December 2004
Time + Money - Travel
Go It Alone - Gallatin River, Montana
There’s no better way to contemplate the difference between loneliness and head-clearing solitude than sliding into a pair of neoprene waders and coaxing some hungry rainbow trout or brown trout out of this classic Western river with a JJ Special streamer or stone nymph. After fly fishing the same frigid waters where A River Runs Through It was filmed, retreat to one of the 16-streamside rooms at the Rainbow Ranch Lodge in Big Sky. A granite hearth, an outdoor hot tub where elk serenade bathers in winter, and a 6,5000 bottle wine cellar known as the Bacchus Room should ease any angler’s chill. For those apostates who want a break from fly-fishing, the Big Sky ski resort (all 4350 feet of it) is only 14 miles away and Yellowstone National Park is a mere 10 miles down the road. $150 to $300 per night, 800-937-4132, rainbowranch.com