Away From The Big Sky

by Steve Eshom on August 29, 2010

Leaving some place you really enjoy is never easy.  I’ve often considered what it is about Montana that makes it so hard for me to leave.  I’ve come to the conclusion there is so much I love about Montana that I can’t a single item that makes it so intriguing to me.  What I love about it is not just Stanford, Noxon, or Laurel, or mountains or plains, or wide opens spaces, or big sky, or the people, or my family legacy.  It is some odd combination of these items that just doesn’t exist anywhere else.   I don’t know exactly how to describe the chemistry but it is there for me once I cross the border. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, they are just different.  Maybe Washington represents the realities of life for me too much and that makes it less magical?  Whatever it is I can’t wait to get back to Montana again.   Until my next visit I can enjoy the photos I took and dig through the memories of photos I didn’t take to allow myself to look back on this place fondly.

Tagged as: fondness, memories, montana, photo, photography, railfan, railroad, train

  • Andy Ottinger

    I've fallen in love with this area! As a guy from PA, this was a whole new territory to explore and photograph. I work part time for a shortline railroad near Harrisburg and the general manager who i worked for retired to Lewistown, MT in 2008. Was out to visit last year for 2 weeks and we spent a fair amount of time chasing down trains and old railroad rights of way, including following a few trains over the Laurel Sub. Will be headed west next week for another week long visit; can't wait!

    Here's a few of my pics from last year; several nods of thanks to the folks here for great photo locations. http://aottinger.rrpicturearchives.net/archivet…

    Thanks, Andy Ottinger
    Harrisburg, PA

  • Eric

    Great photos, Steve! I feel the same way when we leave Montana, and I don't even have the direct family legacy piece. It's my wife's family that we visit in Montana, and we've been going nearly every year for 20 years. But whether it is her main family in Culbertson, or other family in Great Falls, Big Timber, Billings or Missoula, I get that same feeling when we leave! I think another factor for me, besides the ones you mentioned, is the simplicity of life there, and how it takes me back to simpler times. Things haven't changed all that much over the years in some places. These photos capture how I feel when I'm there, so thanks and keep up the great work! – ES

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