The Ranch At Rock Creek, Montana, June 2010, Day 1

I got an idea last night.  I have shared the trip to the airport far too many times lately.  How to make it fresh?  Then I thought, if I do a panorama shot but using different locations, I wonder how well the panorama program will stitch the different pictures to together?


Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you my first panocollage.  Cab ride + airport drop off + security line + airport gate wait + sliver of plane + Seattle airport.

I highly recommend you right click on that one and look at it in a new window.  I was super pleased with the experiment.  And then I googled "panocollage" and it turns out others do this as well.  I get to feel innovative and not alone at the same time.  By the way, this cannot be an all panocollage trip because I have to leave the panorama program open to do so.  Use the iPod or email and all is lost.

Airport portrait.

Walking to our little prop plane for the flight from Seattle to Missoula, Montana.

She is spinning.

When I heard the landing gear come down, and then looked to my left and saw them, it was the perfect chance to share not only the plane's tries but the green-ness of Montana.

If it were not raining and cloudy, these hills of trees would make gorgeous photographs.  The Rocky Mountains are, simply, gorgeous.

Do not ask how many tries it took me to get the windshield wiper shot.

We drove an hour and a half to get to the ranch...  after waking up at 6am in Los Angeles, we arrived at 7pm in Philipsburg, Montana.  In other words, it took twelve hours to get there.  Or, as Barbie said, "That's how long it takes to fly from L.A. to Moscow."

For four days and three nights, we are ranchers.

Do you notice anything different about this picture?  No television.  Bold, Ranch at Rock Creek, very bold.

The view from our balcony.

Under that living roof is the Silver Dollar Saloon and The Spa.

Time for dinner.

The chef took pity on my salad hating self and served me a garlic soup off the planned menu.  There are only twenty one guests here, so it is more like staying at someone's private ranch than staying at a hotel.


Barbie stayed on-menu and got the, "Amaltheia Goat Cheese Roasted Beet and Anjou Pear Salad with a (sic) Aged Balsamic Vinegar."

For the main course, yours truly got the, "Montana Beef Chuck Roast with Morel Mushrooms & Black Kale Red Pepper Panade."

Barbie got the, "Alaskan Halibut with Mango Pineapple Salsa & Black Kale Red Pepper Panade."  Say that five times, fast.

Dessert was Mango Sorbet with Shortbread & Chantilly Cream.  In Barbie's words, "This is the best sorbet I've ever had."

I owe you some pics of this place, for sure.  It is very unique.  You walk into a non-lobby with two doors, one to the dining room and another to a lounge and bar, behind which you find stairs that take you up to where the rooms and suites sit.  Perhaps tomorrow or the next day I will do a panocollage of the place.  Until then, allow Barbie to Price Is Right the upper living area that all of the rooms share.  A little kitchen plus couches and such.  It truly is more like staying in a home than anything else.  Which makes sense, because apparently the owner was designing it to be his private ranch home before deciding to make it a small, exclusive hospitality ranch.

Now, it is time to watch our DVR at home.  What?  Does that sound impossible?  Sure, the ranch may have given us a room with no television.  But we just added a Slingbox to our bedroom TV setup and we can now watch that DVR streamed through the internet to our laptops.  Technology for the win!  And, yes, I should have taken a picture of this minor technological miracle.  Shame on me.

Tomorrow, Ranch activities.   Actual ranch stuff.  And more gourmet food.