Snowshoeing Through the Wilderness

Snowshoeing and adventuring through the wilderness is one of my favorite things to do. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny warm day in Bozeman, Montana and decided that we wanted to spend the afternoon snowshoeing. We strapped on our gear and buckled in our shoes and began the journey up the mountains. The uphill trek was exhausting and we each took turns breaking first tracks through the deep powder. Once we reached the summit we each enjoyed some peanut m&m’s that we packed with us. It was a very satisfying way to enjoy the top of our climb. The trip back down was fairly uneventful and the going was much easier than our journey to the top.

When we returned home it felt nice to take off our gear and relax a little bit. The weather could not have been better and we thoroughly enjoyed the way that we spent our afternoon. I got home and turned on the NFL football games and enjoyed my time relaxing on the couch. What a perfect way to spend the day. Nothing gets me more excited than spending time outdoors and watching football haha. Until the next time we decide to snowshoe…

Best,

James

Photography and Bird Watching

What’s better than picking up a new hobby? Picking up two new hobbies at once! That’s exactly what I did recently picking up photography and bird watching. So what came first? Well, I first bought a camera. I have always wanted a professional camera, but the price has always deterred me from making the leap into a nice camera. When evaluating what camera to buy, I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of options available on the market. Thankfully my local camera store, Bozeman Camera was there to help me along the way. Their staff was extremely helpful, great at listening to my needs, and set me up with a slightly above entry-level Nikon DSLR. The D5600 model that I chose came with two lenses to help get me started on my photography journey. One 18-55mm lens for landscape photography and a 70-300mm telephonic lens for wildlife photography. Both of these lenses have their purpose and I’m so happy I decided to get the two lens kit when I purchased my camera. Thanks Bozeman Camera!

So once I got my camera I was eager to start taking some pictures with it. A friend recommended an upcoming bird watching tour and I thought it was a great idea to test out my camera skills. I wasn’t expecting to really enjoy the bird watching as much as I did, but I was completely blown away with how much fun bird watching is. We were fortunate to have two fantastic guides from the Sacajawea Audubon Society that were very kind, informative, and gave a wonderful tour around the Story Mill Community Park. We saw so many different varieties of birds and I wasn’t able to take pictures of all of them, but I got as many pictures as I could. Below is a gallery of the birds I photographed. The highlight of the entire tour was seeing a snipe and getting a really good look at the Wilson’s Snipe. This was a really cool bird that I have never seen in all my years growing up in Montana.

After our tour, I realized that I really like birding and really enjoy taking photos of the birds. It is a really fun activity and I look forward to going on more tours this spring and summer. Stay tuned for more bird watching photography updates!

Snipe Preening Wings

Red Wing Blackbirds

Morning Dove

Geese

Wilson's Snipe

Wood Duck

Cross Country Skiing in Bozeman, MT

After growing up in Bozeman and living here for 10 years, you would think I would have done a lot of cross country skiing. You’re wrong. Almost all of my time on skis has been on downhill skis and I have not spent much time cross country skiing which is a real shame. Little did I know that Bozeman has some of the most premier cross country skiing trails, minutes away from downtown Bozeman.

Recently, I had the opportunity to experience some of these trails on cross country skis and I had an absolute blast. I was surprised to see so many other people out there skiing and the different types of skiing there are. From what I can tell, there are two main types of skiing. Traditional cross country skiing and skate skiing. Skate skiers are incredibly fast and it looks like a really intense workout. Cross country skiing is a little more welcoming to all skill levels, but is also a great workout. Skate skiing typically goes around in a short circuit where cross country skiing is built for longer trails for you to explore.

I really enjoyed my day out cross country skiing and have already been again since going my first time last week. I look forward to getting more involved in cross country skiing and embracing the workout that you get from going. Below are some pictures of my first cross country skiing venture and I look forward to sharing future cross country adventures with you all.

Installing a Jeep Garvin Expedition Rack JK

As someone who loves outdoor adventures, I need a vehicle that allows me to get to the places I want to go. For me, this vehicle is a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I’m very proud of my car and we have had some pretty epic adventures together. From scaling rough trail roads, to driving across the country, the Jeep and James Gibbon have seen it all.

Since I got the Jeep, I have always wanted to add some accessories and after market parts to the vehicle. I’ve wanted to add these not just for functionality, but also because I think they look really cool. The first after market part I wanted to add to my Jeep was an overhead cargo rack. There are a number of different cargo racks on the market, but I particularly fell in love with the Expedition Rack by Garvin. This rack stretches the full length of the car and has mounts on both the front and back of the vehicle. I think this rack looks super cool and would also allow me to carry lots of cargo on long camping/road trips.

