Our Viewpoint: Montana shines when you step out

March can be hard to handle. While signs of Spring are making their way through the last of the snow mounds, it’s still cold and some of us are just waiting for the snow to melt off the fairways so we can start working out the kinks in our golf game.

For years, I’ve been saying I need to get away in March, just to take the edge off of those last weeks of winter. This year, my buddy and I took a quick trip to Phoenix to get some sun. We were mostly looking forward to seeing new places and making new memories. What I found is that I love our home state even more.

Don’t get me wrong. It sure was nice to catch some spring training action, see the red rocks of Sedona and sock up some rays. But the best part of the trip was asking each Uber driver if he or she had ever been to Montana, and getting to hear the outsiders’ perspectives of what it’s like to visit here. One driver’s mom had moved to Montana before Y2K because she felt safer here. Another was in the military and had visited Montana while enlisted.

But the best thing about our travels to another state were the Montanans. From the family visits to the new best buddies we made from Bozeman, connections with our home state were the highlight of the trip. Somehow Montanans always seem to find with each other. Whether you’re 1,000 miles from home or an a different continent, being from the Big Sky state is never a bad thing. You’ll always find someone who has visited, went to school with someone from Montana, or maybe you’ll even find a long-lost relative.

Getting away is nice, and we’re so thankful that spring is officially here next week. But we couldn’t think of a better place to come home to, and we sure hope our Uber drivers know we meant it when we said to come visit any time. That’s what Montanans do. ­— Annie Wooden, Publisher