Our Viewpoint

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit the East Coast with a friend who is a native of New York. It was interesting to go back with her and see a different part of the country that is so foreign to us. The busy streets and the billions of people are a bit much for small-town Montanans. It was fun to visit, but it was great to come home and drive over Thompson Pass, only passing one car on our return.

While on a layover at the airport in Boston, we started chatting with an airline representative. This woman had never been to Montana and was shocked when we told her we don’t have a proper streetlight in the whole county, and that any of the big-box stores are about 100 miles away. The airline representative said she had heard tales about areas we were describing but didn’t really believe they existed.

The conversation got us thinking about how adaptable humans are. Our friend from New York who now lives in Sanders County said she didn’t think she could go back to living in such a populated area. It was fine growing up and through college, because that is what she knew. But now after almost two decades out west, she is more comfortable in Northwest Montana where the wildlife outnumber the humans.

It’s fun to go away and see how others live. We’re pretty sure we’ll be back in Maine one day to again sit by the sea and watch the lobster boats come in with their day’s catch. But it’s even better to come home.