I purchased the rack and it was on its way. The only problem now was trying to figure out how to configure and install this rack once I received it. I called some local shops and got quotes and was blown away at how expensive it would be to have the rack professionally installed. I instantly talked to my brother-in-law and he watched some videos online and told me he thought we could do it.

A week later, the rack arrived in the mail and we were ready to install. We started the process at around 10:30 AM and finished around 6:30 PM. The entire process was long and tedious, but we kept our heads down and finished the install. The process took a little bit longer because we added a ladder accessory to the driver side.

Once we completed the install, I couldn’t be prouder of the rack and the way it looks on my Jeep. It was so much more rewarding to install the rack ourselves and I’m really glad everything worked out the way it did.

If you are curious to learn more about how we installed the Garvin Expedition Rack JK to our Jeep, please let me know in the comments below and I would be happy to help in any way that I can.

Paragliding in Bozeman, MT

James Gibbon - The other day I took a hike up the M trail just outside of Bozeman, MT. At the top of the trail I found this guy getting ready to take off. I waited until he launched and caught this video of him launching off the top of the trail into the valley below. Really cool to see and he proved to me that there is obviously more than one way down the mountain. Maybe some day I will get the courage to try something like this myself, but in the meantime I’ll stick to hiking and biking down the mountain!

Fall in Montana

James Gibbon - Fall is probably my favorite season in Montana, and I imagine it is because it is the shortest season we have in Montana. Fall is a bittersweet season as it comes as quickly as it disappears. As I look out the window and see 8 inches of snow, I reflect and remember how wonderful the fall was.

Last year our fall season was cut short by a winter cold snap. We missed the fall colors as the trees went from green to dormant. This year we were blessed with a full fall season. The trees changed colors to beautiful oranges, yellows, and reds.

I was in awe of this and took many pictures of the leaves with my camera. Another great part about fall is the cooler temperatures. After a very hot August, the weather starts to cool off. This provides for some nearly perfect days with gorgeous fall colors to look at.

I spent most of my fall mountain biking, hiking, and cherishing the final moments before our long cold winter. I always look forward to this season and I can’t wait for fall next year. Until then, I have a long winter ahead of me and I am looking forward to ski season.

I just got a new pair of ski boots and I cannot wait to try them out.

Onward to winter, and goodbye to fall for now.

-James

Coffee and the Great Outdoors

If you’re anything like me, coffee is essential. Whether I’m at home sitting on the couch, at a coffee shop, or embracing the outdoors - there’s no excuse not to have a great cup of coffee. And who is to say that you aren’t able to? With today’s modern technologies, the need for electricity and a heat source is no longer a necessary element to enjoying a great cup of coffee - or even espresso.

One of my favorite online publications, Best Quality Coffee, recently wrote an article on brewing espresso while camping and you can check it out here. The article goes into detail about all of the portable espresso makers on the market and which ones you should use on your next camping trip. It is a great article and if you enjoy it be sure to subscribe to their newsletter.

My favorite way to enjoy a cup of coffee regardless of my situation is by utilizing The French Press. I think this brew method produces the best quality coffee and is a simple and easy way to brew. If I were to take it one step further and tell you my favorite blend of coffee, it would have to be the Moka Java bean. I think the flavor from this bean is very flavorful and combined with The French Press you truly get a great coffee experience.

So next time your about to hit the trail, or planning your next camping trip, be sure to check out Best Quality Coffee!

Fly Fishing the Stillwater and the East Rosebud in Montana

I recently went on a fly fishing trip to a couple rivers I had never fished before. This trip was exciting and fun. Living in Bozeman, MT we have plenty of rivers nearby to fly fish. However, it is always nice to take a trip outside of the normal areas and find new spots to fish. I decided to fish the Stillwater River and the East Rosebud. Knowing very little about about the area, I decided to stop by a local fly shop on the way to learn more about the fishing in the area. In Columbus, MT there is a small fly shop called Stillwater Anglers. Inside we learned where to fish, and what to tie on our lines. The staff was incredibly helpful and the flies worked great for what we were looking for.

Once we got on the Stillwater River I was amazed at how slick the rocks were. The river was running very low and it was hard to find deep holes. The Stillwater is a wild river very similar to the Yellowstone River. It is much smaller than the Yellowstone, but is still a very large river. After fishing the Stillwater for a couple hours we decided to pack our gear and head over to the East Rosebud. I had heard great things about this river, and the river itself was absolutely beautiful. I took many pictures of the river and you can see a couple of them below. We continued to fish this river for another hour or so and were getting hungry. We packed our lunch and headed to Red Lodge, MT to enjoy our sandwiches.

After eating our late lunch, it was time to head home. We drove back to Bozeman, MT and unpacked our gear. Even though we didn’t catch anything, we still had a blast. Nothing beats taking a Montana Fly Fishing trip!