There's Gold In Them Thar Hills!

For almost three decades, our family has escaped life in the big city with summer and winter trips to Big Sky, Montana.

Located about an hour from the West Yellowstone entrance to our most famous National Park, Big Sky had remained relatively undiscovered for many years, but that seems to have changed.



This summer, we arrived the last week in June, because Darlene and Brooks said it was getting too crowded in July.

We wanted to have the chance to spend a little time in the mountain paradise they had "discovered" for themselves and soon shared with us.

We had time for a fun round of golf, some drinks by the fire ring and a couple of great meals with them, and then they were off to San Diego to see a play for which they had tickets.

Julie and I were unsuccessful at coaxing anyone else to join us in Big Sky despite offering many invitations that always include rave reviews hyping concerts in the park a short walk from where we stay up there.

Once again, all the concerts turned out to be terrific, with three shows particuarly noteworthy.

First, the Tiny Band returned to rock the 4th of July with lively covers of the most danceable songs from the rock era.  I have to say they sounded better this year than past years, perhaps inspired by what turned out to be a large crowd under clear skies.

It being the 4th of July in Montana, there were of course spontaneous chants of USA and singing the national anthem together by the crowd.

A huge fireworks display lit up the big sky beginning at 10 PM, with fireworks shot off around the park by locals before, during and after the featured pyrotechnics.



It was the best turnout for a concert in the park since the Beach Boys played a fund-raising concert five years ago (another great show).

The regular Thursday night shows also brought out larger crowds than normal.  It wasn't exactly Woodstock (though some certainly dressed and danced like it was!), but probably twice as many people attended as last year, following years of modest growth of maybe 5 or 10% per year.

To some extent, that could be attributed to unusually clear skies for all of the concerts this year, as opposed to afternoon rain that often arrives in the Rockies during summer months.

Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds from Brooklyn were sensational, with talented, innovative musicians on each instrument and an engaging singer performing mostly original music.  I kept thinking this band could hit really big if they landed an opening spot on an arena rock tour.

We also really enjoyed Polyrhythmics, an original band in the vein of classic rockers like Chicago without vocals or Santana with less of a Spanish accent to their sound.

Because our son Jay works at Universal Music in Film and Television, I'm always listening for bands that would sound good in soundtracks (not that he needs my help!).  To me, Polyrhythmics could easily fit the bill for detective and cop shows along the lines of Miami Vice, Beverly Hills Cop and The Rockford Files.

While the larger crowds at concerts surprised us, the real shocks came at Ousel Falls, a frequent hiking destination.

Because of heavy rains in May and June, the falls and river feeding it seemed to be bursting at the seams.

In fact, part of the trail had been washed out.

Having also seen Ousel Falls in the winter for the first time a few months ago, we were struck by how the seasons dramatically change nature.

This also played out in the vast number of wildflowers that made color explode like fireworks along every trail we took here and elsewhere in Big Sky and the surrounding area.

Even more surprising was that when we arrived at the parking lot each day, we found it almost full, whereas in past years maybe a third of the spaces held cars on an average day.

The reason soon became clear.

Twice a week, we found Disney Tour buses parked there.  I asked the driver, and sure enough he said Disney now includes Big Sky on its Montana Adventure Tours as part of a weeklong trip starring Yellowstone National Park.

We've long known Big Sky is about as gorgeous as nature can get and found it surprising that it remained relatively undiscovered, but once Disney put it on the map, lots of families --- possibly scared off by Disney pricing but tempted by the destination --- apparently decided to hit some of the highlights on their own, and that includes Ousel Falls.





It helps explain why so many people now attend the concerts.  That's not to say the Big Sky Arts Council and all the others involved in the tourist industry there don't deserve credit for building an enticing destination.  One of the other summer events we attend regularly is the Brewfest up at the ski mountain.  It was a kick again this year despite a thunderstorm that blew through to disrupt the music.  For those keeping score, my favorite was Neptune's Knotty Lotty.

There's also a rodeo in Big Sky Town Center in August, but we've always split by then.

We just hope Big Sky planners won't soon be as successful attracting the masses as Lake Louise and Banff, which have become a little too popular with tourists for my tastes.

I should add that the Air BnB boom probably played a part, because in the past there has never been sufficient lodging to make the area crowded.  In fact, that lack of lodging and parking is a major reason that tempted avid skiers Brooks and Darlene to buy a home there in the first place.

A large hotel is also being built in Town Center, so it seems the quaint village life may be coming to an end as throngs of tourists find there truly is "gold in them thar hills!"

In fact, I don't think I'll write about our other favorite trails, just in case Disney Vacations is reading this blog.