Some Weekend Reading

Longboarding down the Beartooth Highway. Photo from National Geographic

I’m not going to lie, I spent a good deal of my morning reading other people’s tourism blogs. There are lots of really good reasons for reading the work of other people in your same line of business, but saying that I got sucked into a spiral of Facebook and Twitter links is the most … Read more

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Skijoring, For Days When Water Skiing Just Isn’t a Good Idea

Skijoring in Whitefish, Montana, winter 2014

Last weekend marked the seventh annual National Ski Joring Association Championships in Whitefish, Montana (the pictures on this post are from the 2014 event). Skijoring in Whitefish has a history stretching back at least half a century. During the 1960s and early ’70s, the annual Whitefish Winter Carnival prominently featured a skijoring competition. However, in … Read more

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The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends: The difference between farmers and ranchers

In a creative writing workshop, my wife wrote about growing up on a farm. Later, in the same essay, she talked about growing up on a ranch. This caused considerable consternation in the workshop. “You can’t use those words interchangeably,” people said. “It’s a farm or it’s a ranch. You need to figure out which … Read more

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What to do in Montana this Winter

Skijoring in Whitefish, Montana, winter 2014

  Winter marks a slow-down in Montana’s event calendar. My guess: people are far too busy skiing to bother with events. However, there are still some very exciting things happening in Montana this next month, I’m going to highlight a few, and be sure to check out the whole list at: virtualmontana.com/events/   With snowshoeing, … Read more

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It’s the Little Things: A Book Review

Not long before Christmas, I needed a new notebook. On a whim, I bought one without lines. I’ve started drafting my blog posts using unnecessary squiggly arrows and doodles. In reality, this is just an ingenious procrastination method, but it also makes me feel like an old fashioned natural philosopher. I like to think that … Read more

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Yellowstone Scavengers

Tempest videographer Mike Dreesman spent the first week of January in Yellowstone National Park. He took some stunning footage of big horn sheep, bison, eagles, and scenery, but probably his most arresting footage was of two carcasses in the snow. Mike spent nearly four hours taking video of a bison carcass which lay half submerged … Read more

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One of the Regulars

Before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, there was Coffee. And when Facebook, Twitter and the rest are rendered meaningless by [the end times/a thermonuclear explosion/global warming/global cooling/an alien invasion] there will still be Coffee. In those days, crotchety old men will be the new masters of information, because they have never abandoned the ancient practice, … Read more

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