Shortly after our anniversary trip, Scott and I headed up to Montana for a couple of weeks to enjoy the fresh air and open land.  We stayed in Ennis, Montana, most of the time, but took some side trips to Bozeman and stayed a few days in Yellowstone at the Old Faithful Inn.

Since the park had just opened, it was not as crowded as it is in the middle of the summer (but it was a lot colder!).  We were able to see a lot of wildlife including bear (black and brown), buffalo, elk, pronghorn, wolves, eagle, etc.

We spent the night at the famous “Old Faithful Inn” which was built in 1903.

We arrived in time to take the last “Architectural Tour” of the property that day and it was really informative. If you enjoy architecture and interior design, this is not to be missed! The Inn is considered to be the largest log cabin structure in the world and was built from local stone and wood.

The craftsman details inside are really amazing.  You can see the detailed blacksmith work on the metal on the front door.

The massive clock hangs on the stone fireplace and still runs with many of the original parts.

The property has several custom-made fire screens with metal geyser detail on the front which I thought was a very creative idea.

The massive wood structure is hard to appreciate until you are inside and can see it yourself.  The “crow’s nest” look out at the top is no longer accessible since an earthquake many years ago rocked the area and toppled the fireplace in the dining room.  There is some concern this feature is no longer structurally sound.

If you stay in the property you can choose to sleep in the ‘old house’ rooms (in the main building).  These historic rooms have a ton of character, but no shower/toilet, so we elected to stay in the “new” rooms, which were built in the 1920’s (I think).   This photo of a ‘old house’ room shows the wood wall and a new sink on an example of what would have been the wash basin table before the rooms had running water.

And, lest you think these are in any way luxurious, let me forewarn you this is not the case!  After roughing it a couple of days we agreed we had checked this experience off the bucket list and were happy to move along to better food and more modern accommodations.

And, this wouldn’t be a travel blog post without a restaurant recommendation.  We had a great time at Open Range restaurant in Bozeman with some friends.  The food (and company!) was excellent.

Ironically, my mom already had the cookbook, so I was able to copy a few recipes before we left town.  

All in all, an awesome trip with great experiences, Scott and I can’t wait to do it again!  If you happen to be headed that way, drop me a line and I can pass along additional recommendations.