In Love with Montana

“I’m 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.”
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

This is one of my all time favorite quotes about this place I call home.  I couldn't agree more.  You can't analyze the beauty, the landscapes, the people, the wildness.  It just is what it is.  I feel this as I ride down the trail watching the summer fade into early fall.  The color of the Mountain Ash turning orange, and the last of the Fireweed blooms close signaling the change of seasons. The tranquility surrounds me and seeps into my soul.  As I look around and breathe the crisp air, I thank God my skyscrapers are made of rock and trees.  The noises I hear are that of the bull elk bugling in the pines, or the red tailed hawk signaling his presence with a shrill call, or my horse's feet clicking over the rocks on the trail.  The love I have for this place and life cannot be explained through words, but I sure feel it with every inch of my heart.  Montana takes a hold of my soul.  I feel sorry for those that endlessly search for their peace.  I can't imagine a life surrounded by schedule, the sound of sirens, traffic, and such.  So, I encourage you to get out and find that place in the nature of Montana to be soothed and healed, and have your senses put in order and share it with those you love. Cause there's no place like the "last best place"....Montana.