Montana 2018 | Highlight Reel

Montana

Oh man I don’t even know where to start with this dream trip to Montana.  This is going to be a highlight reel of one of the most amazing weeks of my life and all the amazing people I got to meet along the way!

Day 1 – June 30, 2018
We got up around 3 Am to head to the a
irport (2 hour travel to the airport) got there around 530AM and I expected the TSA line to be super long.  I was sitting at my gate within 30 minutes.  Got boarded, met an amazing sweet lady on the plane that was flying to Glacier to spend the week with her siblings.  She was telling me about her husband and how he had been battling brain cancer for 10 years.  She was a very talented artist and I can’t wait to see some of her paintings from Glacier.

I had a layover in Minnesota and I landed in Billings around 130PM after a few delayed flights.  Gabi (from Rodeo Wrecks) picked me up from the airport because she was hanging out with Mary Peters for a few weeks to work on rebranding and getting her van road ready for the summer!

Once I got there I ran and gave Mary a huge hug because it was so good to see her again.  We chatted and then she suggested we do a shoot with Gabi and her new van (#wreckedrig).  Her property is amazing so we had several places to choose where to shoot at.  Just wait till you meet Gabi’s dog, Wrecks, in the next blog post (he is the coolest dog ever!).

Check out her rad new website www.rodeo-wrecks.com

Day 2 – Last Best Place on Earth

Day 2 – July 1 & Day July 2
We decided to sleep in (yay for a two hour time difference) and we hung out for the morning.  Around lunch time I decided to head towards Big Fork, MT to see my best friend Michaela who is working at Flathead Lake Lodge for the summer.  I haven’t seen her since she left the first of May.

We got permission to do a photoshoot on the ranch and it was so much fun.  The ranch was absolutely gorgeous and I would have loved to do more but we wanted to visit Glacier for the day since we were that close.  We stopped off in Kalispell to eat some amazing food and then headed into Glacier before finishing off the day with Mexican food and I had a six hour drive so I got on the road!

Red Lodge & Wild Mustangs

Day 4 – July 3
We hung low today to help get Gabi ready to head out on the road.  Mary, John (her husband) and Gabi had worked super hard on her van for several weeks and it was time for her to take her maiden voyage.

Day 5 – July 4
Mary and I headed down to Red Lodge to a rodeo she was shooting.  It was so cool to attend my first PRCA rodeo.  It was cool to watch Tuff Cooper, Trever Brazil and several other amazing athletes perform in person. It was also cool to watch Mary do her thing. Check out her brilliant work: www.photographybymarypeters.com

Day 6 – July 5
Today Mary & I took off and headed to see the wild mustangs at Pryor Mountain in Lovell, WY.  Talk about a once in a life time opportunity.  I never felt so at peace being in this beautiful location seeing these amazing animals.  If you ever get the chance to see them you should for sure take the chance.

Felton Angus Ranch

Day 7 – July 6
I have been following @mrsmontanarancher on instagram for a couple of years and we just hit it off from the beginning.  Her family just lives a couple of hours from Mary so I hopped in the car and headed towards their ranch to spend the day with them.  Their ranch is located right on the yellowstone river so we spent the afternoon exploring their property and getting a tour of the farm.  Oh, and her girls were the sweetest ever! www.feltonangusbeef.com

Day 8 – July 7
Mary and I got up around 330AM so I could be at the airport by 5Am.  I don’t think we got but about three hours of sleep but it was worth every bit.  This lady is pretty amazing and she opened her home up to me for an entire week and I could not be more thankful.  She let me in on her life, we had late night talks about what drives us in our businesses, and she gave me a ton of advice on following what makes me happy.  This trip is exactly what I needed and it helped me slow down and enjoy life for a few days.

Stay tuned as I walk through each day and be prepared for picture overload!!