10 Things a National Park Can Do For You
August 25, 2016
They’re not just pretty, they’re helpful. Here’s what they’ve done for me. … More 10 Things a National Park Can Do For You
Category: Montana
What is it about Yellowstone?
May 27, 2016
Happy Memorial Day weekend (almost)! This is the weekend I used to spend driving west to check in for my summer job at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. In honor of all the summer travel days ahead, I thought I’d share a few words from my Yellowstone manuscript. What is it about Yellowstone? Friends and … More What is it about Yellowstone?
Montana: The Ron Swanson of States
September 10, 2014
Montana author William Kittredge was the first to call it the last best place. John Steinbeck wrote, “I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love, and it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.” For my part, I’d like … More Montana: The Ron Swanson of States
On My Last Day in Montana
September 3, 2013
On my last day in Montana, I reached a sheep ranch outside the town of Roundup. A friend–a Wisconsin native, Montana transplant like me–had been working and living there for the season. I played with Akbash puppies and entered the pen of orphan lambs, called bums. They suckled my fingers and chewed the belt loops … More On My Last Day in Montana
An Essay in High Country News
June 11, 2012
In my first month in Missoula in 2010, I wrote an essay about being new to a place. Now, a few weeks after leaving Missoula and a few days before becoming a newcomer to a completely different place, that essay is appearing in the magazine and on the website of High Country News. I’m delighted to … More An Essay in High Country News
Thank You, Missoula
May 22, 2012
It’s my last morning in Missoula for a while. Recently I went for a walk in the North Hills, my favorite hiking area in town, and took a journal with me. Looking down on Missoula, I thought, “thank you.” For all the experiences I had here–as a young woman, a student, a teacher, a friend. … More Thank You, Missoula
Blood and Wisdom
April 4, 2012
Big Hole National Battlefield is ten miles from Wisdom, Montana. On this site on August 9, 1877, gunshots at dawn woke a camp of Nez Perce. Many died here: 31 soldiers and volunteers and nearly 90 Nez Perce—the majority women, children, and elderly. They say you can still hear their cries. The place warrants many … More Blood and Wisdom
Apartment Solitaire
March 11, 2012
Living alone in the back country of Arches National Park? At least Ed Abbey had the company of rattlesnakes. Living in an upstairs apartment in Missoula, for the first time in my life I lack the company of what can be just as toxic: roommates. Apartment solitaire, I learned in a recent New York Times … More Apartment Solitaire
Taste that Wild Mercy
February 18, 2012
Pop quiz about 1990s sit coms! Who was the prime time uncle known for his signature expression “Have mercy!”? If you said Uncle Jesse Katsopolis, you were right. Thanks to Uncle Jesse’s role on Full House, many of us became used to the expression “Have mercy!” Among friends and colleagues here in Missoula, a new … More Taste that Wild Mercy
Top Ten Signs I’m Spending a Weekend in Missoula
January 29, 2012
10. Friday night begins with a wittily-titled microbrew at one of the 429 breweries in town. In my case this weekend, it was Sip’N Go Naked at Tamarack Brewing Company. (P.S. Of course, I’m exaggerating: Missoula only has 401 local breweries). 9. At that brewery, I spot at least two dozen other people (men and … More Top Ten Signs I’m Spending a Weekend in Missoula
