Livingston, Montana

We had breakfast at Martins, an all night railroad café that is a favorite among locals.

The Yellowstone River makes a dramatic bend eastward at Livingston's Sacagawea Park. Benches line the shore and invite one to stop for a moment and absorb the beauty of the longest free flowing river in the United States. Commemorative Markers tell the story of the Corps of Discovery stopping here to rest during their journey back to St. Louis in 1806.

Just south of town is the legendary Paradise Valley. We had read that this valley was … well paradise. As we followed the East River Road, we felt we had stumbled into Shangri-la. This is the quintessential image of Montana ... majestic mountain peaks, sprawling ranches, horses and cattle grazing in lush fields and magpies, bluebirds and deer along the road. Danny struggled in the blustery weather to take a panorama … but we really weren’t able to capture the beauty of the valley floor.

The Yellowstone River winds through the valley and reportedly offers some of the best trout fishing found anywhere on earth. No wonder Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It was filmed here and Richard Brautigan was inspired to write the 60's cult classic: Trout Fishing in America.

We love Livingston and, despite the wind, are already making plans to return next year ... gotta experience one of those rowdy nights immortalized by Jimmy Buffet in the song Livingston Saturday Night.

(Page 2 of 2)

Pickup’s washed and you just got paid,
With any luck at all you might even get laid,
’cause they’re pickin’ and a kickin’ on a Livingston Saturday night.

— Jimmy Buffett —