A Land Filled with Giants

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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."