Adventure

Montana

DRY FLIES, BLOOD AND BIG COUNTRY: Doing Absolutely Nothing in Montana

Montana
“The original plan for a road trip from New York to Montana quickly lost its luster when we considered our lack of long-haul stamina and the finite number of days we’d have to fish. Having someone else drive the nearly 40 hours allowed us to take in the full glory of the American West without worrying about stops for gas, food or falling asleep at the wheel.” Photo: Matt Smythe
Words: Matt Smythe

Two flyfishermen and 50 Mennonites walk into a train station... 

Our fishing trip was starting out as much like the lead-in to a good joke as it was the welcome culmination of a year spent scheming and planning.

It was almost midnight when Mike and I finally boarded the train in Rochester, NY. We had simmered in the terminal for over an hour with about two dozen Mennonites all bound for a wedding somewhere outside of Chicago. A lightning storm blazed outside. 

The air conditioning didn’t work in the terminal and the inside of the passenger car felt no different given the mass of humanity already gathered within.  It was a poorly lit, damp-smelling and crowded free-for-all for any empty seats, but we managed to grab two across the aisle from each other... 

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