hugh got his nickname because the first day at breakfast because he showed up to the lodge’s great room in a red robe and slippers. That’s when the “OH SHIT they are going to be high maintenance” light flashed in my head. Well after a half day Hugh starts the demands: the coffee isn’t strong enough, roll my picnic silverware in linens, tell the chef to add more butter to the pound cake, and return the salmon after we order 30 lbs of fresh fish from Washington. However, the most insulting remark came from Hugh’s wife when she was upset with a staff member who cut the birthday cake to large and she lashed out with “it’s not your fault you probably went to public schools and have no common sense because your parents were so poor they had to work two jobs when you were growing up!” I’m sorry we didn’t all grow up in a 5,000 sf condo in Manhattan! Dear God, I knew with room rates at $300-$900/night we would have a high end clientele I just did not associate that with obnoxiously rude.
As for the fun stuff, I’ve been running daily and hiking in Yellowstone and the Gallitan National Forest. Ironically enough, I was visiting the geysers in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone and ran into my feed sales man (farm term) who I haven’t seen since I was 18! Small world….we chatted forever and just shock our heads at the coincidence!!!
On a final note, the ranch is gorgeous. It was owned by Steven Sigel until 1998 when Roger Lang (Silicon Valley Entrepreneur) bought it. The place it outstanding with a 3.5 mile driveway and the most amazing mountain views I’ve ever seen. The movie the Patriot was filmed onsite and the movie the River Runs Through It was filmed within an hour of my location.
Pictures: The Lodge (work), Geyser at Yellowstoe, Wade Lake - 20 min drive, Kayaking on Hylate Lake
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