In September…
…we put out the call for our community to send us their “why” they love Montana and the reasons they trek back to Big Sky Country for memories and adventure each year. We are so grateful you answered the call! Erin Nieman was one of our big winners, receiving a $100 gift card to the incredible Campione Roman Kitchen, recently featured as one of the New York Time’s 50 restaurants they’re most excited about right now.
Erin’s 50th Brings Friends Together at Last!
Erin recounts bringing all her friends from her many adventures across the US to Livingston at Tranquil Home on Yellowstone River and how it created memories that will last a lifetime.
“How would you like to spend your 50th birthday in Montana with your buddies?”
My boyfriend, a Livingston native, loves nothing more than to plan trips and I could tell from the spark in his eye he was serious. Well, that and the many vacation rentals he had been showing me lately “Just for fun.”
From our home base in New York…
…we’ve done a lot of traveling together over the years. I’d only been to Montana a few times, but it was already feeling like home. Livingston, and the people there, have that effect. They make you feel like you belong. I am no stranger to beautiful places. Having lived in Colorado and Oregon for many years, and as an avid backpacker and camper, I have explored some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in the US; from the weathered peaks of the Adirondacks to the cave dwellings of the Southwest; from the misty and magical Puget Sound and California Redwoods, to the vast emptiness of the Alaskan tundra and the crater of Haleakala. But never Montana.
Maybe I was saving the best for last.
It is indisputable that one of the benefits of living in and exploring different places is the friends you make along the way. Scattered across the country they are my gems, my treasure, often hidden in my daily life, but valuable beyond measure. My birthday was just an excuse to finally get them all in one place. Anyone who plans getaways knows that good planning is what turns a trip into a vacation. This was a trip for seven wonderfully strong-willed and well-traveled women in their 50s.
There were, shall we say, some non-negotiables:
1. Sleep. Always sleep. (Comfy beds and ample bathrooms were a must.)
2. Food. Preferably homemade and healthy (Harvest Montana beautifully delivered), and with plenty of room in the freezer for ice cream. (Wilcoxins. Is there any other?)
3. Hiking. Trails that allowed us to walk two or three abreast (so much to talk about), and wow the hard to impress. (Pine Creek and O Street Connector for the win.)
4. Pampering. A trip to a hot springs (Bozeman for that, because, shopping), and an
evening in the shadow of Emigrant Peak sipping craft cocktails at The Sage Lodge.
5. Livingston. Wandering around the Farmer’s Market and art galleries. And lots of coffee.
And while all that was amazing…
…the most special and memorable times were had in the house on the Yellowstone where we (no joke) watched from the deck as a mother eagle taught her babies to fish, where we lazed on blankets in the sun and woke to clouds parting over fresh snow on the Absarokas, and where we just talked and laughed and acted like we were all 30 years younger. Some of the most special people in the world to me all know each other now. None of us will ever forget that Montana trip. We’ll be back.
