Not to brag or anything, but I believe that Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist John Steinbeck and I have something grand in common. In 1960, John Steinbeck went on a road trip around the United States with his French Poodle, Charley. They explored America from the northernmost tip of Maine to California’s Monterey Peninsula.
Montana was one of the places they stopped by and this is what he had to say about the state known as the Big Sky Country:
“I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.”
He went on to describe Montana:
“It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur. The scale is huge but not overpowering. The land is rich with grass and colour, and the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda.”
Several years ago, I also went on a mini road trip around the Western region of the United States, and it was Montana that I fell in love with the most. And though I will likely not get a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize, our same love for Montana makes me giddily think that I share a special kinship with Mr. Steinbeck.
One day, I will make a return to Montana with a furry companion in tow as well. And this time, my plan is to check-in an all-inclusive luxury Montana resort that perfectly combines luxury and countryside adventure.
I’ve got my sights on The Resort at Paws Up, located 35 minutes northeast of Missoula.
We’re talking about a 35,000-acre sprawling authentic working cattle ranch that has luxury homes and luxury tents, and complete adventure activities.
This wilderness sanctuary is the best place to be far away from it all, where social distancing is measured in acres.
At Paws Up, they offer two basic types of accommodation: Luxury Camping/ Luxury Tents and Luxury Homes. The resort’s recommendation is to stay a minimum of 5 nights so I think I’ll plan on staying 6 (maybe even 8), and evenly split my time between the two types of accommodation.
LUXURY TENT
So for the first half of my stay, I plan to choose one of their Luxury Tents. Let’s go with one of their River Camp Tents:
See, Paws Up isn’t kidding when they say that they offer luxury glamping. When you book your stay at one of their Luxury Tented Camps, a personal butler will be helping you throughout the duration of your stay. I bet you haven’t had this kind of glamping before!
ACTIVITIES
HORSEBACK RIDING
And as for daily activities, I’m pretty sure that my days will be as busy, relaxing or as exciting as I plan it to be.
They offer guided horseback riding at Paws Up, and I reckon this will be a daily activity for me. Just looking at the spectacular views that the ranch has, I don’t think that one day of riding is enough to explore or just appreciate the meadows and forests of the ranch.
FITNESS TRAIL
And even though Paws Up has a well-equipped fitness centre, I think I will choose to get fit the natural way when staying there. The Grizzlyman Fitness trail has 12 fitness stations and will definitely challenge both the fit and young-at-heart adults. All these challenge stations are made from are made from the area’s surrounding timber and will test one’s climbing, balancing, and swinging skills. It’s a playground in the wilderness that burns calories effectively!
SKIJORING
Ok, I saw this activity on their site and I will not pass up the opportunity to try this. This is Paws Up’s latest winter activity to be introduced at the ranch and it looks like a ton of fun! Derived from the Norwegian word which means ‘ski driving’, Skijoring is a skiing activity wherein the skier is pulled by a horse or a pack of dogs.
LUXURY HOME
After my adventure-filled days and staying at the luxury camp at Paws Up, I’ll cap off my last half of the stay in one of their luxury homes.
Paws Up has several types of luxury homes, but I’m loving the look of their homes at the Blackfoot River Lodge.
I mean look:
And needless to say, I will end my stay at Paws Up with some spa treatment wonderfully done inside their spa tent.
If this isn’t one of the most perfectly indulgent yet balanced luxury/adventure stays, then I don’t know what is!
Until then, I will hold on to my memories of Montana and count the days till I can return.
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