A Land Filled with Giants

I 

Travel is my favorite past time. And when I travel, I like to get off the beaten path.  I remember flying into the capital city of Paraguay, Asuncion, and enjoying the Latin metropolitan scene but hiring a taxi driver to take Elizabeth and I across the tropical rain forest  through Caguazu over the border to Brazil in Cuidad de Este to the world’s largest water fall system, Iguazu falls. Adventure! That particular 12 hour day trip is worth a story in and of itself.

Finding places that are not overrun with people & billboards is where I believe you really find the beauty of this world. Concrete, asphalt and towers are necessary, but finding peace, tranquility and nature usually is far from these man made objects.

Soon, we will be traveling to a similar adventure; this time Americana style. My home away from home for sometime has been Montana. My close friends, Dan Pate & Leah Welsh have welcomed us into their world; Big Sky world. We will be making Helena our home for the next week or so combing  central southwest Montana and enjoying the land that was described in the memoirs of Lewis & Clark.

Dan & Leah's back deck looks out over The Elkhorn Mountains. The Elkhorn Mountains are a classic Rocky Mountain range that is comprised of approximately 300,000 acres. You literally can see only 1 house from his back yard. It surrounds the capital city of Helena, Montana City, Townsend and Winston(No tobacco fields in this Winston). It’s an incredible mixture of cowboy, mountain man and back to nature personalities. 

Soon we will be going to one of the places that I would described as being off the beaten path. It’s called Land of the Giants.  Land of the Giants is a three-mile section of the Missouri River that connects Hauser Reservoir dam to Upper Holter lake.  Only miles from Helena, and less than 30 minutes from trout city, Craig.  The river meanders through a spectacular canyon with steep walls. There are no boat ramps to allow for drift-

boat access. Fishermen are forced to access the Land of the Giants by jet boat from upper Holter lake and boat up stream to the fishing.  Here’s the great thing; this location has some of the largest rainbow and brown trout that the Big Sky state has to offer. Ponderosa pines line the river with the backdrop of colorful rock formations. Lewis and Clark were so amazed at the beauty of the rock formations that they named this area upstream “The Gates of the Mountains”. The Missouri offers and intertwined combination of activity for the sportsmen, history buff, nature lover and trout angler. The times I have been here, I have felt the glory of the moment, I have seen the never-ending day. I have celebrated the vast sky encapsulated by the canyon walls. There with my guide and fishing partner, I have been where explorers were longing for the Pacific Ocean and where few people travel today.

As you can tell, I’m excited about the Land of the Giants. Catching Rainbows, and having a reunion with my Montana Family! This time I will be taking both my kids, my son-in-law  and my parents. I’m anxious to see if this place causes a contagious spirit internally among my daughter and son-in-law as It did me the first time I looked up and saw the Big Sky.

My Montana friendship made over the years has also been a big part of the magnetic draw to this area. Dan is not just a good ole cowboy (His middle name “Tex”, seriously) he’s a second generation auctioneer whose love of the industry drives him as it does me.

So, my advice to you? Get off the beaten path. Visit those places that are less commercialized. Experience America! Hit the water, hike a path, let God’s nature fill your senses. Find a friendship that makes the landscape have even more dimensions. 

As Muir once said "The Mountains are calling and I must go."

We painted a picture and it was beautiful

Sometime life paints beautiful pictures and you were there to watch.  In fact you're on the canvas

That was the thought I had today watching my wife, Elizabeth and son, Lewis interacting on the beach. Throwing the football, swimming in the water and strolling on the slanted sandy beaches.

Now 23 years old, I have been a witness to the great passions of my child; he was train crazy for a time, then dinosaur crazy. He was so amazed at military history, we spent a heated July at Gettysburg, paid tribute to General Lee's grave and his trusted grey American Saddlebred, Traveler in Lexington Virginia, then over to the tall granite monument honoring the General's right hand, Stonewall Jackson. Probably the most memorable was honoring the fallen on the French beaches of Normandy. I could tell you about the duck hunting obsession or the trout frenzy, but I think you get the point. He is serious about his passions.

Lewis always understood the important things in history and life. Now I have witnessed something that creates art in life. He loves, cares for and enjoyed the presence of his mom. Much like the experience I had at a young age, he has found the value in this wonderful person....his mom.

I love art, especially landscape scenes that have wide views. Vistas that are so large, you see something new every time you look at the piece.  Vistas whose beauty creates visual poetry. That is the art I see in the life of my son and his "mama".

Elizabeth and I tried for years to bring influence into our son's life. Now we are beginning to see his influence in our lives. The art continues to be painted. Colored by love and applied to the canvas with creativity, vision and most important love. 

And then you realize that the painted art is the memories that God gives you; painted in in your minds for all of your life. I love art. But more specifically, I love the the art that is canvased in memories like today.

All Roads lead to Rome

People in the ancient world always said that "all roads lead to Rome." Now, as I left Oak Meadow Lane in Mocksville, NC  yesterday morning, I can say that even my rural farm road leads me to Rome.

Rome, or Roma as the Italians call it is the capital of Italy and is located in the Lazio region of the uniquely designed boot shaped country. The city of Rome has a population of approximately 4.3 million residents. Vatican City, an independent country is located within the borders of the city. It has two capitals within the city.  It is referred to as "Roma Aeterna"  or the Eternal City^] and "Caput Mundi"  or Capital of the World).

Although we had a red eye, a nine hour flight from Charlotte to Rome, as soon as we got off the plane we were taken directly to our tour bus.  We traveled just a few miles to a very "Italian" eatery. We had bread,  Salami, Soppresata, Prosciutto, Pepperoni and that was just the appetizer. We had a course of manicotti and then another of lemon & olive oil chicken. We ended the meal with a tiramisu with a double shot expresso to chase the sweet down.

After that we were transferred over near the Mediterranean coast to
Ostia Antica. This is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia. This was the harbor city of Ancient Rome. Ostia means
"mouth" which is the mouth of the River Tiber. It is said to be Rome's first colony. 

So far, the most notable is the  beautiful language. Being a romantic language, the Italians take it to the next level with their antimated lilt and flow. It's beautiful!

So, all roads do lead to Rome. We're just starting our journey. We will head to the "eternal city" next week.